I would love to learn more about the bible … which book should I start with first?
Hi Arlene, thanks for reaching out. Great question!
Many books of the bible are actually stories or narratives; they basically tell us what happened. So a simple way is to start reading the bible like you would read a story: you let the writer take you along the journey and as you go further and further along you will get some idea of what the story is about and understand what is really happening. Don’t sweat the details and discover the big picture.
If you decide to do this I suggest either the book of Genesis or the Gospel of Mark. If you have questions feel free to ask me.
The Book of Psalms is another simple way to begin reading the bible. These are not narratives—there is no story line nor time line. You can view each psalm as a letter to God from someone who has journeyed with him for a while. That means he knows God well and reading his letters to God will give you some idea of who God is and how you can walk with God.
A letter to God is of course a prayer. So this can also help you to voice your own prayers and write your own letters to God.
The Psalmist is a poetic writer; he often writes songs. In fact many of the psalms are songs. So don’t be confused by the flowery language, the dramatic descriptions, the frequent repetitions; just go for the gist of what he is saying.
Start with psalm 1 and go on from there. Except for psalm 119, which is very long, try to finish a whole psalm when you read and then you can reread the psalm in smaller chunks if you feel that the psalm is meaningful to you. Instead of the story (when reading narratives) what you are looking for with the psalms is to get to know the God of the Psalmist and see how God and the Psalmist interact in the life journey of the Psalmist. The payoff is to begin your own journey with God as you walk alongside.
There you are: Genesis or Mark, or the Psalms. Just read. When you want to stop (just like any other book you read), just stop. Pick the bible up again and continue reading the next time you can. And over time figure out the story line (narrative) or the interaction between God and the Psalmist (psalms).
At some point you will realise that the Bible was written for you to know God: Genesis is about God’s journey with man, Mark is about Jesus’ journey on earth and Psalms is about the Psalmist’s journey with God.
I pray that your own journey with God will be enriched as you get to know God better and deeper as you read the Bible. If you have difficulty or questions, please ask me.
This is about beginning with the bible; when you are ready to move on from the beginning, ask me about the next steps.
Hope this helps.