1 Chronicles 7: Focus of this chapter is on more of Israel’s sons: Issachar’s line, the lies of Benjamin and Naphtali, Manasseh’s line, Ephraim’s line, and Asher’s line.
Continue reading “11/20 Reading (1 Chronicles 7-9; Romans 7)”
11/16 Reading (2 Kings 25; Romans 5)
2 Kings 25: The final downfall of the southern kingdom, Judah. Nebuchadnezzar and his people destroy everything there. What happens with the Ark of the Covenant though? A quick Internet search revealed that there is no real clear indication as to what happened with the Ark.
10/18 Reading (1 Samuel 31; 2 Corinthians 3)
1 Samuel 31: Saul dies in battle with the Philistines in this chapter. It’s pretty brutal actually. After he is wounded by archers he impales himself with his own sword. His armor-bearer does the same to himself. All of Saul’s sons were also killed. The philistines remove Saul’s head and take it and his body back to their temple and put them on display. Thankfully, men from an Israelite town, Jabesh-gilead, snuck in and took Saul’s head and body and treated him properly.
Continue reading “10/18 Reading (1 Samuel 31; 2 Corinthians 3)”
10/12 Reading (1 Samuel 16-18; 1 Corinthians 15)
NOTE: I had a lot to say on this reading.
It has become pretty much a daily occurrence for our President to attack the media. This is typically done on twitter. However, in my opinion, what’s transpired these last few days is the worst he’s ever said. His desire to pretty much end any negative coverage of his administration is definitely getting out of hand. But these statements along with other statements where he’s challenged the judicial and legislative branches of our government bother me. He’s acting more like a King or Dictator than a President. Reading about Saul reminds me a little of what we are currently experiencing. Saul’s lust for power was ultimately his downfall. I wonder if that will happen with Trump. Only time will tell.
Continue reading “10/12 Reading (1 Samuel 16-18; 1 Corinthians 15)”
10/2 Reading (Judges 13-15; 1 Corinthians 7)
NOTE: I had a lot to say about this reading.
Judges 13: Now we get to the Israelites again doing bad things. Dang, you’d think they learn from their mistakes. Although when I said that to a friend of mine, he said it kinda reminds him of society now. I’m not going to go there today, but that’s an interesting perspective. I digress. This time the Israelites are ruled for 40 years by the Philistines.
Continue reading “10/2 Reading (Judges 13-15; 1 Corinthians 7)”
9/23 Reading (Joshua 16-18; Psalms 36-37)
Joshua 16: Chapter focuses on the land given to the tribe of Joseph, specifically Ephraim.
Joshua 17: Chapter focuses on the land given to another part of the tribe of Joseph, specifically Manasseh. Actually, the land described here is given to the half of this group who didn’t get land on the other side of the Jordan river by Moses.
Joshua 18: Chapter begins with discussion of representatives from the seven remaining tribes to pretty much do a survey of the land that is still available and do a report for Joshua. The remaining of the chapter focuses on what was given to Benjamin.
Psalm 36: This psalm is a prayer for help from the wicked. The psalmist asks God to help them.
Psalm 37: According to the notes from the CEB study bible, this psalm is “usually identified as a wisdom psalm, and may have been what we might call today a teaching sermon” (CEB Study Bible, p. 879 OT). We learn about the importance of not getting angry or upset when wicked people appear to prosper. I find this challenging since this seems to happen all the time. We are supposed to trust in God that all will be ok in the end. This is definitely tough and something that I want to discuss further with others.
8/22 Reading (Numbers 6-8; Acts 13)
Numbers 6: Chapter is all about instructions for people who want to be nazirites. The rules for them are interesting. They are supposed to stay pure while in this position. According to the notes in the CEB study bible (p. 213 OT), “a nazirite is not an ethnic description but a special category for a person who has vowed to perform a sacred duty.” Does this still exist?
8/12 Reading (Leviticus 13-15; Psalms 19-21)
NOTE: I still struggle with the psalms. I’m really having a hard time reading these. First, I’ve always had trouble reading poetry and these are written in that format. Second, I need some help reading these. I’m not sure if I’m overthinking this or what, but these are really challenging to me.
Leviticus 13: A full chapter on how to treat people who may or may not have leprosy. No wonder why people were so fearful of people with leprosy. Based of the notes what was referred to as leprosy is not the same as modern day leprosy. I do wonder if this type of affliction was common during this time frame?
Continue reading “8/12 Reading (Leviticus 13-15; Psalms 19-21)”
8/9 Reading (Leviticus 4-6; Acts 4)
I read a really interesting article in the Washington Post today titled Seriously, ‘Game of Thrones’ made me a better Bible reader. I encourage people to read it. I’ve already mentioned numerous times over this past month how I wonder if people realize just how much sex and violence is in the Bible. The author said this:
Introduction to Acts
Introduction to Acts: I just have to say that I’m pretty excited about reading this book. I’ve always been curious about what happened right after Jesus ascended into heaven. I hope this will help with that. It’s also going to be interesting to read about how Christianity grew right after Jesus died. Clearly Jesus was Jewish, but why didn’t the Jewish people see him as the messiah? Did the apostles convert to Christianity? When did this new religion take the name Christianity? I don’t know if Acts will be able to answer these questions. I certainly hope so. If not, then I’ve come up with more questions that I need to answer.