Read Through the Bible in a Year!

February 2001 E-Bulletin / Newsletter

Welcome to the second month of reading through the Bible in a Year. Our team is now up to over 40 people spanning three continents!

IN THIS ISSUE

- Highlights From This Month's Reading
- Falling Behind?

HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS MONTH'S READING

This month, Start to Finish readers will read the books of Leviticus, Numbers, and will begin Deuteronomy. Chronological readers will finish up Exodus, read through Leviticus and Numbers, and will (depending on the plan used) finish the month with the first three chapters of Deuteronomy. Old & New Testament readers will be reading in Exodus, Leviticus and Numbers in the OT; Matthew and Mark in the NT.

Leviticus. This book of the Bible is often thought by many to consist only of boring rules and regulations. However, Leviticus contains some rich passages that can easily be overlooked. Think of Leviticus as a stream from which you are panning for gold. If you pay attention and carefully sift through the passages, you will find some great nuggets of wisdom for life. For example, in chapter 19 we see God's command to show respect for the elderly and His admonishment to not cheat. In chapter 23, God instructs those harvesting not to cut grain at the edges of their fields so as to provide for the poor. Another interesting note--have you ever heard the word "scapegoat" before? Do you know from where the word originates? You'll find the answer in Leviticus 16:20-28.

Numbers. As the name implies, this book of the Bible contains many numbers. But carefully strewn within this book are some very dramatic moments in the life of Moses and the Israelites. As the leader of the Israelites, Moses finds himself in the ultimate high-pressure job. Imagine leading a group of over 600,000 people who are constantly complaining and in danger of being obliterated by God. So difficult is this task that in this book you will find a frustrated Moses asking God to kill him! Nevertheless, throughout the book of Numbers we see God constantly providing for both Moses and the Israelites, despite their unfaithfulness.

One of the most powerful and moving images of the Bible is found in Numbers Chapter 21, where Moses is instructed by God to place a snake made of bronze on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten by a poisonous snake (21:6) would be healed by simply looking at the bronze snake hanging on the pole. Jesus would later refer to this very passage of scripture in predicting His own death on the cross. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15, NIV).

FALLING BEHIND?

If you happen to be falling a bit behind in your reading, take heart. You can still catch up! If you've fallen behind by a few chapters, consider setting aside some extra time this week to get caught up. If this seems too overwhelming, just start reading one extra chapter each day. No matter how far behind you are, you can catch up with the team in less than three months just by reading one extra chapter per day, beginning now.

KEEP IN TOUCH!

As the year progresses, you can keep up with the team by visiting our web page. If you have questions, concerns, prayer requests, or anything you'd like to share with the team, please send an e-mail to the address below.

LAST MONTH'S QUESTION

Last month, we asked about what plan or strategy many of you were using to keep up with your daily Bible reading. The answers were wide and varied. Some prefer to read just prior to going to bed at night. Others (the early risers among us), prefer to read first thing in the morning. Whether you have a set time each day to read or not, the important thing is to ensure that you do read at some time each day. If you begin to skip days now and then, it becomes progressively more difficult to keep up. When you read each day, however, reading through the Bible in a year is easy!

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