Saturday, January 22, 2011

Two Resolutions in One

I decided recently that I would try to read the entire Bible in 4 months. The few people that I told thought I was crazy- that I would just be reading so quickly that I wouldn't be able to get anything out of it. They knew how I liked to really study a particular story line by line, find out who is related to who, and make all kinds of connections with other stories and timelines. All that is true, but my thought was that if I read more quickly, some of those connections would be more obvious to me. Also I am actually more of a sprinter than I am a "stayer", so the 4 month thing versus the year thing will probably work a little better for me.

So here is the deal. I am having a ball! It's a lot of reading (about 10 chapters a day), but the stuff that I'm finding out is awesome!

Did you know:

 That after God told Moses he wasn't going to be allowed to go into the Promised Land that Moses actually asked him to reconsider? (And God's response was "That's enough. I don't want to hear any more about it.")

Isaac married Rebekah three years after his mother Rachel died. the Bible says Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah. Why was Sarah's tent still up?

Abraham married a lady named Keturah and they had a bunch (I think 8!)  of kids! One website I looked at thought that Keturah might actually have been Hagar.... Interesting thought, but I don't think so...

Although! Just before Isaac met Rebekah, the Bible says that he was coming from Beer Lahai Roi. This is actually where Ishmael and Hagar were sent. We know that Ishmael and Isaac had some sort of relationship because they were together when it came time to bury their father... Interesting stuff, yes?

Joseph was a slave in Potiphar's house for about 10 years! And in prison for about 3years!

God got really irritated with the Israelites in the desert a number of times! Moses convinced him NOT to kill them at least three times.

When God was taking the Israelites through the last few months of their wilderness experience and they were starting his battles, he told them not to touch the land that he had given to Esau and his relatives, nor the land that was given to Lot.

I know that you know  that  spies came back from exploring the land and 10 of them said that they shouldn't go there because there were giants in the land. But did you know that after God told them that they had sinned and they would be wandering the desert for 40 years, the Israelites decided to go into the promised land anyway! They got beat up badly and had to retreat because God wasn't with them!

I'm wondering why every time there is a list of the 12 tribes of Israel, they aren't in the same order... Sometimes Rueben is first (he was the first born) Sometimes Judah is first (number 4 in line, but the one that ends up in the line of Jesus.) Sometimes Joseph and Ben are next and sometimes they are last, although Naphtali seems to be last most often... Any ideas? Curiouser and curiouser.

Anyway, I'm having a blast and so far, I am right on track for finishing by the end of April. I've also found out that if I go to Biblegateway.com my computer will read out loud to me while I do my wii fit plus exercises!  Two New Years resolutions in one!

Have a great day!

Linda

:)

1 comment:

Sheila Siler said...

Linda - you're great. Thanks for sharing your resolutions with us.