The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Tuesday January 3, 2023 (NIV)

Genesis 5-7

The Line of Seth

This is the document containing the family[a] records(A) of Adam.[b] On the day that God created man,[c] he made him in the likeness of God; he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and called them mankind.[d]

Adam was 130 years old when he fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. Adam lived 800 years after he fathered Seth, and he fathered other sons and daughters. So Adam’s life lasted 930 years; then he died.

Seth was 105 years old when he fathered Enosh. Seth lived 807 years after he fathered Enosh, and he fathered other sons and daughters. So Seth’s life lasted 912 years; then he died.

Enosh was 90 years old when he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived 815 years after he fathered Kenan, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 11 So Enosh’s life lasted 905 years; then he died.

12 Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived 840 years after he fathered Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 14 So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.

15 Mahalalel was 65 years old when he fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he fathered Jared, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 17 So Mahalalel’s life lasted 895 years; then he died.

18 Jared was 162 years old when he fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived 800 years after he fathered Enoch, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 20 So Jared’s life lasted 962 years; then he died.

21 Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah. 22 And after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God(B) 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 23 So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.(C)

25 Methuselah was 187 years old when he fathered Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he fathered Lamech, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 27 So Methuselah’s life lasted 969 years; then he died.

28 Lamech was 182 years old when he fathered a son. 29 And he named him Noah,[e] saying, “This one will bring us relief from the agonizing labor of our hands, caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”(D) 30 Lamech lived 595 years after he fathered Noah, and he fathered other sons and daughters. 31 So Lamech’s life lasted 777 years; then he died.

32 Noah was 500 years old, and he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Sons of God and Daughters of Mankind

When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God(E) saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.(F) And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain[f] with[g] mankind forever,(G) because they are corrupt.[h](H) Their days will be 120 years.” The Nephilim[i] were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

Judgment Decreed

When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time,(I) the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth,(J) and he was deeply grieved. Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” Noah, however, found favor with the Lord.(K)

God Warns Noah

These are the family records(L) of Noah. Noah was a righteous man,(M) blameless among his contemporaries;(N) Noah walked with God.(O) 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness.[j] 12 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth.(P) 13 Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.

14 “Make yourself an ark of gopher[k] wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. 15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[l] 16 You are to make a roof,[m] finishing the sides of the ark to within eighteen inches[n] of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks.

17 “Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth(Q) to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you,(R) and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19 You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive. 21 Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; gather it as food for you and for them.” 22 And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.(S)

Entering the Ark

Then the Lord said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation.(T) You are to take with you seven pairs, a male and its female, of all the clean animals,(U) and two of the animals that are not clean, a male and its female, and seven pairs, male and female, of the birds of the sky—in order to keep offspring alive throughout the earth. Seven days from now I will make it rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, and every living thing I have made I will wipe off the face of the earth.” And Noah did everything that the Lord commanded him.(V)

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood came and water covered the earth. So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the ark because of the floodwaters. From the animals that are clean, and from the animals that are not clean, and from the birds and every creature that crawls on the ground, two of each, male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, just as God had commanded him. 10 Seven days later the floodwaters came on the earth.

The Flood

11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the sources of the vast watery depths burst open,(W) the floodgates of the sky were opened,(X) 12 and the rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On that same day Noah and his three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, entered the ark, along with Noah’s wife and his three sons’ wives. 14 They entered it with all the wildlife according to their kinds, all livestock according to their kinds, all the creatures that crawl on the earth according to their kinds, every flying creature—all the birds and every winged creature—according to their kinds. 15 Two of every creature that has the breath of life in it came to Noah and entered the ark. 16 Those that entered, male and female of every creature, entered just as God had commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.

17 The flood continued for forty days on the earth; the water increased and lifted up the ark so that it rose above the earth. 18 The water surged and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 Then the water surged even higher on the earth, and all the high mountains under the whole sky were covered. 20 The mountains were covered as the water surged above them more than twenty feet.[o] 21 Every creature perished—those that crawl on the earth, birds, livestock, wildlife, and those that swarm on the earth, as well as all mankind. 22 Everything with the breath of the spirit of life in its nostrils(Y)—everything on dry land died. 23 He wiped out every living thing that was on the face of the earth, from mankind to livestock, to creatures that crawl, to the birds of the sky, and they were wiped off the earth. Only Noah was left, and those that were with him in the ark.(Z) 24 And the water surged on the earth 150 days.

Footnotes:

  1. 5:1 Lit written family
  2. 5:1 Or mankind
  3. 5:1 Or Adam, human beings
  4. 5:2 Hb ’adam
  5. 5:29 In Hb, the name Noah sounds like “bring us relief.”
  6. 6:3 Or strive
  7. 6:3 Or in
  8. 6:3 Lit flesh
  9. 6:4 Possibly means “fallen ones”; traditionally, “giants”; Nm 13:31–33
  10. 6:11 Or injustice, also in v. 13
  11. 6:14 Unknown species of tree; perhaps pine or cypress
  12. 6:15 Or 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high
  13. 6:16 Or window, or hatch; Hb uncertain
  14. 6:16 Lit to a cubit
  15. 7:20 Lit surged 15 cubits
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Matthew 3:7-4:11

When he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees(A) coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?(B) Therefore produce fruit(C) consistent with[a] repentance. And don’t presume to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’(D) For I tell you that God is able to raise up children for Abraham from these stones. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that doesn’t produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.(E)

11 “I baptize you with[b] water for repentance,(F) but the one who is coming after me is more powerful than I. I am not worthy to remove[c] his sandals. He himself will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.(G) 12 His winnowing shovel is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor and gather his wheat into the barn. But the chaff he will burn with fire that never goes out.”(H)

The Baptism of Jesus

13 Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him.(I) 14 But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?”

15 Jesus answered him, “Allow it for now, because this is the way for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then John allowed him to be baptized.

