Day 60 (Leviticus 5:14-7:10 | Mark 10:32-52 | Proverbs 6:12-19)

Day 60
Leviticus 5:14-7:10
(5:14-17 | 6 | 7:1-10)

God reveals to Moses the guilt offering. I'm sure there is a distinction between the guilt and sin offerings, and the nature of the transgressions that necessitate the offerings, but I'm not sure what that distinction is. God then tells Moses how the priests are to go about performing these offerings.

Day 59 (Leviticus 4:1-5:13 | Mark 10:13-31 | Psalm 27:9-14)

Day 59
Leviticus 4:1-5:13
(4 | 5:1-13)

God gives Moses a bunch of instructions regarding offerings for sin atonement. God acknowledges that his commandments are difficult to follow. People will eventually mess up. These sacrifices were how to make it up to God when that happens. As I said yesterday, sacrificing animals might seem barbaric, but it's an act of obedience. The existence of sin atonement did not, however, mean that the Israelites needn't heed the laws.

Another important thing to come out of this is an understanding of what Jesus did and why he did it. God demands unblemished animals as sacrifices. If the Jews are his people, how much more would the sacrifice of an unblemished and blameless Jew mean than the sacrifice of an animal? God knows that his laws are difficult to follow, and downright impossible without him in your life. Even with God we all mess up.

The Law was designed as an instrument to help us get closer to God. He knew it wouldn't work, so he established a way for people to be forgiven for messing up. In Jesus, God satisfies his own demands for atonement.

Mark 10:13-31
(10:13-31)

Jesus tells us we need to be like children - child-like, not childish! By that I think Jesus means we need to continue to be awe-struck by the size and majesty of God in the same way as a child is overwhelmed by the size of its parents relative to it. The desire to please one's parents, and fear of displeasing them also plays a role here.

But I feel the main characteristic Jesus wants us to adopt here is the one of lowliness; children were, and still are to a certain extent, fairly low in society - they did as they were told, or else. Jesus wants us to serve one another - to act in the interest of God and of others before our own.

Again we hear the story of Jesus telling a rich man to sell all his stuff and give to the poor, and of the rich man's crestfallen response. The most important aspect of the story is his saying that all this is possible only with God in your life.

Psalm 27:9-14
(27:9-14)

Verse 14: Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. I'm not sure if this was meant to edify the psalmist, or if the psalm was intended to encourage others, but it's sound advice. When all around you is going to pot, it's difficult to see God, and you can grow impatient at his perceived lack of movement. Just take David's advice; wait on the LORD.

Day 58 (Leviticus 1-3 | Mark 9:33-10:12 | Psalm 27:1-6)

Day 58
Leviticus 1-3
(1 | 2 | 3)

The start of Leviticus here deals with offerings and the protocol behind them.

Burnt offerings and fellowship offerings involve the slaughter of a young animal from your flock. The burnt offering must be a male without defect. It can be from your herd of cows, flock of sheep or goats, a dove or a pigeon. The fellowship offering can be either male or female, but it has to be without defect.

Day 57 (Exodus 39-40 | Mark 9:1-32 | Psalm 26:1-12)

Day 57
Exodus 39-40
(39 | 40)

The priestly garments for Aaron and his sons are made next. When they saw the robes, they must've wondered what on Earth they'd done to deserve them, especially the High Priest's garments. So much work had gone into making them, and so many people had volunteered the materials to be used.

For more on the garments, go here.

Day 56 (Exodus 37-38 | Mark 8:14-21 | Proverbs 6:1-11)

Day 56
Exodus 37-38
(37 | 38)

This passage describes the construction of more of what God ordered built.

As I've mentioned before, I find this a little boring to read. There's little going on, and the language is very repetitive. All this makes what actually happens even more amazing!

Day 55 (Exodus 35-36 | Mark 7:31-8:13 | Psalm 25:16-22)

Day 55
Exodus 35-36
(35 | 36)

Moses starts by explaining the Sabbath rules; work for six days, rest on the seventh. No work is to be done on the seventh day, not even lighting a fire, upon pain of death.

Day 54 (Exodus 33:7-34:35 | Mark 7:1-30 | Psalm 25:8-15)

Day 54
Exodus 33:7-34:35
(33:7-23 | 34)

Moses has another tent of meeting (all lower case) outside the Israelite camp which he uses to meet with God. Moses begs God to travel with the Israelites to the Promised Land. (In yesterday's passage, God said he wouldn't travel with them for fear of destroying them in anger.)

Day 53 (Exodus 31:1-33:6 | Mark 6:30-56 | Psalm 25:1-7)

Day 53
Exodus 31:1 - 33:6 
(31 | 32 | 33:1-6)

God names two men - Bezalel and Oholiab - as two craftsmen he has given the ability to do the work he requires. He says he has given various other men the ability to complete these works too. God also declares that the Israelites are to keep the Sabbath holy - they are to do this by abstaining from work on the Sabbath. The punishment for anyone caught breaking this law is death.

