It has been quite a while since I've checked in, but while I haven't written, I have been reading. I am currently in 2 Chronicles and this has been an amazing journey.
When you read huge chunks of the Bible at a time it is almost like flying over a landscape. Some things are difficult to see. You sometimes miss the detail. What you get instead is a view from the mountaintop. You can see the sweeping themes and changes that are occurring. You get an idea of the scope of God's plan for God's people.
A real struggle has been with the killing. There is a lot of killing in the Old Testament. This was not a surprise to me, but when you are going through 10 chapters a day it can be a bit overwhelming. What is God trying to say in these passages? Is it relevant for me today? How would I preach about entire cities being wiped out?
This is all part of wrestling with the Bible. The Bible is God's word written down by human hands. You cannot separate the words on the page from the knowledge that humans wrote this down, collected it, translated it and now we try to comprehend it. What are the parts of the Bible that are the hardest for you? (If there isn't a part of scripture that troubles you, then you probably aren't reading closely enough.)
As I'm reading now, the people are rapidly approaching exile. This is a terrible time brought on by their disobedience. As I read this I also think about my own disobedience. Talk about terrifying.
Keep reading and let me know where you are at.
Peace,
Will
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