16 When Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water. The heavens(J) suddenly opened for him,[d] and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him.(K) 17 And a voice from heaven said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.”(L)

The Temptation of Jesus

Then(M) Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.(N) After he had fasted forty days and forty nights,(O) he was hungry. Then the tempter approached him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”(P)

He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.[e](Q)

Then the devil took him to the holy city, had him stand on the pinnacle of the temple,(R) and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written:

He will give his angels(S) orders concerning you,
and they will support you with their hands
so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone.[f](T)

Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.[g](U)

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to him, “I will give you all these things if you will fall down and worship me.”[h]

10 Then Jesus told him, “Go away,[i] Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only him.[j](V)

11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and began to serve him.(W)

Footnotes:

  1. 3:8 Lit fruit worthy of
  2. 3:11 Or in
  3. 3:11 Or to carry
  4. 3:16 Other mss omit for him
  5. 4:4 Dt 8:3
  6. 4:6 Ps 91:11–12
  7. 4:7 Dt 6:16
  8. 4:9 Or and pay me homage
  9. 4:10 Other mss read “Get behind me
  10. 4:10 Dt 6:13
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Psalm 3

Psalm 3

Confidence in Troubled Times

A psalm of David when he fled from his son Absalom.(A)

Lord, how my foes increase!
There are many who attack me.(B)
Many say about me,
“There is no help for him in God.”(C)Selah

But you, Lord, are a shield around me,(D)
my glory,(E) and the one who lifts up my head.(F)
I cry aloud to the Lord,
and he answers me from his holy mountain.(G)Selah

I lie down and sleep;
I wake again because the Lord sustains me.(H)
I will not be afraid of thousands of people
who have taken their stand against me on every side.(I)

Rise up, Lord!(J)
Save me, my God!
You strike all my enemies on the cheek;(K)
you break the teeth of the wicked.(L)
Salvation belongs to the Lord;(M)
may your blessing be on your people.(N)Selah

Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

Proverbs 1:10-19

10 My son, if sinners entice you,(A)
don’t be persuaded.(B)
11 If they say—“Come with us!
Let’s set an ambush(C) and kill someone.[a]
Let’s attack some innocent person(D) just for fun![b]
12 Let’s swallow them alive,(E) like Sheol,
whole, like those who go down to the Pit.(F)
13 We’ll find all kinds of valuable property
and fill our houses with plunder.(G)
14 Throw in your lot with us,
and we’ll all share the loot”[c]
15 my son, don’t travel that road with them(H)
or set foot on their path,(I)
16 because their feet run toward evil
and they hurry to shed blood.(J)
17 It is useless to spread a net
where any bird can see it,
18 but they set an ambush to kill themselves;[d]
they attack their own lives.
19 Such are the paths of all who make profit dishonestly;(K)
it takes the lives of those who receive it.[e]

Footnotes:

  1. 1:11 Lit Let’s ambush for blood
  2. 1:11 Lit person for no reason
  3. 1:14 Lit us; one bag will be for all of us
  4. 1:18 Lit they ambush for their blood
  5. 1:19 Lit takes the life of its masters
Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.

1/2/2023 DAB Transcript

Genesis 3:1-4:26, Matthew 2:13-3:6, Psalm 2:1-12, Proverbs 1:7-9

Today is the second day of January, welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it is great to be here with you today on day two of our grand adventure through every book, every chapter, every verse in the entire Bible, welcome back. This is sort of move in week, where we just kind get our bearings and our rhythm and then realize, pretty quickly, how poignant the Bible is and can be. And so, as we just began the journey yesterday, we began four books Genesis, in the Old Testament. Matthew, which is the first book of the New Testament. And then Psalms and Proverbs, and that’s a lot of moving in, in one day. And so, we’re taken a few days just to kind of go over, kind of give an overview of what it is we’re reading. And so, we oriented ourselves a little bit to the book of Genesis yesterday. And we’ll do the same thing when we get to the book of Matthew today. But before we get to Matthew, we have another step forward in the book of Genesis. We’re reading from the New Living Translation this week, Genesis chapters 3 and 4.

Introduction to the Book of Matthew:

Okay, so yesterday we began the book of Matthew. We didn’t talk much about the book of Matthew. But if we will recall, we read an extensive line of genealogy that led us all the way to the birth of Jesus. And then, we went through the birth narrative and we we’re just talking about how we just came through this season. And so, it’s very familiar in our minds. And I mentioned that those genealogies, although they may not be the most interesting things to read or hear, are very important when we come across them in the Bible. People that we met in the book of Matthew yesterday, are all people that we will get to know. Every single one of those names are people that we will encounter again, as we move our way through the Old Testament. Which brings us to today, where we kind of dive into day two in the book of Matthew. But let’s just do a little fly over. Matthew is a part of a grouping of books, just like Genesis is a part of a grouping of books. So, yesterday we talked about Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; the first five books in the Bible. They are known as the Torah, as they are grouped together or the Pentateuch. So, Matthew is a part of a grouping of books. And you probably already know this, but Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are known as the four Gospels. And each one of the Gospels, and we’ll go through them in order, so we did spend quite a bit of time here at the front of the year with Jesus. Because the gospel narratives of the story of Jesus life and ministry, and his teachings. And as Christians we center our lives around what He was teaching and what He is teaching. So, in the New Testament, we will be moving right through the gospels. So, we get to kind of walk right alongside Jesus, be in the crowds with Him. Be among the disciples, become a disciple of the Savior Jesus, as we move through the Gospels. Matthew was one of the 12 disciples of Jesus, so he walked with Jesus literally and heard Jesus on a daily basis. He was a disciple. So, he had devoted his life to following his Rabbi, following Jesus as a rabbi and they came to understand that Jesus was more than Rabbi. But we’ll get to that as we move through the Gospels. Nevertheless, Matthew had first-hand knowledge of what he’s talking about. And as we will discover, Matthew in his previous life before becoming a disciple of Jesus, was a tax collector. So, he was, he was a hated person and he was very just disliked because to the Jews, Matthew’s a Jew collecting taxes on behalf of Rome, from the Jewish people. And so, he’s looked at like, basically like a trader. And the way that taxes worked in the Roman Empire among people like the Jewish people, somebody or somebodies with lots of money, would approach the Roman government and say we want to collect taxes from Roman and then they pay a bunch of money to basically buy the rights to collect taxes on behalf of Rome. And then those people who bought that right, hire people to actually go do the dirty work and collect the taxes. And in the process, you can imagine that there is corruption involved and so, there’s over taxation that ends up in the pockets of the tax collector. And so, these people are not well-liked. So, when a Jew is collecting taxes on behalf of Rome for another, from another Jew, that just seems disingenuous. And so, they were not liked. And so, the first thing we should probably just kind of understand here is that Jesus called as one of his 12 disciples, people who would live and walk with him during his earthly ministry. He called a person nobody liked. He called an outsider. That is not only riveting but important, because as we read through the book of Matthew, there’s a lot of things that happen but the outsider. Or rather the inclusion of the outsider in God’s kingdom is something we will see quite clearly, if we’re looking for it. And we can nod our heads yes, and shake our heads yes, thank God that He loves the outsider, but the challenge then becomes, how are we treating the ones on the margins? How are we treating the outsider? Because we have an example of Jesus, and we claim to be His followers, His disciples, we claim that our faith and our goals are to become like our Savior, to become Christ-like. If we do not conduct ourselves in any way like Jesus, then what are we saying? Words are just falling from our lips that mean absolutely nothing. They’re just a black puddle on the floor, they mean nothing. Jesus called Matthew. Matthew left everything to follow Jesus. So, we’re getting the perspective of a person who left a certain kind of life and entered a completely different kind of life and was utterly transformed. The text, itself, in the book of Matthew, is aimed at Jewish believers. It’s a very Hebrew centric gospel, it quotes from the Old Testament more than any of the other Gospels do, and it works harder than any of the other Gospels do to reveal Jesus fulfilling Hebrew prophecy. More than that, and if this is your first time through the Bible, like if you’ve wandered in here going, I’ve got to find some sort of rootedness in spirituality, we get to meet Jesus, we get to walk alongside Jesus, we get to know Him pretty well, and we get to know His style. And we to see His rabbinical teachings, in the way that you would teach in parables. Which are like, which are like illustration stories that have layer, after layer of meaning that can be pondered. So, that the meaning is far greater than the amount of words that were used to tell the story. And there are over 20 parables that are in the book of Matthew. So, we’ll obviously read every word of them. And then lastly, we will see and we will hear Jesus speaking about a kingdom. A kingdom that is of God. In fact, it’s God’s kingdom. And Jesus speaking to Hebrew people, they weren’t unfamiliar with this concept. And they wished for God’s kingdom, but they were in a position, and we’ll go through all of the story, as we go through the Bible, but they were in a position in the first century, when Jesus was upon the earth, where they lived in a land that had been, at one point, their ancestral homeland. But at this point in history, it was part of the Roman Empire. It was a province of the Roman Empire, the province of Syria. But what the Hebrew people wanted was to find a Messiah, some leader, a Messiah, a godly character, a godly person, who could rally people together, and would lead people in the truth but that would also lead them into battle, to overcome miraculously Rome, and throw them out of the land, and then they could have this kingdom of God again, they could have their land back after a millennia. So, Jesus comes walking through the countryside, village-to-village, speaking to people who understand this concept and have this seething rage toward Rome because they are marginalized and oppressed. And He announces the kingdom of heaven is at hand, they’re listening. This could be that guy. He could lead them into battle. And so, Jesus continues to teach about the kingdom of heaven. And it turns out that the kingdom of heaven isn’t something that’s coming. It’s something that is. Is here. Is now. And is coming, its fullness is coming, but it’s here now. And so, Jesus reveals the kingdom of God. And it’s not the kingdom that the people were expecting. And we’ll get to see the tension that arises from that. So, there’s a little bit of a flyover of Matthew. Let’s dive into our day, to our second reading from the gospel of Matthew, which will be chapter 2 verse 13 through 3 verse 6.