Day 52 (Exodus 29-30 | Mark 6:6b - 29 | Proverbs 5:15-23)

So, you might have noticed the distinct lack of blog action here since the middle of August. This happened for various reasons which I won't go into here. But the further behind I got, the harder it became for me to start it all back up again. So I've decided not to bother trying to catch up with where I should be. This is now day 52, and I'm continuing as usual from here. Hope that's okay with everyone, 'cause I'm doing it anyway.

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Day 52
Exodus 29-30
(29 - 30)

God lays down the method for consecrating Aaron and his sons as priests; this consecration process might seem wasteful, ritualistic and barbaric to our modern sensibilities, but not so for the Israelites, who were used to the idea of making sacrifices. Apart from anything else, this whole thing is about obedience to the LORD; doing it because God wants you to, and because you want to draw close to him.

Day 51 (Exodus 27-28 | Mark 5:21-6:6a | Psalm 24)

Day 51
Exodus 27:1-28:43
(27 | 28)

The instructions for the tabernacle's furnishings continue; this time for the altar, its huge courtyard and the lampstand (and the oil needed for it). The instructions continue to include the priestly clothing for Aaron and his sons. As the head priest, Aaron's clothing is much more ornate and elaborate than that of his sons.

Day 50 (Exodus 25-26 | Mark 4:30-5:20 | Psalm 23)

Day 50
Exodus 25:1-26:37
(25 | 26)

God tells Moses to get the Israelites to commence a huge undertaking. He tells him to get the Israelites to make him a sanctuary so he could dwell among them. He gives Moses very specific and detailed instructions on how the sanctuary and its furnishings should be made, and which materials should be used to make it.

Day 49 (Exodus 23-24 | Mark 3:31-4:29 | Psalm 22:22-31)

Day 49
Exodus 23:1-24:18
(23 | 24)

More laws are revealed to Moses. The first set of laws are to do with justice; specifically they're to do with corruption and avoiding injustice. The next set of laws are headlined as the Sabbath laws, probably because they both follow the same theme - six on, one off. The first law says that you should sow and work a field for six years, and leave it for the seventh to allow the poor somewhere to sow and harvest. In the same way, you're only to work six days and take the seventh off. This is to allow your animals and workforce time off to refresh themselves and recover.

Day 48 (Exodus 21-22 | Mark 2:18-3:30 | Proverbs 5:1-14)

Day 48
Exodus 21:1-22:31
(21 | 22)

These two chapters here cover social laws for the Israelites. A great deal of them don't sit very well with me. The law about what happens if you strike a slave, for example. (For the record, as long as they're able to walk after a day or two, it's fine.) Of course, a lot of the laws written here are only relevant in context, and wouldn't seem to apply any more.

Day 47 (Exodus 19-20 | Mark 1:29-2:17 | Psalm 22:12-21)

Day 47
Exodus 19:1-20:26
(19 | 20)

Exactly three months after leaving Egypt, the Israelites enter the Desert of Sinai, and set up camp in front of the mountain, Mount Sinai.

Day 46 (Exodus 17-18 | Mark 1:1-28 | Psalm 22:1-11)

Day 46
Exodus 17:1-18:27
(17 | 18)

Despite the fact that the LORD had already demonstrated his faithfulness to the people of Israel through the provision of manna, the Israelites get in an argument with Moses, again about the lack of water available to drink. Again, the Israelites blame Moses for the fact their lives are lacking something.

Day 45 (Exodus 15-16 | Matthew 28 | Psalm 21:8-13)

Day 45
Exodus 15:1-16:36
(15 | 16)

It's amazing how quickly a crowd's opinion can change. At the start of chapter 15, the Israelites are singing praise to God. At first, it seems a bit odd; the Israelites seem to be rejoicing that their Egyptian pursuers had been drowned. But then the song goes on to glorify God for the way he saved the Israelites, and demonstrates the Israelites' confidence in him for the future.

Day 44 (Exodus 13-14 | Matthew 27:45-66 | Proverbs 4:20-27)

Day 44
Exodus 13:1-14:31
(13 | 14)

The passage starts with God laying claim to every firstborn male - whether human or animal. Moses explains that every firstborn male must be redeemed before the LORD because of what God did in Egypt; every firstborn male throughout Egypt was struck down as he passed through Egypt. It was because of this that Pharaoh finally allowed the Israelites to leave. Moses gives the Israelites an outline of how they are to commemorate their coming out of Egypt every year.

