January

Here it is! The Year of the Bible. This is a chance for all of us to read through the entire Bible together. For many of us, this will be the first time doing so. For others, it will not be new at all. Either way, there will be an added joy this year because we are taking this project on toegether. You will find that it adds a special blessing to the venture as you recall now and then that we are all reading the same passages at the same time.

These posts at the beginning of each month are designed to provide an overview of the readings for each month. They will give you some guidance regarding not only the major things to look for but also some pitfalls to avoid. Refer to each month's post occasionally as you do your readings. You will find that the articles help to keep you on track, while offering a tidbit or two now and then that will make your reading more enjoyable.

This year you will start reading at the beginning of both Testaments. Some of this material will be very familiar to you, but other things may seem quite new, even strange at times. In the Old Testament this month, we will be reading mostly from the book of Genesis. Genesis gives us the basic background for the people of Israel. It is the patriarchs - Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons - who are the center of the story. But Abraham does not appear until Gen. 12. The first eleven chapters deal with the prehistory of israel. they are the stories that place Israel within the context of world history as a whole.

As you read, try not to get caught up in discussions of how these events relate to modern science. It is more useful to ask yourself what these stories would have meant to the children of Israel as they heard them told many times. The nations surrounding Israel believed in many gods. For them, the sun, the moon, and the stars were divine. Observe that, in the story of the creation of the heavens and the earth in Gen. 1, a basic point is that there is only one God. This God is above all things, and all things have been created by God.

The implications for the religious beliefs of other nations are clear. Notice that, even though light is created immediately by God, the sun and the moon and the stars are not created until much later. For our scientific understanding, that sounds strange; however, it is a very good way of pointing out that the gods worshiped by neighboring peoples are not gods at all.

Likewise, the story of Adam and Eve in Gen. 2 and 3 shows us what human nature is like. It tries to explain in a simple manner that God has not brought evil into the world. Humans are responsible for perpetuating evil. This and the larger stories in this section attempt to show, in a way that is clear to all generations, how God first interacted withhuman beings, how evil increased rapidly in the world, and how, because of that, God pronounced judgment on human beings.

In Gen. 12, the story moves to the forefathers of Israel, beginning with Abraham. You will discover as you read through these stories that the fathers were not necessarily such wonderful people. For example, Jacob's decitful behavior is questionable at best. You will see too that polygamy was an accepted practice. However, you will also notice that the stories make it clear that polygamy does not work out very well!

All the way through, it is important to note the theme of God's promise and failthfulness to these people God has chosen and their attempts, even though halting, to be faithful to the Lord. God's covenant remains firm even when these people cannot live up to it. The story of Joseph, especially, shows us how a person who is faithful to God can be helped by God. It also explains how the children of Israel end up in Egypt and myst be brought back to the Promised Land by Moses at the time of the Exodus.

In the New Testament, we will be reading the Gospel of Matthew. The story in Matthew about Jesus is straightforward. There are There are a few themes to keep in mind. A primary theme is that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed King, for the Jews. This is evident already in the genealogy of Jesus in chapter 1. It is framed in three sets of fourteen generations. Matthew uses this neat and stylized form for the genealogy so that he can emphasis Jesus' descent from David. According to the Jewish manner of counting, the name "David" totaled fourteen. Three sets of fourteen indicates that Jesus is the Davidic son fully, completely, and perfectly.

Another theme to watch for in Matthew is the call to the church to be obedient to God. Watch for references to living a righteous, good life, as in the parable of the sower (ch. 13), where seed sown on good soil brings forth abundant grain. Or recall the Sermon on the Mount (chs. 5-7), which gives a compelling picture of a serious Christian life. The idea of discipleship is closely tied to this. Like the original Twelve, Christians are to be disciples of their Master. They are to follow after him, serving others without regard to themselves.

Matthew emphasiszes that the kingdom of heaven - another theme of the Gospel - is open to those who do the will of God. Nothing else, whether mighty works (7:21-23) or family ties (12:46-50), will get a person into the kingdom. Observe the importance of the kingdom as you read Matthew. To belong to it may well mean persecution and suffering now, but it will also bring ultimate blessedness. To be outside the kingdom, however, will mean final judgment when our resurrected Lord returns in power.

From The Year of the Bible by James E. Davison