C2CCNIV

Through the Bible as it happened

SELWYN HUGHES and TREVOR J. PARTRIDGE

ONE-YEAR CHRONOLOGICAL READING PLAN WITH FULL NIV BIBLE TEXT

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Selwyn Hughes (1928–2006), founder and Life President of CWR, for over forty years authored the highly popular daily devotional Every Day with Jesus, which is read by half a million people worldwide. With over fifty years in the ministry, he was known internationally as a writer, Bible teacher and evangelist. He trained in theology and counselling in both the UK and USA, and travelled extensively in many countries presenting a wide range of seminars on different aspects of the Christian life, including counselling, marriage, relationships and personal development.

Trevor J. Partridge holds a degree in theology, and has travelled extensively teaching and preaching at seminars, conferences and churches around the world as a popular author and Bible teacher. For twenty-four years he was involved in the ministry of CWR, developing Waverley Abbey House and its training programmes, serving as Executive Director and making a regular contribution to the Every Day with Jesus Further Study. He is founder and director of New Horizon Ministries, a fresh initiative in pastoral care. He is currently serving as a minister in Auckland, New Zealand.

Cover to Cover Complete, copyright © CWR 2007, 2012 The Holy Bible, New International Version. Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, formerly International Bible Society. All rights reserved. Anglicised edition first published in Great Britain 1979 by Hodder & Stoughton, an Hachette UK company. Revised and updated 2011. To find out more about Biblica visit www.biblica.com The order of the chronology in this book is based on The Reese Chronological Bible, copyright 1977

by Edward Reese and published by Bethany House Publishers, a division of Baker Book House Company.

Used by permission.

Other material, written by Selwyn Hughes, Trevor J. Partridge and Robert Backhouse, first published as Through the Bible in One Year 1984 by CWR as a bimonthly six-part work. Reprinted 1985, 1986 and 1990.

Revised, single-volume edition first published 1990 by CWR and reprinted 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998. Published as Cover to Cover – Through the Bible as it happened in 1999 by CWR. This new edition with full NIV Bible text published 2012 by CWR, Waverley Abbey House, Waverley Lane, Farnham, Surrey GU9 8EP, UK. Registered Charity No. 293487. Registered Limited Company No. 1990308.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission in writing of CWR. See back of book for list of National Distributors.

Concept development, editing, design and production by CWR Cover image: Roger Walker Illustrations: Nick Spender of Advocate Printed in China by C&C Offset Printing ISBN: 978-1-85345-804-0

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Introduction Welcome to Cover to Cover Complete – it is a privilege to have you join us in this year-long reading programme.

We live in difficult times. The world is oscillating between extreme optimism and despairing pessimism. Christians need to have faith for the future and there is no better way of reinforcing faith and equipping ourselves spiritually to face life’s challenges than to daily expose our hearts and minds to the Word that is alive (Heb. 4:12).

There are many different approaches to reading through the Bible in one year – all have merit, but the chronological one is possibly the most intriguing and fascinating. That is the route we will go down – following the events of Scripture as they happened.

For some it’s going to be a tough assignment. It requires self-discipline and perhaps a re-ordering of priorities, but the rewards are out of all proportion to the time spent.

To reach the end with an overall view of how the events of Scripture fit together, and to see something of how God has been working through history will shore up your faith and be a spiritual investment that you will never regret.

Here are a few tips to help you make it through the year.

First, begin your reading with prayer. Ask God to speak to you through what you will read. God has not only spoken in Scripture; He speaks through it still.

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Second, read not only with the view to gaining understanding but also how to apply what you read to your own life. The Bible is full of principles and biographies.

The principles tell us how to live and the biographies flesh out for us how those principles, when applied, lead to good and godly living. Let the truths of Scripture wrap themselves around you and pull you into the story.

Third, try and link up with a friend or a group who may be following this same Bible-reading plan so that you can discuss with each other the results of your reading.