Day 43 (Exodus 11-12 | Matthew 27:11-44 | Psalm 21:1-7)

Day 43
Exodus 11:1-12:51
(11 | 12)

The LORD tells Moses of the final plague he will bring against Egypt; the plague on the firstborn. Moses reports to Pharaoh that unless the Israelites are allowed to leave, the LORD will go throughout the land at midnight, and every single firstborn son throughout Egypt - from the firstborn son of the Pharaoh to the firstborn of the cattle -  will die. However, the LORD will distinguish between Egyptians and Israelites. No one will be harmed amongst the Israelites.

Day 42 (Exodus 9-10 | Matthew 26:69-27:10 | Psalm 20)

Day 42
Exodus 9:1-10:29
(9 | 10)

Aaron and Moses put a simple request to Pharaoh: let the Israelites go out into the desert to worship the LORD their God. God hardens Pharaoh's heart, and he refuses, and continues to refuse the request. So God brings a succession of plagues against Egypt. Four of the plagues were in yesterday's passage; the plagues of blood, frogs, gnats and flies.

Day 41 (Exodus 6:13-8:32 | Matthew 26:47-68 | Psalm 19:7-14)

Day 41
Exodus 6:13-8:32
(6:13-30 | 7 | 8)

God commands Moses and his brother Aaron to take the Israelites out of Egypt. The lineage of Moses and Aaron is explained, and it is demonstrated that they are great-grandsons of Levi. Interestingly, when the heads of the families of the Israelites in Egypt are named, only three tribes are named; Reuben, Simeon and Levi. Now, I'm not sure if this is meant to demonstrate that these three tribes were ahead of the rest of the tribes. If not, it seems strange to only mention these three tribes.

Day 40 (Exodus 4:1-6:12 | Matthew 26:31-46 | Proverbs 4:10-19)

Day 40
Exodus 4:1-6:12
(4 | 5 | 6:1-12)

Moses is concerned that the people won't believe him, and that they won't listen to God's message because of this. So God gives Moses various signs to perform in front of the people; in the first, Moses's staff is turned into a snake; in the second Moses's hand is made leprous, and then healed again. A third sign, only to be used in the event that the first two are not believed, involves water from the Nile turning into blood when it is poured on the ground. Moses has another problem; he's not a very good speaker. So God recruits Moses's brother, Aaron, to speak for Moses.

Day 39 (Exodus 1-3 | Matthew 26:1-30 | Psalm 19:1-6)

Day 39
Exodus 1:1-3:22
(1 | 2 | 3)

Towards the end of Genesis when the nation of Israel (Jacob and his family) head to Egypt, it is already a fairly large group; Jacob's eleven sons, their wives and their children number seventy in total. Joseph, the twelfth son, and his family are already established in Egypt, but still add to the number of Israelites in Egypt. By the time the first generation of Israelites in Egypt have died, the number of them has increased massively. So when a new Pharaoh comes to power, he's afraid of them. He's unaware of Joseph and everything he did for Egypt. What he is aware of is the number of foreigners living in his land, and the fact that their number just keeps increasing. He's afraid they do not have any loyalty to their host nation.

Day 38 (Job 40:3-42:17 | Matthew 25:14-46 | Psalm 18:43-50)

Day 38
Job 40:3-42:17
(40:3-24 | 41 | 42)

After God's questions to Job in yesterday's passage, Job is predictably shocked. He replies that he is unworthy of responding, and tries to leave it at that.

Day 37 (Job 38:1-40:2 | Matthew 24:32-25:13 | Psalm 18:37-42)

Day 37
Job 38:1-40:2
(38 | 39 | 40:1-2)

As soon as Elihu finishes speaking, God enters the conversation. The first thing he says is, "who is this that darkens my counsel with words without knowledge? Brace yourself like a man; I will question you and you shall answer me" (38:2-3), and the last thing he says is, "will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" This must've been absolutely terrifying for Job!

Day 36 (Job 35:1-37:24 | Matthew 24:1-31 | Proverbs 4:1-9)

Day 36
Job 35:1-37:24
(35 | 36 | 37)


Elihu claims God ignores the wicked when they cry out because of their arrogance. Elihu further claims that God is more likely to ignore Job because he reckons he can't see God move, nor does he think God takes any action against the wicked. Elihu goes on to say that God doesn't hate men, and that actually the reason Job doesn't see what God is doing is because he has the wrong perspective; God isn't keeping the wicked alive, rather he preserves the rights of those afflicted by the wicked.

Day 35 (Job 33-34 | Matthew 23 | Psalm 18:25-36)

Day 35
Job 33:1-34:37
(33 | 34)

Elihu starts by saying they're the same; both he and Job have been brought up from the clay. So they should not fear each other. Elihu then asks, legitimately, how Job can say that God doesn't answer prayers. He says that God does answer, it's just that people might not realise it. He goes on to say that God does redeem men when they don't deserve it because he doesn't want them cast into the pit any more than they want to be.

