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Genesis 1:1-2:25 + Matthew 1:1-2:12 + Psalm 1:1-6 + Proverbs 1:1-6
~ Click here to read today's Scripture on Bible Gateway ~
~ Listen to today's Scripture with Tom Dooley’s terrific NLT 1996 readings at this link or The ESV Bible: OT + NT + Psalms, +Proverbs ~
Old Testament - Happy New Year! Welcome to the beginning of our One Year Bible journey in 2023! Today we begin with the book of Genesis!
~Genesis~
Author: Moses
Date: 1420 or 1220 B.C.
Content: The book of Genesis was written to explain how everything began; in fact, the very title Genesis means “origin” or “beginning”. It explains that God created the universe, how man was created and placed in a perfect environment, how sin began, and how God provided salvation for lost man. The beginning of human history is described, the beginning of arts and crafts, how human languages began, and where the various nations came from. The focus then shifts to the beginning of the Hebrew people with Abraham, followed by the histories of Isaac, Jacob and his sons, and the book ends with Joseph in Egypt.
Theme: The main idea that runs through the book is that although God made everything good, man’s sin has spoiled it. God has not given up, but is now in search of man to save him. The overall control of God is stressed, and special attention is given to how God directs history for the good of his people and their salvation. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 1) A wonderful commentary on the book of Genesis by Bob Deffinbaugh is at this link. Below is more art from Michelangelo - this is a marble statue of Moses, the author of Genesis, made in the year 1515 in Italy:
Moses is the author/compiler of the first five books of the Old Testament, also known as the Pentateuch, or the books of the Law. It is believed that these five books were written by Moses during Israel's 40 years in the desert after the exodus from Egypt - which was likely between 1446 B.C. and 1406 B.C. The book of Genesis is foundational to understanding the rest of the Bible. It is a book of relationships - between God and his creation; between God and humans; and between humans themselves. In Genesis, God pledges his love and faithfulness to humans through covenants. It is a narrative that continually demonstrates faith.
In today's Genesis readings we read about the Creation account and Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. There is so much happening in today's readings, that this daily blog will not do it all justice... A series of links with a great overview of the 6 literal 24 hour days of creation that I HIGHLY recommend you read is at AnswersInGenesis.org at this link. Check out some great information on the Creation account in our Genesis readings today at bible.org at this link. Below is a wonderful piece of art from Pat Marvenko Smith titled "The Creation" - you'll note this piece shows all 6 days of creation and what was created on each day, going from the left to the right:
To order prints visit her "Revelation Illustrated" site.
Today we read this incredibly powerful verse in Genesis chapter 1 verse 27: "So God created people in his own image; God patterned them after himself; male and female he created them." Do you believe that you are made in the image of God? Is this a powerful thing to reflect upon? What might this mean for your life in this new year, knowing that you are made in the image of God? Does this give you a sense of possibility for your life? A sense that you are made for a great purpose in this life?
Chapter 2 verse 3 is beautiful: "And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from his work of creation." A day of rest. One day a week. If God did this, think we should too? :) 6 days of work and play and 1 day each week of resting in God. I confess I like the concept a lot more than I actually put it into practice. Perhaps this year can be a year of new beginnings where a Sabbath day of rest enters our lives each week? How are you doing on taking a Sabbath? I love this image below of God resting on the 7th day:
One quick note from our readings today about the location of the Garden of Eden. It is believed to have been near where the Tigris and Euphrates rivers meet, in what is now southern Iraq. Below is a very high level map:
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Genesis chapters 1 and 2 titled "The Meaning of Man: His Duty and His Delight" is at this link.
New Testament - Today we begin the gospel of Matthew! Below is Northern Renaissance painter Jan Sanders van Hemessen's "Jesus Summons Matthew to Leave the Tax Office" from the year 1536:
~Matthew~
Author: Matthew
Place: Perhaps Antioch
Date: A.D. 60-70
Content: Matthew was a tax collector, called by Jesus to follow him early in his public ministry; hence, he was an eyewitness of most of the events he describes. He begins with a detailed account of Jesus’ birth of the virgin Mary, his baptism, and temptation in the wilderness. Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God, entrance into which meant eternal life. One entered by repentance and faith. Matthew blocks the teaching of Jesus together into five discourses in which may be seen the ethics, the proclamation, the parables, the fellowship, and the consummation of the kingdom. Jesus’ death and resurrection end the Gospel with the command to go into all the world with the good news (gospel) of Jesus Christ.
