Have you guys ever read the Old Testament? It's not that popular, but let me tell you, it is awesome!
I just finished reading the whole thing as of last week (let me also add that I STARTED reading it in October of 2011. Slow and steady- that's how I did it. Ha).
I read through the books chronologically and I'm honestly saying that it changed my life. I had no idea what 3/4 of the bible was even about because I was only ever in the New Testament. But now I know... And I want everyone else to know too!
The craziest part for me was learning about the history of Israel in OT times (like, the fullll history) and how the people made it to their "promised land" then totally got kicked out and then were slowly allowed to move back in- just like God said would happen.
I vaguely knew the outline of all that before but now I understand the depth of it and the details of how and why it all happened. And I think it's really important for Christians to be familiar with it.
Also, there are some crazy cool stories that I had never had before.
Some of my favorites:
|Elisha made an ax head float on water by throwing a stick in where it sank. (2 Kings 6:1-7)
|When God reprimanded Job is was from a tornado and He said some pretty strong things, like "brace yourself like a man."Literally. (Job 38:2-3)
|The temple that Solomon built for The Lord was carazzzy intense and elaborate. Check out this picture. (1 Kings 6)
|Ezekiel saw 4 "living creatures" with 4 wings and 4 different faces, covered in fire, with bright and flashing lightening, and rolling around on wheels full of eyeballs. No joke. They were making way for the Glory of The Lord (Ezekiel 1)
Some mornings while reading I would laugh out loud at something ironic or crazy in a story. Ben would ask what was funny so I would tell him how the whole story was set up and played out and ended and we would laugh together at the things God came up with (read Esther chapters 6-7 for a good example).
But really, when you think about it, those stories aren't too crazy because God was the one who had been orchestrating the events in the first place. He was adding the twists in the plot and things we never saw coming; not to mention He could make the story end however He wanted to!
Reading the OT gave me a lot of perspective in regards to how great my God is- in the little things like ax heads and big things like promised lands. He's totally worth my trusting and the better I understand WHO HE IS the better I can place my trust in Him. And that's awesome. Bam.
If you haven't caught my drift yet, I think you should read the OT too. Just sayin. :)
Comments
Post a Comment