90 day reading plan
The church I am attending has challenged the congregation to read through the bible in 90 days. We started on June 1, 2010 and as of today, (29 days in) I started reading 1 Chronicles. It's been an incredible journey over these last 29 days. Genesis was inspiring as the world literally unfolds and God's plan and mercy is demonstrated over and over again. Exodus, seriously one of my favourite books of the Bible because of how God's power, love, mercy, jealousy, and justice is shown throughout the book. Leviticus? AMAZING. I had to power through some of the brutal sacrifice descriptions, but it shows how important Jesus' sacrafice was to meet the standard and requirement of the law. Not only that ( and that is the whole point) but God chose a people from among a chosen people to be HIS priests and representatives for the larger body of Israel. Brilliant.
NUMBERS... a dreaded book for many, but somehow it came alive for me as I read it through again this time. The exactness and precision in which God led His people is astounding. The weakest tribes (in number) where protected by the stronger tribes and in the middle was the Tabernacle every time they moved. When the census was done, the first born of every Israelite was accounted for and redeemed... almost to the exact number of Levites. Astounding!
Dueteronomy... if you ever want to be a lawyer... there is a book for you! It's profound... a little hard to read, but so clear as to what God wanted from His chosen people. Blessings and curses were given as a choice. TWICE they were offered a disease free community... IF they would follow the law, instructions and mandates that He laid out for them... But IF NOT, he would exile them from the land he had given them and by the end of 2nd Kings, that is exactly the state of Israel and Judah.
Joshua... one of my favourite characters in scripture. He was Moses assistant, served him the whole time they were in the desert, was one who believed God would give them the land promised and only one of two who actually entered it and saw the promises of God come true from the original 600,000 + men who saw God deliver them from Egypt. AMAZING
Judges... a commentary on God's grace and mercy, and especially an incredible book to read to see that God ALWAYS raises up a deliverer when His people cry out to Him.
Ruth... Ruth actually means friendship... and is so beautifully demonstrated in her relationship with Naomi. What a story again of redemtion and God's faithfulness even in the darkest of circumstances.
1st and 2nd Samuel... the beginning of the Kings of Israel. The raising up of a prophet who would cry out for God's mercy again and again for His chosen people. Samuel, dedicated to the Lord from a young boy... and God was with Him and spoke through Him, and changed the hardening heart of Israel through words of truth and righteousness. He anoints Saul as King... a man head and shoulders above all other men in Israel... a man chosen because the people wanted to be like the nations around them... and rejected God as their king.
1st and 2nd Kings.... the split of David's Kingdom... The reign of Solomon, the building of the Temple the following of God's decrees and the rewards of that followed by a series of kings who either did evil in the sight of the Lord or were pleasing to the Lord... more evil than good I'm afraid... and God's anger burned against His people until they would recognize their sin and cry out to Him. But by the end of this book... the people are exiled and the Lord has rejected and abandoned His people... to discipline, not to despise! That's what I love about these two books, His heart is always for His people, He disciplines only to draw them back to Him.
And today I started 1 Chronicles... so far a recap of the geneologies. Fascinating to see and read especially after just reading through Kings. The bloodline is so important for the promises God made to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, to David... and God upholds His promises all the way through. Faithful... even in Israel's unfaithfulness.
What a story. What a book. What a God.
NUMBERS... a dreaded book for many, but somehow it came alive for me as I read it through again this time. The exactness and precision in which God led His people is astounding. The weakest tribes (in number) where protected by the stronger tribes and in the middle was the Tabernacle every time they moved. When the census was done, the first born of every Israelite was accounted for and redeemed... almost to the exact number of Levites. Astounding!
Dueteronomy... if you ever want to be a lawyer... there is a book for you! It's profound... a little hard to read, but so clear as to what God wanted from His chosen people. Blessings and curses were given as a choice. TWICE they were offered a disease free community... IF they would follow the law, instructions and mandates that He laid out for them... But IF NOT, he would exile them from the land he had given them and by the end of 2nd Kings, that is exactly the state of Israel and Judah.
Joshua... one of my favourite characters in scripture. He was Moses assistant, served him the whole time they were in the desert, was one who believed God would give them the land promised and only one of two who actually entered it and saw the promises of God come true from the original 600,000 + men who saw God deliver them from Egypt. AMAZING
Judges... a commentary on God's grace and mercy, and especially an incredible book to read to see that God ALWAYS raises up a deliverer when His people cry out to Him.
Ruth... Ruth actually means friendship... and is so beautifully demonstrated in her relationship with Naomi. What a story again of redemtion and God's faithfulness even in the darkest of circumstances.
1st and 2nd Samuel... the beginning of the Kings of Israel. The raising up of a prophet who would cry out for God's mercy again and again for His chosen people. Samuel, dedicated to the Lord from a young boy... and God was with Him and spoke through Him, and changed the hardening heart of Israel through words of truth and righteousness. He anoints Saul as King... a man head and shoulders above all other men in Israel... a man chosen because the people wanted to be like the nations around them... and rejected God as their king.
1st and 2nd Kings.... the split of David's Kingdom... The reign of Solomon, the building of the Temple the following of God's decrees and the rewards of that followed by a series of kings who either did evil in the sight of the Lord or were pleasing to the Lord... more evil than good I'm afraid... and God's anger burned against His people until they would recognize their sin and cry out to Him. But by the end of this book... the people are exiled and the Lord has rejected and abandoned His people... to discipline, not to despise! That's what I love about these two books, His heart is always for His people, He disciplines only to draw them back to Him.
And today I started 1 Chronicles... so far a recap of the geneologies. Fascinating to see and read especially after just reading through Kings. The bloodline is so important for the promises God made to Abraham, Jacob, Moses, to David... and God upholds His promises all the way through. Faithful... even in Israel's unfaithfulness.
What a story. What a book. What a God.
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