Theme: Matthew’s main purpose in writing his Gospel is to show that Jesus fulfills the promise of God in the Old Testament. For this reason Jesus is introduced as a “descendant of King David and of Abraham,” and Matthew makes use of numerous Old Testament prophecies and quotations to explain Jesus’ life. Jesus came to be the Savior of the Jews, the Gentiles, and ultimately the world. The ethics required by members of God’s kingdom are found in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7) where the world’s values are rejected and the Kingdom of God and his righteousness become supreme. (Above commentary is from Tyndale Publishers “The One Year Bible Companion” p. 21) A wonderful commentary on the book of Matthew by Daniel Wallace is at this link. Below is a painting (I absolutely love this painting!) titled "The Inspiration of St. Matthew" by the Baroque Italian artist Caravaggio, circa 1602:
In today's Matthew readings, we read the genealogy of Jesus. I know that genealogy's can sometimes seem a bit boring to read, but this one in Matthew is phenomenal! If you just finished reading the One Year Bible this past year, you will recognize many of these names. Or - let me encourage you to come back and read this genealogy again on January 1st of next year, if you are going through the entire Bible for your first time this year. This genealogy will amaze you. One of the interesting things to note in this genealogy is the mention of 5 women - Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheba, and Mary. It was not the norm in the 1st century to list women in genealogies - only men were typically listed. At least 3 of these women were Gentiles (not Jewish) - Tamara, Rahab, and Ruth. Matthew was potentially trying to indicate to his Jewish readers that God's work in this world is not limited to the people of Israel - nor was God's work limited to men. The genealogy in Matthew is sometimes illustrated by a "Jesse Tree" showing the lineage of Jesus from Jesse, father of King David:
Chapter 1 verse 23 is certainly a huge prophecy from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah being fulfilled through the birth of Jesus: "Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and he will be called Immanuel (meaning, God is with us)." Jesus is God and came to literally be with us. To experience our human sufferings and temptations - and joys and triumphs. The importance of this birth of Immanuel cannot be overstated. God came to be with us in flesh and blood.
Chapter 2 verse 6 is very powerful in that last year's One Year Bible crew recently read about the prophet Micah's prophesying of Jesus being born in Bethlehem: "O Bethlehem of Judah, you are not just a lowly village in Judah, for a ruler will come from you who will be the shepherd for my people Israel." Here again you can see Matthew writing for his Jewish audience - quoting an Old Testament prophet and also focusing in on the town of "Bethlehem of Judah" - the City of David. This was to demonstrate again that Jesus was from the lineage of King David.
Verse 10 is a brief verse showing us the reaction of the magi in being led to Jesus: "When they saw the star, they were filled with joy!" The magi were also Gentiles and likely astrologers - following a star might lead one to think this... :) But no matter where they were from and what they believed prior, they were filled with joy at being led to the Messiah, Jesus. And they gave him gifts and worshipped him. And for us today - are we filled with joy in reading about the birth of Jesus? Do we realize what this meant back then - and still means today? That Immanuel was born - that God came to be with us. (Note that some Biblical scholars say that contrary to popular tradition, it is believed that the magi did not visit Jesus at the manger on the night of his birth, as did the shepherds, but that the magi came months later and visited him as "child" in his "house" - see verse 11.)
Bible.org's commentary on today's readings in Matthew titled "The Birth of Jesus" is at this link and "The Visit of the Wise Men" is at this link.
