Two discussion posts of learning that stood out to me:

(Chapter 7&8): God made a covenant with the people that gave them a guideline of how he expected them to live. In order to protect them, He set up rules to live by. This covenant is different from other covenants we've discussed in class about Abraham or Moses because this covenant given on Mount Sinai was directed to an entire group/region of people, not just an individual person/family. The law states the importance of purity and that is God protecting people from clean and unclean. Not only in knowledge, but in action. God is watching out for His people. The people's promise to follow proclaims their desire to be Godly and strive to be more like Christ to reap the blessings that follow.

This discussion post stood out to me because I learned that the covenant was God s guideline of how He expected people to live. It taught me that God is just watching out for His people and it is worth the blessings that follow.

(Chapter 15): Solomon was a great king because of his wisdom and the temple that was built under his reign. However, when I continued reading of his character it seems as if he has a lack of wisdom. He desired wealth and lust, which were his weaknesses. He chased after riches and women. This was his downfall. I do not think it eliminates him from being considered a great king. He still loved his country and its people and did all he could for it. He was wise in this area. He just was not wise when it came to desire, sin, and self-control. However, just because of his natural, human flaws, it does not mean he was a bad king. 15

This discussion post stood out to me because it taught me that God still loves and uses people that make mistakes regularly. It showed me that even people from the Bible are human and make mistakes too. This is important to learn in life.

Two discussion posts that I enjoyed writing:

(Chapter 11&12): My favorite hero story is the one of Rahab. In Joshua chapter 2, it says she was a prostitute and she lived up to all the expectations that were offered for her trade. She heard of God (Yahweh) and wanted to get out of her current situation. Her belief in God is a model of how anyone that says they believe in God should act. She shows that no matter what is going on in someone's life or what their past or present may be, inviting Jesus into your life can change the future and the path she was on. She went from being a prostitute to being an ancestor of Jesus Christ, as Matthew 1 tells us. This makes her a hero as she was not afraid to change the path she was on and believe in God. She is a model to all that change can happen no matter how far from God and deep in sin a person may be.

I enjoyed writing this because it was something personal and I could understand Rahab. I thought it was amazing that there was a story like this in the Bible and its just a reminder that whatever the situation is, a person can ALWAYS change the path they are on no matter how far they may be down it.

(Chapter 14): After reading chapter 14, I would say that David is a man after God's own heart. Despite his failures and sins, he always chose to repent and make an effort to follow God the best he could. God said that David would do anything for Him, and he did. This shows that David desired to be like the Lord, his heart like His, even if he failed to do so at times.

I enjoyed writing this discussion because it just shows that David, a great leader who desired to be like God persevered even when he failed him so many times. I liked writing it because its motivational and shows that no matter what we can keep trying to honor God, that is the purpose.