As I read through the Bible this year, I am writing a nonet poem for each of its sixty-six books. 45 syllables for each of the 66 books of the Bible. These little poems are not intended to summarize these books, but simply to capture the spirit of each book, as it came to me while reading and pondering them this time around. If these little nonets lead anyone to re-read any of these books, they will have done more than I can ask.

I have previously shared my nonets for the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. Here are my nonets for the next seven books, Joshua through 2 Kings.

---

Joshua

Strong and courageous, chosen by God,
To lead God’s people to promise,
And then to lead them to faith.
Who will you serve? he asked,
His life showing that
He and his house
Would choose to
Serve the
Lord.

---

Judges

They did what was right in their own eyes,
Which was often wrong in God’s eyes.
But faithful to the promise,
The Lord raised up judges,
Who delivered them
When they transgressed,
And set them
On their
Way.

---

Ruth

Grief could not undo Ruth’s loyalty.
Your people shall be mine, she said,
And your God shall be my God.
Naomi embraced her.
Her God loved her, too,
And blessed us all
Through the gift
Of her
Son.

---

1 Samuel

When judges were no longer enough,
Israel demanded a king.
Samuel anointed Saul,
Who reigned until David –
God’s surprising choice,
Imperfect, yet
A man of
God’s own
Heart.

---

2 Samuel

“How the mighty have fallen!” David
Cried, mourning Saul and Jonathan.
But David was mighty, too,
And lust would cause his fall.
When confronted, he
Repented, but
His sin still
Left its
Mark.

---

1 Kings

Solomon’s wisdom was not enough,
His sin divided God’s kingdom.
A prophet then was needed,
To offer God’s wisdom.
Elijah was called,
And shared God’s word
With prophets,
Widows,
Kings.

---

2 Kings

Elisha picked up the mantle when
Elijah was brought to heaven.
But God’s people still sinned
In the sight of the Lord.
Kingdoms were conquered,
Nations exiled.
God’s people
Sought new
Hope.