SELWYN HUGHES and TREVOR J. PARTRIDGE

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.
16Those who see you stare at you,
they ponder your fate:
‘Is this the man who shook the earth
and made kingdoms tremble,
17the 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.
14You 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.
15You were blameless in your ways
from the day you were created
till wickedness was found in you.
16Through 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.
17Your 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
12How 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!
13You 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. 14I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
15But 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.
18By 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.
19A 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.
3And 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.
6And 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.
20And 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.
24And 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
2By the sev­enth day God had fin­ished
the work he had been do­ing; so on the
2 WEEK 1
Noah
CREATION
Adam & Eve
C2CC NIV_Section 1.indd 16
3000 BC
Flood
2000 BC
Great Pyramid Age in Egypt begins
Job (testing)
Bronze Age begins in Britain
1900 BC
Abraham leaves Ur Isaac
9/5/12 12:19:46
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
C2CC NIV_Section 1.indd 17
1700 BC
Joseph
1600 BC
Jacob’s family settle in Egypt
israel in egypt
1500 BC
exodus
1400 BC
Fall of Jericho
9/5/12 12:19:46
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.
15And 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.
18It will produce thorns and thistles for
you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19By 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
C2CC NIV_Section 1.indd 18
3000 BC
Flood
2000 BC
Great Pyramid Age in Egypt begins
Job (testing)
Bronze Age begins in Britain
1900 BC
Abraham leaves Ur Isaac
9/5/12 12:19:46