Learning from the Word

This week's lesson we talked about discipleship in the Word (the Bible) and how we learn about God through our favorite verses.

Katlyn led the lesson and shared with us her favorite verse. This version is from The Message, a variation of the Bible (like NIV, or King James, etc).

Watch what God does, then you do it, like children who learn proper behavior from their parents. Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that. Ephesians 5:1-2

Then we asked ourselves 3 questions about this passage.

1. Why do I like this passage? What’s the most important part?
2. What does this passage say about God?
3. What does it say about how we should live?

While discussing these questions, we discovered that God loves us so much that He gave us everything of Himself. We are to love the way God loves us, giving everything of ourselves.

From there we split up into small groups and talked about our favorite verses, then asked ourselves the same 3 questions about our favorites.

In my group, we talked about John 10:11 and Isaiah 40:26. What are some of your favorite verses? How would you answer the 3 questions about those verses?

Day 44: Ecclesiastes 1 & 3

Ecclesiastes 1

Meaningless! This Teacher that wrote this passage talks about how everything is meaningless. It all just goes round and round and round. The wind blows in circles, the water flows, but never fills the sea, people are forgotten after they're gone... There just seems to be no meaning in any of it!

Ecclesiastes 3

This chapter puts at least a little bit of a positive spin on all of the meaninglessness. While everything is just looping and circling, we can know that God has created all of these things. Nothing can be added or removed without God doing it – He does this so that people will know how awesome and powerful He is.

And yet, the Teacher that wrote this passage still says everything is meaningless. So we are to live a good life and enjoy the work we have in front of us.

What do you think it means that everything is meaningless?

What do you think it means that God is eternal and that we can't comprehend it?

Why do you think the people who organized this reading schedule chose these 2 chapters?

Tomorrow's Reading: Isaiah 6 & 9

Day 29: 2 Samuel 2 & 6

2 Samuel 2

At this point Saul has died and David has become king over Judah, one of the tribes of Israel.

Joab helps lead David's men and Abner helps lead the men of the new king of Israel. There is a fight and David's men beat the others.

Only a handful of David's men died, but they killed over 300 of Abner's!

2 Samuel 6

By this point David has become king over all of Israel. He is moving the Ark of God to the City of David and dances with all his might. He is actually considered a fool by some because of the way he dances.

His defense? David says this:

It was before the Lord, who chose me rather than your father or anyone from his house when he appointed me ruler over the Lord’s people Israel—I will celebrate before the Lord. I will become even more undignified than this, and I will be humiliated in my own eyes.

Have you ever been willing to humiliate yourself for the Lord?

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Kings 3 & 6

Day 28: 1 Samuel 20 & 24

1 Samuel 20

God plans to remove Saul from being king (remember how he was impatient and did a sacrifice rather than waiting for Samuel?). Samuel anointed David to be the next king.

Saul realizes that David is rising up and the people love him. Saul is jealous and doesn't want to stop being king, so he intends to kill David. Jonathan (Saul's son) can't believe this! He loves David and doesn't realize that his father has plans to kill David.

David and Jonathan are best friends. Jonathan stands to inherit the kingdom after Saul (he is the prince, after all). Do you think it was difficult for Jonathan to value David over the kingdom that he was supposed to inherit? Jonathan could have told Saul where David was, but instead he warns David so he can leave and hide. Would you do the same thing?

1 Samuel 24

David is now on the run. He's in hiding. And he's managed to build up a very loyal army.

David and his men are hiding in a cave. And wouldn't you know it, Saul enters that same cave to take a quick bathroom break...

David could easily kill Saul. But he doesn't. He still loves and respects Saul as the king. You can tell because David refers to him as "anointed" and "father".

When Saul realizes that David could have killed him, he weeps. He finally understands that God is going to give the kingdom of Israel over to David. So he begs that David doesn't wipe out his family.

So David makes an oath with Saul not to harm his descendants. Saul went home to his kingdom, while David and his men hung behind. David wasn't ready to take over the kingdom quite yet.

Do you think you'd be able to be righteous like David in that type of situation?

Tomorrow's Reading: 2 Samuel 2 & 6

Day 27: 1 Samuel 17

1 Samuel 17

Goliath was about 9 feet and 9 inches tall. To give you an idea of what that looks like, here's a link to a silent video of a man from the early 1900's that was just a few inches shorter than Goliath:



Add to that, Goliath's armor weighed about 125 pounds. And the tip of his spear was 15 pounds! We get it. This guy is big and really strong!

Saul's entire army is terrified of Goliath.

Then David comes along. David, who is not a soldier. David, who has not trained with weapons. David, who does not even wear armor! He comes with no fear, trusting God to defeat the man who insults Him.

Would you be able to have the same courage David had?

Not only did David have to stand up against Goliath, but he also had to stand up against the doubts of the entire army on his own side!

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Samuel 20 & 24

Day 26: 1 Samuel 13 & 16

1 Samuel 13

Here we see Saul get impatient. Saul is off with his army and is waiting for Samuel to show up at their camp to offer sacrifices to God. But Saul's soldiers get restless and start to scatter, so he decides to offer the sacrifices himself.

