Category: Bible Study Aids
Posts which are helpful in studying the Bible.
Study Guide for 2 Samuel
When we last had Bible Classes PRE-Covid19, we were engaged in a study of 2 Samuel on Wednesday nights. In July our classes will begin again, Lord willing. We have now completed a study guide for the 17th chapter of 2 Samuel. There are eight pages containing several parts including questions, lessons, outline, summary, etc. I hope the guide will be helpful to many in taking a look at this very interesting chapter in the life of King David. You can find the PDF by clicking H-E-R-E. Other guides also are available by clicking H-E-R-E.
The Audio Bible of My Dreams
The audio Bible of my dreams has finally made its way to the app stores! I have a daily Bible reading schedule in which I read 10 chapters per day. It is an adaptation of Professor Grant Horner’s Bible reading plan. The plan has its critics but many Bible-lovers give it high praise. I am into the fourth year of using it daily. The plan is to continue using it. It is my desire to do everything I can to ENCOURAGE the reading of the Bible. For that reason I want to describe to you a new development which might appeal to smart phone users.
My Bible reading WITHOUT the audio Bible of my Dreams…
It has been my normal practice to use Logos Bible Software to do my daily Bible reading. I have a laptop hooked to a 22-inch monitor. Enlarging the text considerably. I use the audio reading function of Logos (Control + R). The reading speed I set at 2X. Logos will automatically scroll through the content. It is quite easy to move through the ten readings using keyboard shortcuts. It has worked for me for a long time. I am sure it will continue to work for me. It is easy on the eyes and ears. It is very pleasant to notice various and sundry nuances as the words are read and as the words scroll on by. I consider these words to be the very words of God and am convinced I am made a better person through this exercise.
My Bible reading WITH the audio Bible of my Dreams…
For a few days I have been exposed to advertising from the people who produced the Olive Tree Bible App. I have used this app for a few years. I think it is one of the best. There is a free version and you can add to your library with many excellent books and study tools. Their most recent attempts to take my money involved incorporating audio Bibles into their Bible app. I read their material. I watched their video. It looked amazing. I am glad I checked it out and made the purchase. There are several Bible versions available and other books in audio format. I chose the NKJV Voice Only Audio Bible.
As I understand it, these audio Bibles are available now only on phones and tablets with a data plan. If you have enough storage you can download the entire Bible. You can download whatever part of the Bible you want to read, or you can stream the content. I do not have the storage, so I stream. The wonderful thing about these Bibles is that you can do on the phone the same thing I do with my laptop and Logos that I mentioned above. Most audio Bibles are pretty limited about where you can begin reading. Not this one! You can go to whatever book, chapter, and verse you desire. Also, it automatically scrolls through the text, which you can read from the screen as it reads the text audibly! WOW! You can speed up or slow down the reading. It produces perfect audio, the text scrolls without any noticeable delay.
One NEGATIVE in this audio Bible of my dreams…
There is one pretty important flaw in these audio Bibles. I am sure that when complaints come in they will make adjustment with subsequent updates. There is not enough space on the screen for the longer verses. The words appear on the screen a verse at a time. Many of the verses have more words than will fit in the scrolling space. I am using an iPhone 5S, so my screen is small. Even if you adjust the font face and size, some verses still will not fit. Surely this will be only a temporary hindrance, but it is quite frustrating.
Conclusion:
In conclusion, this audio Bible does all I need it to do. I recommend it to you highly. It will be a delight to me for many years. My copy came to $26.49, including tax.
15 Bible Periods
15 Bible periods appear obvious as one opens, reads, and studies the Bible. I do not know who first came up with this categorization. However, I know that it has been a GREAT help to me in my own personal Bible study to use the 15 periods of Bible history.
I was first exposed to these 15 Bible periods when I entered preaching school at Brown Trail in 1980. As we studied the course, “Old Testament Survey,” we were required to memorize these periods. We also were to place the 66 Bible books into the appropriate period.
Others have divided Bible history into more or less than 15 periods. This is the arrangement that makes the most sense to me. During ALL of these periods God was dealing with mankind. He has given to us an amazing record to study. There are many lessons for our consideration. Through this study, we can derive tremendous benefits.
It really does help a LOT to know HOW these Bible events hook into the recorded history of the world through God’s written revelation! I am confident that the study and then memorization of these 15 Bible periods will enhance your Bible study efforts.
We have them available in a 2-page PDF here: 15BiblePeriods