Day 34 (Job 30-32 | Matthew 22:15-46 | Psalm 18:16-24)

Day 34
Job 30:1-32:22
(30 | 31 | 32)

In chapter 29, Job went on about how people used to respect him. In chapter 30, he speaks about how people treat him now, after his apparent fall from grace. He laments the fact that God doesn't seem to be answering his cries for help. But in all this, and throughout chapter 31, he continues to insist he is innocent.

Day 33 (Job 25-29 | Matthew 21:33-22:14 | Psalm 18:7-15)

Day 33
Job 25:1-29:25
(25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29)


Bildad continues the trend of being deeply unhelpful by essentially saying God is so powerful and awesome that man surely has no chance of being righteous in God's eyes. Job calls him out on this with his beautifully sarcastic reply in 26:2-4. Job goes on to list some of the works of God, saying they're only on the fringes of his works. Who can truly understand God and his power?

Day 32 (Job 22-24 | Matthew 21:18-32 | Proverbs 3:21-35)

Day 32
Job 22:1-24:25
(22 | 23 | 24)

Eliphaz pipes up with another deeply unhelpful contribution. First, he questions whether or not it actually genuinely makes a difference to God whether or not our walks are righteous - does it actually benefit him, does he gain anything? Eliphaz then does what none of Job's friends have done up to now - he outright accuses Job of sinning. He also tells Job how to get back into God's good books:

"Submit to God and be at peace with him; in this way prosperity will come to you" (22:21)
"If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored" (22:23)

Day 31 (Job 19-21 | Matthew 21:1-17 | Psalm 18:1-6)

Day 31
Job 19:1-21:34
(19 | 20 | 21)

Job remains unconvinced that he's actually done anything wrong. But if he has, he believes that that's his problem, that his friends shouldn't be concerned about that. They should be concerned about God's judgement on their own lives first and foremost. Additionally, his friends should be pitying him not trying to bring him down further, he argues. Job laments everything he's lost. Yet even in this, he continues to exalt God, and looks forward to the day when they can meet.

Day 30 (Job 15-18 | Matthew 20:20-34 | Psalm 17:13-15)

Day 30
Job 15:1-18:21
(15 | 16 | 17 | 18)


Eliphaz questions Job's wisdom in saying everything he has so far; by doing what he's doing, he's making things worse for himself. He goes on to say that since man is inherently corrupt, how can God trust him? The rest of his argument seems to be that implying that Job must have done something wrong, as God punishes the unjust.

Day 29 (Job 11-14 | Matthew 20:1-19 | Psalm 17:6-12)

Day 29
Job 11:1-14:22
(11 | 12 | 13 | 14)

A third friend of Job's, Zophar the Naamathite, then pipes up. I'm not 100% sure, but I think his argument is pretty much that Job must have done something wrong, whether he's willing to admit it or not. God seems to already have decided that Job has done something wrong, who is he to argue with God's judgement? Zophar's advice is to identify the sin and remove it from his life. Once he's done that, he'll back in with God.

Day 28 (Job 8-10 | Matthew 19:16-30 | Proverbs 3:11-20)

Day 28
Job 8:1-10:22
(8 | 9 | 10)

Another of Job's friends, Bildad the Shuhite, seizes the opportunity to speak. Bildad's argument seems to be that Job must somehow deserve what he is going through:

"Does God pervert justice? Does the Almighty pervert what is right?" (8:3) 

Bildad's advice is this; plead your case with God. If you're truly blameless, God will come in on your side. After all, "God does not reject a blameless man" (v. 20).

Day 27 (Job 4-7 | Matthew 19:1-15 | Psalm 17:1-5)

Day 27
Job 4:1-7:21
(4 | 5 | 6 | 7)


If you've ever read Job before, you'll know this is where the book starts getting unnecessarily wordy. It can be a bit difficult to wade through at times, and nigh on impossible to actually comprehend at others. I can't say that any notes I write will actually make anything any better. In fact, they might make matters even more convoluted. I'm going to try anyway; it might actually help me make sense of what's going on!

Day 26 (Job 1-3 | Matthew 18:10-35 | Psalm 16)

Day 26
Job 1:1-3:26
(1 | 2 | 3)
Job is a man who has everything. He has ten children, thousands of livestock and loads of servants. More than that, he fears the LORD. He frequently made sacrifices of atonement for his kids, just in case they had sinned in their hands. He is a righteous and upright man.
One day, God starts boasting to Satan about Job. Satan argues that Job is only the way he is because God has provided so much for him. God allows Satan control of Job's life, but prohibits him from harming Job physically.