Saul had good intentions, but didn't follow what God had told him (through Samuel) exactly.

Have you ever grown restless and just gotten something done with good intentions, even though you were supposed to wait? What happened?

1 Samuel 16

Here God sends Samuel to see Jesse. Remember Ruth? She is Jesse's grandmother.

God sends Samuel to Jesse in order to anoint the next king. Because of what Saul did in the last chapter we read (1 Samuel 13), Saul's reign wasn't going to last forever. God was going to raise up David as the new king.

Meanwhile, Saul is being tormented by evil spirits because God is no longer protecting him. Saul wants someone to play music for him to calm him down. Who do you think ended up playing music for Saul? David!

Isn't it interesting to see God's promises begin to be fulfilled?

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Samuel 17

Discipleship

Today was our first RIOT meeting of the 2013-2014 school year!

Our theme this year will focus on DISCIPLESHIP.

There are three aspects of discipleship that we hope to touch on this year.

1. Discipleship in the Word
2. Discipleship in Prayer
3. Discipleship in Community

We'll start out this fall focusing on Discipleship in the Word. One of our goals is to read our Bibles more frequently and to bring our Bibles to RIOT and church every time we attend.

Each RIOT meeting, we'll start out the lesson holding our Bibles up in the air and shouting,

This is my Bible.
It is the Word of God.
It is my Sword and Shield.
I have what it says I have. I am what it says I am.
Devil! I am armed! And you should consider me DANGEROUS!

We will always have Bibles on hand in case a student forgets, but please let us know if you don't have a Bible of your own! We'd be happy to give you a Bible to keep.

Day 25: 1 Samuel 1 & 3

1 Samuel 1

What Hannah does is so interesting - and so difficult!

She is unable to have children (a very common thing in the readings so far!) and prays to God, asking for a child. She promises God that if she is able to have a child, she will dedicate him to the Lord and he will serve God.

Guess what? Hannah finally had a baby.

The amazing part? She actually followed through on her promise! Once Samuel, her son, was old enough to not need her, she brought him to the priest Eli to be trained up as a servant of the Lord.

As a mom, I don't know if I'd be able to do that! Then throw in the fact that Hannah had been wanting children for so long... then she finally has a baby and has to give him up! Granted, she still does get to see him sometimes, but it would still be so difficult.

1 Samuel 3

Eli is basically Samuel's mentor. And Samuel helps take care of Eli, since Eli is going blind.

One night, Samuel keeps hearing someone calling him, thinking it's Eli. Finally the two of them figure out that it's God speaking to Samuel for the first time.

How old do you think Samuel was when he first heard God speak to him?

How do you think you'd respond if you heard God's voice?

Have you ever heard God speak before? What was it like?

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Samuel 13 & 16

Day 24: Ruth 1 & 4

Ruth 1

When a woman becomes a widow, she comes to rely entirely on the kindness of others. Back in this time, I don't think women could really do much to earn money for food or shelter. This is why Naomi was so sad and bitter: she had nothing left and her actual survival depended on whether she could get food and shelter from others.

This is why Naomi tried to send her daughter-in-laws back to their own families. Naomi had absolutely nothing, and the path she would follow might not end well.

But Ruth insists on going back to Naomi's country with her. She will follow Naomi's God and will take whatever comes their way.

Ruth 4

Boaz marries Ruth and so guarantees that he will be taking care of both Ruth and Naomi. Boaz and Ruth then have a son, Obed.

One of the neatest things here is in the family tree.

Ruth, who was an outsider, will be a relative of Jesus! She is the mother of Obed, she is the grandmother of Jesse, and she is the great-grandmother of David, who will become king. And Jesus is a descendent of David. How neat is that?!

Tomorrow's Reading: 1 Samuel 1 & 3

Day 23: Judges 16

Judges 16

I do not understand Samson in this chapter.

He falls in love with Delilah. 3 times Delilah asks how to make him weak. 3 times he lies to her and she tests him and proves that he lied.

Did he never suspect that she meant to sell his secret and harm him?

Eventually Delilah is so persistent that he gives in and tells her the truth. Shave Samson's head and he's just a normal guy.

For 20 years Samson led Israel. Once he became a prisoner (they shaved his head and were able to capture him), they blinded him and made him entertain them. However, he prayed to God and was able to collapse an entire building with his bare hands, killing more people as he died than he had when he had lived.

If God gave you super strength for as long as you didn't cut your hair, what would you do with that strength? Would you help lead God's people like Samson did?

Tomorrow's Reading: Ruth 1 & 4

Day 22: Judges 13

Judges 13

AGAIN the Israelites did evil. So God allowed them to be oppressed yet again.

Are you seeing a pattern here?

This time God is going to deliver His people through a child born to a woman who could not have children without a miracle.

These people really trust God in His promise and even ask that He show them how to properly raise the baby.

God tells them that the baby is to be a Nazirite.

