Question 1:  Why have a top ten?

I'm guessing that a majority of us do not sit down and read the Old Testament in a structured fashion.  Why is that?  One of the reasons may be that we find it unmanageable:  "it's too long", "there's too many funny names", "it has too many irrelevant rules", "it's just too much" ... or is it?  I think the Old Testament is in many ways much simpler and much more straightforward than the New Testament.  "Yes, but what about all the Levitical laws and the lists of names and ..." - I say that studying them has its spiritual benefit, but you can skip some things for now and focus on the more accessible parts.  You can't swallow the ocean in our gulp, so you have to take it one sip at a time.  "But how do I know where to start?"  Excellent question, now we're getting somewhere!

Answer:  To give you a good place to start and give you a foundation before reading the rest of the Old Testament.

Question 2:  Who is in the top ten?

If you have attended Sunday School for any length of time then you should have some familiarity with most of the cast of characters that you will find in the top ten.  The reason to read them again now is that they are organized in order for you in chronological order so that you understand where they fit in the big picture.  You may know that Adam came way before Elijah, but where do you fit in Abraham, Noah, and Moses into that picture?  This list will be like ten pieces of wood that you could previously identify individually but have now come together to frame a house.  Eventually, we can add more stories that are equally interesting and beneficial, which we will then have more meaning if we understand the context of the stories by knowing how they fit into the bigger picture.

Answer:  Mostly people you already know, but only as individuals rather than understanding their big picture relationship to each other.

 

Series Name: Top 10 Old Testament Stories