Rediscover the Bible

By Michael Pickard

The Bible is arguably the most influential book ever written, and it remains the best-selling book in America every year. Yet increasingly, in our secular age, the Bible remains on our bookshelves, unread. In Rediscover the Bible—Or Discover It for the First Time, Pastor Michael Pickard offers a fresh narration of the Bible's story, and its continuing relevance, for the curious, the confused, and the committed reader.

In this 366-day devotional commentary, Pickard takes the reader on a lively guided journey through the whole Bible, Genesis to Revelation. Each daily reading provides a helpful summary of the text, insights into the cultural context, contemporary application and a brief prayer.

By investing about 15 minutes a day, for one year, the reader will see the Big Story of the Bible come into focus. You'll discover how the Bible's story of Creation, Fall, Redemption and New Creation helps us make sense of life and draw closer to God, our Creator.

This book can be used for daily devotional reading, for group discussion, as a teaching resource and for personal research.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kitsap Publishing
• Release date: Nov 14, 2018
• ISBN: 9781386041115

Michael Pickard

Mike Pickard’s writing serves as the bridge between his professional work in technology and his passion for the creative arts.Several of Pickard's short stories have been published, including Hardwired, which won a Ray Bradbury Creative Writing Prize in 2005.Pickard's first major work was The Gerfnit Chronicles, a science fiction mystery/adventure and his first novel. The story began as a series of letters to his daughter who spent several summers at overnight camp. Pickard’s extensive backgroud working with cutting edge technology has proved helpful for imagining fictive universes and societies. Strong satire keeps readers grounded and laughing.Pickard has studied writing at the University of Chicago, the University of Wisconsin at Madison, Northeastern Illinois University and at the Science Fiction Novel Workshop at the University of Kansas. He has also been a member of several writers groups over the last 14 years, and is currently both a member and the webmaster at the Chicago area-based “The Writers of Glencoe.”Pickard’s “day job” for the last 45 years has been in Information Technology (IT). Here, too, his “inner writer” played a role. In addition to countless technical reports and position papers, Pickard penned dozens of articles as lead columnist for a microcomputer newsletter.Among his other creative exploits: amateur theater, playwriting, paper mache sculpture and inventing a board game.

Book preview

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher assumes no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

REDISCOVER THE BIBLE

First edition. November 14, 2018.

Copyright © 2018 Michael Pickard.

Written by Michael Pickard.

Rediscover the Bible

Or Discover It for the First Time

Michael Pickard

Rediscover the Bible – Or Discover It for the First Time

First edition, published 2017

By Michael Pickard

Cover design: Kitsap Publishing

Editor: Beth Cockrel

Copyright © 2018, Michael Pickard

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-942661-58-0

Hardbound ISBN-13: 978-1-942661-64-1

E-Book ISBN: 13-978-1-942661-81-8

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Published by Kitsap Publishing

Poulsbo, WA 98370

www.KitsapPublishing.com

50-10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2

This book is a gem! Mike Pickard has done a real favor for both the convinced and the curious with this new book. It marks a wonderful burst forward in the genre of devotional commentary.

— Dr. Tom Pfizenmaier, Associate Professor of Formation and Leadership Development, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary

I can’t think of another book on the Bible quite like this one. It is a wonderful companion to take along with you if you are trying to discover or rediscover the Bible…I will use this book personally and warmly recommend it to others.

— Jim Davis, Ph.D. (University of Nottingham)

Pastor, New Testament teacher at Fuller Seminary, author of Wisdom and Spirit

A great achievement…Mike Pickard has accomplished something in this book that is likely to help many people recover a larger understanding of and enthusiasm for reading the Bible…I warmly commend this book to all who would like to move from the shallows of Bible-reading into deeper and much more profitable waters.

— Iain W. Provan, Ph.D. (University of Cambridge)

Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies at Regents College, Vancouver, Canada

I was homeless for three years when I wrote my book, Breakfast at Sally’s. I would turn to reading my Bible at night seeking Hope in its pages. I felt like Job, having lost all my possessions, and having people turn their back to me when I needed help. I wish I had Mike’s book close by when I was living in my car for many months.

— Richard LeMieux, Bestselling Author of Breakfast at Sally’s

Mike Pickard has given us an original and wonderful resource...Years in the making, he brilliantly connects each cluster of Bible book chapters to the larger narrative, the big picture of God’s message to us in His Word. He doesn’t skip or even blink when he comes to Bible chapters that seem obscure and beyond understanding. He makes them live! Rediscover the Bible is a treasure.

— Len Kageler, Ph.D. (Fordham University)

Dean of the Center for Teaching, Excellence Faculty Resources at Nyack College, N.Y.

Mike Pickard’s warm pastoral heart blends with his discerning scholarship in this through-the-Bible-in-a-year ‘guided journey.’ He supplements his academic commentary with exhortations to practical Christ-like living and prayers of gratitude and praise...His occasional spot-on wry comments prompt an out-loud laugh...Your heart and mind will be encouraged!

— Greg Collord, Pastor, Bible Teacher

Alumni Director and Personal Mentor at Alliance Academy International

In an age of biblical illiteracy this thoughtful, well-written book connects the dots of the biblical story from beginning to end through approachable daily readings. Individuals, small groups, pastors and lay readers alike will benefit from this much needed resource.

— Dick Staub is an award-winning broadcaster,

writer and founder of The Kindlings, a movement devoted to rekindling the creative, intellectual and spiritual legacy of Christians in culture.