From Wikipedia, we find that a Nazirite must follow these rules:

1. Don't drink any alcohol (not even while in the womb! Samson's mom cannot drink alcohol)
2. Don't cut the hair on your head
3. Don't become impure by touching any dead bodies (even a family member that may have passed away)

Normally a Nazirite chooses to become a Nazirite, but here, God has set Samson aside before he has even been born.

What do you think life would have been like for you if you had to follow these rules from the day you were born?

Tomorrow's Reading: Judges 16

Day 21: Judges 4 & 6

Judges 4

It looks like some time has passed now and the Israelites have begun to forget all that God has done for them. At the very beginning of the chapter it says that the Israelites were again doing evil in the eyes of the Lord.

But eventually the Israelites were oppressed and they cried out to God. There was another battle and God made it so that they would be able to defeat their enemies.

Even though the Israelites kept making mistakes, God let them keep coming back and He kept giving them victories.

Do you think God will still bless you with victory over evil, even if you make mistakes? Will He keep taking you back, just like He did with the Israelites?

Judges 6

AGAIN the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and again He allowed them to be oppressed.

The Lord came to Gideon. He would use Gideon to save the Israelites. But Gideon had many, many doubts. Yet God patiently answered all of his requests for proof that God would do what He said.

When Moses shared his doubts, God wasn't as patient. Why do you think He's allowing Gideon to make so many requests? Do you think it's because he's surrounded by people who are worshipping other gods and have forgotten of the power of God? Or do you have other ideas?

Tomorrow's Reading: Judges 13

Day 20: Joshua 6 & 10

Joshua 6

How strange it must have looked to have the Israelites marching around Jericho every day for a week!

The people of Jericho had reason to fear - if no one could get in or out, they would eventually run out of food. But do you think they expected the walls to collapse the way they did on the 7th day?

God handed the city over to the Israelites. Even though His instructions seemed strange (kind of like when Noah had to build the ark on dry land), His people followed through and He blessed them for it.

What do you think God might be asking you to do? How might He bless you if you trust Him?

Joshua 10

Wow. Joshua and the Israelites defeated everyone that they came up against.

And can you believe that the sun stood still for an extra day so that they could defeat their enemies?

Can you imagine what that might have been like?

If I were an enemy of the Israelites, I would be terrified. God is on their side and He will not let them be defeated!

Tomorrow's Reading: Judges 4 & 6

Day 19: Joshua 2 & 3

Joshua 2

Rahab was not an Israelite. She didn't follow God. Yet she believed the stories she heard about the Israelites and she feared God and protected His people.

If you didn't know God, do you think you'd be able to do what Rahab did?

Joshua 3

The Israelites need to cross the Jordan River. And it's flooded.

I went to the Jordan River once. It's not a small stream.

I would be TERRIFIED to step into a rushing river with a huge, heavy ark on my shoulders. But the priests did it! And God stopped the waters so that they could cross.

The Israelites had to trust God in many tangible ways. Sometimes the necessity for us to trust God isn't so tangible. It's not like we have a real, rushing river to cross. But maybe we have other obstacles in our way.

What can you trust God with today?

Tomorrow's Reading: Joshua 6 & 10

Day 18: Deuteronomy 8

Deuteronomy 8

In this chapter, Moses reminds the Israelites what God has done for them, what God is doing for them, and what they need to do to continue to be on God's "good list."

God's already done so many miraculous things for the Israelites. But so easily they forget! Moses wants them to remember that God is going to bless them with land that provides a lot of food and wealth, but they need to remember that it comes from GOD and not themselves. Otherwise, if they forget to praise God for the things He's done, they'll end up just like all of the other people that God has defeated in order to bless the Israelites.

Are there things in your life that you take the credit for that really God has provided?

Remember verse 10 and verse 18 as you think about things God has blessed you with:

When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you.

But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. 

Tomorrow's Reading: Joshua 2 & 3

Day 17: Numbers 13 & 20

Numbers 13

God tells Moses to send some scouts out to the land of Canaan to explore and learn what the land like.  Moses sends a dozen men out to check out this area for 40 days.  Their task was pretty simple, go ahead, scope out the scene in Canaan, bring back some souvenirs.

When the men return, they bring back goodies in the form of fruit.  They even bring back a branch of the first grape harvest.  However, with such goodness in the land, the people that lived in the cities there were well fortified.

Have you ever worked on a group project with a handfull of others?  At the end of the project, did you have to give a report on how the project went?  These dozen scouts were basically on a similar group project together.

When they finally returned to report back what they learned, did you think it sounded like good news or not?

Think back to your group project.  While it's important that you work on achieving the tasks set before you, usually the main point of the project is how you end up working with others.  This is ultimately reflected when you report back at the end of the project.

After Caleb made his declaration that they could take out the Canaanites (v. 30), his other scouting buddies were pretty quick to say how it couldn't be done.  Never mind that they not to terribly long ago escaped from Egypt, Pharaoh, and his army...

No one likes a nay-sayer in the group.  Caleb was surrounded by 11 of them.  When you are in a group project, even if the task is really hard, be open to ideas and know that God will always be with you.

