90 Day Challenge Update

Amy at Mom's Toolbox has encouraged those of us taking the 90 day Bible challenge to blog about it periodically, so here goes. Today is the 12th day of the challenge and I'm currently reading on day 14 trying to stay a little ahead. I've really enjoyed the reading and haven't found it to be as difficult as I thought it would be. Maybe that's because of Kimberly's prayers!

I've made several general observations or impressions that are new for me and noticed a couple of more specific details that have eluded me before so I thought I'd share.

1. I now understand where that old adage, "Cleanliness is next to godliness" comes from. There are the chapters on infectious skin diseases, seeping wounds, mildew, and contamination in general and the elaborate processes for determining whether something is clean or unclean. Then there's the detailed purification process. Also, I think my eyes used to glaze over when reading about the sacrifices, but now that I studied them for my series of Advent posts in December, I read them more carefully and with greater familiarity. I had never had the mental picture before of the Israelites surrounded by so many animals, but it struck me that they must have had millions of animals with them and what a challenge cleanliness would be.

2. I've noticed little details that have evaded me before like Moses' father-in-law called Reuel in several places, but Jethro the rest of the time. (Some of this may be that I'm using the NIV for the first time.)

3. I also noticed for the first time that Moses is condemned by God over the water from the rock incident and punished by God by not being allowed to enter the Promised Land, but that later Moses in retelling the incident blames the Israelites. I thought that was interesting and so telling about human nature.

"But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, because you did not trust in me enough to honor me as holy in the sight of the Isrealites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them." Numbers 20:12

"After you see it, you too will be gathered to your people, as your brother Aaron was, for when the community rebelled at the waters in the desert of Zin, both of you disobeyed my command to honor me as holy before their eyes. (These were the waters of Meribah Kadesh, in the desert of Zin.) Numbers 27:14

"Because of you, the Lord became angry with me also and said, "You shall not enter it, either. But your assistant, Joshua son of Nun, will enter it." Deuteronomy 1:37

That might seem kind of random, but these are some of the things I've been noticing. How about you? What are you getting out of your reading?