Commentary:

Okay, so we’ve already spent some time talking about Matthew. And I don’t want to overwhelm us with all kinds of information but as we’re moving in, it’s really, really important that we get oriented to the story and understand what’s going on here. And the book of Genesis today, we found out what happened to us, because yesterday, we’re reading through the creation narratives and we’re getting this glimpse of things as they were intended to be. So, yesterday I was just saying like let’s take a step back and look around and we have to acknowledge that something happened because this isn’t perfect. We have all kinds of conveniences and a beautiful planet to live on, that sustains our lives, but we are a mess. Something happened. And that’s what we get to see in the book of Genesis today with the third chapter of Genesis. One of the saddest moments in the Bible and there are some sad moments in the Bible, but this is one of the saddest of them all. We know the story as the fall. The fall of mankind and knowing that sets up the trajectory of the rest of the Bible. The rest of the story. God made something perfect, including perfect human beings, who wanted knowledge of good and evil, instead of trusting God to sort that out. And we have been using this knowledge ever since to understand something that is far beyond our understanding, the love of God. And we have made a colossal mess out of an awful lot of things, as we all know. We broke the story. I mean, that’s what we see here in Genesis 3. We see what happened. The rest of the story is one of a God who will not stop putting things back together again and inviting his people to be intimately involved in that process. And it’s very easy to think and I’ve thought like, I mean I’m a child who grew up in a pastor’s home, so the Bible stories are stories I’ve heard from before I could even talk. And this story of…of the garden of Eden and the fall of man and the talking serpent and the swinging swords from the Angels guarding the entrance to the garden of Eden, like I can still see this imagery from my childhood trying to imagine it. But even as a child, I was like why would God put that tree in the garden in the first place, if it were the possibility of breaking the whole plan? Why is that there? Why did they even get that choice? And as I have pondered that over decades, I have come to realize that love can’t actually be love, if there’s no way out. That’s more like slavery. And an enslaved human being can do all sorts of things that they hate, and connect all sorts of ways that aren’t true, including faking love, in order to avoid consequences. But love offered from the heart, a covenant of love, that’s not something that can be faked, it’s either true or it’s false. God loved what He had made. He called it good and very good. He loved the children that He had made. He came to walk with them in the cool of the evening. Love isn’t love, if there’s no way out. And the tree was that opportunity, and we took the opportunity. And we can blame Adam and Eve, we can do all that kind of stuff but we’re doing the same thing every day, because what is ultimately happening in the book of Genesis is deception was introduced into the story. This serpent is having this conversation with Eve saying, really, God said you can’t eat this? You’re not gonna die if you eat this. God’s afraid of you eating this. God’s holding out on you, if you eat this you’ll become like God. You’ll know good and evil. You won’t need this God who is withholding important information from you. Become God yourself. Eat the fruit. That has been our story ever since. But we will see as we read through the Old Testament and now that we’re reading through the Gospels and the life of Jesus that God has been putting things back together, ever since. Then we will continue with that journey going forward tomorrow.

Prayer:

And Father, we thank You for Your word and we thank You for allowing us to gather, to be in the world at this time, with this technology and able to be far-flung all over the world, representing all kinds of different cultural contexts, all stripes and flavors of theological persuasion. We’re able to come here together, around the Global Campfire and immerse ourselves in what the Bible says by simply reading and absorbing it together. Thank You for this gift. And, Holy Spirit, although this may be the first time that we ask this year, it won’t be the last, lead us into all truth. This is something promised in the Scriptures. We believe that You will. Our role will be to be openhearted and openhanded as You lead us. So, thank You for inviting us to this grand dance, as we take the adventure of a lifetime through the Scriptures. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

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And that’s it for today, I’m Brian, I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here, tomorrow.

