Reading the Bible is a challenge for many people, especially when one embarks to read through it in one year. Many believers set the goal of reading through the Bible each year. Such a task, although not required for discipleship, is a noble task. What is most important for discipleship is to read, study, and memorize portions of Scripture for the purpose of life transformation. Yet it can be helpful to read through the entire Bible in one year, because it will reveal the grand narrative of the story of redemption. Reading the Bible in one year, however, can be an intimidating task. It is not uncommon for those who set this goal to get bogged down in Leviticus, Numbers, or Deuteronomy. This is likely because the reader finds these portions of scripture confusing and not relatable to modern life. For this reason, it can be helpful to have a resource to guide one’s reading. There are many resources out there. One practical resource is The Bible Recap: A One Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible by Tara-Leigh Cobble (Bethany House, 2020).
The Bible Recap serves as a companion guide to daily Bible reading. The resource utilizes a chronological reading plan in an effort to provide the reader with a feel for the grand narrative of the biblical storyline. Each day the reader is provided with the biblical chapters to read along with a brief recap of the biblical material assigned. Additionally, each day’s recap ends with what the author calls a “God Shot” or a snap shot of what the daily Bible reading portion says about God’s character.
The purpose of The Bible Recap is to promote biblical literacy. This may seem odd in a society that has no shortage of biblically-based resources and Bible translations. It is certainly true that Western society has unprecedented access to biblical resources. Yet many professing Christians do not have a basic understanding of the Bible. For this reason it is easy for some to be led astray from orthodox Christian doctrines. There is a great need to more resources such as The Bible Recap.
This resource is not a devotion, nor is it a systematic theology. The aim of The Bible Recap is to serve as a guide and basic overview of biblical themes as the reader works through the biblical text in one year. Cobble does an excellent job of pointing the reader to scriptures, while also providing a basic overview of the biblical text. In the book, she challenges the reader to further study and research on the background of each book of the Bible. To that end, The Bible Recap is a great jumping off point to deeper study.
The Bible Recap book and podcast, along with Cobble’s radio program The God Shot are wonderful resources for guided daily Bible reading. It is perfect for personal reading and would also incorporate well into small group discipleship. Set the goal of reading through the Bible in 2023, and let The Bible Recap serve as a helpful guide.
Editor’s Note: This resource was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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