Week 17, April 21–April 27: John 10–21; Ruth 1–4; 1 Samuel 1–7; Psalm 51–56

• Sun      4/21     John 10–11    
• Mon     4/22     John 12–14     Psalm 51
• Tue      4/23     John 15–17     Psalm 52
• Wed     4/24     John 18–21     Psalm 53
• Thu      4/25     Ruth 1–4         Psalm 54
• Fri        4/26     1 Sam 1–4       Psalm 55
• Sat       4/27     1 Sam 5–7       Psalm 56

 The second half of John moves towards the cross, as is also the case with the first three Gospels. After Jesus’ death and resurrection, John’s account ends with the important reminder that we are just getting one small slice of all that could be said. If everything about Jesus was included, John says, “The world itself could not contain the books that would be written.” (John 21:25) Like the statement in John 20:30–31, this highlights the idea that the narratives of the Bible are selective. The authors of Scripture, guided along by God’s Spirit, wrote down just the things that were important for us to know, and they arranged them in such a way that communicates best the message they wanted us to know. John was keenly aware that he was being selective in his writing, and he helps us as readers by explicitly mentioning this principle of selectivity.

When we read along, it is important to keep this in mind and avoid the temptation to focus our attention on things we may be interested in but that are not there in the passage we’re reading. John was the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. He walked with him and talked with him throughout his ministry. We can trust that he was in an excellent position to decide what parts of Jesus’ life we should be able to read about, especially since he was writing inspired Scripture.

My prayer is that one result of reading through the Bible regularly is that we would be increasingly aware of our tendency to be drawn away from the text of Scripture, attentive to things that aren’t the main concern of either the human author or the divine Author. Let us cultivate a healthy habit of sticking to Scripture. Let’s diligently remember to look back at the Bible itself to find not only the answers to our questions but also to find which questions we should be asking.

Ruth picks up where Judges left off. It begins by locating the events of this short book in the time of the judges. The book of Ruth plays a key role in bridging the gap from Judges to 1 Samuel, and it gives a hopeful hint towards the solution to the problem in Judges. The summary statement at the end of Judges identified the lack of a king as the reason everyone was doing what was right in their own eyes, and why sinful chaos had ensued (Judg. 21:25). Then Ruth tells the story of the woman who was king David’s great grandmother. This was the line of David, and the line of the messianic Son of David. The genealogy at the end of Ruth (4:18–22) encourages us to read it with the future in mind. When we read it this way, it is a beautiful tale of God’s providential hand in carrying out his perfect plan.

One other thing to note about Ruth is its location in the order of OT books. In our Bibles, Ruth comes after Judges, and that makes a lot of sense from a chronological perspective. On the other hand, the order in the Hebrew Bible is different; Ruth comes after Proverbs. When we get to Proverbs in our read thru, we’ll see how wisdom is personified as a woman throughout the book, and the last chapter includes a description of a woman who, in the ESV translation, is called an “excellent wife.” (Prov. 31:10) This phrase just so happens to be the same exact phrase Boaz uses to describe Ruth 3:11 (in the ESV it is translated “a worthy woman”). Ruth is portrayed not only as a Moabite woman who will play an important role in the lineage of the Davidic Messiah, but also as a narrative depiction of wisdom in her devotion to the Lord.

The story of the OT continues in 1 Samuel, and the situation in Israel is basically the same as at the end of Judges. There is still no king and things are not going well. There are priests at Shiloh, but they are corrupt and they dishonor God and their role as priests. The first part of the book focuses on Samuel, who God will raise up to fill the void of faithful leadership among God’s people. He will also be the one responsible for anointing God’s chosen king.

The two books of 1 and 2 Samuel in our Bibles are probably best read as one. They tell one continuous narrative, and they were likely separated at some point in history simply because they would have been too long together to fit on one scroll. In light of the unity of 1–2 Samuel, it seems the poems in 1 Samuel 2 and 2 Samuel 22–23 function as a sort of frame around the whole book of 1–2 Samuel. After you read through Hannah’s song in 1 Sam 2:1–10, take a few minutes also to flip ahead and read David’s songs in 2 Sam 22:1–23:7. As is often the case with the Bible’s poems, this poetic frame gives theological perspective that helps understand what is going on in the stories in between.