Exodus 39 - 40

Exodus 39

The Priestly Garments

Construction Begins

Exodus 40
Erecting the Tabernacle

The Glory of the LORD

Exodus 36 - 38

 Exodus 36

The Crowdfunded Tabernacle

Construction Begins

Exodus 37
Making the Ark

Making the Table

Making the Lampstand

Making the Altar of Incense

Exodus 38
Making the Altar of Burnt Offering & Bronze Basin

Making the Courtyard

Tabernacle Materials & Value

Exodus 33 - 35

Exodus 33

Leaving Sinai

The Tent of Meeting

Moses Intercedes

Exodus 34
Tablets Replaced

Covenant Renewed

Moses' face (and veil)

Exodus 35
the Sabbath

Contributions for the Tabernacle

Exodus 30 - 32

Exodus 30
Altar of Incense
Census Offering
Bronze Basin
Anointing Oil
Incense

Exodus 31
Skilled Craftsmen
The Sign of the Sabbath

Exodus 32
The Golden Calf

Exodus 28 - 29

Exodus 28
Garments of the Priests

Exodus 29
Consecration of the Priests
The Sacrifices
Food of the Priests

Exodus 25 - 27

Exodus 25
Contributions for the Sanctuary
Ark of the Covenant
Table for the Bread of the Presence
Golden Lampstand

Exodus 26
Curtains of Linen
Curtains of Goats’ Hair
Boards and Bases
Veil and Curtain

Exodus 27
Bronze Altar
Courtyard of the Tabernacle
Oil for the Lamp

Exodus 22 - 24

Exodus 22
Property Rights
Social Responsibility

Exodus 23
Justice and Mercy
Sabbath instructions
Three Feasts of Pilgrimage
Conquest of the Land

Exodus 24
The Covenant Confirmed

Exodus 19 - 21

Exodus 19
Israel at Mount Sinai
The LORD Visits Sinai

Exodus 20
The Ten Commandments
Instructions Regarding Altars

Exodus 21
Rights of the People
Personal Injuries
Property Rights / Restitution

Exodus 16 - 18

Exodus 16
The LORD Provides Manna (and meat)
The Sabbath

Exodus 17
Water from the Rock
Miraculous Battle against Amalek

Exodus 18
Jethro Counsels Moses

Exodus 13 - 15

Exodus 13
Consecration of the Firstborn; Remember the Exodus
God Leads the People / Pillars of Cloud and Fire

Exodus 14
Pharaoh in Pursuit
Crossing The Red Sea

Exodus 15
The Song of Moses and Israel
Bitter Water Made Sweet

Exodus 7 - 9

Exodus 7
Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh
Both Sides Perform Signs
The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood

Exodus 8
The Second Plague: Frogs
The Third Plague: Gnats/Lics
The Fourth Plague: Flies Swarms

Exodus 9
The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die
The Sixth Plague: Boils
The Seventh Plague: Hail

Exodus 10 - 12

Exodus 10
The Eighth Plague: Locusts
The Ninth Plague: Darkness

Exodus 11
A Final Plague Threatened

Exodus 12
The Passover Lamb, Feast of Unleavened Bread
A Memorial of Redemption
The Tenth Plague: Death of the Firstborn
The Exodus
Institution of the Passover

Exodus 4 - 6

Exodus 4
The LORD Gives Moses Signs to Perform
Aaron to Be Moses’ Mouthpiece
Moses Returns to Egypt

Exodus 5
Israel’s Labor Increased

Exodus 6
The LORD Promises Deliverance
The Heads of Israel

Exodus 1 - 3

Exodus 1
Israel Increases Greatly in Egypt
Pharaoh Oppresses Israel

Exodus 2
The Birth of Moses
Moses' Trouble and Escape to Midian
God Hears Israel’s Groaning

Exodus 3
The Burning Bush
Moses' Mission

Genesis 48 - 50

Genesis 48
Jacob Blesses (and adopts) Ephraim and Manasseh

Genesis 49
Jacob’s Prophecy concerning His Sons
Jacob Dies

Genesis 50
Jacob Is Mourned
The Burial at Machpelah, God's Good Purposes
The Death of Joseph

