Genesis chapter 1 Matthew chapter 1

Day one-The plan I chose for this quest takes me through the entire Bible once and the psalms and New Testament twice.  As with any trip, we must begin at the beginning.  My read a Bible that is NIV.  I will also share some of the information from sidebars in my Bible. 

My Bible suggests that Genesis was probably written by Moses sometime in the 1400s BC during the time the Israelites were wandering in the desert.  Why is it that we call the people of Israel in the Bible Israelites, but we call the people of Israel today Israelis????

In this first chapter of the first book of the Bible, God calls order to a formless, shapeless "deep."  I sure wish he would call order to my desk in my classroom or my tupperware cabinet!!!  He demonstrated so much power in those first 6 days.  If he can do all that in 6 days, think of what change he can bring in our lives as we learn to listen while reading. 

As a writing teacher, I come across questions about language rules every day from my students.  I was struck in this first chapter by God's naming of things.  He didn't just create night, day, sky, and land.  He also created their names.  God wants us to talk about them and discuss his creations.

Matthew 1-written by Matthew, a tax collector, around AD 70, sometime before the destruction of Jerusalem.

We begin this book with a list of Jesus's ancestors, 42 generations worth!  The purpose?  I suppose to prove that Jesus was a descendant of Abraham and David. 

We also meet Joseph as an angel appears before him telling him to NOT divorce Mary.  How many marriages does God save each day with that trick???!!!  This past weekend, several of our friends attended the Love for Life conference hoping to heal their relationships.  I bet some angels were present Saturday!

Here's the question of the day!  I thought Mary and Joseph were engaged to be married.  So why was he told to not divorce her?  How were their marriage laws different from ours today??