The Challenge

Here is the challenge: to read the Bible in 90 days, sounds daunting, but not really if you look at the reading plan. If you're Bible was say 1790 pages long, which apparently some are, that's only 20 pages a day. So doable. :)

So here's the plan, set to embark this Saturday, June 19. I encourage you to join me. Here's the little tagline from Steven Furtick and Elevation church.

"B90X is a revolutionary system of intense, truth-absorbing,
brain-busting Bible reading that will transform your
understanding of Scripture from intro to nitro in just 90 days!
Your personal trainer, Ruach "The Breath" Yahweh, will drag you
through the most intense infusion of His vision that you have
ever experienced and you won't believe the results!"

My plan is to read and journal and I'd love to share with anyone who'd like to join me.

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Day 31-33: The Rest of Chronicles

So I decided to take my own advice.  I got a little behind in the reading, so I'm picking up where I left off, the end of Chronicles.  I also am a bit behind on the blogging, but moving, chasing after hormonal teenagers, more moving, falling down stairs and being sick all day will do that to you.

Let's finish up Chronicles then and may I say I really enjoyed this retelling of the annals of the kings of Judah.  It's like reading different versions of the Gospel, you get different perspectives.  It's quite fascinating and I didn't want to mesh too many things into one, so I'll cover the end of Chronicles and move onward to post-exile with Ezra and Nehemiah the next few days.  As always, follow at your own pace and feel free to dialogue with me at any point in your journey.  Don't forget to check out back posts.

1 Chronicles 25 - Check out Asaph.  We'll get to read his and his sons psalms later.  Pretty cool.

If you ever need info in a pinch about genealogies, Chronicles is the place to go.

1 Chronicles 28 David announces that Solomon will follow him and build a Temple for the LORD.  Solomon mentions that in Kings, but we don't really see that by David.  David does give Solomon a charge on how to handle some of his officials, but not the temple.  So now we see that David does give Solomon this charge.

2 Chronicles 5:11-13 - I will always remember this passage from Kid's Praise 7: Psalty's Hymnological Adventure through Time.  Oh memories.  Dani and I sang this in a play for our church, "For He is good and his mercy endureth fore -e -e -ever."  Good times.  I will always remember the names Asaph, Heman and Jeduthun.  I am particularly fond of Jeduthun.

2 Chronicles leaves out Solomon's fall from grace (his lusting after all his wives and building of the high places).  Interesting...

I like the added information, like about Rehoboam, 2 Chron 11:16 "Those from every tribe of Israel who set their hearts on seeking the LORD, the God of Israel, followed the Levites to Jerusalem to offer sacrifices to the LORD, the God of their fathers."  I like that, there were still people in all Israel who were devoted to the LORD.

It's so amazing, here throughout what we've read previously and continuing through Chronicles, it still shows you that it is a matter of the heart.  The Israelites turn away, and then they turn back, like in 2 Chron 12 and God hears them, just like Solomon asked in his prayer at the dedication of the temple.  So you get this more intimate look into the lives of the Kings of Judah and how exactly they were and were not devoted to the LORD.  Abijah, Kings says, wasn't fully devoted to the LORD and yet here in Chron we get to see how he was devoted in some way.  For Asa we see how he fully did right in the eyes of the LORD and how he called the people to enter into covenant with him to serve the LORD their God with all their heart and soul (no wonder Jesus said that was the greatest commandment.  It is literally said again and again).  We also see how Asa did not fully seek the LORD toward the end of his life.  Then we have Jehoshaphat (another great name) who wholeheartedly sought the LORD, again until the end when he made an alliance with Israel.  Still we have soooo much more information.  And it goes on and on.

I could summarize forever, but the point is clear.  Just look how many times wholeheartedly or faithfully or seeking the LORD with all their heart, etc. are mentioned.  That's the point.  You can clearly see how things go well for Israel/Judah and its people when they are devoted to seeking the LORD and how things get messed up when they are devoted to seeking everything else besides God.  Too often my heart strays.  I wonder how many amazing blessings I may be missing out on.

I love seeing another side to these kings how good and how bad they were.  Kings hints at these things, but with Chronicles you get a deeper inside look.  At the end we are left with the exile, but hope, for the King of Persia, Cyrus, says: 'The LORD, the God of heaven, has given me all the kingdoms of the earth and he has appointed me to build a temple for him at Jerusalem in Judah. Anyone of his people among you--may the LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.' (2 Chronicles 36:23)

As for the rest of the events of the Kings of Judah, are they not written in God's Holy Bible?  Check it out!  :)
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