Experience has shown that sharing together in this way can be the difference between making it through the year or giving up. If no one in your church or fellowship is following this plan, invite someone to join you in it.

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Fourth, if for any reason (such as sickness or unusual time pressures) you miss a day or a few days’ readings, don’t be discouraged. Ask God to help you find the time to catch up. There are the most amazing testimonies of how God has worked in people’s lives to help them recapture the time they have lost. You have only to ask Him. As you begin this spiritually productive task of reading through the Bible may you come to know in even greater measure than before the power and presence of the Living Word.

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The Way In God has spoken. In the Bible He has given us His thoughts in words we can understand. In Jesus He has given us His thoughts in flesh. That second Word, the Lord Jesus Christ, saw His entire life and direction predicted and guided by the Old Testament. The Scriptures, He said, were as vital as food and drink for our systems. They offer salvation, guidance and equipping ‘for every good work’.

The comments and background material in this book will help you to understand and apply something from each day’s reading in the Scriptures. But space is limited – God will also draw many other things to your attention to grasp and put into practice. To help you in your approach to these, there are some important guidelines to follow:

Trust it The Bible was inspired or ‘God-breathed’ (2 Tim. 3:16). God used the personalities of human writers, but so guided their minds that their words were His words too. Treat them as Jesus did: as authoritative and entirely trustworthy. Jesus built His own life and ministry upon God’s commands and promises, obeying them even to the cross (Luke 24:27,45–47).

See the lasting principle For most of us, daily life is very different from the days of Israel’s tent cities in the wilderness; far, too, from life in the Roman Empire. Where these differences exist, look to see the lasting principles below the instruction or event – what do they teach in general about God or about serving Him? Jesus’ example and exhortation about foot washing, for instance, ought to lead us to other forms of service and care for one another, relevant for our day (John 13:14).

Know the author The Bible’s human authors were ‘carried along’ by the Holy Spirit to give us God’s Word (2 Pet. 1:21). So we need the Holy Spirit to be its interpreter.

Knowing God personally as the Lord of our lives and Christ as our Saviour is the essential key to a proper understanding of the Bible.

See the background Statements taken out of context can be misleading, to say the least – ask any public figure who is quoted in the press! Aim to understand the meaning and purpose of a passage as a whole. This will put into perspective the point of any verse or phrase within it.

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See the whole picture The Bible has one Author and is a harmonious whole. This means we should interpret individual passages in the light of what we know generally from Scripture and from other sections on the same subject.

Some of James’ statements, for example, could imply that our works help to save us (James 2:20,24). The entire force of Scripture contradicts this, however, and shows that this interpretation cannot be right (eg Eph. 2:8–9; Rom. 3:23–24). Realising this, a careful rereading of James reveals that he is not answering the question about how we are saved; his message is that genuine faith in Christ must result in good works.

Value expert help Your aim is to read through the Bible in a year – you won’t have time to study all of it in detail. Even so, there may be particular passages you will want to dig deeper into, to apply in your own Christian living or to get to grips with difficult issues. Help in understanding harder passages can be found by using a good commentary by scholars who know the Bible and love its Author. A ‘Further Reading’ section is given below for your help.

Live it out Always remember that your aim in reading the Scriptures is to draw closer to the Lord and live a life that brings praise to Him. Reading the whole sweep of Scripture is stimulating, but God’s Word is to be obeyed!

As you search God’s Word, ask for His Spirit’s empowering to put it into practice. Take it in and live it out!

Further Reading CWR Resources Cover to Cover Bible studies, for individual and group use.

Cover to Cover Every Day dated daily Bible-reading notes.

For further details, visit www.cwr.org.uk Other Resources The Lion Handbook to the Bible – Pat and David Alexander (Editors), Lion Hudson plc 30 Days to Understanding the Bible –Max Anders, Thomas Nelson Publishers New Bible Commentary – D. Carson, R.T. France, J.A. Motyer and G.T. Wenham (Editors), IVP Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible – Matthew Henry, Hendrickson Publishers Individual commentaries in the Bible Speaks Today and Tyndale Commentary Series, IVP. The Focus on the Bible series, Christian Focus, and the Welwyn Commentary series, Evangelical Press. Also, the New Testament Guides for Everyone by Tom Wright, SPCK Publishing.