Table of Contents

Genesis 1

Exodus 36

Leviticus 64

Numbers 80

Deuteronomy 99

Joshua 117

Judges 131

Ruth 141

1 Samuel 145

2 Samuel 163

1 Kings 178

2 Kings 192

1 Chronicles 206

2 Chronicles 216

Ezra 237

Nehemiah 244

Esther 255

Job 264

Psalms 294

Proverbs 344

Ecclesiastes 360

Song of Songs 365

Isaiah 367

Jeremiah 402

Lamentations 425

Ezekiel 428

Daniel 451

Hosea 461

Joel 470

Amos 474

Obadiah 481

Jonah 483

Micah 487

Nahum 493

Habakkuk 495

Zephaniah 497

Haggai 500

Zechariah 502

Malachi 515

Matthew 518

Mark 537

Luke 549

John 567

Acts 582

Romans 605

1 Corinthians 617

2 Corinthians 628

Galatians 634

Ephesians 636

Philippians 641

Colossians 643

1 Thessalonians 646

2 Thessalonians 648

1 Timothy 650

2 Timothy 654

Titus 657

Philemon 661

Hebrews 663

James 675

1 Peter 677

2 Peter 679

1 John 681

2 John 684

3 John 686

Jude 689

Revelation 692

A Word from the Author

It has been my joy, for over 40 years, to serve as the pastor of four congregations, two of which have been long term. A pastor’s work is like that of an ancient shepherd—leading, feeding, protecting and enjoying the flock. I have relished all these, but feeding the flock by preaching and teaching is what has energized me most.

Pastors occupy the ground between the world of biblical scholarship and the world of the local congregation. A pastor’s task is to translate the Bible’s teaching and wisdom into the language of ordinary people who, like me, need to make sense of this world and be equipped to face manifold challenges at all stages of life. My belief, and personal experience, is that we are best equipped for this journey by the unique message of the Bible.

I have believed in God for as long as I can remember, even before I had any formal instruction about Christianity or had read the Bible for myself. My family rarely attended church, but individuals appeared in my life, at just the right times, to nudge me towards Jesus. One notable time was sixth grade, when a neighborhood boy invited me to a small local church with a youth ministry led by adult volunteers. From these kind adults who took an interest in me, I learned about Jesus for the first time. I gradually understood the Gospel, and a desire to read the Bible stirred within me.

I remember taking an old King James Bible into a storage room at my house and attempting to read it for the first time by myself, starting with the first chapter of Genesis. It wasn’t long before I got bogged down in Elizabethan English, and in a strange world of people and ideas that I could barely comprehend.

Nevertheless, over the years, I listened faithfully to teaching and preaching, trying to wrap my young mind around the compelling story of a God who loved me, sent his Son to die for my sins, overcame death in his resurrection, and offered me forgiveness and everlasting life. I gradually understood that the Bible was more about relationship than religion.

Having discovered the Bible’s Big Story, I never looked back. God’s Word has been for me, a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path (Psalm 119:105). Many men and women of faith have shaped and refined my understanding of the Bible along the way, mentoring me in the life of faith. In college, I began to feel a calling to ministry, away from a career in illustration which I had expected to pursue. This led to studies at Fuller Theological Seminary and Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

I have been surprised to discover, over all these years, that the Bible never gets stale. It remains relevant and life-giving to me. No matter how much I learn, there is always more. How could there not be, given the fact that it reveals the infinite, personal God, our Creator. When do you run out of new things to discover about the infinite? I hope that this book adequately conveys the wonder and joy of God’s presence, which continues to transform my thinking and living.

Writing it has been a labor of love. I likely would not have persevered without the continuing support, encouragement and prayers of my wife, Joy. She has put up with countless late nights of writing. She smiled while I hauled my laptop with us everywhere, even on vacation in Germany. She has listened patiently to my occasional fretting about the project. I dedicate this book to her, with love and appreciation.

I thank Darla Muya, and Alane Basco-Yu, co-workers at my church who were generous with their time and expertise in helping me give birth to the book in its first form as a daily blog: Blogging through the Bible.

Publisher Ingemar Anderson encouraged me to turn the blog into a book and has patiently guided me through the weeds of publishing. Many friends, colleagues in ministry, and acquaintances have graciously read sections and given helpful feedback. I especially thank: Dr. Iain Provan, the Marshall Sheppard Professor of Biblical Studies at Regent College; Dr. Jeanine Tweedie who offered many encouraging comments on my writing; Dr. Jonathan Wells, scientist and Research Fellow at the Discovery Institute in Seattle, on matters of Science and the Bible.

My editor and longtime friend, Beth Cockrel, has given important feedback on content, and carefully combed through the 700+ pages to make it readable, and by her suggestions it became a better book. Most recently, Alane Basco-Yu has become my director of social media to help promote the book. What a great team!

Above all, I thank the Lord who opened my eyes to his presence when I was young, and then led me to a local church where his Word was faithfully taught. By his Word, understanding was added to faith, faith was expressed in baptism and later in a call to teach and preach—and now to write—about his Word.

Michael Pickard

Poulsbo, Washington 2017

Introduction

The Bible is the most influential book ever written. More than three thousand years have passed since the events described in the Old and New Testaments, yet the Bible is still the best-selling book in the world by far. Today, approximately one third of the earth’s population identifies as Christian, looking to the Bible, in various ways, as God’s Word to them. It is estimated that over twenty-five million copies are sold each year in the United States, and two hundred million more, in whole and in part, around the world.

However, research indicates that in many cases the Bible sits on our shelves unread. Kenneth Briggs’ fine book, The Invisible Bestseller: Searching for the Bible in America, surveys the practice of Bible reading among American Christians of various traditions and finds that reading the Bible, like reading books in general, is in decline. He concludes: "For more and more Americans, the Bible has become a museum exhibit, hallowed as a treasure but enigmatic and untouched."

While lamenting that the stories and teachings of the Bible are becoming lost to our culture, Briggs is hopeful they can be rediscovered. I share this hope; it has energized me to write this book.

Many Christians read parts of the Bible only—a verse here or there connected to an inspirational thought—or they listen to occasional sermons. For them, the grandeur of the Bible’s Big Story remains an undiscovered country. It is like a tourist traveling randomly about, visiting America’s little towns and quaint places, without ever seeing the Grand Canyon.