Day 25 (Genesis 49-50 | Matthew 17:14-18:9 | Psalm 15)

Day 25
Genesis 49:1-50:26
(49 | 50)

Jacob summons his twelve sons. He is about to die, but before he does, he wants to bless each of his sons. He speaks words over each over them, some more positive than others. Joseph, for example, receives a positive word, and is told various blessings will rest on him. Meanwhile Reuben, Jacob's eldest son, is told he will no longer excel due to the fact that he slept with Bilhah, Rachel's maid; Reuben is the son of Leah, so he is no blood relative of Bilhah's. However, the fact that Jacob had slept with her first (she gave birth to Dan and Naphtali) made this act detestable. Jacob then made his sons promise that they would bury him with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah in the cave in the field Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite.

Day 24 (Genesis 47:13-48:22 | Matthew 16:21-17:13 | Proverbs 3:1-10)

Day 24
Genesis 47:13-48:22
(47:13-31 | 48)

The famine throughout Egypt and Canaan is so severe that the people have run out of money with which to buy grain from Joseph. It seemed a little mean to ask them to pay for the food in the first place, but that's not the point. The Egyptians then bring their livestock in exchange for food. When even that runs out, they sell their land and themselves to Pharaoh.  Joseph gives the people seeds so they can plant crops so that they won't die, and the land wouldn't become desolate. When doing so, he stipulates that the people had to give up a fifth of any harvest to the Pharaoh. So now all the land in Egypt and, presumably, Canaan belongs to Pharaoh, as do all of their respective peoples and livestock. With the exception, that is, of the priests, whom the Pharaoh provided for. Presumably, the Israelites are also exempt as Joseph had promised to provide for his family.

Day 23 (Genesis 45-47:12 | Matthew 16:1-20 | Psalm 14)

Day 23
Genesis 45:1-47:12
(45 | 46 | 47:1-12)


Joseph has had his fun, and decides now is the time to reveal who he really he is. He sends all his servants out, and tells his brothers who he is, crying very loudly. His brothers are in shock, and a little bit terrified. Understandably, I think, as they probably believed Joseph really was dead after thirteen years of slavery in Egypt. Eventually, Joseph's brothers accept that he really is Joseph, and they all hug each other. Joseph tells his brothers to go back to Canaan to get Jacob, and to move the entire household to Egypt; the seven year famine has another five years to run, but Joseph can provide for them in Egypt.

Day 22 (Genesis 43-44 | Matthew 15:10-39 | Psalm 13)

Day 22
Genesis 43:1-44:34
(43 | 44)

I don't know how much grain Jacob's sons bought and took back to Canaan with them, but it soon runs out. When it does, Jacob tells his sons to go back to Egypt and buy more, Judah replies that the Egyptian official had told them that unless the nine brothers returned with their youngest brother, Benjamin, they would not see him, or their brother Simeon again. Jacob eventually agrees to send Benjamin along with the brothers to Egypt. He sends them with gifts and double the amount of silver, so they can give back the silver they worry was placed back in their bags by mistake.

Day 21 (Genesis 41:41-42:38 | Matthew 14:22-15:9 | Psalm 12)

Day 21
Genesis 41:41-42:38
(41:41-57 | 42)

Pharaoh recognises that God is with Joseph, so he puts Joseph in charge of the whole of Egypt. Only the Pharaoh himself is higher than Joseph in Egypt. So Joseph goes about ensuring God's plan is put in to action throughout Egypt; in the seven years of abundance, he ensures that a fifth of the harvest is stored away in reserve for the seven years of famine. The land produces plentifully, so a lot of produce is stored away - so much so that Joseph gives up on trying to record how much has been stored. During this time, Pharaoh gives Joseph a wife, a woman named Asenath. They have two sons - Manasseh and Ephraim. The seven years of famine follow hot on the heals of the seven years of abundance. When the whole of Egypt begins to be effected by the famine, they turn to Pharaoh for help. He directs them to Joseph. Joseph opens up the stores, and starts selling the stored grain to the Egyptian people.

Day 20 (Genesis 40-41:40 | Matthew 14:1-21 | Proverbs 2:12-22)

Day 20
Genesis 40:1-41:40
(40 | 41:1-40)

Pharaoh throws a bit of a temper tantrum, and has his chief cup bearer and chief baker thrown in prison. They are placed under Joseph's care. After an unspecified amount of time, both men have dreams, and neither know what they mean. So Joseph interprets their dreams for them. He tells the cup bearer that Pharaoh will release and elevate him back to his previous position in three days. He tells the chief baker that Pharaoh will have him hanged in three days. Both of Joseph's interpretations turn out to be correct, but the cup bearer completely forgets about Joseph.

