THE KING’S BUSINESS
587
AfterWards we have the period from Joshua -to Samuel dealing with the important per iod of the? Judges. The time of the first three kings, Saul, David and Solomon, offers another natural section for study. Then the time of the divided kingdoms would come next and attention cart be given to either Israel or Judah separately or the two simultaneously. The periods of the captivity and the post captivity complete the Old Testament. Sim ilar divisions, can be made in studying the record in the New Testament SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT One of the most essential, vital and fruit ful methods of becoming acquainted with the Bible is by the study of its connections and spiritual developments. The unity of the Bible is a very important topic. Thd Old Testament finds its unity in the three great offices of Prophet, Priest and King. The need of a Priest can be seen very specially in the period covered by the Books of the Pentateuch, though, of course, it is not exclusively associated with these. The call for a King is gradually heard as the historical Books are studied from Joshua' onwards, while the importance of the Prophet is »particularly visible in the prophetical Books. And so, from Genesis to Malachi the people show in one way or another the necessity of these three great features in regard to spiritual need. When we turn to the New Testament, we find something very like the answer to these desires in the Person and Work of our Lord. In the Gospels He is recorded in His human life as “Jesus.” In the Acts He is seen in His Divine power and author ity as “Christ,” and in the Epistles He is especially revealed in connection with the Church as “Lord.” Thus, in “Jesus Chfist our Lord” we have the satisfaction sought by Israel when they desired a Prophet, a Priest and a King. Jesus, the Prophet; Christ, the Priest; and the Lord, the King; the Prophet to reveal, the Priest to redeem, and the King to rule. Side by side with this manifest and beau tiful unity is the complementary truth of
careful consideration along three lines, each taking two chapters: chapters 1 and 2, personal;, chapters -3 and 4, doctrinal; chapters 5 and 6, practical. A FRUITFUL METHOD These are only the barest hints of what can.be done by this method of book study, and it should be said again that this is the most obvious and, in many respects, the most fruitful way of becoming acquainted with the contents and meaning of the Bible. Instead of the study of books, or rather side by side with it, it is possible to give special attention to sections of books, and, thereby, to become thoroughly acquainted with particular portions. Thus, we could study the great section of Isaiah, chapters 40-66, by noticing its three divisions of nine chapters each, for it will be found that at the close of chapters 48, 57 and 66 the same thought is recorded, though the sec ond and the third times in an intensified form. It is thought by some that even these nine chapters can be further sub divided into three times three. It is also worth observing that the former portion of Isaiah, chapters. 1-35, are simply and naturally divisible into three parts: chapters 1-12; chapters 13-27; chapters 28-35. As an instance of the study of sections in the New Testament, reference may be made to the Epistle to the Romans and attention concentrated on the three pivots found at the beginnings of chapters 5, 8 and 12 by means, of the word “therefore,” dealing respectively with the “therefore” of Justification, the “therefore” of Sanctifi cation, and the “therefore” of Consecra tion. Yet again, it is possible to pay special attention to the historical periods found in the Bible, inasmuch as the revelation of God is marked in this way in its develop ment. Thus, we can look at the Pre-Abra- hamic period covering the first eleven chapters of Genesis. Following this is the Patriarchal., period including the remainder of that Book. Then comes the Mosaic period extending over the life of Mdses from Exodus to the end of Deuteronomy.
Made with FlippingBook HTML5