Tag: Christianity

January 24, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters.

January 24: Psalm 5, Psalm 6, Genesis 49, Genesis 50 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

Psalm 5 is a prayer extolling the joy of praising God and praying towards Jerusalem, but is also an urgent prayer to do away with and destroy all wickedness and wicked people.

Psalm 6 is likewise a prayer, this time of a humble David asking for mercy, but also to destroy David’s enemies.

In Genesis 49 Jacob blesses all his sons with a very different blessing for each of them

And finally in Genesis 50 Jacob is buried back in Canaan near Mamre where Sarah also was buried. Joseph forgave his brothers; “Ye thought evil against me, but God meant it unto good”. Finally even Joseph dies, and he wills that his bones will be carried out when they depart  and enter into the promised land.

 

January 23, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are five chapters.

January 23: Psalm 3, Psalm 4, Genesis 47, Genesis 48, Proverbs 1 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

Since there are less than 365 chapters in the New Testament, there will be filling in days with Psalms and Proverbs.

Psalm 3 is a Psalm of David from when he fled from his son Absalom.

Psalm 4 is David’s appeal to righteousness, and the blessings that follow.

Genesis 47 tells of how Jacob and his descendants settled in Goshen, about the continuing famine, and how Joseph, controlling the food supply enslaved the people. All power corrupt,…

Genesis 48 tells of how Jacob blessed Ephraim and Manasseh. He blessed Ephraim ahead of Manasseh, even though Manasseh was the older of Joseph’s sons.

Finally there is Proverbs 1. It extols the virtue of wisdom. Read it and apply it.

 

 

January 22, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters.

January 22: John 21, Genesis 44, Genesis 45, Genesis 46 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

John 1 tells of the eighth miracle of Jesus. This miracle of a great catch of fish happened after Jesus resurrection and was a sign of new beginnings. Jesus reinstates Peter and tells him to feed his sheep.

Genesis 44 tells how Joseph tested his brothers by having Joseph’s own silver cup placed in Benjamin’s sack as the brothers returned back to Canaan. They all passed the test and returned to Joseph to await his judgment.

In Genesis 45 Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, and all rejoice. It contains the phrase “But God” and shows clearly that God was in control all the time.

In genesis 46 Jacob joins his brothers in going to resettle in Egypt, and is a retelling of the names of all that went

January 21, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 21: John 20, Genesis 42, Genesis 43 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

John 20 deals with the resurrection, and Jesus is not there, only his grave clothes. It is now first day of the week and Jesus shows himself for most of the disciples, but not Thomas. He doubted their testimony, and it is from this we have the expression “Doubting Thomas.” Later, when even he saw Jesus, he bowed down and worshiped him saying “Mu Lord, and my God”. Jesus also gives the promise of the Holy Spirit.

In Genesis 42 there is famine in Canaan, as seems to happen quite regularly, so Joseph’s brothers go down to Egypt to buy food. They meet Joseph, now governor of Egypt, and he demands to see Benjamin, who was left behind with Jacob. They agree to do so and leave one of the brothers behind as collateral. Joseph was very distraught at the proposition, since Joseph and Benjamin were his favorite children.

But in Genesis 43 the famine continued, so they had to go back to Egypt for more. This time they had to bring Benjamin with them to keep their promise to Joseph. Joseph gives them all food from his table, and he gives a five times larger portion to Benjamin. So ends that chapter.

January 18, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters.

January 18: John 17, Genesis 37, Genesis 38, Genesis 39 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

John 18 is commonly called Jesus’ high priestly prayer. In some conservative circles it is also called “The Lord’s prayer.” In it Jesus prays for himself, then he prays for his disciples, and then he prays for all future believers. In the end of the chapter he prays that the believers will see his glory, the glory God gave him before the creation of the world.

Genesis 37 tells of Joseph’s dreams, outrageous as they were they made his brothers jealous, so they sold him into slavery to Potiphar in Egypt.

Genesis 38 tells  the story of Judah and Tamar. one of the rules of the Old Testament is that if a man dies without producing an heir, it was the duty of his brother to try to produce and offspring to his widow. Onan shirked this responsibility, and that was the sin of Onan. Tamar is thus still barren, so she tricks Judah. You can read it for yourself. Judah finally confesses: She is more righteous than I.

Genesis 39 then picks up the story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. This is a classic, and for doing the right thing he is falsely accused, and thrown in jail.

 

January 17, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 17: John 16, Genesis 35, Genesis 36 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In John 20 Jesus continues his instructions to his disciples, beginning with explaining how it is good he leaves and sends the Holy Spirit. He ends with this encouragement: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

Genesis 35 tells of the birth of Benjamin and Rachel’s death. Finally it tells of the death of Isaac.

Genesis 36 tells the Genealogy of Esau.

January 16, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are four chapters.

January 16: John 15, Genesis 32, Genesis 33, Genesis 34 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

In John 15 Jesus continues his instruction to the disciples. There are many memorable quotes from thus chapter: “I am the true vine, I am the vine, you are the branches, apart from me you can do nothing, as the Father has loved me, so have I loved you, love each other as I have loved you, greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends, this is my command: Love each other” and “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.”

In Genesis 32 Jacob, schemer as the was, prepares to meet Esau. He figures Esau wants to kill him, so he splits his company in two, and gives instructions to his messengers on what to say to make Esau less vindictive. Then the whole Jacob family crosses the Ford of Jabbok. On the other side they camp for the night, and Jacob wrestles with an angel of God and prevails, but got a limp in his hip. God then gives Jacob a new, spiritual name, Israel.

In Genesis 33 Jacob finally meets up with Esau, and it turns out that Esau is rejoicing to see Jacob and all his children.

Trouble starts in Genesis 34. Dinah is violated by an uncircumcised, two of her brothers executed revenge on not only the violator but every male in the whole town, killing them all. Jacob said: “You have troubled me to make me a stink among the inhabitants of the land.” And so trouble starts.

 

 

 

January 14, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 14: John 13, Genesis 28, Genesis 29 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

John 12 deals with the last week. In John 13 we have come to the last 24 hours before the crucifixion of Jesus, beginning with Jesus washing the disciples’ feet before the Passover meal. During the meal he announces his betrayal, and then he gives the new commandment “love one another”. He also predicts Simon Peter’s denial.

In Genesis 28, Jacob goes to Paddan Aram to get a wife. On the way he has a dream, commonly called Jacob’s Ladder. Meanwhile Esau takes yet another wife, the daughter of Ishmael. The promise of Jacob’s dream was that God was to give the land to Jacob’s descendants. Jacob made a vow to God and named the place Bethel.

Jacob arrives in Paddan Aram in Genesis 29, falls in love with Rachel, works seven years to be allowed to marry her, but her father Laban tricks Jacob, so he gets Leah instead. Then he works another seven years for Rachel. But it is Rachel that gives him his first four children, Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah.

January 13, read through the Bible in a year.

Today there are three chapters.

January 13: John 12, Genesis 26, Genesis 27 (click on the chapter to begin reading)

John 12 begins the last week before the Crucifixion. It is important when this happened, so I have inserted a piece on the correct date it must have happened. Jesus is anointed at Bethany, then comes the triumphal entry and Jesus prophecises  about his being “lifted up, and draw all men to himself”.

Genesis 26 tells of Isaac and Rebekah, how Isaac too said Rebekah was his sister. In spite of that God protected them, and the rest of the chapter deals with the eternal Mideast dispute: Water rights.

In Genesis 27 Jacob gets Isaac’s blessing instead pf Esau. Esau gets one too, but inferior, so to avoid more trouble Jacob flees to Laban.

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.