Pastorized

As the name describes, Lamentations is the saddest book of the Bible. 5 chapters each a poem of crying out to the Lord over the destruction and affliction - discipline - He has brought on His people. Yet, in the middle, hope that his mercy is new every morning and a reminder that He is our portion.

Often referred to as the weeping prophet, Jeremiah not only saw and prophesied the fall of Judah and Jerusalem, he lived through it.

Isaiah's prophecy and poetry covers some of the most hopeless and dire warnings through to some of our greatest promises of hope. God will work out His promises and he will be faithful - for His glory and our good.

Meaningless. Vanity. Futility. Absurdity. All words translated from the fact that this life is just a vapor or a midst. Here for a moment then gone. What really matters? Ecclesiastes gives us wisdom into the meaning of life beyond (and even along with) eat, drink, and be merry.

Wisdom is found by those who fear the Lord and seek it out. Proverbs is where the goodness of God through the law is met with practice as we trust in the Lord.

Psalms 90-150 - Finding joy in God's presence, calls for praise, songs of assent, and more.

Psalms 42-89 True satisfaction and deliverance is only found in God's presence. Even when it seems like the wicked prosper and God seems silent, we still praise because we know God's steadfast love and faithfulness will reign in the end.

Book 1 of the Psalms - Mostly written by David. While the full range of human emotions are found within the Psalms, one constant remains - the steadfast love of God.

Job demands an audience with God to defend himself against the suffering and grief he is experiencing. Between the behind-the-scenes look into the real reasons for Job's suffering, Job's friends speaking for God - each believing they've got the right understanding, and Job maintaining his innocence through it all, the well of wisdom is deep. So much so, that we have to keep coming back to it in ou...

Though not mentioned directly nor having any direct revelations given from God, His hand is seen all through the book of Esther; using both her and her cousin Mordecai as instruments to save a remnant of Jews during the time of their exile in Persia.

Continuing from Ezra, Nehemiah leads the third wave of exiles back to Jerusalem. This time to rebuild the wall - once again, seeing God's covenant love and faithfulness in the midst of opposition and the unfaithfulness of His chosen people.

God's Sovereignty and covenant faithfulness is clear as we see the first two waves of the Jewish exiles return from Babylon under the decrees of foreign kings, under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Ezra.

From the reign of Solomon and the building of the temple in Jerusalem to the fall of Judah into Babylonian captivity.

Some of the dispersed Jews are returning after the exile. 1 Chronicles recounts for them the faithfulness of God from the beginning to their present time, giving hope and reassurance that He will continue to be faithful to His promises and covenants, that the Messiah, the one true king, will come.

God's faithfulness seen in preserving the line of David in Judah

1 Kings 12-22 The rise and fall of various wicked kings of Israel in the Northern kingdom and the mixed bag of good and bad kings of Judah in the Southern kingdom. All displaying God's sovereign hand in bringing about is will. Acting faithfully in his covenant promises and revealing the need for the One True King to come.

1 Kings 1-11 Solomon's Reign

From Absalom's rebellion and death to David's victories and sin in the census.

From David becoming King to Nathan's confrontation about David's grievous sin with Bathsheba.

1 Samuel - From King Saul to King David. The death of Samuel, Saul and his sons.

From Samuel as last judge to Saul the first king of Israel.

Ruth and Naomi are saved by their kinsman redeemer, Boaz.

End of Joshua & all of Judges. "Everyone did what was right in their own eyes."

First half of Joshua. For second half, watch/listen to the beginning of Judges