Old Testament 150 Reading Challenge week 2

Old Testament 150 Reading Challenge 5 May 2014 to 28th November 2014 Week 02: Bible Reading Plan and Discussion Starters

Welcome to The Salvation Army's Challenge to read
150 popular chapters from the Old Testament within 7 months,

reading just 5 chapters per week.

 Monday, May 12, 2014 --- Genesis 06 – Humankind’s wickedness, God’s Judgements, and Noah’s Ark!

 

-       This is a very familiar story. As you read through it carefully, is there anything which you had either forgotten or not noticed before?

-       V9, ‘Noah walked with God’. Is this an accurate description of your life and character?

-       By modern measurements the Ark would have been at least 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high, with 3 decks. Can you imagine the talk/ridicule/opposition Noah would have faced when constructing it?...Could you have done it under these conditions?

-       V20, did Noah have to go and collect 2 of every animal, or did they come to him?

 Tuesday, May 13, 2014 --- Genesis 07 – The Great Flood begins

-       The familiar story continues. As you read through it carefully, is there anything which you had either forgotten or not noticed before?

-       V10, do you think Noah’s contemporaries started to believe his message and started praying to God for mercy once the floods began?

-       Can you imagine how Noah and his family felt as the waters rose? Safety, sadness, joy, trust?

-       Using the genealogy of chapter 5, it is estimated that the flood occurred around 1656 years after the creation of Adam. We may feel that this is a very long time, but it was only 2 lifetimes, and of course from God’s eternal perspective it was no time at all!...How long do we feel it has been since Jesus rose from the grave and promised to come again, to take us to be with Him? (John 14:1-3)

-       How can Noah’s warning, God’s Judgment, and the provision of an Ark be compared to the mission of the Church today?

  

Wednesday, May 14, 2014 --- Genesis 08 – The rain stops, the flood recedes and the earth dries.

-       The familiar story continues. As you read through it carefully, is there anything which you had either forgotten or not noticed before?

-       Compare Ch7:11 with Ch8:14…how many days were Noah and his family aboard the Ark?

 Thursday, May 15, 2014 --- Genesis 09 – Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth

-       V3, is this the first mention of eating meat?

-       V13, if this was the origin of the rainbow, is it fair to assume that before the Great Flood it never rained? (See also Genesis 2:5)

-       If so, does this add to the amazement of what Noah had been predicting and preparing for?

-       V20-27, It seems Noah was angry with Ham, but why?

-       V28, After the flood, the lifespan of people reduced dramatically to the levels that we commonly experience today. Is this because the water canopy above the sky provided protection from direct sunlight prior to the Great Flood? Was this simply God’s will? Or was it God’s will being accomplished through natural means?

 Friday, May 16, 2014 --- Genesis 10 – The sons and descendants of Shem, Ham, and Japheth

-       What do you think is the importance and relevance of including this genealogy of the sons of Noah?