Psalms - Psalm 1 today begins the 150 Psalms of the Psalter! You'll note that in the One Year Bible we actually read through the Psalms twice during the course of the year. I think this is good because the Psalms have taken some time to really sink in for me personally. Once they sink in, they are phenomenal. I have a great friend who has shared with me that she "Prays the Psalms" every morning. I pray that during the course of this year you will have the experience of Praying the Psalms as you go through the One Year Bible. I do believe praying the Psalms can indeed renew our passion for God:
It is often said that in 65 of the books of the Bible God speaks to us, but in the Psalter, the book of Psalms, we have the opportunity to speak to God. And in all kinds of ways and with all kinds of emotions. The Psalms can help you learn to express in pray everything to God – what you are happy about and what is troubling you. The Psalms are religious poetry. The 150 Psalms are comprised of Laments, Confessions, Crys, Petitions, Praise, Reflection, Reports, History, Blessings, and Wisdom. The author of many of the Psalms was King David. The Psalms were compiled over centuries and reached this final form in approximately the third century B.C. The Psalms were prayed in the temple and have been prayed in churches for the past two thousand years. The Psalms were quoted by Jesus, including Psalm 22:1 when Jesus was on the cross: ""My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"" (see Matthew 27:46) It is thought that the book of Psalms is one of the two books of the Old Testament most frequently quotes in the New Testament – along with the book of Isaiah. See more commentary of the Psalms online at bible.org at this link. Martin Luther said this about the book of Psalms: "The Psalter is the favorite book of all the saints. Each person, whatever his circumstances may be, finds in the book psalms and words which are appropriate to the circumstances in which he finds himself and meet his needs as adequately as if they were composed exclusively for his sake, and in such a way that he himself could not improve on them nor find or desire any better psalms or words."
Today we read this reflection on the godly in Psalm 1 verse 2: "But they delight in doing everything the LORD wants; day and night they think about his law." How well does this verse ring true with your life today? Do you delight in being obedient to God? Do you think about God's Word, the Bible, day and night? Should you? In this new year, will you?
Bible.org's commentary on Psalm 1 is at this link.
Proverbs - The author of the majority of the Proverbs was King Solomon, the son of King David. This means that most of the Proverbs were written in the 10th century B.C. when Israel was a united kingdom. It may be that the Proverbs were not officially compiled together as a book until the 6th century B.C. Agur son of Jakeh, King Lemuel, and "wisemen" were the other authors of the Proverbs. Bob Deffinbaugh, Th.M., with bible.org has a wonderful Introduction to Proverbs at this link. Below is an image of King Solomon dictating his wise maxims, the Proverbs:
Today we read in Proverbs chapter 1 verses 2 through 4 a great overview of why we should read and study the Proverbs: "The purpose of these proverbs is to teach people wisdom and discipline, and to help them understand wise sayings. Through these proverbs, people will receive instruction in discipline, good conduct, and doing what is right, just, and fair. These proverbs will make the simpleminded clever. They will give knowledge and purpose to young people." Do you want wisdom? Do you want discipline in your life? Do you want to do what is right, just and fair? Do you want purpose for your life? Do you believe this journey through the Bible this year will move you forward in these areas? Will you cling to the wisdom of the Proverbs this year?
Worship Video - I typically post up a worship video that relates to our daily readings on this section of the blog. Today, reading about God's creation of our world in Genesis reminded me of Chris Tomlin's song "Our God" (filmed live at Red Rocks, Colorado, in 2013 - I was there!) which I think ties in nicely our Matthew readings today as well. Enjoy, and don't be afraid to Worship God right now along with this video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NJpt1hSYf2o
Do you personally know our Great God? Click here to meet Him!
Please join us in memorizing and meditating on a verse of Scripture today: "So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them." Genesis 1:27 NLT
Prayer Point: Based on Genesis 1:27 above, will you pray today for your family, co-workers/students, and others in your community that you will see the image of God in each of them them? Also, will you pray for those you know who are made in the image of God, and yet are not in a saving personal relationship with Jesus? Will you pray that they will come to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior this year?
Comments from You and Question of the Day: As today is our first day together on the One Year Bible journey in 2023, I thought I'd post up a One Year Bible "roll-call." This is an opportunity for each of us to click on the "Comments" link below and let everyone know a few things about ourselves, as we'll be journeying through the Word together over the coming year. So here's the roll-call questions: 1. Have you read the entire Bible before? 2. What are you looking forward to about reading the entire Bible in 2023? 3. What's your favorite book or verse in the Bible? Thanks for participating in the roll-call! :) Also, what verses or insights stand out to you in today's readings? Please post up by clicking on the "Comments" link below!
