January – God’s Design and Purposes
See A Plan for Bible Reading for the year-long schedule of reading with downloadables.
Week 1 — Setting the Stage: The Primary Themes of the Big Story
This first week introduces many of the foundational themes that run throughout all of Scripture. As you read Genesis 1–11 alongside Job 1–11, pay attention to the big-picture ideas that surface repeatedly.
Reflection questions:
- What recurring themes do you notice across these chapters (e.g., creation, order and chaos, blessing, rebellion, judgment, mercy, faithfulness, suffering)?
- What do these themes suggest about what God values most and what He is ultimately working toward?
- Try to identify at least one key theme each day. (This may feel more challenging in Job — note why that might be.)
Jesus tells His disciples that all Scripture ultimately points to Him. Read Luke 24:25–27.
- How does viewing these passages through the lens of Christ help clarify or deepen the themes you identified?
- In what ways do Genesis and Job already raise questions that find their answer in the person and work of Jesus?
Total reading: 22 chapters — Genesis 1–11; Job 1–11
Week 2 — Perspectives on Suffering and God’s Sovereignty
The theme of sin and its consequences continues this week, especially through the dialogue between Job and his friends. Their debate reveals competing assumptions about God’s justice, human righteousness, and the meaning of suffering.
Reflect first on Job 10:15–17 and Job 11:13–15.
- How do Job and Zophar differ in their understanding of God’s justice and human suffering?
- What assumptions does each make about the relationship between sin, suffering, and God’s favor?
As the discussion unfolds:
- Does the ongoing debate shed further light on these contrasting perspectives?
- Can Job be justified before God (Job 9:2)? Why or why not?
- Is it ever appropriate to ask God to explain His purposes or His approach to justice? Under what conditions?
Finally, look ahead through a Christ-centered lens:
- How does Job’s suffering anticipate the suffering of Christ described in Isaiah 53?
- What does this week reveal about God’s character and His larger redemptive plan?
Total reading: 22 chapters — Job 12–33
Week 3 — God’s Purposes Revealed Through Abraham’s Story
This week places God’s dealings with Job alongside His calling of Abraham. In both stories, God reveals Himself through words, promises, commands, and covenant faithfulness.
Reflection questions:
- How does God describe Himself in His interactions with Job and with Abraham?
- What actions does God take, and what responses does He call for?
- How would you describe Abraham’s faith based on how he responds to God’s promises and commands?
Abraham’s story becomes foundational for understanding the rest of Scripture.
- What clues does his life provide about God’s purposes for His people?
- How does Abraham’s story help move the Big Story forward?
Read Romans 4 alongside Genesis 12–23.
- How does Paul describe Abraham’s faith and its results (Rom. 4:16–25)?
- What does this teach us about the nature of faith, both for Abraham and for us?
- How does faith enable God’s people to live within His purposes, even when outcomes are uncertain?
Total reading: 21 chapters — Job 34–42; Genesis 12–23
Week 4 — God’s Blessing in the Lives of the Patriarchs
This section follows three major narrative threads:
- Finding a wife for Isaac
- Jacob’s struggles, deception, and transformation
- The complex relationships among Jacob’s wives, sons, and surrounding communities
Reflection questions:
- How do these stories reflect the ongoing fulfillment of God’s blessing to Abraham and his descendants?
- Who seems to understand and live in light of God’s blessing and in what circumstances?
- What challenges and consequences arise when God’s blessing is misunderstood, manipulated, or resisted?
Despite sin, conflict, and brokenness, God remains faithful.
- Where do you see God’s faithfulness clearly displayed?
- How do these stories show both the consequences of sin and the possibility of redemption?
Look for signs of beauty, truth, and goodness:
- Where do you see restoration beginning to emerge?
- Who initiates it, and how does God work through imperfect people?
- Why are these stories essential to the Big Story of Scripture?
As a concluding reflection, consider Luke 15 (the parable of the two sons):
- How do themes from Genesis echo in Jesus’ teaching about lostness, repentance, and grace?
Total reading: 22 chapters — Genesis 24–45
January 29-31 — God’s Purposes Continue: From Family to Nation
Israel in Egypt – These final chapters for January mark a major transition in the Big Story. What began with God’s promises to one man and his family now moves toward the formation of a people, even through unexpected and painful circumstances.
Reflection questions:
- How does God use suffering, displacement, and injustice to accomplish His purposes for Jacob’s family?
- In what ways does Joseph’s story demonstrate God’s sovereignty working through human sin and hardship?
- How does God’s promise to Abraham continue to unfold as Israel settles in Egypt?
As Exodus begins:
- What changes do you notice in Israel’s situation from Genesis to Exodus?
- How does God reveal His concern for His people in Exodus 1–3?
- What does God’s self-revelation to Moses (Exod. 3:1–12) teach us about His character and His commitment to redemption?
Looking ahead:
- How does this transition prepare the way for God’s work of deliverance?
- How does it reinforce the idea that God’s purposes are larger than any one generation and always faithful to His promises?
Total reading: 8 chapters — Genesis 46–50; Exodus 1–3
After today’s reading (Genesis 18–20), I’m struck by the weight of God’s justice and mercy, especially when set alongside God’s conversation with Job.
In Genesis 18:25, Abraham boldly asks, “Shall not the Judge of all the earth do what is just?” That question assumes something profound: God’s justice is not arbitrary, emotional, or self-serving. It is perfectly aligned with His character. And Abraham trusts that character enough to appeal to it! Yet these chapters also remind us that God’s mercy, while astonishing, does not eliminate the real consequences of human thinking and action. Lot is rescued by God’s mercy, but his daughters’ tragic decisions reveal how distorted judgment can become when life is understood apart from God’s design and purposes.
Together, these stories invite us to examine our own assumptions. Do we define justice by our standards or by God’s? Are we willing to let His mercy reshape not only how we see Him, but how we understand life itself? True wisdom begins when we learn to see the world from God’s perspective, trusting that His justice is always right and His mercy far greater than we deserve.
Last week I led our weekly men’s Bible study from Genesis 13. I was reminded of how Abram’s interaction with Lot and subsequent moving of his tents (in verse 18) embodies a complete confidence in God’s provision and sovereignty. Abram trusted God to provide for him enough to let Lot choose first when the land could no longer support them both. Abram turned away from what looked ‘well watered’, then settled and built an altar. This pattern of learning to see what God sees, trust and worship must be a daily practice in order to “live on mission”. It is also amazing how this chapter anchors Abram’s life in the geography, economics, traditions and cultural practices of the ancient near-East. There is a beautiful resource explaining these details from a more archeological perspective: https://uasvbible.org/2025/08/31/abram-lot-genesis-13-geography-chronology-historical-settings-separation-bethel-hebron/