My reason for writing this book is to help readers discover, rediscover, or deepen their understanding of the Bible’s Big Story—its Grand Canyon. The Big Story comes into view within the diverse characters, events and instruction of its 66 books.

The truth is, the Bible is difficult to understand. The Old and New Testaments are written by 40 authors, from ancient cultures, over the course of 1,500 years. Therefore, readers will benefit from having a guide to explain—or attempt to explain—its original meaning and then demonstrate its continuing relevance to our lives.

This is not an academic book, but it engages the mind and heart, nudging the reader to devotion. I believe that God speaks to us when we read the text of the Bible. Its various books bear witness to the God who lovingly created us and then graciously pursued us when we rebelled against him. He did this, at great personal cost, because he wants to be in relationship with us.

The biblical account of God reconciling us to himself unfolds slowly and progressively within the ambiguities and contradictions of human experience in the world. We learn that God reveals himself, not by a secret code known only to enlightened ones, but by engaging ordinary people, struggling with the brutal realities of life and the exasperating challenges of faith. Ironically, the clearest revelation of himself occurs on an instrument of suffering and death—a Roman cross—where his Son hangs in agony, bearing the sins of the world.

Here we are confronted with the astonishing fact of a deity who humbles himself and suffers for the world he loves, atoning for its sin and then defeating death through resurrection. This Big Story, called gospel (meaning good news), has been preserved for all generations because God directed certain writers to faithfully record its events and comment upon their meaning. Therefore, its authority comes from God the Story-Teller himself, especially when he enters his own story through the incarnation of Jesus in order to speak clearly and directly to us.

In the daily readings of the book, I seek to connect the diversity of the biblical narratives with the four main themes of the Big Story: Creation, Fall, Redemption and New Creation. I make observations and offer commentary, pointing forward or backward in the story, to explain how the pieces of the narrative puzzle begin to come together.

The Bible’s most important achievement is revealing Jesus to us. Therefore, he is the interpretive key to making sense of both the Old and New Testaments. Through Jesus, God fulfills his ancient Promise to Abraham to make things right in the world.

Jesus’ victory over death launches a new era in human history, opening the door to resurrection life to all who believe in him. At Pentecost, God’s Spirit is poured out into the hearts of those who believe, giving them spiritual life, calling them into a new community, and empowering them to announce the Good News of salvation to the world. What was broken by our rebellion against God is now being restored by Jesus. He is the head of a new humanity, reconciled to God, spiritually reborn and destined for resurrection life in a New Heavens and Earth.

The ancient story has become our story.

I have formatted the book into 366 daily readings of about fifteen minutes each (or longer if the full biblical text is read). This takes the reader through the whole Bible, Genesis to Revelation, in one year. Whether you begin your journey on January 1st or at some other time of year, I recommend starting with Day 1 in order to experience the Big Story from the beginning. The daily readings follow the format of the Daily Walk Bible in the New Living Translation, published by Tyndale. You will benefit most by reading the designated chapters, but the daily readings stand on their own.

Each day begins with a key text taken from the chapters covered. A summary of the text follows, with commentary. The commentary is meant to move the story along and connect the dots between the daily reading, the Big Story, and your life. Sometimes I insert myself into the commentary, reacting as you might react to what is going on in the story.

Following each commentary, I include a short section called Focus, where I drill a little deeper on something from that day’s reading. Finally, there is a brief prayer you may use for devotional purposes.

One more feature: Every seven days, there is a break in the commentary, and the reading of the day is an elaboration on an important subject or a common question about the Bible’s story. This is entitled, Reflection.

I am hopeful that this book will encourage readers everywhere to rediscover the Bible, discover it for the first time, or enrich their present understanding. There is a reason why the Bible continues to be the best-selling book in the world: It is indeed the greatest story ever told. There is nothing like it. We read it and then discover that it reads us. It describes life as we know it. It speaks to our minds and hearts in a self-authenticating way. Its great themes of Creation, Fall, Redemption and New Creation resonate with us. It calls us to faith and moves us to worship and thanksgiving. It inspires us to acts of love, goodness, beauty, truth, justice and compassion. Above all, it reveals how passionately our Creator loves us and desires to be in relationship with us, forever!

If the reader gains a broader vision of God’s amazing grace, and is drawn to him in faith and devotion, then the purpose of this book will be realized.

Day 1 Genesis 1–2

January 1

Key Text: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1)

The story of the Bible begins with the most consequential statement ever written: In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. These ten words speak to the questions everyone asks—where did I come from and what is the meaning of life—by joyfully announcing that God exists, and that all things come from him and exist for his pleasure. The universe is not a product of unguided, impersonal forces, but of loving purpose.

As the story of creation unfolds in Genesis 1 and 2, God speaks the universe into existence. He accomplishes his purpose with divine power, like an artist painting on canvas the masterpiece in his heart and mind.

Significantly, human beings are the centerpiece of his creation. We are created in God’s image and given a unique status and calling within the creation. Unlike the other animals, we are granted free will by which we can have a relationship with our Creator. This essential relationship informs our relationships with one another, with the animals, and with nature (Genesis 1:26–2:25).

Consequently, men and women experience marriage and family, create culture, and manage the earth on God’s behalf. To this end, God gives us the gifts of reason, curiosity, imagination, and love.

Keep in mind, Genesis was written to ancient people, within their frame of reference. We should not expect it to provide a modern, scientific account of creation. At the same time, Genesis presents a universe in which the empirical sciences are inevitable. Because the universe is a product of divine thought, it is intelligible. The earth, our home, can be understood, measured, harnessed, celebrated, and shaped for human flourishing.

Science, in turn, encourages faith by describing a universe of astonishing diversity and complexity, exquisitely fine-tuned for human life. With so many factors of the universe needing to be exactly as they are—not a little less or more—biological life seems improbable. Yet, here we are! It has been suggested that the universe must have seen us coming! Better to say that God had us in mind from the beginning.