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26

We recognise that the dating of early events depends on scriptural interpretation.

This time chart is based on the Chronological Bible edited by Edward Reese.

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23

Nahum

Nebuchadnezzar

Joel

Solomon

David

Saul

Samson

Samuel

800 BC

Jehoshaphat

Gideon

DIVIDED KINGDOM

900 BC

1200 BC

JUDGES

1000 BC

MONARCHY

1100 BC

1300 BC

Ruth Deborah & Barak

1400 BC

EXODUS

1st Temple built Rehoboam JUDAH

14

1500 BC

600 BC

Obadiah

700 BC

Uzziah Amos Jonah Hosea Isaiah Micah Hezekiah

15

ISRAEL

17 16 19 18

13

Fall of Jericho

Jeroboam I

20 22 21

Ahab Elijah Elisha

7&8

9 10 & 11 12

Exodus

1600 BC

1700 BC Israel in Egypt

1800 BC

Assyrians beseige Jerusalem

Fall of Samaria to Assyria

Jeroboam II

24

5&6

Jacob’s family settle in Egypt

Joseph

Jacob

A specially prepared guide to help you chart your progress in reading Cover to Cover Complete.

30

27 28 29

25

4

3

CREATION Adam & Eve week 1 Noah 3000 BC Flood 2000 BC 2 Job (testing) Abraham leaves Ur 1900 BC Isaac

Time Chart

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52

51

49 50

48

31

30

27 28 29

47

32 33 34

26

35

800 BC

46

42 & 43 44 & 45

41

39

40

Death of John

Revelation

Destruction of Jerusalem

AD 70

AD 90

AD 80

AD 100

3rd missionary journey

AD 30 AD 40 AD 50

AD 60

DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF CHRIST Paul’s conversion

AD 10

5 BC AD 1

BIRTH OF CHRIST

400 BC

RESTORATION

AD 20

500 BC

CAPTIVITY

DIVIDED KINGDOM

Nehemiah rebuilds walls of Jerusalem

Baptism of Christ

Malachi

1st missionary journey

Paul in Rome Death of Paul

2nd missionary journey

38

600 BC Nahum Nebuchadnezzar Zephaniah Daniel taken to Babylon Josiah Jeremiah Habakkuk Fall of Judah Jerusalem destroyed Ezekiel Zerubbabel and Exile in Cyrus Babylon main party return 2nd Temple built Haggai 36 Zechariah Ezra returns 37

700 BC

Amos Jonah Hosea Isaiah Micah Hezekiah

Assyrians beseige Jerusalem

Fall of Samaria to Assyria

Getting Started As you begin this year of discovering the Bible, you will naturally want to get the very best out of these studies.

With that aim in mind, here are our suggestions: 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

Find a place and establish a specific time to follow these daily studies.

Pray before commencing to seek God’s help and guidance as you study His Word.

Read the passages through to understand the general meaning.

Ponder upon the main truths the Holy Spirit is bringing to your attention.

Use the Heart to Heart page, at the end of each section, to jot down the main thoughts and how they apply to you. Four helpful words to remember are: Observation – what does it say?

Interpretation – what does it mean?

Application – how does it apply to me?

Communication – how can I relate it to others?

If you miss a day, don’t give up, remind yourself of the four d’s of achievement – desire, dedication, determination and discipline.

After reading, spend a few moments in thanking God for what you have learned and asking Him for strength to put it into practice.

The Bird’s-Eye View of each Bible book is intended to give a brief overview of that book. Other charts, maps and diagrams are included for additional background information in order to help your understanding of the Bible and Bible times and give insight into themes running through the whole of the Scriptures. The Time Line at the foot of the page is to give an indication of the date when events happened and to relate selected eras and landmarks in so-called secular history to the Bible. It is, of course, not an infallible guide; that is reserved for the Scriptures themselves.

