Alpha to Omega

Reading the Bible

The Alpha to Omega notes developed out of a desire to help the average Christian with reading the Bible. This act changed my life and I later realised how few had actually managed it. The Bible is daunting and even of those who read it regularly, few had read the Bible from cover to cover. Most Christians stayed in the 'safe' areas and missed out on the awesome knowledge that the Bible as a whole brings.

Initially the plan was to read the Bible in a year and so the attached reading plan divides the task into 52 weeks. I decided a weekly reading was easier to fit around a busy lifestyle. I also wanted to bring across the history and development of God's people and so decided to lay this out chronologically as far as possible.

The notes below are mostly chronologically grouped but do not follow the reading plan exactly, rather completing each book before moving on to the next. The notes are not in-depth analysis of each book but an overview and introduction for the beginner student. I have tried to include some explanation of difficult customs and some guidelines on understanding the history and context of the times.

Reading Plan
Please download for free if you are interested in the reading plan.

Books of the Old Testament

Genesis and Job

Genesis is the first book of the Bible and one of the most important. It introduces God, tells us how the world began and what the problem is. The rest of the Bible is God's plan to solve this problem. It also tells us the start of the Jewish nation - important as we need to remember that Jesus himself was Jewish.
The book of Job is included here as it is likely that the events happened during the same time as the Patriarchs. Job is Wisdom literature and so needs to be read and understood differently from the history and prophecy books.

Exodus and Leviticus
Numbers and Deuteronomy
Joshua, Judges and Ruth
1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles

Books of the New Testament

Barbara Taylor

Learning about God

Alpha to Omega

Reading the Bible