I decided to combine these two sections of the Old Testament.
The wisdom books include Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Song of Solomon.
The books of prophecy begin with Isaiah and continue through Malachi.

Psalms gets a lot of noise because its comforting and makes us feel good in times when we feel crummy. But Psalms is also full of brutal honesty from the people of God in the form of “laments”. There are more lamenting Psalms than any other kind.

Job gets overlooked all too often. It’s a tough book, don’t get me wrong, but it deals with the place where we have all been or are – pain, hurt, suffering, loss, grief, etc. Most of us are just too wimpy to deal with it because it doesn’t resolve easily.

Ecclesiastes is a perfect book for our day and age. It deals with meaning, frustration, money, relationships, etc. More films today reflect the musings of the author of Solomon than any other biblical book.

Song of Solomon affirms the fact that God created sex and called it good. Song of Solomon speaks about what makes relationships work and what can derail them.

Proverbs is full of incredible wisdom. It is one of the most well-read books in the Bible because its short pithy and accessible. It can be read in a month (31 books – 1 book a day) without too much effort.

Now, the Prophets…Jeremiah is the longest book in the Bible and Isaiah is not too far behind. God is at the end of his rope; His patience wears thin in this section of the Scriptures. This is hard for some people to take. But there is so much great stuff in here. Jonah, Micah, Hosea, Malachi, Amos – these are all great books which continue to shape our understanding of who God is and who God calls is calling humanity to be. Now, things do get a bit crazy when it comes to some of the apocalyptic prophecy in Daniel and Ezekiel.

Again, I am re-connecting with these passages and others this fall with a group of friends. I think we need to take seriously the Old Testament and the New. It may be the end of summer, but consider what it might mean for you to re-engage these areas yourself.

-Savage