Visit the accompanying Cover to Cover website where you will find character studies, readers’ testimonies, helpful tips and much more … www.cwr.org.uk/c2cc-extras

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SECTION

1

The creation of the world The consequences of sin God’s covenant with Abraham The oppression in Egypt Moses’ liberation of God’s people

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Genesis

– The Beginning of Nations The word genesis means ‘beginning’ and within this book are recorded the origins of both sacred and secular history. Commencing this new year with the book of beginnings can be a new beginning in our lives of a deeper love for the Lord and His Word. The first 2,000 years of history are contained in the first eleven chapters and are characterised by four major and significant events.

Creation

Origin of all things Gen. 1–2

• In the beginning • Days of creation • Day of rest

Corruption

Sin of Adam Gen. 3–5

• Satan’s subtlety • Adam’s sin • Strife and death

Condemnation

Flood of Noah Gen. 6–9

• Conditions before flood • Salvation through flood • Tragedy following flood

Confusion

Tower of Babel Gen. 10–11

• Arrogance of man • Judgment of God • Origin of nations

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DAY 1

13

1

Day The beginning of creation

to the depths of the pit.

1 In the be­gin­ning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the be­gin­ning.

16 Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: ‘Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, 17 the man who made the world a wilderness, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?’

The creation declaration

Ezekiel 28:13–19

Psalm 90:2

13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.

Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared.

14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.

You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.

15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.

16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned.

So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.

17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendour.

So I threw you to the earth;

The pre-existent Christ John 1:1–2

efore the mountains were born B or you brought forth the whole world, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. 2

The origin of creation Genesis 1:1 1

In the be­gin­ning God cre­at­ed the heav­ens and the ­earth.

Satan cast out of heaven Isaiah 14:12–17

12 How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn!

You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!

13 You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to the heavens; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’

15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead, WEEK 1

Noah CREATION

Adam & Eve

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3000 BC

Flood 2000 BC Great Pyramid Age in Egypt begins

Job (testing)

Bronze Age begins in Britain 1900 BC Abraham leaves Ur Isaac

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DAY 1

14

I made a spectacle of you before kings.

18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries.

So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching.

19 A ll the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.” ’ Judgment of creation Genesis 1:2a

Now the ­earth was form­less and emp­t y, dark­ness was over the sur­face of the deep …

2a

Creation for habitation Isaiah 45:18 18 For this is what the Lord says – he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited – he says: ‘I am the Lord, and there is no other.

Genesis 2:4

This is the ac­count of the heav­ens and the ­earth when they were cre­at­ed, when the Lord God made the ­earth and the heav­ens.

The six days of creation

First and second days Genesis 1:2b–8 2b

and the Spir­it of God was hov­er­ing over the wa­ters.

3 And God said, ‘Let ­there be ­light,’ and ­there was ­light. 4 God saw that the ­light was good, and he sep­a­rat­ed the ­light from the dark­ness. 5 God ­called the ­light ‘day’, and the dark­ness he ­called ‘night’. And ­there was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing – the ­first day.

6 And God said, ‘Let ­there be a ­vault be­ tween the wa­ters to sep­a­rate wa­ter from wa­ter.’ 7 So God made the v­ ault and sep­ a­rat­ed the wa­ter un­der the ­vault from the wa­ter ­above it. And it was so. 8 God ­called the ­vault ‘sky’. And ­there was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing – the sec­ond day.

Third day Genesis 2:5–6 5 Now no ­shrub had yet ap­peared on the e­ arth and no ­plant had yet ­sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the e­ arth and ­there was no one to work the ­ground, 6 but ­streams came up from the ­earth and wa­ tered the ­whole sur­face of the ­ground.

