Chronological Bible Reading Guide
God's Word the Word of Light and Life
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Week 25 Daily Bible Readings
Day 1
1 Kings 22
Chapter events: 870-852 BC
Review of events of 2 Chronicles 17-20
2 Chronicles 19
Day 2
2 Chronicles 20
Jehoshaphat revival: 853 BC
Psalms 44, 48, 83
2 Chronicles 20: Jehoshaphat gave thanks and praised the Lord before victory (vs. 6, 20-22) as was David’s example (Psalm 18:3).
Day 3
2 Kings 1-2
Elijah’s chariot of fire: c. 845 BC
2 Kings 3
2 Kings 2: Elisha's request for a double portion of Elijah's spirit (v. 9) was not arrogant. He had been called Elijah's heir (1 Kings 19:19-21). A firstborn son’s inheritance was two shares of the legacy (Deuteronomy 21:17) (Bowling).
2 Kings 2: 23-24: God's judgment on ”small boys” or "little children" (v. 23 KJV) seems extremely harsh. The same Hebrew word is used for Isaac at 28, Joseph at 39, and his slightly younger brother Benjamin with ten sons. This was blasphemy and ridicule (2 Peter 3:3-4) (McGee).
Day 4
2 Chronicles 21
2 Kings 4
Elisha’s miracles
2 Chronicles 21: Elijah was taken in the chariot of fire in the eighteenth year of Jehoshaphat’s reign. This letter (v. 12) was true prophecy, written before his translation. Another explanation for the timing is that Jehoram may have co-reigned with his father, Jehoshaphat (McGee).
Day 5
2 Kings 5
Naaman
2 Kings 6-7
Day 6
2 Kings 8
Chapter events: 853-841 BC
2 Kings 9
Jehu’s reign in Israel: 841-814 BC
2 Kings 8: The account of the Shunamite woman and her property (vs. 1-8) took place before Gehazi was leprous and out of service to Elisha (5:27).
Day 7
2 Kings 10
2 Chronicles 22
2 Kings 11
Psalm 117
2 Kings 11: Athaliah had a thirst for power strong enough to kill anyone who might claim the throne. In this, Satan almost succeeded in cutting off David’s line, prophesied to be the one through whom God would send the Messiah (NIV).
Week 26 Daily Bible Readings
Day 1
2 Chronicles 23-24
Joash's reign in Judah: 835-796 BC
2 Kings 12
Day 2
2 Kings 13
2 Chronicles 25
Amaziah’s reign in Judah: 796-767 BC
Day 3
2 Kings 14
Jeroboam II’s reign in Israel: 793-753 BC
Jonah 1-2: c. 781 BC
Psalm 116
Jonah 1: Nineveh, Assyria’s capital, used torture in warfare. Tarshish is thought to be in the far southwest part of Spain. Phoenician sailors traded between Egypt and Spain, and may have used ships with both sails and fifty or sixty rowers (Sprinkle; Halley; McGee; Ellicott, Vol. 5; Mazar,Vol. 3).
Day 4
Jonah 3-4
2 Chronicles 26
Uzziah (Azariah)’s reign in Judah: 792-740 BC
Amos 1-2
Amos' prophecy: c. 765-754 BC
Jonah 3: Nineveh was over 500 miles northeast of Caanan. A three-day's journey suggests the metropolis had a circumference of about 60 miles (assuming a day's journey was 18 to 23 miles). Forty days may refer to a period of testing or judgment (Numbers 14:34; I Kings 19; Luke 4:2) (Sprinkle; Halley).
Jonah 4: About the time of Jonah's visit, the king took tribute from Israel. Jonah’s influence on Nineveh was profound, and he may have been instrumental in Israel’s recovery of lost territory (2 Kings 14:25). Archeologists Rich, Botla and Layard discovered a sacred Jonah Mound with no excavation allowed. His tomb could either be here, or at the traditional Gath-hepher site. Inhabitants not knowing left from right (v. 11) may refer to children, then a population of 600,000 to a million. Or it may indicate spiritual and moral immaturity (Sprinkle; Ellicott; Halley; McGee).
2 Chronicles 26: Uzziah co-reigned with his father Amaziah, and son Jotham during the years of leprosy (Bowling).
Amos 1-2: God's statement "for three crimes, even four" (1:3), may mean seven–God's number of completeness for required judgment. It could also mean counting to three–at four you have stepped over the line (Garrett; McGee).
Day 5
Amos 3-6
Day 6
Amos 7-9
Hosea 1-2
Hosea’s prophecy: c. 758-725 BC
Amos 8: The total sun eclipse (v. 9) recorded on a clay tablet at Nineveh was on June 15, 763 BC, and provides a fixed point for Old Testament chronology (Mazar, Vol. 3).
Day 7
2 Kings 15
Chapter events: 792-735 BC
Isaiah 1-2
Isaiah’s prophecy: c. 740-698 BC
Isaiah prophesied during the reigns of Uzziah and Jotham (1-6), Ahaz (7-14), and Hezekiah (chapter 15 and on). Isaiah uses prophetic perfect, a method of writing as if something has already happened, but with events still in the future (Longman III).
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About the Book
Chronological Bible Reading Guide presents the arrangement of events recorded in the Bible in sequential order to help us better understand how time flows through and joins, or occasionally separates, these sixty-six individual books. When seen in context with the historical, political, and religious settings, we can better understand the different lessons told in different styles and literary forms including poetry, prophecy and epistles as they are intertwined with history.
These readings are grouped by chapter, and while this does not provide a perfect chronology (if that is even possible), it comes fairly close and helps retain some of the original authors’ flow when switching between books. The daily readings provide a guide through the entire Protestant canon in one calendar year. Or read at your own rate through God’s word of truth.
This guide is the result of more than a decade of personal study in Biblical history and fine-tuning the daily readings to maintain a consistent reading time.
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About the Author
Jane Weathers grew up on a small farm in South Dakota, the youngest of six children. She received a B.S. degree in education from John Brown University, and taught for twenty-four years, mostly in Christian schools. She taught students of all ages during those years, and worked one-on-one with children with learning difficulties. A highlight was teaching Bible lessons and stories with applications to little ones starting their learning years in kindergarten.
Jane’s passion for the Bible, led her to study what Bible scholars had to say about various scriptures. During a fifteen-year period she arranged her own time line for the text, and developed her Chronological Bible Reading Guide.
Jane and her husband, Ted, reside in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. They have three married sons and six grandchildren.