Prayer and Encouragements:

James The Teacher, my friend, I’m Sparky in Texas. I heard you on community prayer brother, about your daughter’s recital and it really hit home with me. As you know, my kids moved to Northwest, up around Portland with their mother. The day before they flew out, for the last time before moving, I had had a real tough time with the build-up. And the day before they left, I stayed up really late, really stressed out. And then that next morning, when my parents were flying out with them, they left at probably 430 or 5 in the morning, and I was so tired that I missed them leaving at the airport. And it crushed me, absolutely crushed me. And I could not forgive myself over it. I beat on myself. I knew my ex-wife was probably gonna do some beating on me too. And out of all of that, it occurred to me that God might not have wanted me there for a reason, in a weird way. We don’t understand, and I’m like you, I’m dead set, point on when I’m at work, running crews, running guys. And then it seems like I can miss things, ADD-ish at the house, and I feel like I fall short. But God’s got you. He knows what’s supposed to happen. And your daughter still loves you man. There’s many more, hopefully. Love you dude, good to hear from you.

Good morning, Daily Audio Family. This is God’s Chosen, calling from California. Channel to all the special needs parents, all the care givers and all those who have been praying and uplifting us in this prayer line. It’s been so encouraging. I myself, am a parent of a special needs daughter. But I thank God for His daily strength. She’s 7 years old. We begin our day with Psalms and we end our day with Psalms. And I’m gonna sing a song with her. Right here. This is the day, this is the day that the Lord has made, that the Lord has made. We will rejoice, we will rejoice, and be glad in it, and be glad in it. This is the day that the Lord has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. This is the day, this is the day, that the Lord has made. I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart. I’ve got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart to stay. And I’m so happy, so very happy. I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart. And I’m so happy, so very happy. I’ve got the love of Jesus in my heart. Amen. Amen.

This is Jersey Jane for Jesus. And my prayer goes out to Greg from Southwest Sweden, I believe you said. Your wife is under terrible stress. Your mother-in-law is having stomach issues. You are having trouble finding a job until you finish your courses. I pray that all these things, calm down. That you should find work. That the stress in your wife’s job, should lessen. That it would be surrounded with peace. That her co-workers are kind and good and godly. That is the main thing, that they are godly. And I pray the blood of Jesus over your mother-in-law. That she be healed, through Jesus’s healing hands. And I wish you also, a Happy New Year, Greg. And it was nice to hear from you. And I pray, and I pray, and I pray. Amen.

Good evening, this is Peggy in Texas. And I come, asking for prayer for Ben my son. It was almost a year ago that I requested prayer for him. That was when he entered the emergency room of a local hospital. And he was diagnosed with COVID 19. He was placed on a ventilator and was there for 3 months. And had a feeding tube, of course. And all kinds of things happened to him during those months. He was, had a collapsed lung and he had a heart valve infection and he had another infection and then he had, he had a massive stroke, somewhere along the line. He was able to be removed from the ventilator in April and actually, since then, he has really been hospitalized or in a physical therapy rehab place, 12 of them as right now, as of right now. It’s been so hard. It’s been catastrophic. Ben, Ben needs prayer. He has tremendous tremors. And those tremors make it impossible for him to hold onto the bars and try to stand. We, he had surgery on both feet to straighten them in order that he might be able to stand. He has not had the opportunity to do that. He is suffering. It hurts to see a child suffer. He is a wonderful man; he loves the Lord. Has raised a precious family, four children, they are all out in their first jobs, after graduating from college. And he has a lovely wife. Ben’s illness has been catastrophic in so many ways.

Hello, no, are you sure. No, not Pelim. I never. Ah man, you just never know. I guess I just took this community for granted. I just, I never called and told him. I never told him how much he means to me. I never told him how much I enjoy his calls. I never told him. Man. Melissa, you’re one. I think you’re amazing. I think you’re great. I love when you call. I love your intro, I love your voice. I love how much capacity you have for everybody. You’re amazing and I just pray to God that He blesses you. Renzo, Renzo man, you’re special bro. You’re special kid. You’re special. I wish there was a way that you could share your music with us, man. I just, I wanna hear it bro. Man. There’s so many. There’s so many. You guys are special. I just can’t, I know death happens, I understand it. I know it. But I just, I just never told him. I never told him. It doesn’t matter but. I just wish I could have told him. God bless every one of you guys. Shawn 3:16.

Hey, my Daily Audio Bible siblings. Good morning. I just could not let this year go by before I say, Happy New Year to all of you. You’re all my siblings, young and older. So many of you have blessed me during the year, 2022. Thank you, Brian, Jill your voice in music. It’s amazing. I love being here. I love this family. For real, you guys are my family. I love you guys. You guys are my church. This is what I enjoy the most, though I do go to church on Sundays. And I enjoy it but this is my favorite part, my Daily Audio Bible. I want to wish you a Happy New Year, may this year, the new year bring us closer to the Lord. May we be consistent with the reading of the Bible. Yeah, I was consistent for the whole year of 2022, it’s amazing. I cannot do it without God and your prayers. So, yeah, I just wanted to tell you how much I love you guys. You guys are important in my life. Thank you for all your encouragement, your prayers. Oh, I have so many favorite ones here. This is Minita from Lambart. God bless you. I love you so much.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Monday January 2, 2023 (NIV)

Genesis 3-4

The Man and Woman Sin

The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”

“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[a] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”

11 “Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”

12 The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”

14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this, you are cursed
more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike[b] your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

16 Then he said to the woman,

“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you.[c]

17 And to the man he said,

“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
19 By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.”

Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.[d] 21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings[e] have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

Now Adam[f] had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced[g] a man!” Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.

When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

“Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”

One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.”[h] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.

Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”

“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”

13 Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment[i] is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”

15 The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod,[j] east of Eden.

The Descendants of Cain

17 Cain had sexual relations with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain founded a city, which he named Enoch, after his son. 18 Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad became the father of[k] Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.

19 Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the first of those who raise livestock and live in tents. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal, the first of all who play the harp and flute. 22 Lamech’s other wife, Zillah, gave birth to a son named Tubal-cain. He became an expert in forging tools of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain had a sister named Naamah. 23 One day Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
listen to me, you wives of Lamech.
I have killed a man who attacked me,
a young man who wounded me.
24 If someone who kills Cain is punished seven times,
then the one who kills me will be punished seventy-seven times!”

The Birth of Seth

25 Adam had sexual relations with his wife again, and she gave birth to another son. She named him Seth,[l] for she said, “God has granted me another son in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 When Seth grew up, he had a son and named him Enosh. At that time people first began to worship the Lord by name.