4

Genesis 1:9–13

And God said, ‘Let the wa­ter un­der the sky be gath­ered to one ­place, and let dry ­ground ap­pear.’ And it was so. 10 God ­called the dry ­ground ‘land’, and the gath­ered wa­ters he ­called ‘seas’. And God saw that it was good.

9

Place in the Bible

Main Characters

Special Features

J

First Old Testament book; first book of the Law.

Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Joseph.

The book of beginnings; the beginning of the world, of humankind, of sin, of God’s chosen people.

J J s B b c r te

genesis

a bird’s eye view

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DAY 1

15

11 Then God said, ‘Let the land pro­ duce veg­e­ta­tion: seed-bear­ing ­plants and ­trees on the land that bear ­fruit with seed in it, ac­cord­ing to ­their var­ i­ous ­kinds.’ And it was so. 12 The land pro­duced veg­e­ta­tion: ­plants bear­ing seed ac­cord­ing to t­ heir k­ inds and t­ rees bear­ing ­fruit with seed in it ac­cord­ing to ­their ­k inds. And God saw that it was good. 13 And ­there was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing – the t­ hird day.

Fourth, fifth and sixth days Genesis 1:14–26

And God said, ‘Let ­there be ­lights in the ­vault of the sky to sep­a­rate the day from the ­night, and let them ­serve as ­signs to mark ­sacred times, and days and ­years, 15 and let them be ­lights in the ­vault of the sky to give ­light on the ­earth.’ And it was so. 16 God made two ­great ­lights – the great­er ­light to gov­ern the day and the less­er ­light to gov­ern the ­night. He also made the ­stars. 17 God set them in the ­vault of the sky to give ­light on the ­earth, 18 to gov­ern the day and the ­night, and to sep­a­rate ­light from dark­ ness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And ­there was eve­ning, and ­there was morn­ing – the ­fourth day.

20 And God said, ‘Let the wa­ter teem with liv­ing crea­tures, and let ­birds fly ­above the ­earth ­across the ­vault of the sky.’ 21 So God cre­at­ed the ­great crea­tures of the sea and ev­ery liv­ing ­thing with ­which the wa­ter ­teems and that moves about in it, ac­cord­ing to ­their ­k inds, and ev­ery ­winged bird ac­cord­ing to its kind.

And God saw that it was good. 22 God

14

b­ lessed them and said, ‘Be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber and fill the wa­ter in the seas, and let the ­birds in­crease on the ­earth.’ 23 And ­there was eve­ning, and t­ here was morn­ing – the ­fifth day.

24 And God said, ‘Let the land pro­duce liv­ ing crea­tures ac­cord­ing to t­ heir k­ inds: the live­stock, the crea­tures that move ­a long the ­ground, and the wild an­i­ mals, each ac­cord­ing to its kind.’ And it was so. 25 God made the wild an­i­mals ac­cord­ing to ­t heir ­k inds, the live­stock ac­cord­ing to ­t heir ­k inds, and all the crea­tures that move ­a long the ­ground ac­cord­ing to t­ heir k­ inds. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, ‘Let us make man­ kind in our im­age, in our like­ness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the ­birds in the sky, over the live­stock and all the wild an­i­mals, and over all the crea­tures that move ­along the ground.’

Genesis 2:7

Then the Lord God ­formed a man from the dust of the ­ground and ­breathed into his nos­trils the ­breath of life, and the man be­came a liv­ing be­ing.

7

Creation of man in detail Genesis 5:1

This is the writ­ten ac­count of ­Adam’s fam­i­ly line.

1

When God cre­at­ed man­kind, he made them in the like­ness of God.

Jesus and the Book

Teaching

A Verse to Remember

Joseph is seen as a ‘type’ of Jesus Christ because of the similarities between their lives.

Both were bought for silver, both were innocent but condemned and both were raised up by God’s power after terrible humiliation.

God is the Creator of the world.

Though man broke off his friendship with God by a deliberate act of disobedience, God still continually calls on man to live with Him in trust and obedience.

