Read the Bible with Me!

Welcome to the Pauline Family's "Year of the Bible"! I'm reading the Bible clear through this year, and I invite you to read along with me. But first, let us pray: 

My God, I adore and thank your loving and wise Providence, manifested on every page of Sacred Scripture. You have always been close to sinful and erring humanity, and have indicated the way and given hope. Amid the shadows of error and corruption, you kindled the light of your truth; amid universal corruption, you are the Just One; amid so much idolatry, humanity in every corner of the earth has cultivated a sincere worship of you.
Let my reading today increase my trust in your goodness, your mercy, and your unfailing faithfulness.

Today's chapters are 1 Kings 16-18 and Psalm 50.

Here comes Jezebel. And close on the heels of this pagan wife of King Ahab of the northern kingdom comes the great prophet Elijah! The "Elijah cycle" will run from chapter 17 through the first chapter of 2 Kings. This man of God's words and miracles (not to mention his impressive departure from this life) will make such an impression on the people that they were convinced that his return would signal the arrival of the final Anointed One (the Messiah) and the definitive Kingdom of God. 

Psalm 50, with its critique of animal sacrifices, is a fitting accompaniment to the story of Elijah and the prophets of Baal. God is a transcendent God, far beyond human imagining (as we will read tomorrow).

Start reading 1 Kings here and Psalm 50 here.

If you are looking for a solid but approachable companion to the Bible, I can wholeheartedly recommend A Catholic Introduction to the Bible: The Old Testament by John Bergsma and Brant Pitre. Although the authors are top-level Scripture scholars, they write for "real" readers. Notes include recent findings from archaeology and ancient manuscripts, and how each book of the Bible has been understood by the Church Fathers and used in Liturgy.