Genesis 1 uses the metaphor of a human week to tell the story of creation. Over the course of the first six days, God speaks the material universe into existence out of his imagination and will. The details of the story speak first to the issues and questions of ancient people, but its message about God, the world and human beings is unique, incredibly hopeful, and timeless.

For ancient pagans, and modern secularists, it is a paradigm shift of epic proportions. It declares that nothing exists outside of God’s creative thought and loving purpose. His goodness and wisdom are embodied in his creation, defining, shaping, and sustaining all living and non-living things. The universe is his handiwork, and a perfect habitat for humanity. Above all, it gives him pleasure and brings him glory.

On the sixth day, human beings are created in God’s image as gendered creatures, male and female (Genesis 1:27–28). They are the reason for which everything else exists and therefore the highlight of the creation week. They are blessed and called to fill the earth with human life.

Unlike lesser animals, the man and woman are capable of intimate fellowship and covenant love. This is experienced most completely in one-flesh marriage. Marriage is introduced in chapter 2. Before Eve is created, Adam becomes aware that there is no one like him among the animals. God responds to Adam’s recognition by declaring that it is not good for him to be alone. It is God’s design that Adam is completed by another, who is like him but not him.

So, God creates Eve from Adam’s side and brings her to him as an equal partner in life. Adam’s response is a joyful recognition that she is a fellow human being—equal to, yet different from him. "At last!" Adam exclaims. This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! (Genesis 2:18–23). The writer of Genesis then comments to readers: This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one. Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame (Genesis 2:24–25).

Together, Adam and Eve experience the joy of creaturely love and fellowship, and out of their loving union comes new life. Thus, human beings in the image of God become creators themselves, and covenant marriage is established as the foundation of human society and culture.

On the seventh day of creation, God calls it all very good and he rests from his work. This doesn’t mean he is tired or disinterested. Quite the opposite. He has created it for his own pleasure and participation, so his rest is mission accomplished! Now he intends to enjoy it—to enjoy us!

God’s desire to be present with us will be a continuing theme in the story of the Old and New Testaments. This will be dramatically revealed to the world when God becomes a human to live among us through the incarnation of Christ (John 1:14).

Focus: Each of us has at one time stared at the stars in the vast night sky and been overwhelmed with the enormity of the universe, and of our own smallness by comparison. Where did it come from? we wondered. Is there a Creator? What is my life about? The Bible begins with the good news of a loving Creator who brought us into existence for his pleasure. And what pleases him most is having a relationship with us!

Prayer: God, we thank you for the gift of existence. Wow! Even more, we praise you for the amazing calling we have been given to know and serve you in the world. Help us to see your glory and point it out to others. Amen.

Day 2 Genesis 3–5

January 2

Key Text: The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden? (Genesis 3:1)

If loving purpose moved God to create everything that exists, and if it pleased him above all to have a relationship with us, why is life so messed up? Why am I so messed up? Let’s be honest. You’ve wondered about it, and so have I. Perhaps messed up is not strong enough—the world is broken; it’s Humpty-Dumpty broken. Human effort on all fronts has not been able to put it together again. Genesis 3 through 5 explains why the world is broken, by giving us an account of the human Fall and its immediate consequences.

When the creation is complete, and the first man and woman appear, everything is perfect. There is a harmonious and deeply fulfilling relationship between Adam, Eve and God. And since the humans are made from the earth, and for the earth, they are at peace with nature as well.

Everything is permitted for the couple, except one thing. God says that they must not eat the fruit from one tree—the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil." There are prerogatives which belong to God alone. It is our place to trust him and accept the life he has given us. He has drawn the boundaries within which Adam and Eve—and all subsequent humanity—will flourish if they trust their Creator.

So it begins. Then it all unravels.

The account of the fall of humanity might be easier to take if it turned out that we humans were attacked by demon hordes in the Garden of Eden, tortured and forced to deny allegiance to God our Maker by eating the forbidden fruit from the tree of "the knowledge of good and evil." But all it took was a clever little reptile raising a doubt: Did God really say? This was followed by an intoxicating prospect: …your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil (Genesis 3:5).

The appeal of the temptation was this: Being a creature dependent on God, and following his rules, is not enough, is it? Wouldn’t you rather be god of your own life, controlling everything and determining what is right and wrong for you?

Sounds very contemporary.

Well, Adam and Eve bit. But the serpent’s promise, You won’t die! turns out to be a demonic lie. Adam and Eve’s eyes are opened all right, but opened to experiences that distort and dehumanize their life. The joy of life in fellowship with God, and one another, gives way to a tsunami of shame, blame, family strife, violence, spiritual alienation and biological death. Having broken the connection with their Creator, they lose track of what it means to be human.

The doubting, resisting and forsaking of God is what the Bible calls sin. Sin means falling short, in this case falling short of what it means to be human in the image of God. Sin is an act, but also a condition that is passed on like a virus. Everyone is born with the propensity to sin, and the sickness is passed on to the next generation. Sinning becomes our nature. Like the law of gravity, our sinful nature pulls us down to selfishness, pride and rebellion. God’s image in us is dimmed. We sense that we’re better than this—or should be—but are slaves to sin’s power. Falling short becomes the new normal.

We want to blame God for it, and I suppose he could be blamed for giving us free will. But who of us would choose to be a hand puppet without freedom to act of our own volition? Not me, and probably not you either. Yet when we choose badly and act violently, we blame God.

Welcome to life in a fallen world!

To hold fallen humanity in check, God establishes consequences for the choice Adam and Eve have made. Life will be difficult now. The human calling to fill the earth with life will be marked by conflict in marriage and pain in childbirth. The ground, which easily yielded food, is cursed because of them. Just staying alive will be wearisome work. In short, life will be tough…and then we die. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return (Genesis 3:19).

