Library
Stories, Genesis to Revelation
15 storiesWisdom and Songs
Job 1–2
Job Loses EverythingJob is a good man with a full life, until, in a single day, nearly everything is taken from him. He grieves, he worships, and three friends come and sit with him in silence.
Job 38–42
God Answers Job from the StormAfter long days of argument, God finally speaks to Job out of a whirlwind, not with explanations but with the wonders of creation, and Job, humbled and comforted, sees God for himself.
Psalm 23
The Lord Is My ShepherdA shepherd's song for every season of life: green pastures, still waters, a dark valley, and a table spread with enemies watching. Psalm 23 says the Lord walks with us through all of it.
Proverbs 8–9
Wisdom Calls OutIn the busiest part of town, Wisdom stands up and shouts an invitation to anyone who will listen. Down the street, Folly is calling too. Two voices, two tables, and a choice for every passer-by.
Job 2:11–13; 42:7–10
Seven Days of SilenceWhen disaster falls on Job, three friends travel to sit with him in silence for seven days. Then they start talking, and say far too much. In the end God corrects them, and Job prays for the friends who hurt him.
1 Samuel 22:1–2; Psalm 57
A Song from the CaveOn the run from King Saul, David hides in the cave of Adullam, where four hundred troubled men gather around him. Psalm 57 is the song connected with that time: in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, and my heart is steadfast.
2 Samuel 12:1–13; Psalm 51
Create in Me a Clean HeartThe prophet Nathan tells King David a story about a stolen lamb, and David sees his own sin. Out of that moment comes Psalm 51, the Bible's great prayer for a clean heart.
Psalms 121–122
Songs of the RoadPilgrims walking up to Jerusalem for the festivals sang songs on the way. Two of them, Psalms 121 and 122, ask where our help comes from and celebrate arriving at God's house.
Psalm 137:1–6
By the Rivers of BabylonFar from home, captives from Jerusalem sit by the rivers of Babylon. Their captors demand a cheerful song, and they hang up their harps and promise never to forget Jerusalem.
Psalm 148; 150
Let Everything PraiseThe book of Psalms ends in a great shout. Sun and moon, sea creatures and snowstorms, kings and children, and finally everything that breathes are called to praise the LORD.
Proverbs 6:6–11; 24:30–34
Go to the AntProverbs sends a lazy person to learn from a tiny ant, and a wise teacher stops beside a field full of thorns. Two short scenes about working hard and planning ahead.
Proverbs 31:10–31
A Woman of StrengthThe book of Proverbs ends with a king's mother's teaching and a poem in praise of a capable woman: hard-working, wise, generous to the poor, and full of reverence for God.
Ecclesiastes 3:1–15
A Time for EverythingThe Teacher of Ecclesiastes looks at the seasons of life, planting and harvest, weeping and laughing, and finds that God makes everything beautiful in its time and has set eternity in the human heart.
Ecclesiastes 12
Remember Your CreatorAt the end of Ecclesiastes, the old Teacher speaks to the young. In a poem about growing old, he urges them to remember God now, and sums up life in one sentence: fear God and keep his commandments.
Song of Songs 2:8–13; 8:6–7
Love as Strong as DeathThe Song of Songs is a love poem. In spring, a young man calls his beloved to come away because winter is past; later she asks him to set her as a seal on his heart, for many waters cannot quench love.