Two year Bible reading program.

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 11:2 Understanding to grow in Congratulations on rcompleting Genesis! Faith in God's promise is still expressed as Jacob and then Joseph in death look to be buried in Caanan, with Joseph voicing confidence that God would bring his people there (50v24). No matter how long Christ's return is, we like them know that even our own death won't keep God from proving faithful to us. A second theme is God's governance of all that happens. What Joseph's brothers intended for evil, God intended too - but for good (50v20). And this helped Joseph to forgive them. The same divine hand behind even evil is seen at the cross (Acts 4v27-28). How encouraging when we see the evils of our world, to...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 11:1 Understanding to grow in Under God's inspiration Jacob's actions and words towards his sons predict the future history of the tribes descended from them. So rather than become a tribe of Joseph, Jospeh's descdents will become the two tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh - Ephraim being the most dominant. And whereas the future for Reuben, Simeon and Levi is limited because of their particular sins (49v3-7, see 34v25-26, 35v22), Judah becomes the head tribe because of how he eventually proved so faithful (49v8-12). It is here we find the third great prediction of the promised serpent-crusher. With increasing focus we've seen he will be one of humanity descended from Eve. One of the n...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:32 Understanding to grow in This lists of descendents show that God has brought about something of the great nation promised to Abraham. And he has ensured their protection under the power of Pharoah and in the best of the land of Egypt. Moreover he has blessed Pharoah and Egypt with wealth and supremacy because they blessed his people (Gen 12v3) - an encouragement to all peoples and nations to treat his people well. Yet still Jacob looks to the fulfilment of God's promise in the gift of Canaan. 47v27 is important (see also Ex 1v7). It's the language of Genesis 1v28. What Adam failed to achieve because of his sin, God is starting to achieve through his people. They are like a new humani...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:31 Understanding to grow in So what is Joseph up to with the silver cup? He's testing his brothers. The brother that stands out is once again Judah - but for better reasons. The one who was once ready to kill his younger brother is now ready to substitute himself for Benjamin so that Benjamin might be safe. And by this means this fledgling people of God are reconciled to one-another. It was of course a Christ-like thing to do. God transforms those he calls to be his people, shaping them into his image. As you read note how Judah has changed. Genesis 44-45 Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself: 1) What’s the main thing it teaches me about God or his purposes in Christ? ...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:30 Understanding to grow in Yesterday we saw how the world was to come to Joseph, here we see his brothers coming - the people of God. The parallel's to Christ are continually striking. He was also rejected by his fellow Israelites who sought his death. He also suffered unjustly before being exalted to the highest place. He too is the one we must bow before and who dispenses salvation. He is the one who knows us even when we don't know him. As you read consider what is learnt here of a right response to Christ. Genesis 42-43 Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself: 1) What’s the main thing it teaches me about God or his purposes in Christ? Then  praise  him for...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:29 Understanding to grow in Throughout Joseph is exempliary, bearing witness to God throughout. And God's perfect timing and wise purposes in Jospeh's hardships is revealed as he is brought to the most prominent postion possible in the known world of his day! This is how ably God can fulfil his purposes. Abraham was Joseph's great-grandad. So just three generations after God promised the ancient Abraham that he would bless the world through offspring by his barren wife, God has his descendent doing just that in Egypt. As we despair over the decline of our own culture and church, let's remember that Jesus reigns on high, and if he so choose he can establish people to whatever pos...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:27-28 Understanding to grow in The story of Judah and his daughter-in-law must be understood in the context of offspring being critically important to the fulfilment of God's promise of a great nation to Abraham. Judah lead the conspiracy against Joseph and his sin is all the more evident here. By contrast Joseph's qualities shine out as the LORD is seen to bless those of Israel even when alone in a foreign land. Just as that would have encouraged Israelite captives later in the nation's history, so it should encourage us wherever our workplace is. But we see too that faithfulness to the LORD can also lead to false accusation and loss of position. As you read note Joseph's quali...