1. Proverbs is basically an optimistic book. Why?
2. Are the sayings here always true? Read 3:2, 10:3, 10:27, 11:31, 13:25, 22:6 as part of your answer. In what sense are these proverbs true?
3. Some proverbs give generalizations about life, some evaluate conduct, some describe the consequences of action or character traits. Give examples of each.
4. According to Proverbs, what is the basic foundation for wisdom?
5. Reading the prologue to any book can help you figure out the author’s overall intent. Read the first chapter of Proverbs—why was the book written? What is the key principle of the entire book?
6. In chapters 1-9 who appears to be the intended audience?
7. In chapters 1-9 what is wisdom contrasted with?
8. Much in Proverbs is concerned with the value of discipline. Give examples.
9. What other positive character traits are emphasized in Proverbs?
10. Wisdom and folly are both personified. How are each personified? Does this choice surprise you, considering the culture of the times they lived in?
11. How does the conclusion remind the reader of the beginning chapters?
12. Have any of the book’s virtues gone out of style today?
13. Would feminists be upset at the description of the ideal wife in chapter 31?
14. Is Proverbs geared specifically for the Jews?
15. What parts strike you as realistic? Which seem idealistic?
16. Is it possible to read Proverbs and end up believing that prosperity and good health are signs of God’s pleasure while problems indicate God’s wrath? Is this a correct way to view the sayings here?

The book of Psalms is a collection of Hebrew poems that have encouraged people over the centuries. Here are some questions to consider as you read these poems.

1. Psalms 1 and 2 introduce the main theme of all the Psalms. Explain.
2. One critic said the Psalms “reflect the common experience of the human race.” What are some examples of this?
3. What aspects of God are seen here?
4. Christians say there are references to Jesus in Psalms 22 and 110. Can you understand that belief from what is covered in these poems?
5. People have attempted to divide the Psalms into their various purposes. What are two or three purposes you noticed as you read through them? Are they always uplifting?
6. The Psalms reveal the character of the Hebrew people. Give some examples.
7. People have enjoyed particular psalms over the years. Some of the favorites include 1, 8, 19, 23, 51, 90, 91, 104, 139. Pick one of these (or any other) that you enjoyed and explain your choice.

1. See chapters 1 and 2. What do you learn about God and Satan here?
2. Summarize the key points of Job’s three friends—Eliphaz (5:8-28), Bildad (8:2-10), and Zophar (11:11, 13-15).
3. Are the conclusions of Elihu any more correct than those of Job or his friends?
4. Job is given an answer by God, not the one he expected, but one much more important. Explain.
5. The poetry of Job has been praised for intense emotion, knowledge and appreciation of nature, and unique word choices. Find examples in the best poems—see chapters 3, 28, 29, 38, 39.
6. Job questions God throughout the poem. When God speaks, he commends Job. What does that tell you about God and about how he may be approached?
7. Does the book say God is all-powerful? Is he just?
8. The book seems to deal with three questions regarding suffering—Why is there suffering? Is suffering deserved? How should one conduct oneself while suffering? How does the book answer each of these questions?
9. This book is a good example of speculative wisdom that questions the principles and assumptions commonly accepted by society. Explain.

1. Martin Luther said he wished this book didn’t exist; others feel it shouldn’t be part of the canon. Why is there opposition to it? Why do you think it became part of the scriptures?
2. There is a great deal of irony (unexpected happenings) in Esther. Give some examples.
3. The story has a good plot like all interesting stories with an exposition (setting the scene), rising tension (problems develop), resolution of problems (problems solved), and conclusion (wrap up). Where do you see these elements here?
4. Another good quality of stories is effective descriptions to help establish the setting. Where do you see that in Esther?
5. People endlessly argue about the role of chance and human will in life. What does the author say about these two in Esther?
6. A woman is seen here as an important character in the religious life of the Jewish people. Where have we seen this in past stories?
7. A critic called this book a “melodrama.” Explain the term and agree or disagree with the critic.
8. The women of this story display more commendable characteristics than the men. Explain.
9. One scholar says Esther of all biblical women “has enjoyed the greatest popularity among writers, artists, and musicians.” Why do you suppose this is true?

