Next semester I am teaching a freshman college course on Old Testament. It’s a survey class. One of the exercises I am toying with is having passages of Scripture to memorize.
If you had about six passages to assign, what Old Testament passages would you assign… and why?
Let me hear from you!
Especially T.C., Brian, Jeff, Bitsy, and Gary.
of course the 23 Psalm; Psalm 1; parts of Isaiah 53; Gen 1; Deut 6:4-8 (the Shema – the heart of Jewish belief in one God); Joshua 1:7-9; and so on, you know, the usual.
Brian, any suggestions from any other prophets? These are good!
First verses I thought of were Deut. 6 too.
Isaiah 53 was the second. If it’s not too much, I’d have them memorize the whole chapter.
OK, I’m two for two with Brian so far!
Isaiah is my favorite OT book, so I’d also add Isaiah 61 – especially 1-3 & 10 -11. This one has personal meaning to me. During the hardest time of my life, this is what I read over and over. “I will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in my God, For He has clothed me with garments of salvation, . . . ” God is sufficient! what else could we possibly need but Him?
Jeremiah 1: 4-10. I can’t help but think of God’s plan for each of us and His continued faithfulness to us.
Any section of Psalm 119.
OK, I got stuck reading Psalm 119 and now it’s time to go to church
Bitsy, thanks for the additional verses. I spent months going through Psalm 119, filling up two of those composition notebooks with my study. What a beautiful Psalm. What I could is say anyone who memorizes that Psalm gets an automatic “A”.
Ok, I thought of another one while I was getting ready: Proverbs 31:10-31 Excellent wife passage. What a well rounded woman!
Thanks, Bitsy. I like that one, too. I’m going to need to shave this list down!
the covenant with Noah, the covenant with Abraham, something that sums up the Mosaic law, the promise to David, and a passsage that talks about the Messiah (probably Jeremiah 33)
Here’s a common one, but very good, 2 Chronicles 7:14. If we’d not only memorize it, but really humble ourselves and pray, just imagine what God could do in our nation!!
Psalm 19 because it talks about God revealing Himself. I’ll have more later.
I’m not going to comment on well rounded woman.
Jeff
No, really , Jeff. I’d LOVE to hear your comments about well-rounded women.
Well, I heard there’s a book called Song of something er rather that talks a lot about that racy stuff. My wife is one of them. Hubba hubba.
Jeff
Y’all better be careful saying too much about a Proverbs 31 woman.
Unwritten rule that she totes a heavy frying pan just to bop menfolk upside the noggin.
This is a nice challenge. I accept.
I would suggest: Gen. 1:26-28; Exod. 19:3-6; Psa. 115:17, since I believe the Bible is about a King, his Kingdom, and his kingly family.
Well, we all probably have well-rounded women in our lives!:)
God’s sovereignty:
Ex 4:11
1 Sam 2:7
1 Chron 29:11-12
Job 9:24
Prov 16:9
Jere 10:23
Dan 4:35
Lam 3:37-38
Is 55:8-11
Thanks, Jeff. Great stuff!