THE JESSE TREE 27 November God told his prophet, Samuel, that it was time to anoint a new king of Israel. He sent him to Bethlehem, to the house of a man called Jesse. When Samuel got to Jesse's house, he saw Jesse's oldest son and thought, This is the man Gd has chosen, because Eliab was tall and handsome. But God said, Don't judge by his appearance or his height. The Lord doesn't see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearances but the Lord looks at the heart. So Samuel asked to see each of Jesse's sons, but the seven he saw weren't God's choice. Then Jesse said he had one more son out in the fields, the youngest David. So Jesse sent for him and the Lord said, This is the one. Anoint him. And the Spirit of the Lord filled David from that day on. (1 Samuel 16:1-13) Out of the stump of David's family will grow a shoot yes, a new Branch bearing fruit from the old root. And the Spirit of the Lord will rest on him the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord. He will delight in obeying the Lord. He will not judge by appearance nor make a decision on hearsay. He will give justice to the poor and make fair decisions for the exploited. The earth will shake at the force of his word, and one breath from his mouth will destroy the wicked. He will wear righteousness like a belt and truth like an undergarment. In that day the wolf and the lamb will live together; the leopard will lie down with the baby goat. The calf and the yearling will be safe with the lion, and a little child will lead them all. The cow will graze near the bear. The cub and the calf will lie down together. The lion will eat hay like a cow. The baby will play safely near the hole of the cobra. Yes, a little child will put its hand in a nest of deadly snakes without harm. Nothing will hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain, for as the waters fill the sea, so the earth will be filled with people who know the Lord. In that day the heir to David's throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to him, and the land where he lives will be a glorious place. (Isaiah 11:1-10)
28 November - Creation 29 November The First Sin God formed man from the dust of the soil and breathed life into him. He put him into the Garden of Eden and in the middle of the garden was the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told Adam he could eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. He said, Let there be light, and there was light. So he made day and night. Adam was lonely so God made a helper for him. While Adam slept, God took one of his ribs and made a woman Eve. One day the serpent came to Eve and asked if God had really said she could not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He told Eve she would not die if she ate the fruit, but that her eyes would be opened and she would be like God. On the second day he separated the waters of the heavens and the waters of the earth. On the third day he made dry land appear, and made trees and plants to fill the land. On the fourth day he made the sun, moon and stars. On the fifth day he made fish for the sea and birds for the sky. On the sixth day he made animals. Then he created human beings in his own image. He looked over all he had made and saw that it was very good. Then he rested on the seventh day. (Genesis 1:1 2:3) So she ate, and Adam ate, and their eyes were opened. They realised they were naked and felt ashamed, and when God came to meet with them, they hid from him. God asked what they had done. Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. So God cursed the serpent. He cursed Eve and said she would have pain in childbirth. He cursed Adam and said he would have to work hard to reap crops. And then he banished them from the garden. (Genesis 2:4 3:24)
30 November The Flood The earth became a very bad place with people doing only bad things. But Noah was a good man. So God told him that he was going to destroy the earth. He told Noah to build a boat. When the boat was finished, God sent a male and female of every kind of bird and animal to live in the boat with Noah and his family. Then God sent rain for 40 days and 40 nights. The whole earth was covered with water but those on the boat were safe. 1 December The Promise God told Abram that he would have many descendants. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others. All the families on earth will be blessed through you. But his Abram's wife, Sarai, could not have children. Abram didn't believe God's promise, so God showed him the night sky and said, Count the stars if you can. That's how many descendants you will have. When it stopped raining, God sent a dove to find dry land. The dove came back with an olive branch. He sent the dove out again and it didn't come back, so Noah knew the flood waters were gone. So Noah built an altar to the Lord. God was pleased and promised never to flood the earth like that again. He sent a rainbow as a sign of the promise. Then Abram believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. (Genesis 12:1-7; 15:1-6) (Genesis 6:11-22; 7:17-8:12; 8:20-9:17)
2 December The Offering of Isaac God told Abraham to take his only son, Isaac, up on a mountain to sacrifice him. So Abraham got up early with Isaac and took him to the mountain. Isaac said, Here is the wood and fire, but what are we going to sacrifice? Abraham said God would provide the sheep. He built an altar, tied up Isaac, and put him on it. 3 December The Assurance of the Promise Isaac's two sons, Jacob and Esau, hated each other because Jacob had schemed to steal his brother's birthright. Rebekah sent Jacob to her brother Laban so that Esau would not harm him. On his journey, he dreamt of a stairway leading to heaven with angels going up and down. Then an angel appeared and said, Don't hurt Isaac. Now I know that you truly fear God because you have not withheld anything from him. And God provided a ram for the sacrifice. God was at the top of the stairway. God told Jacob that his descendants would bless the earth. He promised that he would always be with him. Because of his faith, God said the earth would be blessed through the descendants of Abraham. When Jacob woke up, he built a pillar to worship God. (Genesis 27:41-28:22) (Genesis 22:1-19)