Footnotes:

  1. 3:8 Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter.
  2. 3:15 Or bruise; also in 3:15b.
  3. 3:16 Or And though you will have desire for your husband, / he will rule over you.
  4. 3:20 Eve sounds like a Hebrew term that means “to give life.”
  5. 3:22 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.
  6. 4:1a Or the man; also in 4:25.
  7. 4:1b Or I have acquired. Cain sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean “produce” or “acquire.”
  8. 4:8 As in Samaritan Pentateuch, Greek and Syriac versions, and Latin Vulgate; Masoretic Text lacks “Let’s go out into the fields.”
  9. 4:13 Or My sin.
  10. 4:16 Nod means “wandering.”
  11. 4:18 Or the ancestor of, and so throughout the verse.
  12. 4:25 Seth probably means “granted”; the name may also mean “appointed.”
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Matthew 2:13-3:6

The Escape to Egypt

13 After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”

14 That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, 15 and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.”[a]

16 Herod was furious when he realized that the wise men had outwitted him. He sent soldiers to kill all the boys in and around Bethlehem who were two years old and under, based on the wise men’s report of the star’s first appearance. 17 Herod’s brutal action fulfilled what God had spoken through the prophet Jeremiah:

18 “A cry was heard in Ramah—
weeping and great mourning.
Rachel weeps for her children,
refusing to be comforted,
for they are dead.”[b]

The Return to Nazareth

19 When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. 20 “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”

21 So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother. 22 But when he learned that the new ruler of Judea was Herod’s son Archelaus, he was afraid to go there. Then, after being warned in a dream, he left for the region of Galilee. 23 So the family went and lived in a town called Nazareth. This fulfilled what the prophets had said: “He will be called a Nazarene.”

John the Baptist Prepares the Way

In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was, “Repent of your sins and turn to God, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near.[c] The prophet Isaiah was speaking about John when he said,

“He is a voice shouting in the wilderness,
‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming!
Clear the road for him!’”[d]

John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey. People from Jerusalem and from all of Judea and all over the Jordan Valley went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

Footnotes:

  1. 2:15 Hos 11:1.
  2. 2:18 Jer 31:15.
  3. 3:2 Or has come, or is coming soon.
  4. 3:3 Isa 40:3 (Greek version).
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 2

Psalm 2

Why are the nations so angry?
Why do they waste their time with futile plans?
The kings of the earth prepare for battle;
the rulers plot together
against the Lord
and against his anointed one.
“Let us break their chains,” they cry,
“and free ourselves from slavery to God.”

But the one who rules in heaven laughs.
The Lord scoffs at them.
Then in anger he rebukes them,
terrifying them with his fierce fury.
For the Lord declares, “I have placed my chosen king on the throne
in Jerusalem,[a] on my holy mountain.”

The king proclaims the Lord’s decree:
“The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son.[b]
Today I have become your Father.[c]
Only ask, and I will give you the nations as your inheritance,
the whole earth as your possession.
You will break[d] them with an iron rod
and smash them like clay pots.’”

10 Now then, you kings, act wisely!
Be warned, you rulers of the earth!
11 Serve the Lord with reverent fear,
and rejoice with trembling.
12 Submit to God’s royal son,[e] or he will become angry,
and you will be destroyed in the midst of all your activities—
for his anger flares up in an instant.
But what joy for all who take refuge in him!

Footnotes:

  1. 2:6 Hebrew on Zion.
  2. 2:7a Or Son; also in 2:12.
  3. 2:7b Or Today I reveal you as my son.
  4. 2:9 Greek version reads rule. Compare Rev 2:27.
  5. 2:12 The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 1:7-9

Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and discipline.

A Father’s Exhortation: Acquire Wisdom

My child,[a] listen when your father corrects you.
Don’t neglect your mother’s instruction.
What you learn from them will crown you with grace
and be a chain of honor around your neck.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:8 Hebrew My son; also in 1:10, 15.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


01/01/2023 DAB Transcript

Genesis 1:1-2:25, Matthew 1:1-2:12, Psalms 1:1-6, Proverbs 1:1-6

Today is January 1st welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. Welcome to a brand-new year. Happy new year and welcome back or welcome aboard. We are about to set sail on the journey of a lifetime, a journey that will take us a year to accomplish, a year of our lives, a year of our lives shared together in community, a year of our lives is gathering each day around the Global Campfire and taking the next step forward together. And what an adventure it is, to share our stories with each other as we immerse ourselves in the story that God has revealed to us through the Scriptures. And in those Scriptures, we will meet a lot of people and we will see all a lot of things happen, but we will slowly realize that we’re not just reading the Bible. It’s reading us and we’ll find ourselves and our hearts and our motivations in those stories. And one of the things that we will clearly see over and over and over again is that God will not give up. He will not surrender. He will not surrender us because he loves us. And, so, no matter what last year looked like it was actually last year. It’s now a part of our history. It’s now in the past. Maybe there were some pretty hard knocks last year, some pretty big losses and we’re coming into this new year crawling or maybe the week between Christmas and New Year’s is a blur because we’re just so disoriented and partied so hard last night we just come here going, I’ve got to make some changes in my life. Fantastic! Welcome aboard. We’ll find that no matter how hard we try to change ourselves there is transformation that can only happen in relationship with God, a God who will not give up. So, you are in the right place. Whether you have jumped on the ship and are ready to sail another year and maybe this is your 10th or 15th voyage through the Bible, we are beginning today, our 18th year of the Daily Audio Bible of the Daily Audio Bible has grown from infancy all the way into adulthood. This is day one of year 18 and we have been at this seven days a week without fail for all of these years and this is going to be a special adventure through the Bible together this year. And, so, as we begin may we all center ourselves around this. Our story is unfolding. God is in the middle of it. He will not give up. You have always been perfectly loved.

Song:

Perfectly Loved – Rachael Lampa (Feat. Tobby Mac)

Who said that you weren’t beautiful
And that you didn’t belong in your own skin?
Who said that you were all alone
And that you’re never gonna find love again?

