1.

I learned that there are many different interpretations of the Old Testament and different things can be taken away from each version. I also realized that my original thoughts about the purpose of the Old Testament aren't necessarily true. I used to think that these scriptures were only applicable to people of the Jewish faith but I have been in the process of coming to terms with the fact that many of these scriptures are applicable today. Something that surprised me is the fact that some scholars believe the books of Ruth, Ester, and Daniel are works of historical fiction. I have a hard time agreeing with that claim especially since in the book of Ruth, it mentions David being her great grandson putting her in the lineage of Jesus. It does interest me that you have to have a knowledge of the historical background of the Old Testament books to have a better understanding of it. I am looking forward to that portion of this class. I don't have any questions at this point, but if I come up with any I will be sure to ask! This was my first entry in the Discussion Journal section of the class. The whole first week of class, I was overwhelmed with the amount of information that was being poured over me through this class. I learned so much and was forced to step back and reevaluate my entire thinking of the Old Testament. Realizing that so many of my preconceived notions were misguided was the first major step I had to take in my learning process throughout this class. 2. The main difference from the reading that stuck out to me was the extremely differing accounts of creation found in Genesis. Both accounts have been accepted as cannon, yet have such a different basis to them. This discovery makes me question a lot of what I have been taught about the creation story and I want to do some further reading in other books as well as my Bible to better form m own opinion. I liked the breakdown of the

authors of the Pentateuch because it gives more clarity to why there are contrasting stories in these books. This entry stood out to me as a moment of learning from the earlier parts of this class. I came to realize the difference between our Western mindset of the scriptures and the more Eastern idea of the scriptures. In Western countries, such as America, we have become obsessed with making things fit and work together sometimes taking extremes to do so. In more Eastern civilizations, they dont care so much that different accounts of the scriptures match up, but that they can take something away from both versions. This is such an interesting concept to me and I have been trying to apply it to more aspects of my life. This entry also shows my learning in that I was able to recognize that I am not always correct in my scripture interpretations. I have come to learn that to truly get a comprehensive knowledge of a passage of scripture, I must read over it multiple times as well as take a look at the views of others who have looked at that passage more in depth. 3. The covenant God made with His people on the mountain was giving them the Ten Commandments. This covenant is different from others because with Abraham and Noah, God promised blessings on them and their descendants whereas His covenant with Moses entailed giving His people laws to abide by. Purity is so important in regards to God's covenants because the phrase "cleanliness is next to holiness" applies here in a spiritual sense. The sincerity and quality that is given towards the covenants is what pleases God most. This discussion post exemplifies one point where I was able to take my knowledge from earlier in the class and apply it to the chapter we were currently studying. I did not realize until then that some of the things we had been learning could be applied at later times. This was a kind of wake-

up call to me to take the class more seriously because it was likely that I could apply my learnings later on in the class, or even out of the class (such as with my youth group back home). I am glad that I came to that realization because it caused me to get a lot more out of this class as a whole. 4. To me, the most interesting part was reading about all of the similarities between Elijah's life and Moses'. Both of these men parted water, built Yahweh an altar, were instructed to appoint their successors, and died east of the Jordan River. They also both spent forty days and nights in the same location. Through his life dedicated to God, Elijah became a major role model to people of the Jewish faith. This post is another example of where I was able to step back and compare the chapter we were currently studying to another we had already finished with. It amazed me that there could be so many similarities between two different Old Testament characters. Comparing Elijah and Moses also caused me to realize just how influential Moses life was to the Jewish faith. I had always known that the Jews recognized Moses as the founder of their religion, but I did not realize how much of an impact he had within it. Echoes of Moses life can be seen through the Jewish faith from Old Testament times even to Jesus life and the events surrounding Him. 5. The book of Ruth shows that women in ancient Hebrew society had little individuality. When Ruth's husband died, she was expected to return to her father's household to live as a widow until she married again. By choosing to remain with Naomi, Ruth defied society's standard rule of how she was expected to continue with her life. The story of Ruth has always been one of my favorites in the Scriptures and I was very excited to get a chance to look deeper into her story. Ruth has always been a role model to me for her

willingness to lay down her future ambitions to follow her mother-in-law, a true act of love. I am amazed at how Ruth was able to defy what society told her to do in her circumstance and followed her heart to care for someone she truly loved. This story is a true testament to the fact that God will reward you for caring for and loving His children. 6. Amos and Hosea were different from other prophets we have discussed because of where their foundations lie. They were not brought up in a school of prophets or anything like that, they were anointed by God as normal people who were set out to do His work. I believe that we should incorporate this concept more in our Churches today because you do not have to have a Divinity degree to spread the word of the Lord. This has become many peoples' mindset recently. I really liked my post to this discussion because I brought up a point that I feel passionately about. This idea is that it is not necessary to have a degree in order to lead a group of believers. The whole concept of discipleship is that one person teaches others what he has been taught himself. With this model of thinking, todays Churches could be revolutionized by people who are truly passionate about teaching the Gospel but are unable to get the expected schooling to do so. 7. The women in the narratives are all independent and have direct dealings with God. They are important characters in their narratives and all have some sort of trouble conceiving. All of these women are inspiring for their courage in stepping out from the binds of tradition and becoming role models for future generations. This post brought up a point that I am also extremely passionate about which is womens position in the modern day Church. Being extremely involve in the Womens Missionary Union

on a state and national level, I have gotten the opportunity to see some truly inspirational women leaders in the Christian faith. These women have shaped me equally as much as the strong women who are featured in the Old Testament. They were able to set aside the gender expectations placed on them and lead others to finding themselves closer to God.