Crossing the Scriptures: The Amazing Bible Study by Debra Chapoton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Christians sometimes wonder if there is any value to studying the Old Testament, with its genealogies, strange laws, violence, and vengeance. The author shows how the entire Bible ties together in a beautiful tapestry of God’s truth.
In the Introduction, she writes, “The Old Testament is 39 books that tell of mankind vacillating between worshiping and obeying God and then turning away from Him and being idolatrous and immoral. Man‘s behavior requires judgment. The New Testament is 27 books declaring a message of hope: Christ has taken on our punishment (death) and paid for our sins. If we accept that he has done this, then hooray, we get out of the punishment, but if we don‘t accept it then we‘re on our own and the judgment is eternal separation from God, i.e. hell.”
There are 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet, and each of those letters is associated with three books of the Bible, books that are evenly spaced 22 books apart from each other. Chapoton shows how words and themes connect each of the three books associated with each letter in perfect symmetry. She also points out many other instances of symmetry and inter-relatedness among the books of the Bible.
Although I read the book straight through, I think it would be even more effective as a Bible study, spending more time on each Hebrew letter and the relationships among the three associated books.
Whether you’re new to Bible study or consider yourself knowledgeable about Scripture, you will likely learn many things you didn’t know. You will also come away with a greater understanding and respect for the remarkable way that God structured the Bible.
Disclosure: I received an electronic advance reading copy of the book from the author. I have not accepted any compensation for this review and made no commitment to give a favorable review. The link to Amazon.com is an affiliate link.