The New Testament is an important story for the Church. In it we find the gospel message, the good news of Jesus of Nazareth, the Christ. This book, or compilation of twenty-seven books, provides for us the story of the redemption of mankind prophesied in Genesis 3:15 and developed throughout the Old Testament. In the pages of the New Testament we find the story of God who condescended to become man - fully God yet fully man - to live the perfect life and die our agonizing death in order to reconcile us to himself. Then on the very first Easter, he was resurrected from the dead in demonstration that he is God and after forty days ascended to the Father where he now intercedes for those who are his. This story is told in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The remaining books of the New Testament provide the history of the growth of the early Church and provide doctrinal teaching (doctrine, by the way, means "teaching" or "instruction").
Yet without the background provided in the Old Testament, the significance of the New Testament can easily be lost. The Old Testament, while neither a history or science book describes the facts of creation and the fallen and depraved state of mankind. It makes no attempt to prove the existence of God, and in fact begins with the presumption of God (Genesis 1:1). The story moves quickly to the temptation and sin of the first man and woman and then to the redemptive history of mankind from that time until about 400 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. Throughout the pages of the Old Testament, we see the repeated failure of mankind to meet the holy standard of God right alongside God's attributes of holiness, justice, mercy, faithfulness and patience. The story is told in historical narrative, law, poetry and prophecy. If you have never read through the Old Testament, you will find it to be a fascinating account of the condition of the human race and the love God has for his creation. Yes, there are passages that make one wonder "Where is the love?" and others that seem to be tedious genealogical lists, but these are relatively short and scattered, so I encourage you to simply read the story. Once you have the sense of the whole of Scripture, it is much easier to explain the difficult passages
The "Sixty-Day Challenge, Old Testament Edition" is designed to continue the habit of daily Bible reading that was formed in the Forty-Day Challenge, New Testament Edition. It has been said that if you do something for 28 days in a row, it will become a habit. I'm hoping and praying that that has been the case for you. If you haven't completed the Forty-Day Challenge, I recommend it for starters. This page, the Sixty-Day Challenge is more difficult and will require about twice the commitment of the New Testament challenge. This page is designed to acquaint you with the Old Testament over a 60-day period in about one hour of reading each day. There are no requirements for deep study; no hard questions to answer; no deep theological puzzles to solve. Just read the Old Testament to start a habit and become acquainted with the various authors and their writings. We won't jump around and we won't try to keep all the writings of one author together.
By using this blog, it should all be very easy. Open your browser; connect to this site; and select the post for the current date. I'll provide a brief introduction to each day's reading and a hyperlink to the daily passage, but otherwise there will be no devotional content, no Q&A, no evaluation of the reading. My plan is to let the Scriptures speak for themselves. However, if you do have a question, I want to try to get you an answer. Respond to the daily reading in the comment section and I'll get you an answer as soon as possible and to the best of my ability. For now the sessions will be moderated, but this may change my as the program develops.
The daily link connects to the ESV Bible Online and will open the complete reading for the day. You may choose to read right there on-screen, print the daily content, listen online (there's a button on the page), or simply determine the reading and read from your own favorite version. If you want a different online version, go to BibleGateway.com and enter the version and passage in the appropriate locations and you're on your way.
The Apostle John pronounced a blessing on those who read and study the book of Revelation:
"Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near." (Revelation 1:3)
This blessing is available to all who read and study the Word of God and I'm sure that you will be blessed by taking up this challenge and completing the program.
