A Hundred Bible Chapters in a Year
(Option 1)
First Quarter
Introduction
The plan is to read (roughly) two chapters of the Bible each week over the course of a year – totalling about one hundred chapters, and giving a good overview of the main themes and story of the Bible. This will be split into four quarterly sections of twelve weeks each – allowing for the occasional week off.
As well as the designated two chapters, many weeks will also have some suggested further reading. This will fill in some of the gaps, include some interesting but less important sections, or draw on some of the Psalms – the hymn book of Israel. If you have time (occasionally or regularly) to dip into some of these extra chapters, it will enrich your reading. But if you don’t, don’t worry.
What Bible should I use?
Choose a translation that you are comfortable with. If you are relatively new to the Bible, perhaps try the Good News version, or the New International Version. The New Revised Standard Version (which we use in church) feels slightly more formal, but specifically uses inclusive language, and retains traditional turns of phrase where possible. Alternatively, The Message is a translation of the Bible into contemporary North American English. It aims to accurately translate both the ideas and the feel of the original texts, and can be helpful both to Bible newcomers and to those looking for fresh insight.
How should I read?
Pray that God will speak through the Scriptures. Enjoy the story – use your imagination as well as your mind. You may want to jot down questions that arise. Aim primarily to get a feel for the story itself, but also look out for similar themes in your own life.
What should I read in the first quarter?
In the first three months, we look at the main sections of Genesis and Exodus, the first two books of the Bible. We hear of God being the source of all life and goodness, and of the failing of humanity. God calls Abraham, promising to bring blessing to his family, and through him to all the world. His descendants spend time as slaves in Egypt, but God liberates them – the Exodus - and eventually leads them back to the promised land.
Key themes – Creation, Fall, Exodus
Key people - Adam, Abraham, Moses
Week 1
Genesis 1 & 2Two accounts of creation
If you have timePsalms 1, 23, 139
Week 2
Genesis 3The first sin and its consequences
Acts 7.1-47A summary (from the New Testament) of what we’ll encounter through this quarter.
If you have timeGenesis 4
Week 3
Genesis 12.1-9The call of Abram (whose name became Abraham)
Genesis 15.1-6God’s covenant with Abram
Genesis 18.1-15A son promised to Abraham and Sarah
If you have timeGenesis 27, 29, 32, 33
Week 4
Genesis 37Joseph (son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham) - his dreams and slavery.
Genesis 39Joseph and Potiphar’s wife
If you have timeGenesis 40, Psalm 13, 63
Week 5
Genesis 41Joseph interprets Pharaoh’s dreams
Genesis 42Joseph’s brothers go to Egypt
If you have timePsalm 103, 149, 150
Week 6
Genesis 43 & 44Joseph tests his brothers
If you have timePsalm 27, 30, 62
Week 7
Genesis 45Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers
Genesis 46.1-7Jacob brings his family to Egypt
Genesis 47.27-31The last days of Jacob
If you have timeGenesis 48-50
Week 8
Exodus 1Slavery of the Israelites
Exodus 2The birth and youth of Moses
If you have timePsalms 42, 43, 68
Week 9
Exodus 3 & 4Moses at the burning bush
If you have timeExodus 5, 7 (8, 9, 10), 11
Week 10
Exodus 12The Passover
Exodus 14Crossing the Red Sea
If you have timeExodus 13, 15, Psalm 66
Week 11
Exodus 16Bread from Heaven
Exodus 20The Ten Commandments
If you have timeExodus 19, Deuteronomy 31 & 34
Week 12
Joshua 1God’s Commission to Joshua
Joshua 6The fall of Jericho
If you have timeJoshua 2, 3, 4
Second Quarter
What happens in the second quarter?
We’ve already read of the Jewish people arriving in their promised land. Now we hear of their call for a king, and sample the ups and downs of their experience of monarchy. Eventually, God’s patience is tested to breaking point, and the people are conquered and sent into exile. After some time, they return to their land, and the temple and city of Jerusalem are rebuilt. We also include some of the wisdom writing, and parts of the great prophetic book of Isaiah.
