I will start off today with apologizing for my rant that’s about to come…
Why I ask, why are things always being repeated? Seriously. As I read today I felt deja vu all over again because I had already covered most of it in other places.
I asked my husband this question before he left for work. I said, “Why is the same story being told over and over again?”
He replied with, “It’s not really a story. That’s what you’re not understanding. You’re trying to make it be something that it’s not. It’s [experiences] from different viewpoints.”
So that means what? It jumps around, all over the place, telling the same version of things from different people? Why not put them in order then?
Maybe I need to get a chronological Bible. Do those exist? Then I can read it with a timeline, which actually was suggested to me before I set out on this journey. Whoops. However, as I only have 500+ pages left to go, there’s no way I’d be able to start that process now. Next time around I will have to read in order with a “timeline” by dates/years/whatever.
So, if that is the case and it’s not necessarily a story, and I’m open to other explanations, that would explain why I am so frustrated all the time on this journey. There have been a few books that were easy to read and understand for me like Genesis, Ruth, Job, Proverbs, etc. and that’s probably because I felt they actually followed and told a story or had an easy to understand point.
Wouldn’t it be nice if there was a nice easy to follow, user-friendly version of the Bible that any beginner could pick up and get the main ideas of sections? With nice and easy summaries laid out in a format that was “fun.” Things would be listed or bulleted in a way that people, with brains that work like mine, could understand what the hell was going on.
Oh, and using language that would be easy to understand. Wouldn’t that be great! Having “a friend” put it in layman’s terms so it all actually made sense. If there were pictures thrown in there too to help explain things would be great.
It would explain all the questions a newbie would have right there as they’re reading. There would be room for notes, and little boxes of relevant information so you wouldn’t have to stop and Google, or research what was actually going on or what things meant.
Having a study Bible is helpful, if you can understand what that says. Some of the notes and explanations are not even that helpful because they still don’t make any sense to me!
Just give me the summary, key points, most important verses, what God says, and the big picture of the readings in a way I can understand please!
I don’t know how many times I’ve stopped and wondered if these places still exist today when it says, [It can still be seen today.] Which “today” is it referring to?
Also, if I really want to go down this rabbit hole of bitching, I can’t forget how depressing the Old Testament is. After proceeding with this journey I wish I had listened to others when they told me to read a section of the Old and a section of the New Testaments every day.
At this point in time I am building and growing my relationship with God and “technically” if we’re going by the Bible from beginning to end have not even “met” Jesus yet. Isn’t He the point of everything?
We have to spend a thousand pages understanding how terrible we are, before we can be saved? How do you grow your relationships if you’re not even meeting the guy yet?
That’s a whole other issue I’m dealing with at this point in time and would love insight on. I hardly understand (aside from what people have told me) that God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all one, but how do you get to that point of definite understanding. So far, I’m not learning that and it makes me sad. Maybe I’m missing something.
I feel like I’m running out of time to know Jesus. Actually I feel like we all are. How do you get to that point? How do you build that relationship when all you’ve been reading about is God? Please help me understand.
I’m over half way through this journey, which by the way I will not be making my year deadline as it is just three weeks away and I’m only on day 208; and do not feel that I’m making as much progress as I need. I’m not learning yet what is most important to me.
I feel overwhelmed and scared.
Maybe I just need to go back to the basics and pick up a Bible for children…
Anyway, rant over for now, let’s proceed with today’s reading.
Day 208, Isaiah 36-38
-Sennacherib invaded Judah
-Hezekiah sought Isaiah’s help
-Hezekiah prayed for deliverance
-Sennacherib fell
-Hezekiah got sick and recovered
Most of today’s reading can be found on Day 142, 2 Chronicles 31-33 and Day 122, 2 Kings 19-21.
Any input, advice, guidance, etc. would be greatly appreciated in the comments below.