Monday, January 11, 2010

The bible in 90 days - #2

I have fallen behind again, and caught up again. The Old Testament is hard for me to get into. So much of it is so repetitive, that I have to force myself not to skip.

Still, there are some things that I've noticed, that I don't know if I had realized before. Joshua didn't first show up when the spies went out to survey the land and people. No, he was there as a companion to Moses on mount Sinai. I do not think he went up the mount, and saw what Moses saw. But I'm sure he learned much from those experiences as well as from Moses' teachings. He shows that in his response to the 10 spies who were afraid.

One thing that is so difficult with the Old Testament is how harsh the judgments seem to be on the people. But then you have to think of what they have seen and heard. The Israelites saw the Red Sea part. They saw springs suddenly start in the desert at Moses' command. The Lord talked to the people from a cloud. Food showed up from nowhere. And yet, they complain multiple times about how it would have been better if they had died in Egypt. How could they be so faithless? How could they forget those miracles so quickly? But then, would any of us done better? I would like to think so, but there are many times that I'm not so sure.

1 comment:

  1. You've got some great questions and observations. The OT can be tough, but it is definitely setting the stage for what is to come.
    Hope your reading is going well now... see ya Monday for the next check in.

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