Numbers 20

Everyone has their limits.  Did you ever know someone that always seemed patient and never really lost their cool?  Were you around them when they finally did lose it?

The Israelites are at the Desert of Zin.  This should set the scene well enough.  It's hot outside and everyone has been traveling for a really long time.  It's pretty dry too, being a desert and all.  Everyone is really, really, really thirsty.

Now Moses and Aaron have been listening to all the issues of the Israelites since they left Egypt.  All the bickering, whining about this and that has probably been less than fun to deal with since day one of their journey.

This is where Moses and Aaron cracked.  Their patience finally wore thin.  Unfortunately, even though it's pretty understandable, it still happened to bring some judgement from God upon them.

Here's the interesting part:  God wasn't mad that Moses and Aaron were frustrated with the Israelites.  When the people came to Moses and Aaron, Moses and Aaron went to God for help, God gave orders to Moses and he then went out to carry the orders out.  So far everything is going fine, just like many other times before.  But, when Moses strikes the rock in front of all the people of Israel, he says, "Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?"  This is where Moses made his misstep before God.

When I read this passage, I hear lots of sarcasm dripping from Moses' words.  He's pretty fed up with all of the crap he's been getting from the the Israelites.  Don't forget, he's been in the desert like everyone else, and is probably just as tired, hungry and thirsty.

Moses said, "...must we bring you water...?" He didn't say, "...must God bring you water...?"  Therefore, because Moses did not honor God with the act of bringing the water from the rock, God punishes Moses by telling him that he (and Aaron) will not live to see their people enter the promised land.  Ouch.  Moses was completely justified in being frustrated, however, he grew complacent and didn't give God the honor and glory for bringing water from a stone.

Have you ever gotten in trouble when you were trying to set something right but did something bad in the process?

Tomorrow's Reading: Deuteronomy 8

Day 16: Exodus 16 & 20

Exodus 16

Now begins a lot of walking around in the desert. Lots. Of. Walking.  The Israelites have no home and will be travelling for many years to come.  This part of Exodus seems to really have a lot to do with obedience to God.  This is important, because to make it to the end of their journey, they really need to trust God to get them through.

God gives simple instructions to the people, and they seem to have difficulty following it.  An example would be when God says to eat all the bread (manna) and not keep any of it overnight.  Of course, there were some who didn't and tried to save the leftovers.  Unfortunately for them, it became nasty with maggots and spoiled the next day.  Fortunately, however, there was more manna in the morning to collect anyway.

Random Bible factoid:  An omer refers to a measured amount.  The US dry measure equivalent is about a half gallon.

God knows what they needed then just has he knows what we need now.  "Give us this day our daily bread..." sound familiar?

What do you really need?  Have you ever had moments where you are so worried that God might not come through that the anxiety ends up spoiling the rest of your day just like the Israelite's leftover manna?

Exodus 20

The Big Ten

This moment in the Bible probably rivals (at least in frequency of reading) the story of creation or the Gospel of Jesus, and resides right here as God unveils the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel.  God gives a tangible foundation by which his people are to live.

You and I might think, "Sweet!  God is talking to the people!  How cool is that?"  Actually, according to v. 18, they (the Israelites) were completely freaked out by the rumbling of thunder and smoke across the mountain.   I wonder if this is a part of the Bible where the term "fear of God" includes both a heaping dose of reverence as well as a healthy portion of terror.  I'm pretty sure if I were standing there near that mountain on the same day, I would be pretty terrified too.   God could've just left it like that and let the people tremble with fear.  However, Moses says in v. 20, "...Do not be afraid.  God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning."  Once again, God has a plan and is laying out another piece of the foundation (probably a cornerstone) in this passage.

You may not realize it, but God is laying a foundation for you, personally.  This is happening right now.  One day you might look back and be able to see God's "cornerstones" that he's engineered specifically for you.

Tomorrow's Reading: Numbers 13 & 20

Day 15: Exodus 13 & 14

Exodus 13

Ever wonder how to apply real life Christianity to Old Testament stories?

This chapter has significant relevance to our own walk with the Lord in the present day.

When the Israelites are leaving Egypt, they are basically like someone in modern times believing in God for the first time.  They are vulnerable and it's the beginning of a long journey that definitely has pitfalls and perils along the way.  Thankfully, God know's the path way better than us.  Similar to the Israelites, He'll have us go the long way around because He knows we'll be better off for it in the long run.  Think back, have you ever come out of a long drawn out journey in life realizing that you could have taken some short cuts, but by following God, you were stronger afterward?  Was it worth it?

Exodus 14

God has a plan.  Make no mistake, He's a planner.  He has more details figured out than we can even imagine.  In our passage, this ends up being a huge win for the Israelites and a massive fail for the Egyptians.

While this should be comforting.  I have trouble with this.  That's because I'm a planner too.  I like to know the details.  I want to be informed of what is coming and how to react when it arrives.

In our passage, Moses gave instructions to the Israelites from God, who pretty much told them the plan for how they would get out of Egypt and escape Pharaoh and his approaching army.  Also, the Israelites had a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, guiding their way.