‘In the be­gin­ning God cre­at­ed the heavens and the ­earth.’

(Gen. 1:1).

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DAY 1

16

Genesis 1:27

‘Man­k ind’ when they were created.

S o God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

Genesis 3:20

27

20 Adam ­named his wife Eve, be­cause she ­would be­come the moth­er of all the liv­ing.

Creation of the woman Genesis 2:18–25

Man’s dominion over creation

The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be ­a lone. I will make a help­er suit­able for him.’

19 Now the Lord God had f­ ormed out of the ­ground all the wild an­i­mals and all the ­birds in the sky. He ­brought them to the man to see what he ­would name them; and what­ev­ er the man ­called each liv­ing crea­ture, that was its name. 20 So the man gave ­names to all the live­stock, the ­birds in the sky and all the wild an­i­mals.

But for Adam no suit­able help­er was ­found. 21 So the Lord God ­caused the man to fall into a deep ­sleep; and ­while he was sleep­ing, he took one of the ­man’s ribs and then ­closed up the ­place with ­flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a wom­an from the rib he had tak­en out of the man, and he ­brought her to the man.

23 The man said,

Genesis 1:28–30

18

28 God ­blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruit­ful and in­crease in num­ber; fill the ­earth and sub­due it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the ­birds in the sky and over ev­ery liv­ing crea­ture that ­moves on the ground.’

29 Then God said, ‘I give you ev­ery seed-bear­ing ­plant on the face of the ­whole ­earth and ev­ery tree that has ­fruit with seed in it. They will be ­yours for food. 30 And to all the b­ easts of the e­ arth and all the ­birds in the sky and all the crea­tures that move along the g­ round – ev­ery­thing that has the b­ reath of life in it – I give ev­ery ­green ­plant for food.’

And it was so.

Creation completed Genesis 1:31

31 God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And ­there was eve­ning, and t­ here was morn­ing – the ­sixth day.

‘This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called “woman”, for she was taken out of man.’

Genesis 2:1

Thus the heav­ens and the ­earth were com­plet­ed in all ­their vast ar­ray.

1

That is why a man ­leaves his fa­ther and moth­er and is unit­ed to his wife, and they be­come one flesh.

25 Adam and his wife were both na­ked, and they felt no shame.

24

John 1:3 3 Through him all ­things were made; with­out him noth­ing was made that has been made.

Names given

Seventh day established

Genesis 5:2

Genesis 2:2–3

He cre­at­ed them male and fe­male and ­blessed them. And he named them

2 By the sev­enth day God had fin­ished the work he had been do­ing; so on the

2

WEEK 1

Noah CREATION

Adam & Eve

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3000 BC

Flood 2000 BC Great Pyramid Age in Egypt begins

Job (testing)

Bronze Age begins in Britain 1900 BC Abraham leaves Ur Isaac

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DAY 2

17

For Thought and Contemplation

sev­enth day he rest­ed from all his work.

3 Then God ­blessed the sev­enth day and made it holy, be­cause on it he rest­ed from all the work of cre­at­ing that he had done.

If, as Scripture teaches, mankind are the only beings in creation who bear the ‘image’ of God, then ask yourself today: How much of God’s image is reflected in me?

Exodus 20:11

11 For in six days the Lord made the heav­ens and the ­earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rest­ ed on the sev­enth day. There­fore the Lord ­blessed the Sab­bath day and made it holy.

‘… For in him all ­t hings were cre­a t­e d: ­t hings in heav­e n and on ­e arth, vis­i ­b le and in­v is­­i ble, wheth­e r ­t hrones or pow­e rs or rulers or au­t hor­i ­t ies; all ­t hings have been cre­a t­e d ­t hrough him and for him. He is be­f ore all ­t hings, and in him all ­t hings hold to­g eth­e r.’ (Col. 1:16–17)

The Garden of Eden Genesis 2:8–17

Now the Lord God had plant­ed a gar­den in the east, in Eden; and ­there he put the man he had ­formed. 9 The Lord God made all ­kinds of ­trees grow out of the ­ground – ­trees that were pleas­ing to the eye and good for food. In the mid­d le of the gar­den were the tree of life and the tree of the knowl­edge of good and evil.

