One of the most common resolutions for Christians each year is to commit to reading through the Bible. Unfortunately, most of us fail to complete the task. Many of us start out well. Genesis is interesting and a number of great stories to keep us reading. Then we get to Exodus, which is not too bad. It has a few law lists to get through, but the story of Moses and the Hebrews gaining freedom from Egypt keeps us moving along. Then we get to Leviticus. This is where most read-through-the -Bible commitments meet their demise. The lists of laws and details about sacrifices prove too much and we give up.
Well, I want to encourage you to start this year with a new commitment. However, this year try finding a reading plan that is easier to maintain. Instead of reading through the Bible from cover to cover, try reading multiple sections of the Bible each day. This will give some variety to your reading and keep you from getting bogged down in Leviticus.
Do you need help finding a reading plan? The website for the English Standard Version (ESV) of the Bible has several posted that you could choose from. You do not need to use the ESV version to use the plan (although I do highly recommend this version). You can use whatever version you already own. Just go to their site, find the plan you like, print it off, and you are on your way. The link to their site is below:
http://www.esv.org/biblereadingplans
I personally am going with the ESV Study Bible plan, which includes daily readings in 4 categories. The categories are “Psalms and Wisdom Literature”, “Pentateuch and History of Israel”, “Chronicles and Prophets”, and “Gospels and Epistles”. I think the variety each day will be refreshing.
I hope you make a commitment to read through God’s word this year. I also hope you have a plan that you can keep. Happy reading!
Theologically Speaking 
Here’s another system that I have found useful and easy to maintain:
http://www.lifejournal.cc/
Wonderful Pastor … Origin:
1325–75; < L pāstor shepherd, lit., feeder, equiv. to pās-, base of pāscere to put to pasture, feed + -tor -tor; r. ME pastour < AF
Thanks!
I decided to go with the Literary Study Bible one… which starts you out in Psalms, Luke, Genesis, and 1 Chronicles.
It’s nice to get a little bit of everything per day, instead of spending all your time for a certain period reading through Chronicles.
However, I’m curious…
I know the genealogies are important for tracing lineage, which was really important for the culture of the time. It might be interesting to go through and make connections through other books of the Bible, but as far as just reading 1 and 2 Chronicles, what significance do they have for the present-day reader?
Robynne:
Good question concerning genealogies. You are right. They are good for tracing lineage. They also are important for theology. For instance, the genealogies in 1 Chronicles focus our attention on Judah rather than the northern tribes of Israel. And more specifically, they focus our attention on the line of David and the promise from God that David would always have one to sit on the throne. 1 and 2 Chronicles end with Judah in captivity in Babylon and a seeming failure in God’s promise. However, there is hope that God will fulfill his promise that we read about in the prophetic books in the Old Testament. Then we read in the New Testament that Jesus was the fulfillment of God’s promise to David. He is the promised King who would reign forever from David’s throne!
Of course, every genealogy is valuable for theology. However, understanding the significance of each one can be difficult.
And I get that… and when someone tells me what it signifies, then I appreciate having the genealogy. But it’s hard to see the significance while reading through it. It seems like a good reference tool. A dictionary is a good reference tool, too, but I don’t really see a point in reading through the whole thing.
Robynne:
Yeah, I will skim them or glance over them at times, but I do make a point to read through them at times too. Sometimes there is something unique (like the name of a woman instead of only men) about each one that I do not always pick up on the first (or tenth) time I read it. Many times, the unique feature is the key to understanding why the author included it to begin with.