July 2022

In July we will be continuing our journey in Samuel, Psalms, and Chronicles. We will also begin our journey into Kings.

I Kings

Like many of the texts, we’ve been reading I and II Kings were one book until they were translated into Greek. In the Hebrew canon Kings is a former prophet. Tradition claims that Kings was written by the prophet Jeremiah. In English translations of the Bible, I and II Kings are history books.

In I Kings we will read about the highs and lows of Solomon’s reign. We will also learn about how Solomon’s reign came to an end. Kings covers around four hundred years of history. The narrative begins with the death of David.

II Chronicles

In II Chronicles we will read about the reign of Solomon and the Kingdom of Judah. We will read a detailed account of the construction of the temple. We will also learn what happens after Solomon’s death, including the divided monarchy’s history.

Psalms

Psalms is a collection of poetry that expresses the human condition in all of its holy messiness. There are Psalms of praise and lament. Some Psalms are written from a communal perspective, while others are written from an individual perspective. Some Psalms are peaceful and others contain violent images of God’s wrath.

Psalms is unique in the canon because it is the only book we have that is composed solely of poetry/hymns. As we read through Psalms you’ll notice the word Selah. Scholars do not know how to translate this word and we don’t know what it means, but scholars posit that it is evidence that Psalms was used as a sort of hymnal. We will also come across the word shehol. Don’t confuse shehol with a Christian hell; Shehol was where all of the dead went. The authorship and dating of Psalms is tricky. Modern scholars are confident that David wrote few if any of the Psalms and that the order our canon has for Psalms was likely not put together until sometime in the first century CE.

Questions

Below are a few questions to help guide you as you read. There are no right answers to any of these, they are here to help us reflect.

Questions to Guide Us Throughout This Practice

What stood out to you in the readings?
What did you notice about God?
Did anything in the readings make you feel uncomfortable?
How does what you read impact your life and your faith?

Questions to Guide us Through Psalms

What is the role of community in Psalms?
How do we use the Psalms in our community?
As we read through Psalms, think about which themes you resonate with. Why do you think you resonate with that theme?

Questions to Guide Us Through Kings

What do you think the theology is at the heart of both I and II Kings?
How are the Kings presented throughout this narrative?
What is the role of the prophets in this narrative?

Questions to Guide Us Through II Chronicles

How does the narrative in Chronicles differ from the narrative in Kings?
What is the relationship between God and the Israelites in Chronicles?
Do you think Solomon was wise? Why or why not?

Daily Reading and Podcast Links

The hyperlink for the reading will take you to Bible Gateway*. The hyperlink “podcast” will take you to the podcast that matches the reading.

*Bible Gateway has updated to the Updated Edition of the NRSV. If you would like to use the old NRSV you can find it online at oremus.