Genesis 46 - 47

Genesis 46
Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt

Genesis 47
The Family Settles in Goshen
Joseph and the Famine

Genesis 43 - 45

Genesis 43
The Brothers Return to Egypt
Joseph Sees Benjamin

Genesis 44
Joseph Tests His Brothers

Genesis 45
The Brothers Reconcile
Joseph Provides for His Family

Genesis 41 - 42

Genesis 41
Pharaoh’s Dream
Joseph Interprets the Dream
Joseph Rises to Power
The Sons of Joseph

Genesis 42
The Brothers go to Egypt
Simeon Is Held Hostage

Genesis 38 - 40

Genesis 38
Judah and Tamar

Genesis 39
Joseph’s Success, Potiphar’s Wife
Joseph Imprisoned

Genesis 40
Joseph interprets the prisoner's dreams

Genesis 35 - 37

Genesis 35
The Move to Bethel
God Blesses and Renames Jacob
Rachel, Benjamin, Reuben, and Isaac

Genesis 36
Esau and His Descendants

Genesis 37
Joseph’s Dreams
The Brothers' Plot

Genesis 32 - 34

Genesis 32
Jacob’s fear of Esau and prayer
Jacob Wrestles

Genesis 33
The brothers' reunion
Jacob Settles in Shechem

Genesis 34
The defiling of Dinah and her brothers' treachery

Genesis 30 - 31

Genesis 30
[The Rest of] Jacob's Children
Jacob Prospers

Genesis 31
Jacob Leaves Secretly for Canaan
Laban Pursues Jacob
The Covenant of Mizpah

Genesis 27-29

Genesis 27
Jacob’s Deception
Isaac's Blessing

Genesis 28
Jacob Is Sent Away
Esau Marries an Ishmaelite
Jacob’s Dream

Genesis 29
Jacob Meets Rachel
Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel
Jacob’s Children

Genesis 25-26

Genesis 25
Abraham’s Death
Descendants of Ishmael
Isaac’s Sons, Esau & Jacob
Esau Sells His Birthright

Genesis 26
God’s Promise to Isaac
Isaac and Abimelech - the wife, the wells, the covenant

Genesis 12-15

Genesis 12
The Call of Abram
Abram and Sarai in Egypt

Genesis 13
Abram and Lot

Genesis 14
War of the Kings / Abram Rescues Lot
Abram and Melchizedek

Genesis 15
God’s Covenant with Abram / The Promise of a Son

Genesis 19-21

Genesis 19
The Doom of Sodom / God Rescues Lot
Lot and His Daughters

Genesis 20
Abraham and Abimelech

Genesis 21
Isaac Is Born
God Protects Hagar and Ishmael
Covenant/Treaty with Abimelech

Genesis 22-24

Genesis 22
The Offering of Isaac

Genesis 23
Sarah's Death and Burial

Genesis 24
A Bride for Isaac
Rebekah Is Chosen
Isaac Marries Rebekah

Genesis 16-18

Genesis 16
Sarai and Hagar

Genesis 17
Abraham and the Covenant of Circumcision
Birth of Isaac Promised

Genesis 18
Abraham Appeals for Sodom

Genesis 8-11

Genesis 8
The Flood Subsides
God’s Covenant with Noah

Genesis 9
Noah’s Descendants

Genesis 10
Nations Descended from Noah

Genesis 11
The Tower of Babel
Descendants of Shem
Terah’s Descendants

Genesis 1-3

Chapter 1
The Creation of the World

Chapter 2
The Seventh Day, God Rests
The Creation of Man and Woman

Aaron's note: "I wish there was more scripture about angels and what happened before creation, evil must have existed before man was created since there was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil? so evil did exist prior to creation, Adam just made it part of his and our world?"

Aaron's note:"I hadn’t thought about the fact that originally, we were created to be vegetarians with God’s foreknowledge that we would be lining up to burger king and chik fil A soon enough?"

Chapter 3
The Fall

Aaron's note: "fear was the first emotion mentioned in the bible but then God (per the coach in Facing the Giants) tells us 365 times don’t fear."

Aaron's note: "I guess Adam and Eve ate from the tree of life prior to the fall. I had never thought about that, but why wouldn’t they? They were going to live forever if they hadn’t eaten from the other tree, correct? So that tree, subsequently protected by the cherubim, was destroyed in the flood and Jesus is our tree of life now?"

Genesis 4-7

Chapter 4
Cain and Abel

Aaron's note: "I like how Eve said she ‘acquired a man from the Lord’, we think children come from specific physical acts but if God doesn’t show up, it doesn’t happen."

