Day 1 - out of 312

And .... we're off.

Today is day 1 out of 318 of my bible reading plan. I read page 7 to 11 from this bible: The Books of the Bible (BotB). The Books of the Bible uses the Today's New International Version (TNIV) translation.

So we're starting with Genesis. I imagine most bible reading plans start the year off with Genesis. And why shouldn't they? The first book of the bible is one cracking story after another. Genesis is an amazing book, it's easily one of my favourite bible books and one of my favourite books in general.

The story of the creation of the world is just wonderful. Everything in it's place and a place for everything. The first chapter of Genesis is such a beautiful poem, I love it. The world is beautiful, ordered. But it doesn't stay that way. It doesn't take us long to get to the two fundamental questions of my bible reading for today.

Why is it that people do wrong (eating that apple) even though they know they shouldn't and there is a perfectly good alternative line of action available, i.e. living out their life in the bliss of the garden of  Eden, walking with God? I always imagine the garden of Eden to be in a state of eternal Summer, or even better, late Spring. The thought of God taking a late afternoon stroll through the world he so lovingly created makes me smile happily. It's such a delightful image.

The other age-old question of my reading for today was about war. Why do people get the urge to harm or even kill one another? The fact that the first murder of the bible is a family affair is shocking, but par for the course for Genesis.

Genesis is a book about beginnings and origins. And families. Whenever I re-read Genesis I am always amazed by how many completely dysfunctional families are in there. There can't be many possible horrors of family life left that don't get a mention in this bible book.

I can't help but snort when I hear someone pontificating about how the worlds needs more biblical family values. No thank you, we certainly don't need more of the biblical family values found in Genesis. Sleeping with your daughters while drunk, sleeping with your daughter-in-law because you mistake her for a prostitute, cheating your brother out of his inheritance, selling your brother into slavery, the list goes on and on.