So many little words, so many little lies
That have followed you all of your life
Looking for the truth, look into your eyes
And you’ll see it’s been there the whole time

Ooh, even when you were running
Even when you were hiding
Never been a moment that you were not perfectly loved
When you barely believed it
When your eyes couldn’t see it
Every single moment, you’ve always been perfectly loved
Ooh, perfectly loved
You’ve always been perfectly

In the hands of the Infinite
As the wounds of the world became His
See the kindness Heaven has for you
And how He’s always been drawing you in

So many open doors (so many open doors), so many miracles (so many)
That have followed you all of your life
Looking for the truth (looking for the truth), look into your eyes (oh)
And you’ll see its been there the whole time

Ooh, even when you were running
Even when you were hiding
Never been a moment that you were not perfectly loved
When you barely believed it
When your eyes couldn’t see it
Every single moment you’ve always been perfectly loved
Ooh, perfectly loved
Ooh

You’re not a problem
You’re not a mistake
Don’t need fixing or solving
In the arms of His grace

You’re perfectly human
Made from the dust
You’ve got a heart, broken and scarred, yet perfectly loved

Oh, even when you were running
Even when you were hiding
Never been a moment that you were not perfectly loved
When you barely believed it (when you barely believed it)
When your eyes couldn’t see it
Every single moment you’ve always been perfectly loved
Perfectly loved
You’ve always been perfectly loved

Ooh
Perfectly loved
You have always been perfectly loved

Commentary:

Okay. So, as we begin this brand-new adventure in the Scriptures this year and as we begin to read the story of a God who will not give up we will begin at the beginning, which means we are about to begin with the first words of the Bible, “in the beginning.” But the way that the Daily Audio Bible works each day is that we will move through a portion of the Old Testament, and a portion of the new Testament, a reading from the Psalms and a reading from the Proverbs each day. And we’ll have plenty…plenty to talk about as we move through each of these sections of the Bible. But this is the first day of the year and we’re starting four books all at the same time. So, it’s gonna take us a few days to move in. As we go through the next few days we’ll fly over and kind of give an overview of the book that we are reading and the territory that it’s covering so that we can keep our orientation to what’s going on. So, by the time we get through our first week together we’ll kind of settle into the rhythm that will carry us through the year together. But there’s always a beginning, there’s always a page 1 and that is where we find ourselves right now. And, so, we are about to crack open the book, “in the beginning” and the beginning is the book of Genesis. And whether you’ve read the Bible 100 times or this is the first time that you’re sitting down and going, I’m actually gonna read everything…I’m gonna know everything that’s in the Bible, I’m gonna read the Bible, you probably know that the first book of the Bible is called Genesis.

Introduction to the book of Genesis:

Typically, when we think about Genesis we think about the story of the creation of the world, that that’s what the book of Genesis is about. And it is. But that’s only a small portion of the book of Genesis. Genesis will actually cover more time than any of the other books of the Bible. So, we’re about to start with chapter 1 verse 1 and read the story of the creation of the world and discover what happened to us, but after that about 2500 years will pass within the book of Genesis, which is more time than the rest of the Old Testament combined. So, by the time we’ve reached chapter 11 of the book of Genesis, we will have covered a couple thousand years and a couple thousand miles and then things will slow down and we’re gonna meet some specific people and we will watch a couple of generations of people materialize and get to know their stories. And these are important stories, and these are important people because they will form a family and that family will carry us through the rest of the story of the Bible because the Bible is centered around this family. We will meet people like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and see how these people become the Hebrew people. And it’s the Hebrew Bible that we are reading. It’s also important to know that there are different groupings of books in the Bible that kind of group them together in the kind of context that they’re in. Like there are books of prophecy and so those are the prophetic books whether major or minor prophets. Genesis falls into a larger grouping of writings that are the first five books of the Bible. So, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. This grouping of books is called the Torah or the Pentateuch. And, so, for example if you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app you can check off all of the days that we go through so that we don’t miss anything, and as we move through and keep track of where we are in the Scriptures every time we complete a grouping of books a little badge shows up in the app and let us know like, we…we…we’ve completed this grouping of books as we move through the Scriptures. And, so, that gives us a very, very brief orientation to where we are going. But we’ve gotta start. And, so, we open the book to page 1 and launch into the adventure of a lifetime. Genesis 1.

Commentary:

Okay. So, we have begun. We are under way. We have set sail. We’re still kind of finding our rooms and unpacking our stuff and getting situated and getting settled in for the year, but we are under way. We are moving out of the harbor and heading into the deep. And as we have begun, we have begun to be oriented to the story that we are telling here in the Scriptures. We’ve started in the beginning. We’ve discovered that our human experience was fashioned in God’s own image and that it is God that animates our lives. He is the source. And according to Genesis it’s not by accident. God wanted us here, which means all of us are supposed to be here and we each bear the image of a God who isn’t just this silent distant observer, but one that has created us in His own image. He is intertwined with the story that we are living deeper than our cells, deeper than our atoms or our DNA. He is the source of life. And as we read through the story of creation, we got a pretty rare view. It’s not something that we will get to see often in the Bible. We were able to see how things were intended to be, how it was supposed to be for us, a perfect world, perfect people made in the image of God Himself, a dance of life that was perfect. And if we think about that for a second and then just take a step back, turn in a circle, look over our lives, look over the world that we live in, we could all agree it’s less than that now. Something happened. And although we have technologies to give us so much convenience, we would have to agree it’s not perfect. It’s not how it was supposed to be. And we find as we move through the Bible is that God is putting it back together and has invited us to collaborate.

Then we moved into the book of Matthew and the book of Matthew begins with a long set of genealogies which are not the most riveting things in the world to read, but we were reading the lineage that led us to Jesus. And although it’s easy to kind of glaze over on the genealogies and the different names of, you know, who had who, it’s in no way purposeless. Every single person that we read in the genealogies in the book of Matthew are people that we are going to meet as we move through the Bible. And when we completed the genealogies we moved right into the birth narrative of Jesus, which is also known as the Christmas story, and we should be reasonably familiar at this point in the year. Even though we’re beginning a brand-new year we just came through the Christmas season and so we should be reasonably familiar with what’s going on in the book of Matthew. And we will move our way into Matthew a little bit more deeply tomorrow. We’ll kind of talk about Matthew when we get to Matthew. And then over the next couple of days we’ll talk about Psalms and Proverbs as well.

But we are underway friends, and I am excited to see what the Scriptures bring up in our lives because the Bible tells us that it’s alive, it’s a living thing, it’s a sharp thing. It’s something that can reach to the very depths of our identity. It can speak at the level that nothing else, no other instrument can reach. It speaks so often to right where we are and gives us the counsel that we need. So, I’m excited to see what this year looks like together in community around the Global Campfire as we move day by day step-by-step together.

