Read the Bible in 90 Days Summer Challenge

Amy at Mom's Toolbox is hosting another Challenge to read the Bible in 90 days. I so thoroughly enjoyed doing it the first time earlier this year that I have decided to join the challenge again. It was a great experience and I learned a tremendous amount. Reading it fast made certain aspects jump out at me that I had never realized before. And having the accountability was also very helpful. I have actually missed not knowing exactly what I was supposed to be reading every day for my devotions. So today is the first day of the challenge. I will try and blog once a week and report how it is going for me. The first time I accepted the challenge, my two oldest boys read with me and helped me be accountable. This time I will be looking to the online community for support and some good discussions. So Happy Reading and looking forward to what God has to teach me this time!

90 Day Challenge Check In- Day 32

I am loving this Reading the Bible in 90 Days. Reading fast has really brought out new details that I have never noticed before. It has been taking up my evenings, as well, so I am not blogging or reading blogs as much as before. And we have had sickness at our house since our return from our quick trip. But, everyone is mostly healthy, I was a bit behind on my reading twice, but I am all caught up now.

A few things that have really struck me the past couple of weeks:

1) I didn't realize that Joab was not only David's general, but also his nephew! I wonder if that is part of the reason he had Solomon deal with him instead of doing it himself.

2) Samuel was a man of God and seems blameless throughout his service to God, but his sons do not follow the Lord as he did.

3) There aren't many examples of parents raising up godly children for the Lord. The two kings that are most mentioned for their following God like no one before or since, Hezekiah and Josiah, were both succeeded by their sons who walked away from God. God truly has no grandchildren.

4) As many times as the nation of Israel and later Judah walked away from the Lord, led by the king many times, the priests seemed to be faithful, and there were always prophets of the Lord to give wisdom and speak God's words to the people.

5)David was not to build the temple for the Lord, but the Spirit of God gave all the plans for building the temple to David, and he gave them to Solomon, who built it.

Another interesting thing about reading the Bible through right now is that in my CBS class we are studying the book of Revelation. Seeing the beginning of the nation of Israel and the kings of Israel while studying the end, really highlights God's personality and love for Israel. He is so long suffering and patient. He always sends a warning or warnings before he punishes. He always gives chances for repentance, and is always ready to forgive and restore. I personally would have wiped out the nation back with Moses! God is truly a loving and compassionate God, but he is also a just God and cannot tolerate sin. I am so thankful for his mercy and grace!

90 Day Challenge Check In

I am really enjoying reading the Bible quickly like we are for the Challenge. I have a few things that really jumped out at me this time. These are from the past 10 days of readings.

Lot- really his only good quality is that Abraham loved him and prayed for him. He may have been a righteous man, but he didn't have any kind of influence in his community, or his family. His wife died leaving the city, and his girls both got him drunk in order to have children by him.
Also, I think it was good that he offered to protect the three visitors from his neighbors, but he offered his daughters instead. I realize it was a different time, but still..... I can't get over that one.

In Leviticus 18 where it lists all the people not to have sexual relations, it mentions both your sister, and your daughter-in-law. I thought this was interesting because in Jesus' lineage, both of these later forbidden relationships are represented. Abraham and Sarah were brother and sister, and Judah had a child by his daughter-in-law.

In Exodus 24:9-10,Aaron's sons Nadab and Abihu see God with Moses and Aaron and 70 leaders of the people, and in Leviticus 10 they are struck dead with fire for disobeying God. And they are killed shortly after being ordained as priests!

The priests must have had cheat sheets to get all the particulars right for the different sacrifices!

The priestly garments sound beautiful and very fancy, but they are sprinkled with blood to ordain them, and then with all the sacrificing they do, they must have gotten quite bloody. I never thought of them as covered in blood. Really between the sacrificing, the inspecting of skin eruptions, and inspecting fungus in people's houses, I wonder how they had time to do anything else.

My two oldest boys are reading along with me and we are having interesting discussions. It is great that we are all reading the same chapters at the same time. My hubby is not a reader, and it was too much, too fast for his taste. He is reading, but will probably take a year to finish. And Luke is reading the Bible in a year, which is a much better pace for him.