The histories of Judah’s kings were written in two separate accounts, centuries apart, which can be found in the book of Kings and the book of Chronicles. Some of the details about these kings are even found in certain prophets: For example, the Prophet Isaiah records much of King Hezekiah’s reign, in addition to what 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles record. Some details, especially about David, can be found in the Psalms: He included clues in the inscriptions of his psalms that show where in his life he wrote those compositions. So, if you are studying a particular king of Judah, you can “harmonize” these accounts (at least in Kings and Chronicles) by reading what both have to say. In fact, this is how you must study these accounts, since Christ said we are to live by every word of God (Matthew 4:4). Both accounts are in there to form a complete whole of what truthfully happened.
The same is true in the New Testament stories. You can find a synopsis of Jesus Christ’s life in Matthew, Mark and Luke—called the synoptic Gospels. The Gospel according to John also contains accounts of certain events, though it focuses more on the end of Christ’s ministry and prioritizes the words He preached over the events themselves. Therefore, when studying anything from one of these books, it is best to see what the other Gospel accounts have to say about it. You might find that only one or two Gospels mention a certain event or instruction—maybe three do, or perhaps all four do. This is significant information. Each account might be worded in a slightly, or vastly, different way. This is also important. As part of the inspired Word of God, it is all meant to create a more complete picture than what one account could provide.
Several authors have compiled what they call a Harmony of the Gospels—where they have taken the verses of the four Gospels and put them in order, or put the similar verses side by side.These can be tremendously valuable when studying this part of the Bible. At Herbert W. Armstrong College, A Harmony of the Gospels by A.T. Robertson is the preferred edition of these books and is used as a textbook for the Life and Teachings of Jesus course.
A similar type of detective work is required when reading the book of Acts. This book largely follows the journeys of Paul, and those verses can be harmonized with his epistles. You can determine where and when he wrote certain of his epistles by piecing together clues from all over the New Testament. This kind of “harmonizing” Bible study can also reveal things about some of his ministers, or even about some of the brethren he served.
No comments:
Post a Comment