Adam and Eve are then banished from Eden. Scholar Iain Provan suggests that Eden is not so much a place as it is the experience of being in a right relationship with God. Being banished east of Eden means, therefore, that human life will be diminished by the weariness, disharmony and hopelessness of a fallen world. There are clues in the story, however, that inspire hope for a return to Eden.

In the meantime, life in the fallen world progresses as God had warned for those who would be gods. Cain kills his brother Abel out of resentment and is banished to be a wanderer on earth. Sin spreads as the banished Cain becomes the father of ungodly descendants who build fortified cities and go to war against one another.

Chapter 5 seems to be an interruption of the story. It is a genealogy, accounting for the descendants of Adam and Eve. Early humans appear to live extraordinarily long lives, although the numbers could be symbolic or representative of several generations. Still, what is chilling about the genealogy is the repetition, like a melancholy drumbeat, of the birth, life and death of each generation. When unplugged from God, everything dies.

But, this is not the end of the story. There are already hints of redemption. God is more gracious than we could imagine, and so there is good news ahead!

Focus: The Bible posits that alienation from God is the root of the world’s brokenness. This is not surprising, given the assumption that all reality is grounded in divine love and purpose. Genesis reveals that the whole creation, including nature, is diminished by sin, and death is the end. The crowning achievement of creation is humanity in the image of God; its greatest tragedy is the fall of humanity. The story of the Bible is concerned with what God is going to do about it.

Prayer: Father, we are overwhelmed with the sorrow, loss, brokenness and evil of this world, not to mention our own sinfulness. We are so grateful that you did not turn away from us when we turned away from you. Thank you for the grace that is greater than all our sin! Help us to forgive others as you have forgiven us. Amen!

Day 3 Genesis 6–9

January 3

Key Text: The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. (Genesis 6:5)

Genesis 6 reports that the rapid growth of evil on earth moves God to announce that in the future he will shorten the human life span, thereby limiting human opportunity for doing evil. In the meantime, things have come to a head. The Lord sadly observes that everything [humans] thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. So the Lord was sorry he had ever made them and put them on the earth. It broke his heart (Genesis 6:5–6). The brilliant, burning image of God in humanity has been reduced to a mere smoking ember.

However, human rebellion reveals something significant about God: He feels intense sorrow over what humans have become. He is not a God far removed and indifferent.

What will God do? As he considers his options, one of which would be eliminating humans from the earth, we get further insight into his heart. God will not let things stay as they are, but he will not destroy what he loves. However, he must remain faithful to his holy character, meaning that his justice and love must both be satisfied. So God will act on both fronts—for his creation because of love and against evil because of justice.

Humans will learn, by an epic act of divine judgment, that sin has consequences and God is the Judge of all the earth. He will wash the earth with a great, cleansing flood that is terrifying in scope. At the same time, he will demonstrate that he has not given up on the human race.

Contemporary people hate the idea of divine judgment, but in truth it is a gift from God. Sin erases the boundaries God has established for human well-being, but God acting as Judge redraws the boundaries, making human well-being possible again.

Were it not for God’s judgment, the human race would be a failed, forgotten experiment. When God judges, he acts in accordance with his character, which is justice and love. Thankfully, his justice is established by his love. God knows what he will ultimately do—he will take the judgment of human sin upon himself when Jesus dies on the cross. But even here at the beginning, God acts graciously towards humans, even if they don’t recognize it.

Here is how it comes about:

God looks and finds a man on earth named Noah who is different from other people. He stands apart from his generation as a righteous man, walking "in close fellowship with God." He is the only man on earth that still has a spiritual pulse and is open to God. So God makes a covenant with Noah, which is the first of several covenants he will make with the human race. He will not destroy all human life, but restart it through a gracious act of deliverance through an ark. This is the first of many steps God will take to make things right and prepare the world for the coming of Jesus, our true Ark of deliverance.

Chapters 6 through 9 describe what happens to Noah and his family. Noah is told by God to build a boat according to a specific blueprint: Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. Leave an 18-inch opening below the roof all the way around the boat. Put the door on the side, and build three decks inside the boat—lower, middle, and upper (Genesis 6:15–16).

Noah obeys God. When the ark is built, he and his extended family, along with a pair of "every kind of animal," board the boat that will keep them alive during the coming flood and make a new beginning possible. When aboard, the group waits for a week, presumably to the great amusement and mockery of their neighbors.

Then it begins. "All the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky. The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights" (Genesis 7:11–12). The waters cover the visible region and the ark floats away to safety. Only those who listened to the Lord, and came with Noah, survive the flood judgment.

When the waters finally recede, Noah and his family restart the human race. Their first act upon leaving the ark is to build an altar to the Lord and offer sacrifices to him. The Lord is pleased with Noah. He says to himself, I will never again curse the ground because of the human race, even though everything they think or imagine is bent toward evil from childhood. I will never again destroy all living things (Genesis 8:21).

God blesses Noah in chapter 9 and repeats his mandate for humans to fill the earth with life. Noah and his descendants, like Adam and Eve before, are given stewardship over the earth and all living things. To formalize his promise, God establishes a covenant with Noah.

Human beings now know that God is Almighty and can do whatever he pleases, but they will learn over time that what pleases God most is to be in fellowship with human beings. The rainbow in the sky will remind them.

Focus: Many ancient Near Eastern cultures independently wrote stories about a great flood judgment. Though the details differ, there are several similar themes. This suggests a widespread memory of an actual event. God’s revelation of this story to Moses gives Israel (and us) a true account of its meaning, presenting a God who is both Judge and Savior. The New Testament sees the ark as a foreshadowing of God’s rescue of sinners in Christ. See, for example, Matthew 24:37–41 and 1 Peter 3:18–21.

Prayer: Father, we are grateful that your grace and mercy stop the judgment we all deserve. Thanks for giving us a second chance. Thanks for throwing a life preserver our way when we are drowning in confusion, rebellion and bad choices. Thanks for Jesus! Oh, and thanks for rainbows to remind us of your promises. Amen!