4 December God's Providence Jacob loved his son, Joseph, more than any of his other sons. He made a beautiful coat for him. But Joseph's brothers hated him. One night Joseph had a dream that they were out in the field tying bundles of grain, and Joseph's bundle stood up and his brother's bundles bowed before his. Then Joseph had another dream that the sun, moon and 11 stars bowed before him. One day his brothers were watching their flocks far away, and Jacob sent Joseph to see how they were doing. His brothers decided to sell him as a slave. They covered his coat with blood and told Jacob he was killed by wild animals. 5 December God's Leadership Many years later, a different Pharoah forgot all about Joseph. He ordered that all baby boys born to the Israelites must be killed. A woman named Jochebed had a baby boy. To save him, she put him in a basket and put it on the river. It floated up to the palace. Pharoah's daughter saw it and adopted the baby as her own. She called him Moses. When Moses grew up, he got angry at how the Egyptians treated his people as slaves. He killed an Egyptian, then ran away into the desert. But Joseph was actually a slave in Egypt. He was sent to jail for something he didn't do, where he ended up interpreting dreams for Pharoah, who released him and made him a ruler in Egypt. His brothers came to Egypt during a famine to buy food. He saw a bush that was on fire but not burning up. As he got closer, God spoke to him and told him that he was going to lead the Israelites out of slavery. So Moses returned to Egypt. (Exodus 2:1-4:20) Even though they sold him out of hate, God used the situation to save the world from famine. The family was reconciled. (Genesis 37, 39:1-50:21)
6 December Passover and the Exodus Moses told Pharoah to release the Israelites but he refused. So God sent nine plagues but still Pharoah refused. Then God told Moses to tell Israel that each family was to choose a one-year-old male sheep or goat with no defects. They must slaughter the animal and smear its blood on the doorframes of their houses, and eat its meat. 7 December Giving the Torah at Sinai The Israelites set up camp at the base of Mount Sinai. Moses climbed the mountain to appear before God. God revealed himself in a thick cloud. He gave Moses the Ten Commandments. 1. You must have no other gods before God. 2. You must make no idols. 3. You must not misuse the Lord's name. 4. Keep the Sabbath holy. 5. Honour your father and mother. 6. Do not murder. 7. Do not commit adultery. 8. Do not steal. 9. Do not testify falsely. 10. Do not covet. That night the angel of the Lord passed through Egypt and struck down the firstborn son and firstborn male animal of every household that did not have the blood on the doorframes. When Pharoah realised his son was dead, he released the Israelites. God told them to celebrate the Passover every year as a reminder that God had brought them out of slavery. But Pharoah changed his mind and sent his army after them. God parted the Red Sea so that the Israelites could cross, but the Egyptians were swallowed up by the water. (Exodus 19:1-20:20) (Exodus 12:1-14:31)
8 December The Fall of Jericho When Moses died, God told Joshua that he must lead the people into the Promised Land. God promised that he would be with Joshua just as he had been with Moses. Be strong and courageous, said the Lord. God said he would give the Israelites Jericho. For six days, the priests and the army had to march once around the city carrying the Ark of the Covenant. The priests blew the shofars but no one was allowed to speak, as God commanded. On the seventh day, they had to march around seven times. The seventh time, the priests gave one long blast on the shofar and Joshua told the people to shout. 9 December Unlikely Heroes When Joshua died, the Israelites did evil in the Lord's sight and served Baal. The Lord handed them over to the Midianites for seven years. Then they cried out to the Lord for help. God chose Gideon, the least in his family, from the weakest tribe, to rescue Israel from the Midianites. Gideon asked God for a sign that it was really the Lord speaking to him. The angel of the Lord told him to place meat and bread on a rock and pour broth over it, which he did, then the angel touched the meat and bread with his staff and fire flamed up from the rock and consumed it. Then Gideon believed. The walls of Jericho came tumbling down. The army rushed in and captured the city, just as the Lord had promised. (Joshua 1:1-11; 6:1-20) Later, God made Jepthah the judge of Israel. He was a great warrior. God used Jephthah to fight against the Ammonites. The Lord gave him victory. (Judges 2:6-23; 6:1-23; 11:1-38)
10 December The Beginning of the Kingdom One night when Samuel was sleeping, he heard God calling to him. From then on, he was God's prophet. Samuel told the people that if they were serious about returning to the Lord, they had to get rid of all their idols. So they did as they were told. When the Philistines tried to attack Israel, the Lord spoke with a mighty voice of thunder and Israel defeated them. 11 December A Shepherd for the People When Saul turned away from God, God rejected him as the king of his people. So he told Samuel to anoint a new king the son of Jesse. Samuel met seven of Jesse's sons and each time, he thought, This must be the one! But God told him not to look at the outward appearance. Jesse called his youngest son, David, who was watching the sheep in the fields. When David arrived, God told Samuel, This is the one I have chosen. When Samuel grew old, the people of Israel told him they wanted a king. He told them a king would rule harshly over them, but they insisted. So God told Samuel to anoint Saul as their king. David could play the harp, and he went to Saul's palace to play calming music for Saul. When David was 30 years old, he was crowned as the king. (1 Samuel 3:1-21; 7:1-8:22; 9:15-10:9) Later, God gave Nathan a prophecy for David. He promised to raise up one of David's descendants who would rule forever. (1 Samuel 16:1-23; 2 Samuel 5:1-5; 7:1-17)
