The Reading Plan

The Reading Plan we are using in 2009 has been specially designed for us!  We have a fresh order for both the Old and New Testaments – designed to motivate our reading for the year.

Here is the reading plan as a pdf – feel free to print out your own copy and keep it with your Bible . . .

The Daily Reader – Reading Plan

(Don’t be surprised that some looks upside-down, it makes sense once you print it!  This prints on two sides of A4 paper – if you use other paper sizes, the Adobe Reader should adjust it to fit)

Or if you would prefer a larger font, here’s the four page version: Reading Plan (Large Font)

The Order of the Books

What order are we planning to read through and why?  Here’s the explanation:

Old Testament

You will notice that the Old Testament in this plan does not follow the same order as our English Bibles. We will cover the same 39 books during the year, but the order is different! We are using the Hebrew order (the order Jesus would have used). The Hebrew order organises the books in three sections. First we will begin with the five books of Moses. Second we will move through the “Former” and “Latter Prophets” – this will feel like history books, followed by the prophets. Third we will enjoy the “Writings.” There are a couple of reasons we have set it out in this different way. For those who have read through the Bible before, this will have a fresh feel to it. For all of us it will mean we enjoy benefits like not having to read the two books of Chronicles right after the books of Samuel and Kings (this can feel a bit repetitive in the English order!)  Watch for further comments about the Hebrew order as we go.

New Testament

You will also soon notice that the New Testament is not in English Bible order. The arrangement we will follow allows us to separate the gospels from each other. After each gospel we will read epistles that have some connection to it. Again, hopefully this approach will be fresh, motivating and helpful. So we’ll begin with Matthew (the more Jewish gospel) and follow it with Hebrews and James (two epistles with a very “Jewish Christian” feel!) Then Mark will be followed by the letters of Peter (who was probably behind Mark’s gospel) and Jude (which is often connected with 2 Peter). Luke will come next, along with his second work, Acts. Then, naturally, Paul’s epistles will follow Acts which tells so much of his story. Finally John’s gospel will be followed by his three other epistles and his last book of all, Revelation!