Prayer:

Father, we thank you for your word and we ask here on day one that you would send your Holy Spirit among us and lead us into all truth. We haven’t come here to get all twisted and deceived. We’ve come here to get clarity. We’ve come here to hear every word of the Scriptures and allow them to come into our hearts and transform us. And, so, we ask that you bless this year and that we would be open and receptive to what you are saying through the Scriptures. We are committed. We want transformation. We want life to look as you intended it to look, which means that we’re gonna have to have eyes to see and ears to hear, as Jesus will tell us so many times. And, so, give us these things - eyes to see, ears to hear - that we might be changed and transformed. We pray this in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com, that is home base, it’s the website obviously. It’s where you can find out what’s going on around here. There is also the Daily Audio Bible app. You can download that from whatever app store works with the device or phone that you are using. It’s free. It is a fantastic way to go through the Scriptures. It consolidates it all together. And, so, check that out. Certainly, as I was mentioning earlier we can kind of keep track of the days that were listening to see if we missed something. And as we continue through the Scriptures as we pass through the different categories, the different sections of the Bible we’ll be able to measure and see our progress. So, certainly check that out.

And as we move in this week and kind of get ourselves oriented and moving in the same direction, we’ll talk about all the different little things that we might need to know as we take the journey together. But this is day one and this was good day, a good first step. 364 more steps and we will find ourselves at the beginning of new year.

And this is a really good time right here, day 1. Go look in the mirror. Actually, take a minute. Not like…not like you’re putting makeup on looking in the mirror or you’re combing your hair looking in the mirror or whatever. Just look at yourself. Look at yourself in the eyes. Look into your own eyes. That may be uncomfortable but look into your own eyes. Acknowledge where you are in your life. Acknowledge the victories. Acknowledge the setbacks. Look at where you are right because 364 days from now you should look in the mirror again and look into your own eyes again because you won’t be seeing the same person. A year in the Bible is the adventure of a lifetime, but it is striking. It is remarkable how relevant and how deeply the Bible speaks into why we do what we do and why we should pay attention to what we’re doing.

One other little tiny bit of counsel. Grab yourself a notebook. Whether you go to the bookstore and get yourself nice writing tablet. Whether you go to the Daily Audio Bible Shop…we have journals in the Daily Audio Bible Shop for exactly what I’m talking about. Or whether you just go to the cupboard and get some paper. It doesn’t really matter. Plan to journal your way through the Scriptures. If God speaks something to you through the Scriptures, write it down. Begin this habit. It doesn’t have to be like you have to write 20 pages a day and you don’t how you’re going to find time to do this journaling project. Whatever comes your way, chronicle it because what you’ll find is that as we move into this year and we face days that feel foggy, that feel great, maybe that feel dark, maybe there will be days that we have to go through this year and it feels like the sun didn’t even come up and we don’t know where we are and who God is and what’s going on anymore. Looking back at the journey that we are on and what we have written down becomes our own encouragement, it becomes our own words to our own selves. There is a God. He made us. We were created in His image. He knows who we are. He wants us to be here. There is a path forward. And as we write our own story we find that it becomes quite a reference for us on those days where we feel completely upside down and disoriented. And, so, consider journaling your way through.

Okay, I think that’s a pretty good launch. We have plenty of other things to talk about not only in the Scriptures but just in orienting ourselves to the rhythm that we have embarked on as we take the journey through the Bible this year. But we’ll get to it. We have 364 more days together.

And, so, that is it for today. I’m Brian I love you and I’ll be waiting for you here.

Community Prayer and Praise:

Hello, my DAB family this is Mark Street from Sydney Australia. Today is Monday the 26th of December and I’m calling in for some prayer for myself. I’m just bit embarrassed because I’m going to ask for you to pray for God’s forgiveness on me. Being like everybody, very stressful period. So, I’m disappointed in myself. Look, I could explain things, but God doesn’t need explanations. At the end of the day I went to Christmas mass with my mom and after leaving she said something in the car that was a trigger point. And that’s all I’m going to say. And I lashed out at her, and I am very sorry to God and to my mom as well. But I’m just so disappointed in myself that…that it happened. I could give you all excuses, but, you know, that’s making excuses is not acceptable to God. So, family pray that God will forgive me. I know He does. I’m disappointed in myself that I fell short on God’s birthday. And__ start crying because I’m disappointed in myself. Thanks family. Love you all and I’ll talk again soon. Mark Street from Sydney Australia.

Good morning family, this is Brenda Rowan calling it a prayer request for my niece Jasmine who’s been diagnosed with brain cancer and given 8 to 12 months of life. We know only God can tell us how long we have to live on this side of eternity. I just wanna live her up. This is a wonderful young lady with two beautiful children and a wonderful husband and it’s just kinda like rocked her world as it’s done to everyone who knows her. I just want to covet your prayers and just want to continue to lift up all of the DABbers. This is such a wonderful community to be part of. I love you all so much and I thank God for blessing Brian with the foresight to bring this forth. We love you guys and I thank you for…for…for joining us in prayer thanking God for his divine intervention. Love you all. Thank you and God bless. Amen.

This is Saved by His Grace and Happy Valley about to finish out my 7th or 8th year with this campfire group. And I was listening to Brian today and he made a suggestion about checking out the Daily Audio Bible proverbs. I cannot second that hard enough. For many years as I happened listened to Daily Audio Bible I was known as Joanne from happy valley. I thought I was a Christian. I felt, you know, holier than a lot of people and I could certainly point out everybody’s faults but then I started listening to proverbs. And the first year I cringed a lot because I saw myself in so many of them. The second year I really didn’t like myself but somewhere along the line I realized God wanted me to look at myself honestly and understand that I wasn’t a failure I just needed Him in my life. And now I let Him teach me through the proverbs. That was when I changed my…my name to Saved by His grace in Happy Valley. I cannot say enough. Listen to proverbs. You’ll be so glad you did. God bless you.

Good afternoon, DABbers or good evening good morning, wherever you are and, wherever you are listening from. I am John Opara and I’m calling in from South Sudan. For us it’s afternoon now. It’s about 3:00 PM. And I know for those in the US it’s about 8:00 AM, and those in the UK it’s about 4:00 PM or it’s about 2:00 PM. Anyway, I have been hearing several people talk about placing their loved ones with disability in a care home. And I…I felt like I need to share this because one of the most memorable time in my life. There was a time fresh out of college looking for a job I did not know what to do with myself. I got a job you know taking care of develop people with developmental disability, autistic and those with Down syndrome. And in this job, I enjoyed working with this population because there you see the power of God at work. So, what am I saying? Rest in the Lord. God is in absolute control. May God bless you in Jesus’ name. Amen.

The Daily Audio Bible Reading for Sunday January 1, 2023 (NIV)

Genesis 1-2

The Account of Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.[a] The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. God called the space “sky.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

13 And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

23 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings[b] in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,[c] and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27 So God created human beings[d] in his own image.
In the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed. On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested[e] from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.

