All the Marbles Day 32

I have to admit, it was not until later in life that I started questioning, where did the Bible come from? and, why did I believe it was the true?

I had a super smart 4th grader ask me a few years back if I knew how the individual books and letters got to be “the Bible,” and I answered as any clever adult would, I said, “Well, Mack, why don’t you research that question, and you tell me next week where the Bible came from.”

I realized that I had grown up in an age where the Bible said it, so it had to be true, never knowing where the Bible came from. I had always treasured God’s Word without knowing how it got to be God’s Word. That was good enough for me, but at this age, I want my children to know how the leather-bound Bible they treasure came to be.

Share and learn with your children, where God’s Word came from. If you don’t know the answers, research them, find a good study Bible, watch the Bible Project videos, engage in the learning with your children! We are all disciples in progress.

(1) Do you remember from yesterday that we talked about the first five books of the “Hebrew Bible?” (also called the TaNak, or our Old Testament) And, that a Testament is a Covenant? What is the Hebrew name for the first five books? The Torah. Torah means “teachings.” What else do we call those five books? The Law, the Pentateuch, or the Books of Moses. That's a lot to remember, so let's keep reviewing it in the next few days!

(2) In the Hebrew Bible, you remember the name of the other two scrolls in the TaNak? Nevi’im and Ketuvim.a

(3) The Nevi’im are “the prophets;” there are 4 historical books and 15 works of the prophets. The Ketuvim are “the writings;” these are the poetic and narrative books.

(4) Did you know that the 3 part shape of the Torah is mentioned in other ancient writings? It is mentioned in the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Wisdom of Sirach, and by Jesus himself (Luke 24:44.)

(5) Who put the 3 scrolls together? It was a long process, Moses, David, and various prophets/scribes. Prophets and scribes collected the stories and poems and then shaped it into the TaNak. These prophets and scribes believed that God’s Spirit spoke to His people through the writings. Take time together to read Psalms 19 and Isiah 59:21.

Remember, the storyline of the Bible is God’s redemptive plan (how He is going to save us), starting with His creation of us in Genesis (the Torah) and ending with His return for us! Tomorrow we will talk more about how our Bible came to be.

If you are interested in a simple “journey guide” to discipling your children, sign up for a daily email and it will come straight to your inbox.

Discipling is a journey, so don’t forget to start with Day 1. Even if you don’t use anything written here, use your Bible, and disciple your children!!! It is a great honor and our responsibility as parents!

I am praying for you and your family and this journey together!