These two books are often overlooked when it comes to Bible readings, but they are significant in different ways.

1. Three sections of these books (Ezra 1-6, 7-10, Nehemiah 1-7) have the same pattern. Explain.
2. How is the last section (Nehemiah 8-13) different from the previous three?
3. How are Persian kings portrayed—good? bad? Explain why.
4. How are immediate neighboring officials seen—good? bad? Give examples.
5. Parts of the books seem harsh. See Ezra 9-10 and Nehemiah 13:23-28. Can you justify these attitudes, considering the people’s conditions at the time?
6. Nehemiah is often studied for principles of leadership. Give some examples.
7. Two walls are built here—Nehemiah focuses on a physical one. What type of wall does Ezra deal with?
8. Why are so many in these stories clearly labeled as good or bad? What does that suggest about how the author sees the struggle here?
9. The book of Nehemiah is told in first person, meaning the author is telling about what happened to him; he is part of the story. What would be the strengths and weaknesses of telling a story in this way? Do you remember reading other famous stories or novels told in this way?
10. The people are seen as complex and ambiguous; they are sometimes good, sometimes bad. See Ezra 9:1/10:12, Nehemiah 5:1-5, 6:17-19, 13:15-22, 13:23-28, and compare Nehemiah 3:4,30 with 6:18. How are the people shown here?
11. The story has two major themes—the importance of the reconstruction of the temple and the spiritual state of the people. You can see the first theme in Ezra 1:1-Nehemiah 6:19 and the second theme in Nehemiah 7:1-13:31. How does each section conclude? Before you answer, read Nehemiah 6:17-19 and Nehemiah 13:4-31 closely. What do these passages seem to suggest about the people and their future?

1. Does the author spend more time with the good kings or the bad ones? Why?
2. The author gives a slightly different picture of some people and events than we saw in Kings. Compare the two stories of Ahaz (2 Chronicles 28, 2 Kings 16), and Hezekiah and the invasion of Assyria (2 Chronicles 32, 2 Kings 18-20).
3. The story of Manasseh is quite different. Read 2 Chronicles 33:1-20 and 2 Kings 21. Why do you suppose there is a different view of him here?
4. As in all literature, it’s important to consider the audience for the text. How would a group of exiles be approached as far as their country’s history? Does Chronicles follow this idea?
5. Does Chronicles give a more or less positive view of David than we saw in Samuel?
6. Does Chronicles give a more or less positive view of Solomon than we saw in Kings?
7. Why would the author approach the lives of these two men differently than the other books did?
8. The plot appears to be organized around the kings of the nation rather than strict chronology. Why? What does that seem to say about how the author feels about kingship?
9. Why is there a focus on Judah rather than the northern tribes of Israel?
10. The author uses an interesting plot device in which parts of a story are put next to other parts to form a parallel structure. For example, look at the narrative of Asa’s reign in 2 Chronicles 14:1-16:14. How does one half of the entire story (14:1-15:19) parallel the second half of material (16:1-14)? Notice that the parallel is one of exact opposites—explain.

1. What are some good and bad characteristics of Solomon?
2. What caused the split between the two parts of the nation?
3. Why did the northern and southern kingdoms fall—was it the same reason or different ones?
4. What sources were used for this story? See 1 Kings 11:41, 1 Kings 14:19, 1 Kings 14:29. Is it useful for a historian to use multiple sources? Explain.
5. Note the information on all kings discussed. Is it fair? Is it selective? For example, see how long Solomon and Joash ruled and then note how much space is devoted to each. Also note that Omri was important on the international scene, but how is he covered in 1 Kings 16:23-28?
6. Based on your answers to question #5, how were the kings judged—on their political success, their battlefield victories, or . . .? Do modern historians follow this same patter of selecting and interpreting as well as reporting on their subjects?
7. Look at the section of Kings dealing with the two separate kingdoms(1 Kings 12—2 Kings 17). Explain what each of the following portions covers—1 Kings 12:1-16:28, 1 Kings 16:29-2 Kings 10:36, and 2 Kings 11-17.
8. Why is more space devoted to Israel than Judah in the history of the divided kingdom(1 Kings 12—2 Kings 17)?
9. Why do you suppose Judah survived longer than its sister kingdom Israel?
10. See the origin of Samaria in 2 Kings 17. How do they Jews appear to feel toward this part of the country and its people?
11. Compare and contrast the two great prophets Elijah and Elisha.
12. There is a persistent story of ten lost tribes of Israel. Read 2 Kings 18 to see if you can see the origin of the story.
13. How does the story here fit the famous statement that “history is the biography of famous men”?
14. Is this a history without hope? Explain.
15. The writer uses dialogue effectively here to explain the characters, to move the story ahead, and to relate theme. Find some places where this happens.
16. Plot conflicts abound in 1 and 2 Kings. One conflict is king vs. prophet. Find examples. Another is Baal vs. God. Find examples of this conflict.