Despite all this, the Israelites still whined to Moses about not wanting to die in the desert!  In v. 15 God even calls them on it by wondering why they are "crying"?  He then basically says to get up and go.

Back to my trouble...  Sometimes I catch myself whining about things that really God has complete control over (and I have little to none).  I sometimes stress out about how I'll fit all my "important" tasks in the day, or how to resolve a conflict.  These stressors can really bog me down, not allowing me to move forward in the plan that God has laid out for me.  In these moments, I'm more concerned about me.  This is where God says to stop "whining" and get going.  When I finally move on, I realize that becomes a much better place than stuck in a rut worrying and complaining about what I can't control.  

Are you worrying about something that is beyond your control?  Maybe it's time to stop whining, give it to God and get moving.

Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 16 & 20

Day 14: Exodus 11 & 12

Exodus 11

While we often remember the story of what would be known as Passover, what is interesting to me is the moments just before the event takes place.  Moses (and Aaron) have been doing everything God has commanded to get Pharaoh to let the Israelites go free.  This is where the gloves come off.  God is about to really make a statement here.  This becomes evident when in verse 6 God says, "There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt - worse than there has ever been or ever will be again."

There are a handful of words and phrases in the Bible that are seldom used and/or repeated.  Usually this is because it is really important (less is more, right?) and God wants to drive a point home.  Verse 6 is, I think, one of those rare places.  If God says something will be worse that there ever was and ever will be, then one should take note and pay really good attention.

Of course, Pharaoh doesn't do this.  After all, why heed any of God's warning?  It's just more crazy talk from his Jewish workforce, right?

Moses was good friends with Pharaoh once.  He was friends with others in the Egyptian court before joining the Israelites.   Do you think Moses was ever conflicted about following God's will, even if it means he knows what will happen to someone who was his friend?  Have you ever felt that way?  Has God asked you to do something or go somewhere and you weren't sure if you would enjoy it?

Exodus 12

There is a lot happening in this chapter.  Rather than regurgitate what happened, here's one random part of the passage that really struck me while reading:

I have a little trouble grasping part of God's instructions or eating the Passover meal in v. 11: "This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover."  While I understand the symbolism behind the instructions meaning to "be ready".  Because the Lord was specific here, I'm sure that many (all) the Israelites made sure they followed God's instructions to the letter.  However, this makes me wonder this:  How do you eat a whole roast lamb with only one hand, quickly?  Food for thought. :)


Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 13 & 14

Day 13: Exodus 3 & 4

Exodus 3

This chapter is pretty interesting. We've got Moses, who was raised by Pharaoh's daughter, killed an Egyptian, and then had to flee Egypt for fear of his life.

Then God appears to Moses and tells him that Moses will lead God's people out of Egypt.

Moses is a little apprehensive, to say the least! He's worried that the Israelites won't listen to him.

God says not to worry. They'll listen to Moses. But Pharaoh won't. Pharaoh will listen to God.

Not only that, but God says that by the time He convinces Pharaoh to let His people go, Pharaoh and his people will even send them with silver, gold and clothing, plundering the Egyptians!

God's laid out a lot of promises so far in everything we've read. Have you been noticing that as much as me? There are so many promises, and then we get see all of those promises play out!

Exodus 4

In this chapter we see more and more how insecure Moses is in this role God has put him in.

He stutters. He doesn't speak well at all. He doesn't have any confidence. He doesn't want to do it!

God becomes very angry with Moses but agrees to let Moses' brother Aaron do most of the talking.

Along the way, the Lord actually comes to kill Moses. I don't remember reading that before! Moses' wife Zipporah thinks fast and is able to convince God not to kill him.

Sounds like Moses is going to have a hard time with this mission and he hasn't even started it yet!

Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 11 & 12

Day 12: Exodus 1 & 2

Exodus 1

Yesterday we mentioned Genesis 15. Here's more of that promise from God:

"Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions."

Just like God said, the Israelites (descendants of Jacob, also called Israel) were becoming very, very numerous. So much so that Pharaoh told the Israelite midwives to kill any baby boys to try and slow down the population.

God helped the midwives to be brave and they didn't do what Pharaoh asked. How would things have been different if the midwives had killed the baby boys? Do you think God could still overcome Pharaoh's attempts and stopping the Israelites from multiplying?

Unfortunately, we will get to find out how God overcomes. Pharaoh orders his people to throw all baby boys in the river to drown them. Can you imagine if all of the churches in Holland and Zeeland only had little girls and no little boys? What would that be like?

Exodus 2

Moses is born!

Even though Pharaoh has ordered that all of the Israelite boys must be killed, Pharaoh's own daughter rescues Moses.

Isn't it interesting how God uses people that seem the opposite of who should be doing something? The daughter of the person ordering all boys be killed is the very person saving one of the boys!

God works through people in interesting ways. He doesn't seem to expect the perfect person to fulfill His will. In fact, it often seems that God chooses the people with obvious flaws to do His will!

Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 3 & 4

Day 11: Genesis 45 & 50

Genesis 45

Joseph has now been lord over Egypt for awhile. They have already gone through the 7 years of plenty and are now 2 years into the 7 years of famine.

Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to try to buy food for their families. Eventually Joseph can't contain himself any longer and reveals himself to them.

The most amazing thing? Joseph isn't angry with his brothers! He has every reason to be. They beat him and sold him into slavery all those years ago.

Instead of being angry, Joseph recognized how God used that situation and used it to put Joseph in charge of Egypt and to allow his family to be provided for during the famine.

What do you think about that?

Genesis 50

While in Egypt during the years of plenty, Jacob (Joseph's father) passed away.

Once Jacob was gone, Joseph's brothers began to worry that Joseph actually was still mad at them for selling him into slavery.

Again, Joseph assures them that even though they intended evil by selling him, he recognized the good that God planned. Joseph accepted it as God's will and had truly forgiven his brothers.

Also, we notice that the descendants of Jacob were becoming very numerous.

It reminds me of what God said back in Genesis 15:

“Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own ...”

Are there any other things that were mentioned earlier that you're starting to see play out?

Tomorrow's Reading: Exodus 1 & 2

Day 10: Genesis 37 & 41

Genesis 37

So Jacob, the brother of Esau, had many sons. Joseph was one of those sons. He was one of the youngest and he was spoiled because of it. He was a little bit of a tattle tale when his brothers didn't do everything the way they were supposed to.

Do any of you have younger siblings that sound kind of like Joseph?

Joseph also had a dream that he would rule over his family, that they would all bow down to him. For his brothers, that was the last straw! They sold him into slavery and told Jacob that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.

Remember Joseph's dream about his family bowing down to him later. We'll have to see how God fulfills that promise that he shared with Joseph through a vision.

Also, did you notice that God isn't talking directly to Joseph the way he did to Abraham? Instead, Joseph is getting messages from God through visions.

I wonder why God changed the way He's speaking His message...

Genesis 41

When Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, he ended up in Egypt and eventually wound up in prison. But God was with him the entire time and Joseph ended up doing well in everything that he did.

God helped Joseph to interpret visions, much like the dream he had when he was younger. Joseph then had to interpret dreams for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. God was with Joseph and gave him wisdom when he explained the dreams to Pharaoh. Joseph ended up being put in charge of ALL OF EGYPT!

Keep in mind, when all of this happened, Joseph was only 30 years old. To give you some perspective, that's about the age of your RIOT leaders.

He wasn't an old, wise man who had a lot of life experience and just knew about this stuff.

Joseph just knew how to listen to God and obey what He told him through visions.

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 45 & 50

Day 9: Genesis 27 & 32

Genesis 27

In this chapter Esau is swindled. Again.

Jacob already took Esau's birthright (the promise that he would be first in line to receive his father's blessing) in an earlier chapter.  Later when Isaac was nearing death, he wanted to pass on his blessing to Esau.

However Jacob disguises himself to be his brother (while Esau is out hunting) and receives the blessing instead of Esau.  Remember, a blessing like this (in this time period) meant money, power, and to much degree, destiny.  Have you ever been tempted to lie or cheat to get something you really wanted?

When Esau realizes he's been duped, he, the supposedly older and more wiser and worthy of the two brothers, begins to whine and cry about not receiving Isaac's blessing.  Yes, in verse 38, Esau was pretty beside himself and whined, "Do you have only one blessing, my father? Bless me too, my father!" Then Esau wept aloud.

Sometimes life isn't fair.  Sometimes we have to accept it and move on.  How would you react if you were in Esau's shoes?

Genesis 32

Fast forward a few years, and now Jacob is heading back to his country after running away from his brother Esau.  Have you ever been in that awkward moment, when you reconnect with a person you've  had a big fight with?  You might be wondering what they might be thinking, especially if you did them wrong.  Are they still mad?  Maybe you should try being extra nice just in case...

Jacob is in the same boat.  He knows that Esau was really mad at him (in fact, he was going to kill Jacob!) and wasn't quite sure what his brother would do when he returned.

Jacob vs. God

I must admit, this would have been pretty cool to see in real life.  Seriously, how often in the Bible does God come down to earth and duke it out with a human?!  Answer: not very often.

This is a humbling moment in the story of Jacob.  Up until now, he's had it all.  Women, money, servants, and more are at his fingertips.  He totally duped his older brother out of birthright and blessing.  He was unbeatable.  Yet, at the same time, he struggled.  It wasn't all easy to get there, either.  

The mysterious man wrestling Jacob was really God.  This story teaches us about how God wrestles with the people of Israel throughout time similar to how he was fighting in person with Jacob.

Jacob was so determined to get his way and win, God had to employ a super power and "touched" the socket of Jacob's hip.  Jacob eventually succumbed to this and agreed to quit.  Jacob survived the fight, but carried the injury afterward.

Sometimes in our own life, we try to force our own will against God.  God loves us, but that doesn't mean that our wrong choices do not carry consequences...

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 37 & 41

Day 8: Genesis 24 & 25

Genesis 24

This chapter is about finding Isaac a wife.

