Bible in 90 Days ~ Day 18 Check In

After getting behind a little bit the first week{ish}, I managed to get completely caught up and {dare I say it??} ahead in my reading. Not much mind you, but I'm hoping to read a little bit extra each day for the next few days since I'm going out of town at the end of this week and I'm not sure when I'll be able to sit down and read.

Once I managed to get through Leviticus and all the sacrificial rules {phew}, it started going MUCH smoother. I'll admit that at some points in Leviticus my eyes just wanted to glaze over and I was thanking God that we are not bound to all the rules and laws!

I've been earmarking pages, underlining verses or jotting notes on paper scraps or in books {depending on where I am when I'm reading} when I find little tidbits that make me scratch my head ~ or giggle ~ or ask deeper questions.  Here are a few from this week:

• I found it interesting that the two men who believed that Israel COULD take the promised land were Joshua {tribe of Ephraim} and Caleb {tribe of Judah}. Ephraim was the younger son of Joseph, but the one who received the blessing of the oldest son, and Judah is the line that the kings descended from.
• Never realized that the Israelites wanted to stone Joshua and Caleb ~ until the Lord appeared and set them all straight {Numbers 14: 10-12}
• The sheer volume of Israelites that left Egypt is just astounding. The count in Numbers of men 20 and older was over 600,000. Poor Moses! Can you imagine what moving a caravan of people that size would involve? Or setting up camp? How HUGE the camp would be?
• A verse in Deuteronomy {24:19} just stuck out to me also. The Israelites were told to leave the extra grain for foreigners, orphans, and widows and they would be blessed for it. Just thinking ahead to how this would involve Ruth and Naomi...and how they were a part in the line of Christ. 
• In some ways I feel sorry for Moses ~ just getting a glimpse of the promised land {Deuteronomy 32:38-52} and not being able to go into it. I'm thinking that after 40 plus years of leading around a large bunch of disobedient, grumbling Israelites it just sad. I know that it says he 'failed to demonstrate God's holiness'. Amazing that he was in constant direct communication with God and his hitting one lousy rock messed it all up.
• I had to giggle when I read Joshua 1:16-18 and the Israelites promised to obey Joshua...just as they had obeyed Moses. Poor Joshua. :)

Over the last two weeks I've had my eyes opened to a few things too. So often I am quick to mock the Israelites and how they always forget the amazing things that God had done in releasing them from Egypt. I wonder how they could doubt that God would continue to do amazing things for them, especially since He promised He would. How could they forget so quickly?

A friend of ours has been in the hospital these last two weeks and we've seen God do some amazing and {I think} miraculous things in his recovery process. Spending time with the family brought back memories of illnesses that our kids have been through and how God's hand has been on so many different aspects of our lives over the years ~ and I realized how far back in my mind/memory those instances seem, even though I don't want to forget them. But forgetting can be very easy to do.

If you are interested in learning more about the 90 Day Bible reading challenge, you can read more about it at Mom’s Toolbox. You can also download your own printable reading bookmark if you want to join along in the challenge ~ you can start at any time!