Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010
Exodus
I’ve been following a reading plan to take me through most of the Bible in a year, and boy it’s tough to stay on top of it. But at the same time, it is extremely rewarding. The Old Testament has always been neglected, but a quote from J. G. Millar mentions our need to know the Old Testament in order to know the gospel.
TweetMuch of the theological framework needed to understand the significance of Jesus’ coming, life and death was put in place by Moses in his writing, and perhaps above all in Deuteronomy. For it is here that the theology of blessing and curse which lies at the heart of Jesus’ sin-bearing work is first articulated. It is here that the hopelessness of humanity trapped in sin, even when chosen by God, is exposed. It is here that the prospect of a divine intervention so radical that it changes people at the very core of their being first appears. (New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, pp. 164-165)
on Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 at 1:09 am:
Some of the most awesome biblical stories comes from the OT. I think, when people thinking about the OT, they think about the Torah books (which yes, I admit, can get rather dry at times). But it’s much more than just a handful of rules. It is a collection of stories that gives insight into how our God works. That should make it worthwhile.
As someone who has at one point failed at going through the Bible cover-to-cover (and recently tried again to start), I would suggest against the urge to “catch up” when you fall behind. I’m guessing you’re going at ~3 chapters a day? You won’t get anywhere by rushing through it. Stick to the 3 chapters a day, even if you fall behind on the actual timestamp. I quit the first time because it felt like a chore after a while, and I rather not look at the Bible the same way I look at some of my textbooks.