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:26 Understanding to grow in The list of Esau's descendents is important, proving God's faithfulness to his promises as he promised Abraham kings and nations (plural), not just Israel. But the focus of the rest of the book on Joseph's life shows descent through Jacob and his family is paramount. Yet, as the nation that would come from them, the family is pretty disfunctional, being marked by favouritism, pride, jeleousy and hatred. It causes us to reflect on the state of our own biological and church families - determining to be set apart from such attitudes like Reuben and ultimately Christ. As your read note the challenges to your own character. Genesis  36-37 Finish this rea...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world.  Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:25 Understanding to grow in The distinctiveness and very existence of Jacob's family come under threat here. Yet God again protects them (35v1, 5) and reiterates his promise (35v11-13). Strikingly, the mother of the nation of Israel is buried at the very place it's Messiah would be born (35v19). And it is he who urges both shrewdness and innocence in our interactions with the world (Matt 10v16) - both of which are lacking in chapter 34. As you read note how Jacob starts to lead his family in the ways of the LORD. Genesis  34-35 Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself: 1) What’s the main thing it teaches me about God or his purposes in Christ? Then  praise  him ...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:24 Understanding to grow in God continues to surprise in how he ensure's Jacob's protection - here by turning Esau's heart towards him. The three peace agreements Jacob establishes with Abimelech, Laban and now Esau show what a right response of rulers and nations to Christ and his people should be (see 12v3, Ps 2). And Jacob's wrestling with God is a picture not only of what the LORD has done in his life, but of what he will do in the history of the nation of Israel birthed through him. It is so often through struggle and suffering that God brings rebellious people into submission to him (Jam 1v2-4). As you read note the qualities Jacob is now seen to display. Genesis  32-33 ...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:2 3 Understanding to grow in It's understandable to wonder why the details of this passage are included. And it's a reminder that not all the actions of God's people are to be taken as a good example. However, we see again how God uses the sinful and deceptive actions of human beings to further his purposes - here in blessing Jacob with wealth that will support the nation being born through his sons. We also see God protecting his chosen family by urging Jacob to return home and warning Laban when he started to become a threat (31v3, 13, 24, 29). As his protection of Christ's family later shows (Matt 2v13), nothing and no-one can stand against his purposes. As you read note the w...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:22 Understanding to grow in From Beersheba in the south, Jacob heads north to visit his uncle Laban in Harran (located in in what is now Turkey). When sleeping in the centre of what would later become Israel he receives his dream of angels ascending and descending from heaven. It highlights the special place of the promised land in God’s purposes. It is there God will one day reside in his temple, and there that heaven will be directly accessed through Jacob’s greatest descendent, as Jesus himself points out (Jn 1v51). It is significant then that we immediately learn about the parentage of those who would become the twelve tribes of Israel. Even the start of Abraham’s great nation came about thr...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:20-21 Understanding to grow in God can work through even the most dysfunctional families! Isaac gives such a significant blessing only because he knows God promised his father that Isaac’s descendants would become a great nation who will inherit Canaan and be blessed (12v1-7). But God uses the persistent lying of Jacob and his mother to ensure that this blessing comes through the one he had already chosen (see 25v23). Likewise he works out his purposes in Christ as he sees fit. And what encouragement! Even our bad decisions may be used by him for good. Nothing is wasted. As you read consider what lessons there are here for how God’s people relate to him and to one-another. Genesis 27v1-28v9...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:19 Understanding to grow in The point in today’s passage is that after Abraham’s death God continues to be for his descendants. He blesses them in fulfilment of his promise to Abraham despite the fact that, like Abraham, they too are far from worthy. It gives great reassurance that no matter how many generations pass he will keep his promises to us in Christ. As you read note the different ways God reaffirms that he is fulfilling his promises, and then count the many blessings you continue to have because of Jesus. Genesis 25-26 Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself: 1) What’s the main thing it teaches me about God or his purposes in Christ? Then praise him for this. 2) What’...