Day Eighty-Nine -- Days of Grace (1 of 2)

When we began this 90-day Bible Challenge, the schedule actually contained eighty-eight days of reading assignments with two "grace" days built in as a cushion.  While I was tempted at times during the past three months to use one of these grace days, I somehow managed to keep on going without missing a day's assignment.   Maybe I was afraid of falling behind (especially since I had made the commitment to write a post for this blog every day) or perhaps I was being competitive.  Either way, now that I'm finished I can spend my two days of grace reflecting a bit on this whole experience.

One of the things I have gained from the reading is a greater appreciation for the history of the Old Testament.  My past readings or studies of the different periods covered in the Hebrew scriptures were always accompanied by supplemental reading of theological commentaries or studies of worship and cultural norms.  In this 90-day challenge, however, I focused more on the how the events unfolded over time.  I listened more to the story itself and was not always trying to dig around behind the scenes.  As I kept the historical flow of the narrative more in mind the voices of the prophets were able to find their proper setting.  I could hear them speaking more clearly to their contemporaries, making the prophets more real and human in a way that allowed them to speak more authentically to me.  It was also spiritually enriching to see how the Law and Commandments were always of central importance even as the understanding of faithful living and worship moved beyond the ritual and more towards acts of justice and mercy.

That's enough for me to ponder today.  Tomorrow I'll see what I have to say with regards to the New Testament.