This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth.

The Man and Woman in Eden

When the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the Lord God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil. Instead, springs[f] came up from the ground and watered all the land. Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.

Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made. The Lord God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10 A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. 11 The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found. 12 The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there. 13 The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush. 14 The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it. 16 But the Lord God warned him, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden— 17 except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die.”

18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man[g] to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one. 20 He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.

21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the Lord God took out one of the man’s ribs[h] and closed up the opening. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.

23 “At last!” the man exclaimed.

“This one is bone from my bone,
and flesh from my flesh!
She will be called ‘woman,’
because she was taken from ‘man.’”

24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.

25 Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 Or In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, . . . Or When God began to create the heavens and the earth, . . .
  2. 1:26a Or man; Hebrew reads adam.
  3. 1:26b As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads all the earth.
  4. 1:27 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.
  5. 2:2 Or ceased; also in 2:3.
  6. 2:6 Or mist.
  7. 2:19 Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter.
  8. 2:21 Or took a part of the man’s side.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Matthew 1:1-2:12

The Ancestors of Jesus the Messiah

This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham[a]:

Abraham was the father of Isaac.
Isaac was the father of Jacob.
Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar).
Perez was the father of Hezron.
Hezron was the father of Ram.[b]
Ram was the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.
Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab).
Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth).
Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of King David.
David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah).
Solomon was the father of Rehoboam.
Rehoboam was the father of Abijah.
Abijah was the father of Asa.[c]
Asa was the father of Jehoshaphat.
Jehoshaphat was the father of Jehoram.[d]
Jehoram was the father[e] of Uzziah.
Uzziah was the father of Jotham.
Jotham was the father of Ahaz.
Ahaz was the father of Hezekiah.
10 Hezekiah was the father of Manasseh.
Manasseh was the father of Amon.[f]
Amon was the father of Josiah.
11 Josiah was the father of Jehoiachin[g] and his brothers (born at the time of the exile to Babylon).
12 After the Babylonian exile:
Jehoiachin was the father of Shealtiel.
Shealtiel was the father of Zerubbabel.
13 Zerubbabel was the father of Abiud.
Abiud was the father of Eliakim.
Eliakim was the father of Azor.
14 Azor was the father of Zadok.
Zadok was the father of Akim.
Akim was the father of Eliud.
15 Eliud was the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar was the father of Matthan.
Matthan was the father of Jacob.
16 Jacob was the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Mary gave birth to Jesus, who is called the Messiah.

17 All those listed above include fourteen generations from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the Babylonian exile, and fourteen from the Babylonian exile to the Messiah.

The Birth of Jesus the Messiah

18 This is how Jesus the Messiah was born. His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But before the marriage took place, while she was still a virgin, she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit. 19 Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement[h] quietly.

20 As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. 21 And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus,[i] for he will save his people from their sins.”

22 All of this occurred to fulfill the Lord’s message through his prophet:

23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child!
She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,[j]
which means ‘God is with us.’”

24 When Joseph woke up, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded and took Mary as his wife. 25 But he did not have sexual relations with her until her son was born. And Joseph named him Jesus.

Visitors from the East

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men[k] from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose,[l] and we have come to worship him.”

King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem. He called a meeting of the leading priests and teachers of religious law and asked, “Where is the Messiah supposed to be born?”

“In Bethlehem in Judea,” they said, “for this is what the prophet wrote:

‘And you, O Bethlehem in the land of Judah,
are not least among the ruling cities[m] of Judah,
for a ruler will come from you
who will be the shepherd for my people Israel.’[n]

Then Herod called for a private meeting with the wise men, and he learned from them the time when the star first appeared. Then he told them, “Go to Bethlehem and search carefully for the child. And when you find him, come back and tell me so that I can go and worship him, too!”

After this interview the wise men went their way. And the star they had seen in the east guided them to Bethlehem. It went ahead of them and stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were filled with joy! 11 They entered the house and saw the child with his mother, Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasure chests and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

12 When it was time to leave, they returned to their own country by another route, for God had warned them in a dream not to return to Herod.

Footnotes:

  1. 1:1 Greek Jesus the Messiah, Son of David and son of Abraham.
  2. 1:3 Greek Aram, a variant spelling of Ram; also in 1:4. See 1 Chr 2:9-10.
  3. 1:7 Greek Asaph, a variant spelling of Asa; also in 1:8. See 1 Chr 3:10.
  4. 1:8a Greek Joram, a variant spelling of Jehoram; also in 1:8b. See 1 Kgs 22:50 and note at 1 Chr 3:11.
  5. 1:8b Or ancestor; also in 1:11.
  6. 1:10 Greek Amos, a variant spelling of Amon; also in 1:10b. See 1 Chr 3:14.
  7. 1:11 Greek Jeconiah, a variant spelling of Jehoiachin; also in 1:12. See 2 Kgs 24:6 and note at 1 Chr 3:16.
  8. 1:19 Greek to divorce her.
  9. 1:21 Jesus means “The Lord saves.”
  10. 1:23 Isa 7:14; 8:8, 10 (Greek version).
  11. 2:1 Or royal astrologers; Greek reads magi; also in 2:7, 16.
  12. 2:2 Or star in the east.
  13. 2:6a Greek the rulers.
  14. 2:6b Mic 5:2; 2 Sam 5:2.
New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Psalm 1

Book one (Psalms 1–41)

Psalm 1

Oh, the joys of those who do not
follow the advice of the wicked,
or stand around with sinners,
or join in with mockers.
But they delight in the law of the Lord,
meditating on it day and night.
They are like trees planted along the riverbank,
bearing fruit each season.
Their leaves never wither,
and they prosper in all they do.

But not the wicked!
They are like worthless chaff, scattered by the wind.
They will be condemned at the time of judgment.
Sinners will have no place among the godly.
For the Lord watches over the path of the godly,
but the path of the wicked leads to destruction.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.


Proverbs 1:1-6

The Purpose of Proverbs

These are the proverbs of Solomon, David’s son, king of Israel.

Their purpose is to teach people wisdom and discipline,
to help them understand the insights of the wise.
Their purpose is to teach people to live disciplined and successful lives,
to help them do what is right, just, and fair.
These proverbs will give insight to the simple,
knowledge and discernment to the young.

Let the wise listen to these proverbs and become even wiser.
Let those with understanding receive guidance
by exploring the meaning in these proverbs and parables,
the words of the wise and their riddles.

New Living Translation (NLT)

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.