Day 4 Genesis 10–11

January 4

Key Text: Then they said, Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world. (Genesis 11:4)

Following the flood judgment, Noah and his family show a glimmer of hope for humanity. They begin their post-flood life with worship, building an altar to the Lord and offering the sacrifices God requires (Genesis 8:20). After the trauma of the flood judgment, they are humbled, aware of God as Judge, and grateful for a second chance for the human race. Given the long history of human sinfulness since the Fall, this new beginning is possible only because the Lord has balanced his justice with love.

Nevertheless, there is a new normal. Things are not as they were in the Garden of Eden. Men and women’s relationship with God has been structurally damaged by sin. There is a loss of innocence, and human nature is bent toward selfishness. Consequently, our relationship with God now needs to be mediated by a covenant.

The covenant God makes with Noah is contingent upon keeping the conditions of the mutual agreement (Genesis 9:1–17). God promises to forgive our sins and bless us if we honor him with our worship and seek to order our community life around simple justice.

It is a provisional relationship sustained by God’s grace and not our merit, but it is a beginning. And it is realistic. God knows that despite all he has done to create, sustain, correct and renew the earth, we will continue to sin.

Sure enough, after Genesis 10 gives an account of Noah’s sons and their descendants, we find the human race back to its old ways in chapter 11. After an unspecified period of time, all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words (Genesis 11:1). Anthropologists know that language is the foundation of culture. So we can deduce that a powerful and unified fallen human culture has arisen. With the growth of cultural power comes a grandiose vision of building a great city as a tribute to human power and glory: Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world (Genesis 11:4).

The human city, as the center of population, wealth, power, technology and culture, becomes the breeding ground of rebellion against God.

To control the damage, God intervenes. He confuses the people with different languages and scatters them all over the earth, so that they cannot achieve the self-serving goals they have set for themselves. It is just for God to oppose human rebellion; it is loving to keep humans from doing what will damage them. The further they drift from basing their lives and culture on loving God, their Creator, the further they will drift from their true humanity.

This is the second time God acts to minimize the growth of evil on earth. First, he limits human life expectancy (Genesis 6:3), and now he scatters humanity into various cultures and languages. Just as the two-party system of American democracy guards against tyranny—and guarantees that not much gets done!—so the scattering of people into various nations limits the growth of evil by creating competing cultures.

The prospects for humanity don’t look promising, but fear not. God has a plan for the next step of Redemption—when the time is right.

Focus: The Tower of Babel alerts us to the dangers of concentrated wealth and power. In the beginning, God created Adam and Eve to multiply and fill the earth with life and culture. Now that same calling becomes, in a fallen world, the occasion for great evil. We must always remember the adage that sin is the hidden factor in every equation of life.

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your wise parenting of the human race. We are like children asserting ourselves against your authority, conspiring together against you one day and then fighting one another the next. But you watch over our lives by your loving discipline. Thank you for allowing us to call you Father. Amen.

Day 5 Genesis 12–14

January 5

Key Text: I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. (Genesis 12:2)

As we come to Genesis 12, we learn that God’s long-term plan to redeem humanity and restore the creation is coming into focus. Since the rebirth of the human race through Noah, human memory of the one true God has dimmed and our imagination has retreated into idolatry and myth. So, God will engage his creation in a new way now. He calls a man named Abram to believe in him and then gives him an amazing promise. The Promise is a key moment in the Bible:

The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you’ (Genesis 12:1–3).

Christians reading these verses believe that God’s promise to bless the families of the earth will ultimately be fulfilled in Christ. But that is getting ahead of the story. The first phase of God’s Promise to Abram is to make his descendants into the First Family of faith. God’s calling is for them to become a great nation and take the knowledge of him to the other nations.

This will be the focus of the rest of the Old Testament story.

Along the way, we will meet fascinating, flawed people with complex personalities and mixed motives, who strive to understand this God who has made himself known to them. Despite their many failures and setbacks, they will progressively come to know him as a God who will not let them go, nor give up on his plan to make things right in the world. No matter how much the First Family of faith exasperates him!

Those we meet will be people whose lives are shaped by the culture and sensibilities of the ancient Near East, so we will find ourselves often puzzled and even offended by how they think and act. In order to hear God’s voice in their stories, we will need to do the hard work of understanding them from within their frame of reference.

Remember, God always speaks to people of any generation in terms they can understand, given their limited frame of reference. It was true of Abram and it is true of us today.

Abram is a flawed man, but he is also a man of faith—sometimes spectacularly so. Therefore, God shows him abundant mercy. On one occasion, early in his life of faith, Abram begins a slow journey towards the land of Canaan, which God had promised to give him in the future—the Promised Land! Chapter 12 says that during this journey a severe famine strikes the land of Canaan, and Abram is forced to go down to Egypt, where he lives as a foreigner. This means he has few rights and is vulnerable.

Knowing the practices of the area, Abram coaches his wife Sarai—a very beautiful woman for her age—about the following: If approached by Egyptians who find her beautiful, the Egyptians will kill him, Abram, and take her. So she must tell them that she is his sister. She’ll still get taken, but Abram will be spared!

I know, not a great moment.

Sure enough, it all happens just as Abram predicted. The Egyptians give Abram many gifts as a bride price for his sister, and they take her away to Pharaoh. But God intervenes by sending sickness upon Pharaoh, and Pharaoh assumes that Abram knows why. There is an awkward, angry conversation between them about the deceit, but Pharaoh is smart enough not to anger Abram’s God. In the end, Abram gets Sarai back, keeps the gifts, and gets a free escort out of the country!

We learn, by this unflattering incident, that God is gracious to Abram even when Abram is selfish and unloving. Starting with Adam and Eve, we are learning that God treats us better than we deserve.