1. Where do you see pro- and anti-monarchy attitudes?
2. Follow the story of David and Jonathan. What seems to be the most important lessons of this account?
3. How does the narrative of the fall of Saul illustrate the differences between other kings in other lands and the idea of kingship in Israel?
4. Is Saul dealt with unfairly? Is he a tragic hero?
5. Like other good pieces of literature this story shows more than it tells. In other words, we see the people do and say things in order to reach conclusions about them rather than have the author directly tell us the characters are good or bad people. Where do you see examples of the story showing rather than telling about the characters in 1 and 2 Samuel?
6. At certain places in the story, the writer shifts from prose to poetry. Look at these two places and see why you think the writer switched to poetry —1 Samuel 15:22-23 and 2 Samuel 1:19-27. See also the beginning and conclusion of these two books—1 Samuel 2:1-10 and 2 Samuel 22:1-23:7.
7. Follow the struggle David had to become king over the entire country. Why did this happen?
8. Another key covenant takes place in 2 Samuel 7. Explain what its contents are.
9. In 2 Samuel 11:20 we see the problems of David. Explain how it illustrates the saying “sin has its consequences.”
10. Much characterization is indirect and uses contrast to point out differences between people. Look at 1 Samuel 13-14 for the way the writer contrasts the actions and comments of Saul and Jonathan.
11. God seems to favor David, who is described as “a man after his own heart.” Why is he so favored? Is it because David lives a perfect life? Explain your answer.
12. How is Absalom shown to be a lot like his father David?
13. Every leader needs a tough assistant to carry out the dirty work. Who provides David with such assistance? Give some examples.
14. David is a man of varied qualities. Where do you see him being faithful? modest? cautious? courageous? vengeful? cruel? crafty? big-hearted? penitent?

Some things to consider as you read this book:

1. We have contrasting couples here–Ruth and Orphah, Boaz and the kinsman. How do they contrast? Name other stories that use this device of contrasting characters.
2. Each chapter makes nice divisions for the plot of the story. Explain.
3. Dialogue can be used effectively in stories to reveal character, move the story ahead, reinforce mood, and introduce themes. Where do you see examples of these?
4. How does this story still resonate with people today even though it was composed so long ago?
5. What themes are seen here about love and religion?
6. Is this a feminist story in any way?
7. Is this a romance? Why or why not?
8. The later genealogy of Jesus mentions both Ruth and Boaz. What does that suggest about the nature of God seen in the Bible?

I have discussed Judges in the past, but now I’d like to see you wrestle with some of the key ideas, people, and culture that each book of the Bible has. Let’s start this series of blogs for the Fall 25 semester by looking at Judges.

1. Check chapters 1 and 2. Then go to the end and read 17:6, 18:1, 19:1, 21:25. What phrase is repeated? Does that sound familiar for our world today?
2. Take a look at 2:11-23. What is being said about history here?
3. Chapter 5:1-31 includes a very old poem of victory. How is it different from the story of the same event narrated in the previous chapter? What does that say about the differences between poetry and prose?
4. The book attempts to answer the question of why Israel never fully possessed the land promised to them. What is the book’s answer?
5. Do you see the book as cyclical or a downward spiral?
6. The story of Jephthah is like a Greek tragedy. See what the characteristics of a Greek tragedy are and compare them to this story in Judges.
7. Many see Samson as a representative of all that was wrong with Israel. Explain.