Abraham's wife, Sarah, had just died. He had mourned his wife and was probably knowing that he would die of old age soon too. Do you think that's what prompted him to find a wife for Isaac?

Nowadays, if your parents picked out your husband or your wife, you would probably be very upset! But in some cultures that is still normal to have your spouse chosen for you by your family.

In Abraham and Isaac's time, it was not uncommon to have a spouse chosen for you. That's why Abraham sent out his servant to go find a wife for Isaac. Also, Abraham trusted God to show the servant which woman would be the perfect wife for Isaac.

How would you feel about having a spouse picked out for you? Would you trust God to pick out a spouse for you, without you getting to meet him or her first?

Genesis 25

Two things jump out right away in this chapter for me.

First, Abraham died at a good, old age, just like God had said in Genesis 15. Another promise fulfilled!

Second, I noticed that Isaac and Ishmael buried Abraham. Even though Sarah had sent Ishmael away, Isaac must have stayed in contact with him!

Later on in the chapter, we learn about Isaac's family tree. It turns out that Rebekah (Isaac's wife) also could not have children until God blessed her, just like Sarah!

Rebekah became pregnant with twins. God told her this:

Two nations are in your womb, 

and two peoples from within you will be separated;

one people will be stronger than the other,

and the older will serve the younger.

Remember this! It will be important when we read tomorrow's chapters.

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 27 & 32

Day 7: Genesis 21 & 22

Genesis 21

Abraham (he used to be named Abram) had a son from Sarah (who was Sarai) and named him Isaac. This is where God's nation would descend from.

God also had another son, Ishmael, that God would make into a great nation.

How do you think Abraham felt, knowing that two great nations would come from his sons?

Genesis 22

In this chapter, God gives Abraham a very hard test that many people really, really don't like.

God told Abraham to kill his son, Isaac. Abraham had already sent his son Ishmael away. Isaac was the only son Abraham had left!

Why would God ask Abraham to do such a terrible thing?

But remember, back in chapter 21 when God said this:

...because it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned...

Abraham must have believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead. He knew that God intended to make a nation from Isaac.

When we look at this chapter, we usually talk about what Abraham must have been feeling. But what about Isaac?

What do you think Isaac felt or thought when he realized his dad, who loved him very much, intended to sacrifice him?

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 24 & 25

Day 6: Genesis 18 & 19

Genesis 18

I think what stands out to me the most in this chapter is the the Lord God is walking around as a person.

I think it would be amazing and terrifying to see God in person.

God is present everyday in our lives. How different would it be if we acted as if He were a person walking with us everywhere we went?

Would you be able to drop everything to serve Him if He came visiting, like Abraham did when the three visitors came by his tent?

Genesis 19

Lot took strangers into his home and protected them, and that ended up saving him and his family.

The culture back in Bible times really emphasized hospitality a lot.

Where do you think hospitality falls in today's modern American culture? Is it important? Is it not something we really do anymore?

How do you see hospitality with the people at North Holland Reformed Church? How do you see hospitality with other people - Christians or non-Christians?

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 21 & 22

Day 5: Genesis 12 & 15

Genesis 12

Abram and Sarai trusted God and got up and left their home to travel wherever God sent them. God promised to turn them into a great nation. WOW. What would you think if someone told you a great nation would descend from you?

When they got to Egypt, Abram knew that the Egyptians would want to take Sarai, because she was so beautiful. Instead of trusting God to keep them safe, Abram told Sarai to lie about who she was. This caused Pharaoh and his household to have to deal with a lot of disease, because they didn't know that Sarai was Abram's wife!

What do you think would have happened differently if Abram had trusted God and not hidden the fact that Sarai was his wife?

Do you think that Abram still would have received all the sheep, cattle, servants, and more if he had been truthful about Sarai? Do you think God would have found a different way to make Abram very rich? 

Genesis 15

In this chapter, God makes His promise to Abram. He promises that Abram will have children and this great nation will come from Abram's own family. He also promises the land to Abram, but says that Abram's descendants will become slaves and won't inherit this land for 400 years.

What heavy, sad news for Abram, to hear that his descendants will be slaves and will be without a place to call home!

But, God reassures him that the land will eventually be theirs, and that Abram will die in peace and a good old age.

Remember this chapter later. God has told Abram what the future will hold - we'll have to keep our eyes peeled for later in the Bible to see if it happens how God said it would happen!

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 18 & 19

Day 4: Genesis 9 & 10

Genesis 9

In this chapter, God makes a promise to Noah and all living things that He'll never use a flood to destroy all life again.

There's some really neat stuff when you start thinking about rainbows.

Really, it's a bow.

As in, a bow and arrow.

Imagine God's wrath, His war against humans, is symbolized by this rainbow. God's bow.

As a part of His covenant, God is "hanging up" His bow in the clouds. He's saying, "I'm not going to use this against you again."

Another way to look at the bow is that it's no longer pointing down at us. God's not going to kill humans this way again as a result of our sin. It's now pointing UP. When our sin becomes too much, God will kill Himself, in the person of Jesus.