Later, however, Abram redeems himself somewhat by treating his ambitious nephew, Lot, with generosity. Abram allows Lot to occupy the better land around the city of Sodom, to pasture his growing herds. However, Lot gets drawn into local disputes, and he and all his wealth are captured in battle. Abram courageously risks everything to attack the army that has taken Lot captive. God honors Abram’s loyalty and gives him victory.

It will be generations before Abram’s family grows to the point where they can occupy the Promised Land, but right away Abram is beginning to learn about the God who has blessed him and called him to an amazing future.

Focus: The calling of Abram (later Abraham) demonstrates that God has decisively acted to make things right in the world he loves. He will continue to do so through the long story of Israel, the nation of Abram’s descendants, to whom he will uniquely reveal himself, and through whom he will reveal himself to the wider world.

Prayer: Father, we thank you for your patience and flexibility in revealing yourself to us. You know our minds and hearts and draw us into your presence in ways, grand and subtle, that we recognize and respond to. You even speak our language! Now, help us today to listen carefully! Amen.

Day 6 Genesis 15–17

January 6

Key Text: And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith. (Genesis 15:6)

God’s promise to bless the world has gotten off to an unpromising start. We saw Abram protect his own hide by pawning off his wife as his sister. Then, we met his nephew, Lot the opportunist. As they moved their livestock, Abram graciously negotiated with Lot about where to graze their respective herds. Lot was given first choice and chose the best grazing land. Thanks a lot, Lot!

Clearly, if God’s great Promise has any chance to move forward, it will not be through human merit, but through divine grace.

In chapter 15, God reassures Abram: Do not be afraid, Abram, for I will protect you, and your reward will be great (Genesis 15:1). But Abram expresses concern that his wife Sarai has not given him a son. This, of course, is a threat to the Promise that Abram will be the father of a great nation. God has Abram look up into the night sky and count the stars, saying, That’s how many descendants you will have!

In response to this object lesson, Abram has one of his best moments—a moment that resonates throughout the Old and New Testaments as a clear statement of the Gospel: And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith (Genesis 15:6).

This verse helps us understand how God can use an imperfect man like Abram to bring about his good purposes. Abram is counted as righteous not because he is worthy; he clearly is not. But he trusts in God who declares him worthy. Little does Abram know, as he stares into the night sky counting stars, that one day in the distant future God’s Promise will be fulfilled when a descendant with his DNA will die on a cross to make atonement for our sins.

Abram’s faith, therefore, is more than merely believing that God exists. He believes that God has spoken to him, revealing his purpose to make things right in the world. To that end he has promised to make Abram’s descendants into a great nation with its own land. Abram also believes that God is able to bring about his purpose despite human weakness, so he lives his life as if the Promise is in the bank. By faith, he has left his father’s family and his native country to go to the land that God has promised.

Nevertheless, his faith will waver along the way. God will need to reassure him many times when circumstances don’t seem to support the Promise. To make his intentions crystal clear, God formalizes his covenant with Abram by a covenant ceremony. In chapter 15, the ceremony is described—animals are offered and cut in half (making a covenant in Abram’s time was described as cutting a covenant). While Abram sleeps that night, the Lord speaks to him in a dream with more information about the distant future. His descendants will be enslaved for 400 years and then delivered—a reference to the Exodus. After that, the people will occupy the Promised Land.

Time drags on. Abram’s next test of faith comes when Sarai gets anxious about her inability to conceive a child in her old age. She persuades Abram to follow the cultural practice of having a child through a proxy wife—in this case Hagar, her Egyptian servant. God has told Abram repeatedly that his heir would be born to Sarai, but it now seems unlikely to happen. So they take matters into their own hands.

Their lack of faith, while understandable, creates a problem when a son, Ishmael, is born to Hagar. Sarai becomes jealous of Hagar, and Hagar in turn treats Sarai with contempt. Abram is forced to send Hagar and Ishmael away to live elsewhere.

Later, when Abram is ninety-nine years old, God appears to remind him of the covenant once again. Since Abram will be the father of a multitude of nations, God changes his name to Abraham, meaning father of many. Sarai’s name is also changed to Sarah, meaning princess. God insists that she will become the mother of many nations—a prediction that seems laughable to this old princess.

Abraham also laughs. With his faith weakening, he negotiates with God: "‘May Ishmael live under your special blessing!’ But God replied, ‘No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac [meaning he laughs], and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant’" (Genesis 17:18–19).

God will not punish Ishmael because of Abraham’s lack of faith. Ishmael will be blessed with many descendants who become a great nation—just not the family line of the Promise. To make things clear, the children of Abraham shall now be distinguished by the covenant mark of circumcision.

Focus: As Tim Keller explains the Gospel: We are more sinful and flawed in ourselves than we ever dared believe, yet at the very same time we are more loved and accepted in Jesus Christ than we ever dared hope. This wonderful news about grace is revealed by God in the Old Testament first. Some misunderstand the Old Testament, thinking that people then were made righteous by keeping the Law. But the Law was given much later, during the time of Moses, and as we shall see, it could not make anyone righteous anyway. We are saved by faith alone, through grace alone, all the way!

Prayer: Lord, it is as if the weight of the world is lifted off our shoulders! How wonderful to know that we are loved and accepted by you because of Christ, despite our sinfulness. We will rejoice in this Good News, and seek to share it with others. Amen!

Day 7 Reflection

January 7

After many years of waiting for the Promise of God to be fulfilled, Abraham still has no son by his wife Sarah. How can he possibly be the father of a great nation? Surrendering to anxiety, he goes to Plan B, Ishmael, thinking that God must help those who help themselves.

Abraham has failed the test of faith, but we can be sympathetic. Time and disappointment can grind down even the most faithful believer. Presumably, Abraham reasoned that he wasn’t so much disobeying God as giving him a hand. After all, Abraham was almost one hundred years old, and Sarah was in her nineties. Maybe God had overreached in his Promise.

