In praise of studying the Bible chronologically

And taking pages and pages of notes

The following essay is the final reflection for our May focus on the spiritual practice of Study. Read more here about our exploration of the spiritual disciplines in 2025 through creative and reflective writing.

By Sarah Driver

Image credit: Rene Böhmer on Unsplash

Let me start by saying that I never finished my chronological reading of the Bible. It took me several years to get to 2 Samuel, and then we started moving and having kids, blah blah blah. Stopping there stinks because the whole reason I wanted to do the chronological study in the first place was to learn which prophets’ messages went with which historical moment of Israel and Judah. Alas! Maybe next year, when my kids are all in school? We’ll see.

That said, the years I spent reading the Bible chronologically were very fruitful. Here’s how I did it:

1. I didn’t try to follow any particular reading plan. I just kept plodding along slowly (very slowly!) and steadily.

2. In addition to a Chronological Bible, I used the book These Were God’s People by William Martin (published in 1966) as a guide to orient myself to the different time periods and how they lined up chronologically.

3. Most importantly, I took notes in a running document on my computer. It held pages and pages of my observations and questions. I started lists of things that were happening or being said. I added things I looked up along the way: definitions, cross-references, and relevant maps. I copied and pasted sections of the text that I found interesting or strange. The key to this was that it really opened up the possibility of making connections through the texts in a new way because I could easily read back through my notes to compare and contrast different sections of the biblical text. This note-taking practice was critical for me.

So what did I find?

Here’s one discovery that stuck with me. As I was reading along in Judges, there was so much emphasis on not taking foreign wives. Admonition after admonition. Then smack dab in the middle of Judges was the book of Ruth, a book about a wonderful foreign wife who becomes part of the lineage of Jesus.

Now, I already knew Ruth was set in the time of the Judges. The very first line in the book of Ruth is “In the days when the judges ruled…” It’s right there front and center. And (I am pretty sure?) I had read Judges before. But reading Judges and Ruth back to back put that theme of foreign wives in such juxtaposition and stark contrast that I had to wrestle with it for the first time. I realized I was missing a lot when I read Judges and Ruth independently. They really need each other to give a fuller picture.

My longer work was discovering the social justice elements in Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. I know Leviticus is where chronological reading plans go to die, but I have a master’s in social policy and found an absolute social policy gold mine.

Leviticus and Deuteronomy reminded me of the best practices we learned in my master’s program. Social capital, debt cycles, safety nets, freedom, holistic flourishing, anti-corruption, anti-bias, recourse, accountability, empowerment… it was all there.

As I read, I discerned six elements that form the foundations of the just society that God designed for the newly freed Israelites gathered around Mt. Sinai:

1. Economic and social protection, especially for the most vulnerable populations (Leviticus 19:11-19)

2. Sabbath rest for all (Deuteronomy 5:12-15)

3. Social connection across social, economic, and other lines via regular meals and festivals (Deuteronomy 16:1-16)

4. Fair systems that are free from the biases and corruption that skew decisions (Deuteronomy 16:18-20, Leviticus 19:15)

5. Economic resets like sabbath years and Jubilee that could prevent people from becoming too rich or too poor over time (Deuteronomy 15:1-2, Leviticus 25:8-55)

6. Safety nets of food, housing, and interest-free loans that limit vulnerability to injustice and exploitation (Leviticus 19:9-10, Deuteronomy 23:19, 24-25)

By reading these books in sequence and considering their context, rather than studying each book individually, I could identify the justice threads that run through the Torah. (Several years later, I read through the Gospels together and found these same justice threads, which was exciting!)

Sometimes we read about the “Old Testament God” as the “mean” God—what a different picture emerges when we read the Old Testament text itself, whether chronologically or otherwise. These designs revealed to me a God who desires communities built around safety, honesty, and provision. It showed me a God who loves connection, dignity, and trust.

As a long-time justice practitioner, it gave me a new vision for not just opposing injustice, but also building toward biblical justice in practical, concrete ways.

And I’ll keep you posted in the next five years on what I find about the prophets and kings!

Sarah Driver writes to equip people for the everyday work of justice. She loves meeting new people, hiking, scuba diving, and flower farms. Sarah has lived and worked on four continents and now lives in Ohio. You can find her at justicedriver.com, sarahdriver.substack.com, and Instagram.com/justicedriver.

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Big Picture Editing: Why to Leave the Red Pen in the Drawer

Thursday, June 26 · 10:00-11:00am PT / 1:00pm-2:00pm ET

How do you approach editing a manuscript independently? How do you know when it's ready for an editor? And what kind of editor?

Not every editor looks at your manuscript with the same eye. If she is a line editor, she is deep into the process already and expects tidy storylines, fully-developed characters, and tight dialogue. But a developmental editor has her watercolor pens out, ready to paint broad strokes that help you define the direction of your work in progress. Copyeditors fall somewhere in between.

This webinar will discuss the different editing stages and a few simple ways to prepare your work for an editor.

This webinar is free for Redbud Writers Guild members (no need to register), $15 for non-members. All proceeds go to support our Women of Color Mentoring Program.

Recordings will be sent to everyone who is registered.

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