Chapter 5
Adam’s Descendants to Noah

Aaron's note: "Is there any significance to the fact that Adam begot a son ‘in his own likeness, in his own image’ but other sons are not described this way? Is this so we don’t forget that since we come from Adam (the first Adam) that we are made in his likeness and image? Meaning we are created with Adam’s original sin as part of us? Does that mean that we are not created in God’s image to the same extent as Adam, since we are born sinners and enemies of God?

Aaron's note: "I wish there was more scripture about angels and what happened before creation, evil must have existed before man was created since there was a tree of the knowledge of good and evil? so evil did exist prior to creation, Adam just made it part of his and our world?"

Chapter 6
The Corruption of Mankind

Aaron's note: "I have always struggled with the 120 years – ‘yet his days on earth shall be 120 years’ I think in the past I have read commentaries that have said this means it was 120 years until God gave mankind the flood, but I have wondered if this was referring to lifespan. Folks live a long time prior to the flood then after the flood it starts dwindling down (…Abraham 175, Jacob 147, Joseph 110). Our max lifespan could be construed as 120 years today, mankind plateaud following the flood, maybe with an upper limit of 120 years? I could be way off on this one."

Chapter 7
The Flood

How the reading goes on our end.

I wanted to give you an idea of what "Bible reading" looks like on our end  - this is a fairly typical setup for us: 

…We try to eat supper together every night, and we usually hit that target.

…After supper, I might take a nap (to help with my mental presence and clarity) and the wife might do a little “alone time” to accomplish the same thing.  The kids are finishing up chores or schoolwork or other projects/hobbies of the day, or just hanging out and having a little free time.

…We come together to read the assigned chapters.  Tonight it was Genesis 1-3.  In our group, the wife usually reads the first chapter, and then others take a turn (we try to let the kids read when we can).  After reading a chapter, we ask if anyone has comments, questions, etc., and then we move on to the next chapter.

I’d say we hit the assigned reading between 50%-70% of the time.  Some days we don’t read all of the chapters.  Some days we don’t read any of the chapters.  Some days some of our folks are nodding off during the discussion while others might be “not into it”.  But we try, and we’re not dictators about participation and hitting the goal every single day “or else”

Some interesting topics and questions that came up for Chapters 1-3:

• Who was the one who actually created everything?  (as far as we can tall, it was “the Father”)
• Were the days longer that first week?  (there’s no indication they were)
• When was Eve created?  (all present evidence points fo “day six”)
• We briefly discussed a fairly common church doctrine that says our Holy God cannot tolerate sin in his presence,  Some might even use Genesis 3 to support this position (that’s why Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden).  But….that cannot be a true thing, because God came to the garden and spoke with them after they sinned.  And then continued to interact with their sons and their descendants “in person” after all of this.  Something to consider.

But the big takeaway for me is from Chapter 2 - this has been on my mind for months now, and I just wanted to share a verse and a thought with you:

The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it

Genesis 2:15, ESV

God has, since literally the beginning of everything - been about bringing people out of this world to live & work in his presence, in a place that he’s prepared for them (us!).

It’s my hope, my prayer for us and our families that this year we will recognize that he’s still calling us - here in 2023 - to come away from the world and be his set-apart people, living in community with Him, according to his instructions, both in and on our way to a place that he’s preparing for us.  It’s a metaphor, to be sure, and they all break down at some point, but I think you can get where I’m going.  And I bet you’ll see that along the way as we read the Word together with our people, and (in some way) with each other, too.

The Plan (such as it is)

 Greetings, Gentlemen.

The purpose of this blog is to create a space for conversation about our shared goal - to read through the Bible in a year.

As you can see, there are several links to the right - the first one is going to be the reading plan that we'll follow, borrowed from Seeking Scripture.  Basically, we're going to read the whole Bible straight through, starting from Genesis and ending in Revelation, at a pace of  (on average) 3 chapters a day.

There are also 4 websites for reading the Bible online.  Not endorsing one version or another; with the exception of the first link, there are multiple translations available at each site, and I think there are Bible Study Tools also available at each site - not endorsing or recommending any of those, either, but there are options for you to dig a little deeper if that's where the Lord (or your own curiosity!) leads you.

Each day's reading will have it's own blog post, that you will be able to comment on.  Please feel free to share any insights, etc., etc., ...and also to engage with each other's comments as well.

If you have any suggestions, I think you know how to get in touch with me.  I"m looking forward to sharing the journey with you this year, and seeing what the Lord will do as we seek his ways and study his Word together.