So Abraham reaches for Hagar and, predictably, bad things follow (Genesis 16).

In response, God reveals himself to Abraham once again, this time as El-Shaddai—God Almighty. By this self-revelation, God reminds Abraham that he hasn’t forgotten his Promise. If he is mighty enough to create the universe, he is certainly mighty enough to make Sarah pregnant. But Abraham laughs at the ridiculous mental picture of a pregnant ninety-year-old.

Obviously, he still isn’t convinced. Instead, he pressures God to let Ishmael be the child of the Promise (Genesis 17:18–19). But God grabs Abraham by his shoulders (anthropomorphically speaking), looks him in the eye and says, No—Sarah, your wife, will give birth to a son for you. You will name him Isaac, and I will confirm my covenant with him and his descendants as an everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:19).

So God persists with Abraham. Nothing will keep him from accomplishing his purpose in creation.

We human beings, created in his image, have a special place in God’s heart. Together, as male and female, we are designed to live out God’s calling. From within the covenant union of marriage, husbands and wives will love one another, establish families, fill the earth with human life, create culture and serve as stewards of the earth.

This is so central to God’s purpose that, even when we turn against him and break his heart, he passionately pursues us with a promise to make things right again, no matter what it takes. He demonstrated this first through Noah and then through Abraham. It means that much to him.

Prayer: Father, we rejoice in the comforting truth that you are the Creator, Redeemer and present Lord of history. You are with us and keep us going as we journey through our brief time on earth. More than anything, in this preseason of everlasting life, we want to learn to love you, and one another. Thanks for moving us along, as you did Abraham. Help us to be patient. Amen!

Day 8 Genesis 18–20

January 8

Key Text: Then the Lord said to Abraham, Why did Sarah laugh? Why did she say, ‘Can an old woman like me have a baby?’ Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:13–14)

In chapter 18, three visitors come to Abraham and Sarah. Abraham recognizes them as angels from God—perhaps even God himself. They have come with three messages: First, Sarah will bear Abraham’s child within the year. Second, God’s promise that Abraham will become a mighty nation will certainly come to pass. And third, Sodom and Gomorrah, where Abraham’s nephew Lot and family are now living, will be destroyed.

The first announcement is met with a chuckle from Sarah: She laughed silently to herself and said, ‘How could a worn-out woman like me enjoy such pleasure, especially when my master—my husband—is also so old?’ (Genesis 18:12).

Circumstances seem to make God’s first promise impossible. But, let’s be honest, aren’t we all laughing with Sarah? It’s ridiculous. It simply isn’t going to happen!

Once again, we are asked to decide whether God is able to keep his promise, no matter how unlikely it seems. The angel asks: Is anything too hard for the Lord? (Genesis 18:14).

The second announcement is yet another affirmation of God’s Promise to Abraham. It is the seventh given to Abraham since chapter 12: Abraham will certainly become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth will be blessed through him. I have singled him out so that he will direct his sons and their families to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just (Genesis 18:18–19).

Clearly, Abraham and Sarah are being tested—tested until they giggle! But isn’t that the nature of faith? Until faith is tested, it really isn’t faith at all. Faith occurs in the moment when we are willing to trust God and keep moving forward in the absence of clear evidence—or even in the presence of evidence to the contrary.

Meanwhile, Abraham’s nephew, Lot, has taken a different path. He has been seduced by the moral depravity of Sodom. Depravity often seems sexier than goodness. Old Uncle Abraham’s life of faith must have seemed boring and ridiculous to Lot. Lot is a mover and a shaker. He would rather be unhinged than buttoned down, so he has made his move. He’s moved from the surrounding hills into the city of Sodom, jumping into its social life and seemingly determined to become a citizen. But the Lord tells Abraham, I have heard a great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah, because their sin is so flagrant (Genesis18:20).

We learn here that God’s patience has limits. He hears the tears of victims. When an individual, group, city or nation crosses a certain line, they invite God’s judgment. Before we roll our eyes again about God’s judgment, consider that even those who say today there is no right or wrong, have moral lines. They too flinch in the face of such evils as child abuse, terrorism or sexual trafficking. When these boundaries are crossed, we are moved to moral outrage and demand justice. If we who are sinners feel this way, how much more must Holy God?

After an investigation, it turns out that the great outcry from Sodom and Gomorrah is legitimate. God will move ahead with judgment. Lot and his family will be spared because of Abraham’s intercession, but with great difficulty because Lot doesn’t want to leave. He and his family are grabbed by God’s angels and rushed to safety outside the city, dragging their heels.

They are warned not to look back because God is going to destroy the cities by raining down fire and burning sulfur. But tragically, Lot’s wife is even more attached to city life than he is. She lags behind and looks back (perhaps considering going back?) and is killed by burning sulfur: She turned into a pillar of salt (Genesis 19:26).

Lot’s life subsequently continues its tragic moral decline, which includes alcohol abuse and incest. The influence of the cities have had its effect. Meanwhile, Abraham falls back to an old selfish deception when he perceives his life could be threatened by a king named Abimelech.

Focus: God reveals himself in the drama of human life. As the author of life, he inserts himself into the story, and then interacts with us based on choices we freely make. He variously encourages, reminds, disciplines, and rewards—but always motivated by love. What he wants more than anything is for us to trust in him.

Prayer: Lord, keep our minds and hearts focused on you lest we, like Lot, find ourselves pulled away by our sinful desires. Help us to be patient in our present circumstances and continue trusting you because, despite the obstacles in the way, nothing shall be impossible with you. Help us to laugh with joy, and not cynicism. Amen!

Day 9 Genesis 21–24

January 9

Key Text: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. (Genesis 22:16–17)

At long last, Abraham’s faith is rewarded and the tension is lifted. Chapter 21 begins, "The Lord kept his word and did for Sarah exactly what he had promised. She