Day 19 (Genesis 38-39 | Matthew 13:26-58 | Psalm 11)

Day 19
Genesis 38:1-39:23
(38 | 39)

Judah, one of Jacob's sons, leaves his ten remaining brothers and goes to stay with a man named Hirah. While there, he meets the daughter of a man named Shua. The name of his daughter isn't given, but Judah marries her and sleeps with her. They have three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. Judah finds a wife for Er, a woman named Tamar. But Er is wicked in God's eyes, so he is killed. Judah then tried to give Tamar to Onan, telling him to get her pregnant to have children for his brother. But Onan, realising any children would be his brothers and not his, spills his semen on the ground every time he sleeps with her. God sees this, considers it wicked and kills him too. Judah only has one son left, and he's afraid that Shelah will end up dead like his brothers.

Day 18 (Genesis 36-37 | Matthew 13:18-35 | Psalm 10:12-18)

Day 18
Genesis 36:1-37:36
(36 | 37)

Jacob and Esau are both prosperous men, and they both have a lot of livestock and possessions in general. The land can't support them both, so Esau decides to leave the area and settle in the hill country of Seir. Esau becomes the father of the Edomite people. Chapter 37 pretty much just lists his descendants.

Day 17 (Genesis 34-35 | Matthew 12:46-13:17 | Psalm 10:1-11)

Day 17
Genesis 34:1-35:29
(34 | 35)

Jacob has a daughter by Leah, and she is named Dinah. One day, Dinah heads out to visit some of the women of the land. The area is ruled by a man named Hamor the Hivite. His son, Shechem, sees her, takes her and rapes her. He then falls in love with her, and asks his father to get her as a wife for him. When Dinah's eleven brothers find out what happened, they are quite understandably stricken with grief and anger. So when Hamor and Shechem come to Jacob to propose an intermarriage agreement, and, more specifically, to ask for Dinah to be given to Shechem as a wife, Jacob's sons tell them that they'll agree on one condition; that all of their males be circumcised. They argue that it would disgrace them if they were to give their sister to an uncircumcised man. Hamor and Shechem agree, and put the proposal forward to the people in their city. It seemed a reasonable sacrifice to make; they'd all be circumcised, but by intermarrying, they'd gain so much more. So all the men in the city are circumcised.

Day 16 (Genesis 32-33 | Matthew 12:22-45 | Proverbs 2:1-11)

Day 16
Genesis 32:1-33:20
(32 | 33)

When God tells Jacob to leave Laban and head back to his father's household, he's more than happy to obey. But there's one problem; his brother Esau who had sworn to kill him. Jacob sends a messenger ahead to Esau to try to placate him. When the messenger returns to Jacob with news that his brother is coming to greet him with 400 men, Jacob panics. He thinks that Esau is going to kill him, his wives and children, which is a legitimate concern. He decides the best way forward is to send servants ahead with herds of his cattle as a gift to pacify his brother. Jacob spends the night alone in the camp, sending everyone, including his wives and children ahead of him.

Day 15 (Genesis 31 | Matthew 12:1-21 | Psalm 9:13-20)

Day 15
Genesis 31:1-55
 (31)

So it turns out I was wrong yesterday; it was God who was influencing the strength and the frequency of the sheep and goats Laban decided to pay Jacob with. Jacob wasn't influencing much by himself. I wasn't the only one to think that, though. At the very start of the chapter, Laban's sons are overheard saying that Jacob is profiting from what he essentially stole from Laban. Jacob also notices that his cousin's attitude towards him has cooled somewhat. After consulting with his wives, he decides to head back to his father's household, taking his wives, children and possessions with him. Jacob also decides to leave without notifying Laban. Three days later, Laban notices and heads out after Jacob. Laban eventually catches up to Jacob's party, and expresses understandable annoyance at not being able to say goodbye to his daughters and grandchildren. Jacob replies that he was afraid Laban would take his daughters back by force should he try to leave - a reasonable assumption given Laban's history of deception when it comes to his daughters.

Day 14 (Genesis 29-30 | Matthew 11:16-30 | Psalm 9:7-12)

Day 14
Genesis 29:1-30:43
(29 | 30)

In these chapters, both Jacob and his cousin, Laban, show themselves to not be trustworthy. First of all, Jacob says he will work for his cousin for 7 years with his only wages being Laban's youngest daughter, Rachel. Jacob wants to marry Rachel, and Laban agrees. However, after 7 years, Laban gives Jacob his eldest daughter, Leah, instead. Jacob only finds out after he and Leah had consummated their marriage.

Day 13 (Genesis 27-28 | Matthew 10:32-11:15 | Psalm 9:1-6)

Day 13
Genesis 27:1-28:22
(27 | 28)

If nothing else, these two chapters prove that God will use anyone to further his plans; it doesn't matter what we think of them, if God wants to use them, he will use them. Jacob demonstrates this perfectly. We saw yesterday how he acquired his brother Esau's birthrights in exchange for a meal. In today's reading he tricks his father into giving him a blessing intended for Esau. By this stage, Isaac's eyesight has gone, so he relies on his senses of smell and touch. Isaac tells Esau to go and hunt some game for him, and to prepare a delicious meal for him so that he can bless him. When Rebekah hears this, she tells Jacob to go get two goats from the herd from which she can prepare a meal for her husband so that Jacob will get his blessing. Jacob does this, as well as covering his hands and arms with goat pelt to deceive his father into thinking they were hairy like Esau's, and wearing some of Esau's clothes so that he would smell like his brother. When he takes a meal to his father, Isaac falls for the trick, and blesses Jacob, making him lord over his brothers. Esau returns not long after, and is absolutely furious when he hears what his brother has done.