Key themes – Kingship, Exile, Restoration
Key people - Samuel, David, Solomon, Isaiah
Week 1
1 Samuel 1 & 3The birth and calling of Samuel
If you have timeJudges 6-7 Gideon defeats the Midianites
Week 2
1 Samuel 8 – 10.1The Israelites ask for a king and get Saul
If you have timeRuth
Week 3
1 Samuel 16Saul rejected; a new king anointed
1 Samuel 17David and Goliath
If you have time2 Samuel 1
Week 4
2 Samuel 5David becomes king of the united kingdom of Israel and Judah
2 Samuel 11 & 12David & Bathsheba
If you have timeProverbs 1-3
Week 5
1 Kings 1.27-31David confirms son Solomon as next king
1 Kings 3Solomon asks for the gift of wisdom
1 Kings 8The dedication of the temple built by Solomon
If you have time1 Kings 18 & 19 – Elijah on Mt Carmel
Week 6
2 Kings 17.1-23The Assyrians conquer Israel (the northern kingdom) and take the people into captivity
2 Kings 24.18-25King Zedekiah did evil. Babylon conquers Jerusalem and people of Judah taken into captivity.
If you have time2 Chronicles 30, 34 – accounts of two good kings, Hezekiah and Josiah
Week 7
The books of Ezra and Nehemiah deal with events in the fifth century BC, when the Jews were given permission to rebuild the Jerusalem temple.
Ezra 1.1-7King Cyrus gives permission
Ezra 6.13-22Building continues despite opposition
Ezra 7.5-10, 27-28Ezra returns with fresh authority from the new king, Artaxerxes
Nehemiah 8Once the wall of the city is built and people have returned to settle, Ezra reads the Law of Moses aloud to the crowd in the city square.
If you have timeOther parts of Ezra and/or Nehemiah
Week 8
Job 1 & 2Job’s calamity, presented as the result of a challenge between Satan and God – would this godly man curse God if he lost all his possessions?
If you have timeJob 3, 4, 8, 9 Job’s misery, and some of the advice of his ‘comforters’.
Week 9
Job 38 & 42The Lord answering Job, his response, and a happy ending.
If you have timeEcclesiastes 1, 3.1-8, 12
Advice from a world-weary preacher!
Week 10
Isaiah is arguably the greatest of the prophetic books in the Old Testament. ‘Isaiah’ is the name of the whole book, but it may well record the sayings of at least two prophets, one of whom prophesied in the seventh century BC before Jerusalem fell to Sennacherib, and the second in the sixth century BC from the days when the captivity came to an end. The message of the first is of inevitable judgement if the people do not turn from their sins. The message of the second is of hope for the future, both in the restoration of Jerusalem but also in the greater fulfilment of God’s purposes for the whole world.
Isaiah 1.1-20The heart of Isaiah’s message
Isaiah 6Isaiah’s calling and commission
If you have timeIsaiah 2, 5, 9
Week 11
Isaiah 11A descendant of David will one day bring peace
Isaiah 35A glimpse of hope
If you have timeIsaiah 39
Week 12
Isaiah 40.1-11The promise of comfort, forgiveness, restoration, and the coming of God himself
Isaiah 42.1-4Often taken as another prophecy of the coming Messiah
Isaiah 52.7-10
Isaiah 53The ‘suffering servant’ of the Lord – which Christians have always seen as a prophecy of the suffering of Jesus
If you have timeIsaiah 43, 47, 49
Week 13
Isaiah 55An invitation to the thirsty
Isaiah 60.1-3The glory of the Lord will draw kings to the light. This element in Second Isaiah emphasises the ancient promise that Abraham’s family would be for the blessing of all the world. (Gen 12.3)
Isaiah 61.1-3The passage Jesus would read in the synagogue at Nazareth
Isaiah 65.17-25A picture of the golden age of blessing to be brought in by the Messiah. The book of Revelation draws on these ideas (Rev 21.1-4)
Many of the comments throughout are taken from Making Sense of the Bible, by David Winter, from Chapter 10 – The Reduced Bible.
Third Quarter
What happens in the third quarter?
Having engaged at moderate length with the book of Isaiah, the first two weeks of readings consist of brief excerpts from a range of other prophets. For the rest of the quarter (and into the beginning of the following quarter), we engage with Jesus via the Gospels. As always, this involves missing out much good material. The approach followed here is to include most of Luke's gospel, and then a small amount of Matthew's. Next quarter will include several weeks with John's gospel, but I'm afraid we'll miss out Mark altogether.
