Most bible reading programs hit an uphill task when it come to the 27 chapters of Leviticus! The meticulous rituals, sacrifices and laws seem so archaic and out of context when compared with 21st century Christian living - why should we still labor through all 859 verses of Leviticus? I will offer three practical tips and three questions to consider. Three practical tips: Read Leviticus with an corresponding audio version in the background. It will help you pace through the nitty-gritty parts by having an external voice to accompany your reading of the text. Here is a popular bible app with accompanying audio - Click here for Android and click here for IOS. Choose a more "readable" Bible version - for example NLT (New Living Translation).  Watch the Bible Project videos that comes with Read Scripture bible reading program. I really enjoyed their overview of Leviticus as it gave me a panoramic perspective which heighten my sense of appreciation for the book. Three question...

After the songs of salvation in Exodus 15, comes a series of grumbling (at least six instances recorded in Exodus and Numbers) from the sons of Israel. I have often wondered - how does the heart move from gratefulness to grumbling so rapidly? (it was only three days after the parting of the Red Sea before the first grumbling was recorded). Also, isn't it normal for one to voice their desire for food and water, especially when traveling through the wilderness? Isn't it unrealistic to expect people to keep quiet when they are hungry and thirsty?  David prayed in Psalms 26 - "I have trusted in the LORD without wavering. Examine me, O Lord, and try me; test my mind and my heart ." Could it be that the grumblings of the stomach are signs of a deeper, inner discontent of the spirit that God is aiming at? Recall God's deliberation with Cain back in Gen 4:6 - "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted ...

  As the narrative of Genesis ends on a glorious providential note with the salvation of Jacob's family from severe famine, it does appear to be the right place for a " and they live happily ever after " ending.  Through Joseph's leadership in Egypt, it appears that this could be the land where milk is flowing and honey abounds. Yes, there was multiplication but it took on various forms. The multiplication of fruitfulness  - "the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them." (Exod 1:7). The multiplication of hard labor - "so they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor" (Exod 1:11). The multiplication of persecution - "every son who is born you are to cast into the Nile" (Exod 1:22). The land that provided salvation from famine is now turning out to be the land of affliction - fulfilling the prophecy given to Abraham in Ge...

For this coming week, the  READ SCRIPTURE   mobile app will take us through Genesis 25-45 and Psalms 8-14. If you missed a few chapters from last week's reading - don't worry about it - just start afresh again this week. We are about progression , not perfection. The aim is to sense the move of the biblical narrative rather than an exegetical deep-dive. The focus is on momentum, rather than meticulous compliance. Remember to have a conversational attitude with God as you read through the pages of Scripture. A few things to note concerning the  READ SCRIPTURE   mobile app. In "settings", you can select your preferred reading style - "read at my own pace" or "read every day". Under the "your journey" section of the app, you can mark it as "read", "unread" or "up to this date as read". Choose your options as you see fit. There is no requirement for consecutive compliance. Do watch the video narratives as they gi...