The other day I read Judges 19. It's a story about a Levite who takes his concubine with him on a road trip. They arrive in the town of Gibeah, and after awhile, they are taken into the home of an elderly man to spend the night. It all starts out fine until the men of the town demand that the Levite be released to them for homosexual pleasure. Instead of this, the two men throw the concubine and the mans virgin daughter to the wolves and shut the door. Needless to say, it doesn't end well for the women and the following morning the Levite finds his concubine dead on the doorstep. He proceeds to haul her body home where he cuts it into 12 pieces and sends each piece to one of the 12 tribes of Israel. CRAZY RIGHT???
Well, it got me intrigued and I wanted to learn more about this story and why it is in the Bible. (Spoiler alert...it still doesn't make ANY sense to me.) Anyway...I grabbed a few of my favorite Bible Study tools and went to town!
I thought MAYBE some of you may be interested in what I use to dig a little deeper and while these aren't the ONLY things I use (I love the Blue Letter Bible too!), these were my "go to" options for the day and I wanted to share!
KEEP READING TO LEARN ABOUT EACH ITEM AND FIND A LINK!
This year I am reading through the Bible using the NLT version One Step Closer Bible. I love the easy to understand text, but it does lack for notes. You can get your copy here. https://tinyurl.com/onestepcloserbible1
One of my favorite resources is the Cultural Backgrounds Study Bible (NIV Version). This Bible is FULL of maps, articles, explanations, artifacts etc. AND...it is the entire Bible as well. Needless to say it is a BIG book, but one that I pull out often! I get a spiritual workout AND a physical workout when I pull this book out! https://tinyurl.com/culturalbackgroundsbible
The Bible Knowledge Commentary comes in 2 volumes (Old and New Testaments) and has commentary on almost every single verse in the Bible. While it doesn't go too deep, it gives a nice overview of things and gives cross references as well. I love it! https://tinyurl.com/bibleknowledgecommentary
This is my second time reading through the Bible using the Five Day Bible Reading Plan. I love it because it includes an Old Testament reading, a New Testament reading and usually a Psalm or Proverb everyday. Since it is laid out in 5 day increments, it is easy to get caught up if I miss a day. https://www.fivedaybiblereading.com/five-day-bible-reading-schedule/
Of course....I have to include The Blessed Day Devotional Journal and Daily Planner. This little book is how "The Blessed Day" was birthed and I still use it almost every day to record gratitude, set priorities, track habits, write scripture, utilize the SOAP method of Bible study and life application AND record snippets of my life. If you haven't had the chance to check it out, you can find them here! www.theblessedday.com/journal
Lastly, I love Gel Highlighters. This set from Amazon has transparent and more opaque colors which glide on easily and don't transfer or fade. https://tinyurl.com/amazonbiblehighlighters
I'd love to hear if you have any favorite Bible study tools! I'm always looking for things that help me learn more about God or get me excited about my quiet time.
Blessings,