Day 12 (Genesis 25-26 | Matthew 10:1-31 | Proverbs 1:20-33)

Day 12
Genesis 25:1-26:35
(25 | 26)

Chapter 25 sees God's promises to Abraham start to be fulfilled. First of all, Keturah (Abraham's second wife) gives him several children. Some of their children are listed, and the descendants of one of his grandchildren, Dedan, are said to be three different tribes. Secondly, we see Ishmael has twelve children, all of whom become separate tribe leaders. Thirdly, we see Isaac has two sons - Esau and Jacob. Everyone knows you're not supposed to have favourite children, but Isaac and Rebekah did; Isaac favoured Esau, while Rebekah favoured Jacob. Interestingly, we see at this early stage that Jacob is being set up as a bit of a scoundrel. Esau asks Jacob for some food. Jacob agrees to give him food in exchange for his birthrights; this hardly seems fair, especially as they're brothers. But Esau agrees, and Jacob gets Esau's birthrights.

Day 11 (Genesis 24 | Matthew 9:14-38 | Psalm 8)

Day 11
Genesis 24:1-67
(24)

To modern, western eyes, this story might seem a bit absurd. Abraham asks a servant to leave Canaan and go back to Abraham's home land to find a wife for Isaac. Abraham tells the servant that he has to bring the woman back with him, and that if she refuses to come back with him, he is released from the agreement. Under no circumstances is he to take Isaac out of Canaan, as this was the land the LORD had promised to give Abraham's descendants.

Day 10 (Genesis 21-23 | Matthew 8:23-9:13 | Psalm 7:10-17)

Day 10
Genesis 21:1-23:20
(21 | 22 | 23)

The start of the chapter sees God's promise to Abraham and Sarah fulfilled; Sarah gives birth to a boy, and he is given the name Isaac. Skipping ahead slightly to chapter 22, God asks Abraham to do the unthinkable; God asks him to sacrifice Isaac to him as a burnt offering. God asks Abraham to kill his son. I don't know how Abraham felt about the whole thing, but he probably wasn't best pleased; God had promised him that his descendants through Isaac would become a great nation, and that they would be numerous than the stars in the night sky.

Day 9 (Genesis 19-20 | Matthew 7:24-8:22 | Psalm 7:1-9)

Day 9
Genesis 19:1-20:18
(19 | 20)

Genesis 19 is really not a very nice chapter. Two of God's angels turn up in Sodom and are taken in by Lot. The men of Sodom all turn up wanting to have rape the two newcomers. It doesn't say whether the men know Lot's guests are angels, but I think it's doubtful, and probably irrelevant anyway. Lot offers up his virgin daughters to the gang of men, but they want the two angels. The gang of men is struck down by blindness, and the angels warn Lot to take his wife, daughters and their fiancés away from Sodom, as the angels intend to destroy it. Only Lot, his wife and their daughters make it out before the city is destroyed. I find the story disturbing because I'm used to reading about the God who is love; the God who so loved the world that he sent his only son to die on a cross for my sins and yours. I find it difficult to reconcile the God of this story with that God.

Day 8 (Genesis 17-18 | Matthew 6:25-7:23 | Proverbs 1:8-19)

Day 8

Today's passages speak a lot about God's promises, our trust in him, and our allegiance to him. In Genesis, Abraham is still learning to trust in God's promises. At his age, he's not sure if he believes God will come good on it, and Sarah certainly doesn't. In Matthew, Jesus is trying to teach us to walk in God's ways, and that when we do while trusting in God for provision, he will deliver. The proverb is a short and sweet promise about what will happen if you ally yourself with sinners instead of God.

Day 7 (Genesis 14-16 | 5:43-6:24 | Psalm 6)

I can't believe a week has gone already. It doesn't seem like that much time should have passed. Oh well.

Day 7
Genesis 14:1-16:16
(14 | 15 | 16)

Lot is really quite unlucky here. A battle takes place between two groups of allied kings, two of whom are the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah. When these two kings fled the battlefield, the kings of the victorious allegiance seized the towns' goods and food, and left. They also seized Lot and his property. Luckily for Lot, someone managed to escape and tell Abram. Abram immediately gathered a group of his own men and set out to find Lot. Eventually, he managed to recover both Lot and his possessions. Melchizedek, another king who, just to confuse matters, wasn't actually involved in the conflict in any way as far as I can tell, blesses Abram and thanks God for delivering Abram's enemies to him. Abram gives him a tenth of everything he has, and then refuses to take anything from the king of Sodom because he promised the LORD that he wouldn't. I have to say, I don't really understand why that is. Presumably, it made just as little sense to Abram, but he kept his promise anyway.