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:18 Understanding to grow in This is a love story. But it is more. Abraham is concerned that his son doesn’t marry one of the peoples God promised him his descendants would replace (see 15v18-21). The reason is the same for why the Christian should marry those who “belong to the Lord” (1 Cor 7v39) – a concern not to be drawn away from him and be united in raising children to trust in his promises. And the text wants us to see God's blessing in providing a wife for Isaac not just of beauty, but of wisdom, purity and submissiveness. Yet as you read, note the example of Abraham’s servant on what it is to walk with the Lord in prayer and praise. Genesis 24 Finish this reading by pausing to ...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:17 Understanding to grow in The high-point of Abraham’s faith. He so trusts God to give him descendants through Isaac, that he assumes that if he sacrifices him in obedience to God, God will raise Isaac from the dead (Heb 11v19). The event rightly shocks us. But it brings home the wonder that God would do for us what he didn’t actually require of Abraham. How much we should be prepared to offer our bodies to him as living sacrifices (Rom 12v1-2). All Abraham owns of the land he has been promised by the end of chapter 23 is Sarah’s grave. The lesson throughout is that he must keep trusting. As you read, note the qualities of Abraham’s faith on display. Genesis 22-23 Finish this reading by pa...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:16 Understanding to grow in Themes we’ve already come across are repeated: the subsequent sin of those God rescues, Abraham’s deception when lacking faith, and God’s care of Hagar and son. Yet God fulfils his promises, giving Abraham a son and being with him in all he does. As you read consider how this encourages you to trust God for the long term. Genesis 19v30-21v34 Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself: 1) What’s the main thing it teaches me about God or his purposes in Christ? Then praise him for this. 2) What’s the main thing it teaches me about his will for me or the world? Then pray that home. Devotion to offer up You could read this aloud and perhaps as a s...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:15 Understanding to grow in Some appalling events, but so many significant details. As you read note how hospitality is a mark of the godly character, and consider what it involves. Such hospitality is a model for us towards others, but also patterns how we too should readily welcome God who in turn welcomes us to the intimacy of table-fellowship with him through Christ. Note too, God’s determination to be just and only punish those who warrant it, whilst showing mercy to Lot and his family despite Lot’s evident sin. It too is a pattern of the gospel by which God grabs hold of us (19v16) in salvation. We must remember that in Christ he could re-visit this world with destruction at any time. And w...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:13-14 Understanding to grow in We need not excuse Abram and Sarai for their treatment of Hagar. We have seen they are works in progress. What is striking however, is God’s personal care of Hagar – an encouragement to all who suffer unjustly. It was the same care that attracted rejected women to Jesus (Lk 7v36-50, John 4v1-26). Chapter 17 brings us back to the idea of "covenant." God's promises to Abraham are formalised, but require circumcision by his descendents if they are to share in them. As you read, note how God’s promises are developed here. Genesis 16-17 Finish this reading by pausing to ask yourself: 1) What’s the main thing it teaches me ps about God or his purpose...

BEGIN WITH PRAYER "Lord open my eyes and my heart." Read slowly so that you take in. And as you do, turn your heart to God, thanking him for the good you discover and praying his will home for you, your family, your church and the world. Wisdom to chew on Proverbs 10:12 Understanding to grow in Here Abram shows a degree of faith in God’s promise. Trusting him to give the land he is able to be generous to Lot, and trusting he will give him descendants he knows he will be safe in battle. Yet still his faith wavers as he then assumes his servant will have to be his heir. But whether Abram is strong or wavering, God’s blessing of him continues. Moreover, Christ is foreshadowed: first, in Melchizedek as priest-king of Salem (which will become Jeru-salem), through whom Abram is blessed and to whom he gives his service (14v18-20, cf. Heb 7); second, in Abram’s justification as he is credited with righteousness (the status of perfectly having done right) on account o...