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T
Chronicles 1 and 2 have some great moments but there are so many, many, many genealogies. Ugh. I struggled. Ezra included much of the same (lots of difficult names) but thankfully is a much quicker read. Nehemiah seems to be a combination of really interesting narrative and a dull census of who built what and who was present. Thank goodness I'm up to Esther! Then onto Romans.
K
Numbers. Excruciating. I kept reading a name and then going "Abu Abu bo dabu, banana nana do babu, fe fi fo fafu, Abu.
Here's another problem I had. And I hate to admit this, but.. ..... I had a bit of a problem with Jacob - from Genesis. I mean, he was a total sneak. First he cheats his blind dad into blessing him over his brother and then kind of mooches all the goats and horses out of his father in law - well, you know the stories.
But it's ok!!! (I'm holding my hand up here) It's ok.
It kind of reminds me of something that happened a couple of years ago. My dad had a tractor with a small back hoe and this man at work was building a pond in his back yard - one of these koi ponds - real small with lots of water plants and all. He was a partner at one of the main buildings that the company I worked for was contracting. He asks me how much I'd charge him to dig it out for him. He'd stake it out and I just needed to bring the tractor out to his house and dig. We agreed on a fee and I went out and dug it up. Took about 3 hours plus the load travel. So then he asks if I can hand dig these ledges and install the rubber pan or whatever, plus place the rocks and so forth and I told him I didn't want to get involved but this woman who was a gardener at the building he worked might be interested. She was and she went out and worked 3 days after work. Probably about 8 or 10 hours total.
This man was one of the executives at the company with a lot of clout, and so he tells the woman gardener that he appreciated the work but felt that she should just add her hours worked to her regular pay. When she asked her boss he told her she couldn't charge hours for private work. This went back and forth a few times but the bottom line was that the woman got stiffed for her hours worked. The guy paid me though.
Well, the man's last name was Levi. Right or wrong, I just have this... thing ... for names of the 12 tribes. Matter of fact, he and I were talking once and he REMINDED me that his name of was of the tribes of Israel. He said it as (and this may have been my imagination) but he said it almost like a warning. That being said, I held my tongue. I didn't way a word about the woman. I ended up giving her $80 because I got her into the whole thing. She was very grateful. I paid my dad for the tractor and trailer use and I ended up making zip.
But that's ok!!! (I'm holding up my hand here). It's ok!! Because I don't have a problem with whatever a tribe of Israel does. They have their own answering to do, but this is just...... whatever... for me. Let's call it my little glitch. I'm not going to mess with that. I hope Mr. Levi is sitting by his little pond chucking fish food and loving it. Conscience free.
And so it was in that vein that I am OK with Jacob. I just didn't like the story all that much. But it's ok. I'm holding up my hand here.
Here's another problem I had. And I hate to admit this, but.. ..... I had a bit of a problem with Jacob - from Genesis. I mean, he was a total sneak. First he cheats his blind dad into blessing him over his brother and then kind of mooches all the goats and horses out of his father in law - well, you know the stories.
But it's ok!!! (I'm holding my hand up here) It's ok.
It kind of reminds me of something that happened a couple of years ago. My dad had a tractor with a small back hoe and this man at work was building a pond in his back yard - one of these koi ponds - real small with lots of water plants and all. He was a partner at one of the main buildings that the company I worked for was contracting. He asks me how much I'd charge him to dig it out for him. He'd stake it out and I just needed to bring the tractor out to his house and dig. We agreed on a fee and I went out and dug it up. Took about 3 hours plus the load travel. So then he asks if I can hand dig these ledges and install the rubber pan or whatever, plus place the rocks and so forth and I told him I didn't want to get involved but this woman who was a gardener at the building he worked might be interested. She was and she went out and worked 3 days after work. Probably about 8 or 10 hours total.
This man was one of the executives at the company with a lot of clout, and so he tells the woman gardener that he appreciated the work but felt that she should just add her hours worked to her regular pay. When she asked her boss he told her she couldn't charge hours for private work. This went back and forth a few times but the bottom line was that the woman got stiffed for her hours worked. The guy paid me though.
Well, the man's last name was Levi. Right or wrong, I just have this... thing ... for names of the 12 tribes. Matter of fact, he and I were talking once and he REMINDED me that his name of was of the tribes of Israel. He said it as (and this may have been my imagination) but he said it almost like a warning. That being said, I held my tongue. I didn't way a word about the woman. I ended up giving her $80 because I got her into the whole thing. She was very grateful. I paid my dad for the tractor and trailer use and I ended up making zip.
But that's ok!!! (I'm holding up my hand here). It's ok!! Because I don't have a problem with whatever a tribe of Israel does. They have their own answering to do, but this is just...... whatever... for me. Let's call it my little glitch. I'm not going to mess with that. I hope Mr. Levi is sitting by his little pond chucking fish food and loving it. Conscience free.
And so it was in that vein that I am OK with Jacob. I just didn't like the story all that much. But it's ok. I'm holding up my hand here.
T
I'm not going to say Jacob was sinless, but the Hebrew Bible does call him 'perfect' and there are few godly people called that in the Bible, so clearly he was favoured by God. I totally see the manner in which Rachel and Jacob tricked Isaac as wrong, but God was going to bless him in great ways. He and his mum just didn't trust God enough. As for Laban and the livestock, I think Jacob's father-in-law had it coming. The livestock were payment for the years Jacob had worked (sort of like the Egyptians giving the Israelites all of their valuables in payment at the exodus from Egypt). I'm not saying Jacob was in the right, but I think translators often like to lay the blame of trickster on him all to readily. That Laban though, what a horrible man! Haha. I can see why you'd have a disliking for Jacob's story though, even if it's an important story. Sorry you had to go through that, bro.
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I've been reading aloud to myself (faith comes by hearing, and all that!). I use the NASB '95, which is a bit 'wooden' at the best of times, but I went through Leviticus recently... BRUTAL! Usually have no trouble reading aloud, but the phraseology in the NASB makes some passages so convoluted that I had to read the sentence through silently and then read it aloud. They make sense, but aren't put together in the way any native speaker of English would write them.
Mostly I find the OT quite readable, even in the NASB. I think I'll stick to NIV or KJV when I get back around to Leviticus.
Mostly I find the OT quite readable, even in the NASB. I think I'll stick to NIV or KJV when I get back around to Leviticus.
F
I agree with those books you've mentioned. Also gave me some pain reading. Those are pretty tough to read. Though, I think I should do some research for support definition of those scriptures to better understand them. Before when I was reading it, I was always reading it quickly without understanding them so I could go on with other books, and I thought it was wrong.
What I do now before I start reading the Bible, I pray. Pray for guidance, wisdom and understanding to help me with reading.
Right now i'm focusing on the New Testament. Then hopefully after I finished, I will go back again to reading Old Testament.
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Brother, I don't remember there being a book of Hezekiah. Or are you referring to his chronicle in books like Kings and Chronicles? Thanks.
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=...h-316/&usg=AFQjCNEPsATyeUYpe6p8HyDHhL1XKN6uow