Category: Through the Bible in a year.

January 12, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 12: John 11, Genesis 24, Genesis 25 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

John 11 starts out with Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (on the fourth day no less). Then comes Caiaphas’ inadvertent prophecy “You know nothing at all!  You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

Genesis 24 tells the beautiful story of Isaac and Rebekah.

After Sarah’s death, In Genesis 25 Abraham marries his concubine Ketorah, who has already borne him six children. Before his death he sends them all away and gives everything to Isaac. Isaac and Ishmael buries Abraham, and then is Ihmael’s genealogy written down. Finally is the story of Jacob and Esau, and how Esau sold his birthright for a bowl of lentil stew and some bread.

 

January 11, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 11: John 10, Genesis 22, Genesis 23 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In John 10 Jesus is the good shepherd and claims to be one with his Father, for which blasphemy (unless it is true) the Jews want to stone him.

In Genesis 22 Abraham offers up his son Isaac to be sacrificed on Mount Moriah, the same mountain that Jesus was crucified on, but at the last moment God provides a substitute sacrifice in the form of a ram.

In Genesis 23 Abraham’s wife Sarah dies and Abraham purchases a grave in Mamre, where Abraham, Isaac and Ishmael buried her.

 

 

January 10, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 10: John 9, Genesis 20, Genesis 21, (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In John 9 Jesus opens the eyes of a man blind from birth, on a Sabbath, so trouble arises from the Pharisees.

In Genesis 20 Abraham claims Sarah is his sister. Why? Sarah was his half-sister, so Abraham stretched the truth. The chapter shows God’s protection.

In Genesis 21 Isaac is born and Hagar and Ismael are sent away for good. It also features the treaty between Abraham and Abimelech at Beersheba.

 

January 9, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 9: John 8, Genesis 18, Genesis 19, (click on the chapter to begin reading)

John 8 begins with the sinful woman about to be stoned. Jesus last words to her is “Go and sin no more”. Jesus does not condemn for the past but looks to the future. The he gets into an argument with the religious powers to be about his and their ancestry. They claimed to be descendants of Abraham, and they questioned the legitimacy of Jesus. Jesus answered “Before Abraham, I am”. This was blasphemy, unless it is true.

Which brings us to Genesis 18 with Abraham still waiting for his offspring. He is visited by three angels that promise him he will have a son within a year. God confirms this promise, but is also proclaiming the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. Abraham tries to bargain with God, at no avail.

So in Genesis 19 Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed. There is ample evidence this is a historical true event, so the Bible is verified true even here. God provides for Lot, his wife and two daughters to escape.They do, but Lot’s wife looks back towards the city and is no more. Then comes a story about Lot and his two daughters, and all I can say about that is that it is not good to take matters in our own hand rather than listen to God and let Him guide.

 

January 8, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters. Jesus points out that according to Jewish law, circumcision is more important than keeping Sabbath, so, if the eighth day is on a Sabbath, it must be performed, but healing on a Sabbath is out. Jesus then promises “Streams of living water”.

January 8: John 7, Genesis 15, Genesis 16, Genesis 17, (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In Genesis 15 God promises Abram a son, and Abram believes God and it is counted to him as righteousness.

But in Genesis 16 Abraham badly wants an heir, so Sarai, being too old, gives her handmaiden Hagar to be mother of Abram’s son, Ismael. Sarai regrets what she has done, and Hagar is sent away with Ishmael into the wilderness.

Thirteen years later, in Genesis 17, Ishmael is back with Abram,  God  promises Abraham his seed of promise, changes Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name becomes Sarah, and establishes it with an eternal covenant, the covenant of Circumcision, and it was performed on Abraham, Ishmael and all Abraham’s servants.  A year later Sarah gives birth to Isaac, at the age of 90, (with God, nothing is impossible).

Circumcision is very important for Jews and Muslims (Sons of Ishmael). As for me, I am thankful for the streams of living water.

 

January 7, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters, and they are significant.

January 7: John 6, Genesis 12, Genesis 13, Genesis 14, (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In John 6, Jesus performs two miracles, feeding 5000, and walking on water. In spite of this people demand a sign. Jesus is the bread of life.

Then in the Old Testament Abram is called to leave his home in Ur. He goes to a land he does not know, promised by God, and he obeys. Read it and marvel at Melchizedek, to which Abram gives tithe after God gave him success in battle.

Question: Who was Melchizedek, and why is that important?

January 6, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are only 3 chapters, but they are significant.

January 6: John 5, Genesis 11, Psalm 2 (click on the chapter to begin reading).

John 5 describes how Jesus healed a man at the pool of Bethesda on a Sabbath, which offended the Jews. In addition Jesus claimed to be equal with the Father, for which the Jews sought to kill him, but Jesus defended His testimony.

Genesis 11 tells about the Tower of Babel, and how different languages arose, all by being disobedient to God.

Psalm 2 is then what happens when “the heathen rage” and this psalm ties together trends of today. The Tower of Babel is like today where the global internet, supposed to bring us together, divide us more and more into camps, where the same words mean different things, dependent on the audience. Jesus is controversial, his claims are being rejected by people thinking they understand biology and morals better than God.  And hate is increasing, yet there are people that believe in the universal good of mankind, if they only could get rid of the concept of God.

Ponder this.

January 5, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are only 3 chapters, but they are significant.

January 5: John 4, Genesis 9, Genesis 10, (click on the chapter to begin reading).

John 4 speaks about the first real evangelist, the woman at the well, scorn and rejected by her many husbands, yet used by God to tell the good news.

Genesis 9 speaks about Noah’s sin and “the curse of ham” in reality the curse of Canaan, ponder that!

Genesis 10 tells how the earth was repopulated.

January 4, read through the Bible in a year.

Today we come to the new birth chapter; you must be born from above, telling of the new birth necessary to enter into the Kingdom of God; and the new beginning signified by Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives, eight in all.

January 4: John 3, Genesis 6, Genesis 7, Genesis 8, (click on the chapter to begin reading).

Ponder the new beginning in the New Testament, leading to eternal life; and the new beginning in the Old Testament, restoring life on earth.

January 3, read through the Bible in a year.

After 2 days with Creation and the fall. we now see what happened after the fall.

January 3: John 2, Genesis 4, Genesis 5, Psalm 1.  (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In John 2 Jesus turns water into wine, cleanses the Temple, and gives the Jews just one sign. Genesis 4 shows the results of original sin with the story of Cain and Abel, Genesis 5 shows the Genealogy from Adam to Noah, and Psalm 1 is a beautiful poem about righteous living.

The take home for today is the first of Jesus’ miracles, the first murder, the first man (Enoch) to be carried directly to God rather than die first, and Jesus giving the sign of Jonah about his (and our) resurrection. Psalm 1 extols righteous living according to the Old Testament and the law, with the New Testament counterpoint as given by the Apostle Paul.