Day 6 (Genesis 11:10-13:18 | Matthew 5:21-42 | Psalm 5)

Day 6
Genesis 11:10-13:18
(11:10-32 | 12 | 13)

It must be nice, as a Biblical translator, when you come across passages like Genesis 11:12-26. Verses 12-26 follow pretty much exactly the same format in chunks of two verses. The only exception is verse 26, which only deviates slightly, and doesn't have a partner verse. These verses detail the descendants of Shem, Noah's son, and show the direct line between him and Abram. From this point on, the focus shifts on to Abram who, along with his nephew Lot, his wife Sarai, and his father Terah, settled together in a place called Haran.

Day 5 (Genesis 9:18-11:9 | Matthew 4:23-5:20 | Psalm 4)

Day 5
Genesis 9:18-11:9
(9:18-29 | 10 | 11:1-9)

I must admit I'm struggling to understand the latter part of chapter 9. So Noah has three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. One day, Noah was drinking wine he'd made in his own vineyard, got drunk and fell asleep naked in his tent. Ham saw this, so he told his two brothers. They responded by getting an item of clothing and laying it across their naked father. They walked into the tent backwards, so they wouldn't see his nakedness. When Noah woke up and found out what Ham had done, he cursed Ham's youngest son, Canaan, and declared that Canaan would be the lowest of slaves to his brothers, and to his uncles. I don't know about you, but that seems a bit harsh to me. I can understand Noah being annoyed with Ham for gossiping instead of trying to preserve his father's dignity. So surely you'd curse him. Or maybe his eldest son. But he cursed his youngest son. It just doesn't make sense to me. If anyone has an explanation, I'd love to hear it.

Day 4 (Genesis 7:1-9:17 | Matthew 4:1-22 | Proverbs 1:1-7)

Day 4
Genesis 7:1-9:17
(7 | 8 | 9:1-17)

One of the most remarkable things about the story of Noah is the amount of time he has to collect all the creatures he has to put in the ark; 7 days. And it's not just 2 of each either. For some times of animal, it's 7. For birds, it's 7. For this reason, I imagine this is another one of those cases where professional theologians could argue for hours about whether or not this story actually happened. If it didn't, is it meant to simply be a tale of God's wrath in his wiping out of near enough all life he created, and of his mercy as he saves a small number of his creation and tasks them with starting over, and then of love as he promises to never wipe out all life again? I don't know the answer, and I don't know what I think the answer might be.

Day 3 (Genesis 4:17-6:22 | Matthew 2:19-3:17 | Psalm 3)

Day 3
Genesis 4:17-6:22
(4:17-26 | 5 | 6)

Verses 17-24 of chapter four deal with a brief exploration of Cain's line, right down to his great-great-great-grandson (I think) Lamech who boldly declares that although he killed a man, because anyone who murdered Cain would suffer vengeance seven times over, anyone who murdered Lamech would suffer vengeance seventy seven times over. I'm not sure I follow his logic, but never mind. The final two verses speak about Adam and Eve having a third son, Seth, who Adam believed was a granted by God as a result for the murdered Abel. Interesting interpretation.

Day 2 (Genesis 2:18-4:16 | Matthew 2:1-18 | Psalm 2)

I made it to day 2! Yes!

Day 2
Genesis 2:18-4:16
(2:18-25 | 3 | 4:1-16)

The second part of Genesis 2 has always been fascinating to me, simply because of the imagery it inspires. Firstly, God brought all the animals he had created to the man so that he could name them. I can see it now; "What should I name this creature? Well, it's black with white splodges, so I think I'll call it 'cow'." Obviously. There's also the imagery of God sending the man to sleep so that he could remove one of his ribs and use to create a woman. I love the poetry of it. This is also the first time that it is indicated that humanity is meant to be in relationship (verse 18: 'The LORD God said, "it is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper for him"').

Intro / Day 1 (Genesis 1:1-2:17 | Matthew 1 | Psalm 1)

A brief introduction before I start. I suck at reading the Bible. I have tried and failed to stick to Bible reading plans in the past. This year, I intend to do it differently. This year, I'm going to attempt to read the NIV Soul Survivor Bible in One Year. I've chosen this plan because I already have the book. Throughout the year, I might throw in verses from different translations.

I've also chosen to blog about my Bible reading this coming year. There are a few different reasons for this, but mostly it's to keep me accountable. I realise that this will be posted on 25 June, but it's actually for 24 June. Get over it.

So, without further ado...