10 A riv­er wa­ter­ing the gar­den ­flowed from Eden; from ­there it was sep­a­rated into four head­wa­ters. 11 The name of the ­first is the Pi­shon; it ­winds ­through the en­tire land of Hav­i­lah, ­where ­there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aro­­mat­ic res­in and onyx are also ­there.) 13 The name of the sec­ond riv­ er is the Gi­hon; it ­winds ­through the en­tire land of Cush. 14 The name of the ­third riv­er is the Ti­gris; it runs ­a long the east side of Ash­ ur. And the ­fourth riv­er is the Eu­phra­tes.

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Gar­den of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God com­mand­ed the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the gar­den; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowl­edge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will cer­tain­ly die.’

8

2

Day The Fall & the beginning of civilisation The temptation and Fall Genesis 3:1–7

Now the snake was more ­crafty than any of the wild an­i­mals the Lord God had made. He said to the wom­an, ‘Did God real­ly say, “You must not eat from any tree in the gar­den”?’

2 The wom­an said to the snake, ‘We may eat ­fruit from the ­trees in the gar­den, 3 but God did say, “You must not eat ­fruit from the tree that is in the mid­dle of the gar­den, and you must not ­touch it, or you will die.” ’ 4 ‘You will not cer­tain­ly die,’ the snake said to the wom­an. 5 ‘For God ­knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be ­opened, and you will be like God, know­ing good and evil.’

1

Jacob 1800 BC

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1700 BC Joseph

1600 BC Jacob’s family settle in Egypt

israel in egypt

1500 BC

exodus

1400 BC Fall of Jericho

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DAY 2

18

When the wom­an saw that the ­fruit of the tree was good for food and pleas­ing to the eye, and also de­sir­able for gain­ing wis­ dom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her hus­band, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were ­opened, and they re­a l­ised that they were na­ ked; so they ­sewed fig ­leaves to­geth­er and made cov­er­ings for them­selves.

6

God’s judgment and curse Genesis 3:8–19

Then the man and his wife ­heard the s­ ound of the Lord God as he was walk­ing in the gar­den in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God ­among the ­trees of the gar­den. 9 But the Lord God ­called to the man, ‘Where are you?’

10 He an­swered, ‘I ­heard you in the gar­den, and I was ­afraid be­cause I was na­ked; so I hid.’

11 And he said, ‘Who told you that you were na­ked? Have you eat­en from the tree from which I com­mand­ed you not to eat?’

12 The man said, ‘The wom­an you put here with me – she gave me some ­fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’

The wom­an said, ‘The snake de­ceived me, and I ate.’

14 So the Lord God said to the snake, ‘Be­cause you have done this, 8

‘Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.

15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.’

To the wom­an he said,

16

‘I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labour you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.’

17 To Adam he said, ‘Be­cause you lis­tened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree ­about ­which I com­mand­ed you, “You must not eat from it,”

‘Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.

18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.

19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.’

Expulsion from Eden Genesis 3:21–24 21 The Lord God made gar­ments of skin for Adam and his wife and ­clothed them.

22 And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now be­come like one of us, know­ing good and evil. He must not be al­lowed to ­reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live for ever.’ 23 So the Lord God ban­ ished him from the Gar­den of Eden to work the ­ground from ­which he had been tak­en.

24 Af­ter he ­drove the man out, he ­placed on the east side of the Gar­den of Eden cher­u­bim and a flam­ing ­sword flash­ing back and ­forth to ­guard the way to the tree of life.

WEEK 1

Noah CREATION

Adam & Eve

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3000 BC

Flood 2000 BC Great Pyramid Age in Egypt begins

Job (testing)

Bronze Age begins in Britain 1900 BC Abraham leaves Ur Isaac

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