God bless,
Mike
p.s. Download our monthly Small Group study notes for our One Year Bible readings at this link.
p.s. #2 - Download a schedule of our One Year Bible readings for the year in PDF format at this link.
p.s. #3 - I would greatly appreciate it if you would pray for this One Year Bible Blog ministry today! Please also consider partnering with us by financially supporting this ministry. Thank you!
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Wisdom or money can get you almost anything, but it's important to know that only wisdom can save your life. Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don't fight the ways of God, for who can straighten out what he has made crooked?
Enjoy prosperity while you can. But when hard times strike, realize that both come from God. That way you will realize that nothing is certain in this life. (Ecclesiastes 7:12-14)
A New Year that brings with it a New Beginning. Today we set out to begin the daunting task of reading through the entire Bible. For some this will be the first time and will bring with it tons of questions and probably comments like, “What does this all mean?” Some stories will be exciting and better than the entire series of The Godfather or more spectacular than Star Wars. There will also be plenty when you will think of giving up with a statement saying, “God, this is boring and besides, this makes no sense.”
From a veteran Read through the Bible Reader, may I encourage you to stay focused and read even when it seems like you are chewing wood. I began reading through the Word in 1987 and some of the “What in the world does this mean?” have just begun to be answered. Each and every time I go through I get a deeper understanding of the things I grasped at first and at each succeeding reading though and an a simple understanding of things I just had no clue about.
Genesis is the Book of Beginnings so let us come to this book leaving behind our preconceived understandings and ideas, our denominational glasses suspending our disbelief and unbelief believing that God’s Word will explain itself to us in the daylight of His Word.
Whom will he teach knowledge?
And whom will he make to understand the message?
Those just weaned from milk?
Those just drawn from the breasts?
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept,
Line upon line, line upon line,
Here a little, there a little.”
For with stammering lips and another tongue
He will speak to this people
(Isaiah 28:9-11-NKJV)
In the Beginning is our chance to study God’s Principals and Patterns so that we can apply those patterns and principals to our lives.
Notice the way God does things; then fall into line. Don't fight the ways of God
Grace and peace to all in the New Year,
Ramona
Posted by: Ramona | December 31, 2022 at 02:12 PM
1. I have read the entire Bible at least six times, maybe more. I do not remember for certain. 2. I am most looking forward to digging deeper this year. (Thank you for this blog!) 3. Romans 8:28 is my favorite verse.
Today’s reading - the fact that the wise men were astrologers studying the stars has NEVER occurred to me. This snapped a whole new piece of the prophecy puzzle in place for me.
Posted by: Meggs | January 01, 2023 at 06:16 AM
Hi all! This is my all time fav blog for studying the Bible. Good job Mike! I love Proverbs 3:5-7 and lots of things stuck out. 1- our littles at church started on this story this morning at children's church! I love it and helped teach it. I never thought of this before but in the beginning did Adam sleep? Or was he a spirit who was alive and never slept like God? When God put him in a deep sleep and took a rib for woman..made me ponder or was this the first anesthesia performance we have see?
Also the lineage of David/Jesus..I used to struggle remembering who Ruth had and so on until a song I loved this past year: Nicole Mullins The God Who Sees it talks about Ruth gave birth to Obed who gave birth to Jesse who had a son named David..good song. Also with Joseph being the lineage of David it was imperative that he not dismiss her but marry her and give the son the lineage of David.
Welcome everyone!
Posted by: Deedee | January 01, 2023 at 02:36 PM
I have read parts of the One Year Bible before, but never the whole Bible in a year. I look forward to doing that this year!
I look forward to learning much more about God this year and getting closer to Him, and learning in detail about His plan of redemption for those who admit, believe, and confess.
My favorite verse is Psalm 46:10, which includes this: "Be still and know that I am God."
Posted by: Lori McLaughlin | January 01, 2023 at 06:51 PM
I am hoping that 2023 will be the year I complete reading through the Bible in a year. I look forward to seeing how God will change me and how my perspective on what is important is renewed. The verse that most often pops up at important moments in my life is Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He willl direct your paths.
Posted by: Kim Thurman | January 01, 2023 at 07:53 PM
Hola, mi versículo favorito es Jeremías 31:3.
Posted by: Silvia | January 02, 2023 at 07:32 AM