It's another chapter pointing towards the rescuer that God will be sending us later in the Bible!

Genesis 10

This chapter goes through a list of descendants from Noah. Let's face it, it's not an exciting chapter.

So what kinds of important information can we glean from it?

When there's a long list of names, one thing I'll look for is if one or two people have more written about them other than just who they descend from.

In this chapter, that person is Nimrod:

Cush was the father of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in Shinar. From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, Calah and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.

I couldn't really figure much out from this on my own. Other than Nimrod is a warrior and was the founder or ruler of a lot of cities.

So I looked him up on Google.

It turns out this is just an introduction to Nimrod. He comes up again in 1 Chronicles 1:10 and again in Micah 5:6. According to history noted in Wikipedia, it looks like Nimrod was likely the person that lead the building of the Tower of Babel. Also noted in Wikipedia, Josephus also wrote that Nimrod led people to turn away from God and made them rely on himself as king.

If you're reading the entire Bible, keep your eyes peeled for Nimrod in the future!

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 12 & 15

Day 3: Genesis 6 & 7

Genesis 6

I am so glad for Noah.

This chapter talks about how God actually regretted making humans. They had become so evil and corrupt that God was upset that He had made them in the first place!

Have you ever made something that you put a lot of time and effort into, that you were so proud of? I think that's a little bit of how God felt when He created humans. Until it all went wrong.

But there was Noah. And Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

I wonder how Noah had the strength to remain righteous and to walk faithfully with God. With everyone around him behaving completely differently from him, he probably didn't have many friends, he probably didn't have a social life. People probably thought he was a little crazy since he was so different. And that's before he even started building the ark!

I wonder if, since people already thought Noah was a little crazy, if that made it a little easier to follow God's instructions to build a giant boat. It had to take so much faith for Noah to trust God and do everything that he said!

Genesis 7

It rained for 40 days. And then the earth was still flooded for 150 days. That's half of the year! I can't imagine being on a boat, not seeing land, for that long.

What do you think went through Noah's mind as he sat on that boat? He and his family were the only humans left. The animals on the boat were the only animals left. Everything in the future would descend from those on that ark.

Also, Noah was over 600 years old. He had a lot of life experience. I bet he had a lot of time to contemplate how things were before the flood and how they might be after the flood.

Do you think Noah would be happy about how you represent humans now? Do we strive to be righteous and faithful the way he was?

What does it mean to be righteous and faithful?

Tomorrow's Reading: Genesis 9 & 10

Day 2: Genesis 3 & 4

Genesis 3

This is only the 3rd chapter in the entire Bible, and it's the spot where everything changes. Without what happens in this chapter, we wouldn't have needed the rest of the Bible!

This is where Satan convinces Eve to eat fruit from the tree that will give her knowledge of good and evil. Adam eats the fruit too.

If Adam and Eve had not eaten the fruit, they would still be in the garden. Which means that all of their descendants would be in the garden. That means that we wouldn't be in a sinful, broken world.

As humans, we broke God's world. We messed it up, we tainted it. Adam and Eve were supposed to be able to stay in God's garden and just be in His presence. But we've been banished and can't reconcile that.

BUT God had a plan. He would send us a rescuer! We'll learn more about the rescuer later on in the Bible. It's a really awesome plan. I hope you'll enjoy seeing it unfold!

Genesis 4

This chapter is the story of some of the first two brothers in the world: Cain and Abel. Cain is jealous of Abel and kills him. Then God asks Cain where Abel is, and the truth comes out that Abel is dead.

Do you notice in the conversation between Cain and God, that God is talking to Cain like another person? It's neat how God has what feels like an in-person relationship with Cain. It's like he's a friend that Cain knows, and they can walk around and talk to each other.

Do you ever feel like you have that kind of relationship with God? That you can just talk with him like a friend?

Tomorrow's reading: 6 & 7

Day 1: Genesis 1 & 2

Genesis 1

The very first chapter of the Bible is all about creation. God made everything. There was nothing before God. And everything He created was good. Except humans. Humans were very good. Isn't that neat? Right from the beginning God is extra excited for humans!

Genesis 2

As I was reading this chapter, one verse really stuck out to me this time:

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Did you catch it?

Adam wasn't put there to sit around and enjoy everything. Don't get me wrong, Adam did get to do that. But there are two responsibilities there.

1. WORK the garden
2. TAKE CARE of the garden 

God didn't put us here only to enjoy life or only to worship him. Those are really important things. But we can't forget that we're also here to work.

Did you get through today's reading? What stood out to you?

Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 3 & 4

The Bible in 90 Days

Today our church (North Holland Reformed Church) launched into a challenge to read the entire Bible, cover-to-cover, over the next 90 days.

There is a LOT of reading over the next 90 days, and we know that you've just started school and have plenty of homework. So we're doing a modified reading plan, if you'd like to participate.

There are handouts available at church (or you may have gotten one in your church mailbox), or you can find the document here.

The reading schedule comes from The Bible in 90 Days website, at biblein90days.org.