Key themes – New Covenant, God’s Kingdom, Messiah
Key people - Prophets, John the Baptist, Jesus
Week 1
Jeremiah 31.31-34A New Covenant
Ezekiel 37.1-14The valley of dry bones
Amos 8.4-7Judgement on social injustice
If you have timeDaniel 1, 3, 5, 6
Week 2
Hosea 6A call to repentance
Hosea 11God's compassion despite Israel's ingratitude
If you have timeMicah 4, 6
For the next eight weeks, we will work our way through Luke's gospel. The descriptions by each chapter indicate some, but not all, of what the chapter refers to.
Week 3
Luke 1Two births foretold
Luke 2The birth of Jesus
If you have timeLuke 3, Psalm 8, 13
Week 4
Luke 4The temptation of Jesus
Luke 5 Jesus calls the first disciples
If you have time Psalm 16,18,131
Week 5
Luke 6The Sabbath; 12 Apostles; love for enemies
Luke 8 The parable of the sower; the purpose of the parables
If you have timeLuke 7, Psalm 19, 98
Week 6
Luke 9"Who do you say that I am?"
Luke 10 Parable of the good Samaritan
If you have timePsalm 121 - 127
Week 7
Luke 11The Lord's prayer; keep praying
Luke 15 The lost sheep; the prodigal and his brother
If you have timeLuke 12, 13, 14
Week 8
Luke 18The Pharisee and the tax collector; the rich ruler
Luke 19 Jesus enters Jerusalem, weeps, and cleanses the temple
If you have timeLuke 16, 17, 20
Week 9
Luke 21The destruction of Jerusalem foretold
Luke 22 The Lord's supper; Jesus is arrested; Jesus before the Council
If you have timePsalm 4, 6, 22
Week 10
Luke 23Jesus' crucifixion, death and burial
Luke 24 The Resurrection; the Walk to Emmaus; the Ascension
If you have timePsalm 100, 146, 150
Week 11
Matthew 5 & 6The Sermon on the Mount
If you have timeMatthew 1, 2
Week 12
Matthew 7Remainder of the Sermon on the Mount
Matthew 28The resurrection of Jesus
If you have timeMatthew 16.13-27; Matthew 25
Fourth Quarter
What happens in the fourth quarter?
The book of Acts follows on from the Gospel of Luke and provides a bridge from the Gospel narratives into the New Testament letters. Historically it covers the first 30 years of the church. Acts provides an excellent blueprint for what a healthy church should look like especially in the early chapters. The book begins with the coming of the Holy Spirit in great power. Some have commented that this book documents what happens when the Holy Spirit moves. There are lots of names mentioned in this book but the Holy Spirit is always the key character.
Week 1
Acts 1, 2, 3The ascension of Christ, the coming of the Holy Spirit and the birth of the church
If you have timeHebrews 1, 2
Week 2
Acts 4, 5Peter and John before the Sanhedrin and Ananias and Sapphira
If you have timeHebrews 3, 4
Week 3
Acts 6, 7, 8The choosing of Deacons, the fate of Stephen and the persecution and scattering of the church
If you have timeHebrews 5, 6
Week 4
Acts 9, 10Saul’s conversion and Cornelius calls for Peter
If you have timeHebrews 7, 8
Week 5
Acts 11, 12Peter’s revelation and his miraculous escape from prison
If you have timeHebrews 9, 10
Week 6
Acts 13, 14Barnabas and Saul on mission!
If you have time Hebrews 11, 12
Week 7
Acts 15, 16, 17Back in Jerusalem, Gentiles are reassessed and the missionary net spreads wider still.
If you have timeHebrews 13, 1 John 1
Week 8
Acts 18, 19The Gospel reaches Corinth and Ephesus
If you have time1 John 2, 3
Week 9
Acts 20, 21, 22Paul pushes on to Macedonia and Greece and then heads for Jerusalem where he continues to get himself noticed!
If you have time 1 John 4, 5
Week 10
Acts 23, 24Paul before the Sanhedrin and then Felix in Caesarea
If you have time 1 Peter 1, 2
Week 11
Acts 25, 26Paul’s trial before Festus and King Agrippa
If you have time1 Peter 3, 4
Week 12
Acts 27, 28Paul’s final but not uneventful journey to Rome
If you have time1 Peter 5