Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Top 10 Things I Learned from B90days

Since I am done with reading the entire Bible I have been reflecting on what I learned over the last 90 days and here is my Top Ten List of Things I Learned from Reading the Bible in 90 days:

10- that the ark of the covenant contained not only the 10 commandments, but a jar of manna, and the staff of Aaron and there was a lot of work involved in moving the ark from place to place, for example: it had to be covered in blue fabric, only certain people could carry it, you couldn't look at it, etc

9- that temple worship/ sacrifices were really gross and I am so thankful for Jesus' sacrifice that fulfilled all sacrifices

8- that Bible characters were not some holier than though people, they were normal people with issues and weakness, even Solomon the wisest man and lover of God turned to other gods and God used them despite their weaknesses

7- many books make more sense having read other books, for example, Psalms makes a lot more sense after having read the history of King David and the prophets makes more sense after having read the history (Kings and Chronicles)

6- that the Israelites were easily distracted and very quickly turned their faith to other things, just like us and they aren't that much different then us now

5-  I knew that there were many prophesies about Jesus in the Old Testament, but actually discovering them through the reading instead of just getting them pointed out was eye opening- there are so many throughout the Old Testament

4- that even the famous characters doubted, for example, John the Baptist doubted if Jesus really was the messiah and Moses doubted that he could go against Pharaoh to free the Isrealites

3- that Jesus would bring salvation to the Gentiles and it is written in the Old Testament, I wrongly assumed it was an afterthought, I didn't realize salvation for the Gentiles was prophesied in the Old Testament, it was part of the spoken plan

2- that the Bible isn't just a rule book, but a story and can be just as interesting as any novel about people and the ups and down of their faith, I was sad when the Old Testament was over because I was drawn into the story of the Israelites and didn't want the story to end

1- that the Bible is alive and finishing reading the whole thing is not the end, but the beginning, I can't wait to read it again and I have a hunger for it to be "written on my heart"

7 comments:

Amy Bennett said...

I did this a few years back and I was astounded by how much I learned. After it, I said every single Christian should do it. Really eye-opening. Thanks for the list!

Catie said...

This is so good! I started *cough* reading the OT and got through Joshua - now I'm in 2 Timothy.... I really need to finish the OT! There is so much good stuff in there!

It's so good, at least for me anyway, to be reminded that the Bible isn't full of perfect people! I can get a little down on myself sometimes, and remembering this always helps! God uses us (and LOVES us), no matter how imperfect we are!

Catie said...

Oh! I love your header, btw! Did you make it?

Heather Truckenmiller said...

I agree! I've read the bible a few times, but to read it all in 90 days made some of the people seem much more human. :-)

Anonymous said...

I love this post. You're right; no longer do the Bible heroes seem larger than life, the way they do if you only read pieces of the Bible or selections. When you read the whole thing, you get the big pictures and a better understanding of the people who were involved in the development of two entire religious systems.

ohAmanda said...

Awesome! I love the things that stuck out to you. How hard was it sticking to the 90 days?

Dawn said...

I love your top ten list! Mine would include some the same things as yours. Maybe I'll do one for next Monday. I loved experiencing the Bible this way, and will definitely do it again next January! So many sermons and other things I hear or read make sense to me now too, because I've already read it and can put things into context now. I love that!

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