Biblical Fiction and Bible Study Preparation

I’m using biblical fiction as I prepare for this fall’s Bible study.

I know fiction means not-true and therefore isn’t the best way to prepare to lead a study if I’m not reading scripture.

Silly. Of course, I’m studying the Bible passages. I just need some context for the history.

This year, I will be reading Lynn Austin’s The Restoration Chronicles.

They’ve been very helpful.

Biblical fiction as a tool

Biblical fiction can serve to present a narrative in a way that’s easier to understand.

If you want to know political history, the saying goes, read a history book.

If you want to know social history–how people lived–read historical fiction.

But what if you’d like to know both?

Then you read a trusted author, check, and confirm.

Why The Restoration Chronicles help

It can be easy to get confused by the history of Jerusalem during a volatile time.

The stories are told across Zechariah, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah.

Events of the day can be difficult, including some of the issues.

For me, a lover of story, reading a novel as a backdrop to the biblical events was helpful.

I better understood the allure of Susa (located in present-day western Iran) and Babylon (located in present-day Iraq). Austin’s books enabled me to see how the lifestyles bear similarities to the present.

Understanding events will help me explain some of the powerful scenes in the book of Nehemiah to my Bible study ladies.

Even now, working through the prep of the InterVarsity Press Nehemiah Lifeguide study we’ll be using, I stumbled on, again, why did Nehemiah need a census?

Ah, the third book, On This Foundation explained.

I read all three books because it’s important to understand how and why the Hebrew’s return to Jerusalem took place over 100 years.

Return to Me–Zechariah and Zerubbabel

In Return to Me, Austin described the longing the people had for a place most didn’t remember.

Seventy years for a people who had been cast out of Jerusalem because of disobedience to the Law is a long time.

Given a chance to return to their homeland, many decided to stay. It was too hard to start over; the allure of Babylon cast a spell.

Austin’s description of what Jerusalem looked like when they finished crossing the desert was sad.

Solomon’s temple no longer towered above the mount; everything had been destroyed.

How can we find hope when weeds choke what stones still stand?

Reading about that return reminded me that it wasn’t an obvious decision to return to Jerusalem.

It took genuine pioneer gumption, not to mention hard work.

That’s important to know–God’s people did not have it easy.

Keepers of the Covenant–Esther and Ezra

Many novels have been written about Esther’s story, but Austin turned it upside down.

As it would have been for Jews living in Susa and outside of Babylon, no one understood the why of Haman’s shocking edict to slaughter the Jews.

Can you imagine your reaction if your government, for no apparent reason, decided to kill you on a specific day?

And since that day was months in the future, what would it have been like to have your Gentile neighbors eyeing your possessions and calculating whom they wanted to kill?

The scenes were poignant and helped explain why some wanted to leave Babylon behind for the uncertainty of Jerusalem.

Discussions of faith and descriptions of the sacrifice on the rebuilt Temple mound–nothing like its previous glory–challenged me.

That’s why you read historical and biblical fiction–to better understand your place in history.

On This Foundation–Nehemiah

Who would have thought of Nehemiah, the King’s cupbearer, as an expert in security?

And yet, it made perfect sense and formed the backbone of the final book.

Is it true? I don’t know, but in Austin’s capable hands, the book provided insight I lacked.

And how did they physically build the wall?

With their weapons at their sides, yes, but Austin fleshed out the description to include pulleys and plumb lines.

As I printed a map for my bible study, I saw Shallum’s daughters repaired one section of the wall.

Austin provided an excellent reason why.

I enjoyed this book the most.

What’s true and what’s not true?

Only what we see in Scripture is true.

I didn’t see any dubious embroidery on the biblical facts in Austin’s work.

If I read something I question, I check it against the Scriptures.

God calls us to do that, remember? He invites us to “Come now, let us reason together.”

I’ve also told my ladies what I’m doing, and I encourage them to question me if they suspect something is amiss.

Our conversation is frequently lively, and I’m looking forward to examining the book of Nehemiah with them.

Do you read biblical fiction when you’re studying a specific book to match?

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