Bible in 90 Days - Update

I'm on day 74. The last couple of days I have finished the Old Testement (yeah!) and I am now well into the Gospels. I've gotten through Matthew and Mark and I am about halfway through Luke. Getting through Matthew and Mark has been amazing! As I was reading through Mark, I still had much of Matthew in my head and it made Mark much clearer.

As I was reading through the Old Testement, I found a number of passages that I had not noticed before. I'll share them here. I found these passages to be of interest for a number of reasons. Some are encouraging, some are obsure, some are little know facts, etc etc. Let me know what you think!

1 Samuel 8:1-3
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

I knew that Eli's (the preist whom Samuel was under) sons were corrupt, but I never realized that Samuel's were also. Hard to think that such an amazing man of God could have sons there were corrupt.

2 Samuel 14:14
For we must needs die, and are as water split on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again; neither doth God take away life, but deviseth means, that he that is banished be not an outcast from him.

The second part of this verse caught my attention. I think its saying that devises ways for someone who is apart from Him to return back to Him. Amazing!

2 Kings 23:21
21 Then the king commanded all the people saying, " Celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God as it is written in this book of the covenant." 22 Surely such a Passover had not been celebrated from the days of the judges who judged Israel, nor in all the days of the kings of Israel and of the kings of Judah. 23 But in the eighteenth year of King Josiah, this Passover was observed to the LORD in Jerusalem.

This amazed me when I read this. There has be a LOT of history that has passed between the time of the Judges and Josiah. Think about it, that's lot of time to go without celebrating one of the most important celebations.

Pslam 84:5
Blessed are those whose strength is in you, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage.

I about fell over in my chair when I read this one. I wrote a poem on this blog that reads similar to this. The funny thing is, I wasn't thinking about this verse even in the slightest when I wrote the poem. See the blog entry, Poem (Psalm perhaps)

Isaiah 41:7
The craftsman encourages the goldsmith, and he who smooths with the hammer spurs on him who strikes the anvil. He says of the welding, "It is good." He nails down the idol so it will not topple.

I just thought this was a really cool verse. Not sure what's really being said here though.

Jerimiah 23:29
"Is not my word like fire," declares the Lord, "and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?

I always like to take notice of verses that talk about what God says about His word. Theological arguments aside, whatever God says about his Word, I take that to mean the entire Bible.

Daniel 4:34-37
34 At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. 35 All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" 36 At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. 37 Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble.

In my very simplistic mentality, I tend to view Nebuchadnezzar as the bad guy. It warms my heart to see God treating him like this. Yes, its rather severe punishment, but there is a happing ending for good 'ol Nebby. Just tells me that God's grace can even restore those people like Nebuchadnezzar.