12 December The Threat of False Gods Elijah prophesied a drought and famine because King Ahab was worshipping Baal. Then he went into hiding. He lived by a river and ravens brought him food to eat. Then he travelled further and met a widow. He told her to use the little she had to cook for him, then to cook for herself and her son. He told her that she would always have flour and oil until the Lord ended the drought. Then Elijah went back to Ahab. Ahab summoned all the prophets of Baal to the mountain so they could see whose god was the real God. The prophets of Baal prepared a bull for sacrifice and called on their god for a response. But there was nothing. 13 December Faithfulness and Deliverance After many kings who were unfaithful and worshipped false gods, Hezekiah was crowned as king. Hezekiah trusted the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before or after his time. Hezekiah destroyed the pagan shrines and altars. He remained faithful to the Lord in everything and carefully obeyed all the commands the Lord had given Moses. Because he was faithful to the Lord, he led Israel in victory against many other tribes. Then Elijah prepared a bull for sacrifice and poured water over it three times. Then he prayed out loud to God and God sent fire to burn up the bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. (2 Kings 18:1-19:19; 19:32-37) So the people believed the Lord was the true God. They seized the prophets of Baal and killed them all. (1 Kings 17:1-16; 18:17-46)
14 December The Call to Holiness God gave Isaiah a message for his people: Because of their sin, their sacrifices and worship disgusted God. Because of their sin, God would not look at them or listen to their prayers. God commanded his people to be obedient to his laws and he would make their sins white as snow. Isaiah had a vision of God in his glory and felt his own unworthiness. Then God asked who he could send as a messenger to the people and Isaiah responded, Here I am. Send me. 15 December The Exile When Jeremiah was still young, God called him as a prophet. He said he had planned this before Jeremiah was even born. Jeremiah reminded the people what God had done for them and pointed out their sinful ways. He said that God would have mercy on them if they repented of their sinful ways and returned to him. But they were stubborn and hardhearted, and refused to listen. God warned them that because they continued to sin, he would destroy the Temple and send them into exile. Jeremiah wept over the people's sinfulness and their punishment. God told him that the stump of Israel would be a holy seed. God promised that the time of darkness and despair would not go on forever. (Isaiah 1:10-20; 6:1-13; 8:11-9:1) (Jeremiah 1:4-10; 2:4-13; 7:1-15; 8:18-9:11)
16 December Waiting Habbakuk complained to the Lord about the state of the nation and how the wicked got away with everything. He begged the Lord for help and to end the wickedness and destruction that surrounded him. The Lord replied, Look around at the nations; look and be amazed! For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it. 17 December Return and Rebuilding Nehemiah was the cup-bearer to the Persian King, Artaxerxes. When he heard that Jerusalem had been destroyed, he fasted and prayed. Then he asked the king if he could return to Jerusalem to rebuild the wall. The king granted his request. The Lord told Habbakuk that the people's sin and wickedness would not go unpunished. With God's help, the wall was rebuilt in 52 days. He restored the Levites to their proper duties and people began bringing their tithes again. Even though God said destruction was coming, Habbakuk could still rejoice at God's faithfulness. (Habbakuk 1:1-2:1; 3:16-19) He rebuked those who worked on the Sabbath. He commanded the Levites to purify themselves and guard the gates to preserve the holiness of the Sabbath. (Nehemiah 1:1-2:8; 6:15-16; 13:10-22)
18 December Repentance When John was born, his father received a prophecy about the Saviour. He also prophesied that John would be a prophet. John grew up and lived in the wilderness until he began his ministry. He preached to people, called them to repent, and baptised them in the Jordan River. 19 December The Hope for a Future God sent Gabriel to a young virgin named Mary, who was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. The angel told her that the Holy Spirit would make her pregnant and the son she would bear would be called Jesus. The angel said, He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end. Mary was amazed but she replied, I am the Lord's servant. May everything you have said about me come true. People thought he might be the promised Messiah but he told them the Messiah was still to come. Jesus confirmed that John was the messenger God had promised would come to prepare the way for the Messiah. (Luke 1:57-80; 3:1-20; 7:18-30) (Luke 1:26-38)
20 December Joy 21 December Anticipation Elizabeth gave birth to John, who was the messenger God promised would prepare the way for the Messiah. Their neighbours and relatives wanted him to be named for his father, but Elizabeth insisted his name was to be John. Zechariah, who had been mute since John's conception wrote the name John on a writing tablet, and then he could speak again! He prophesied that John would tell people how to find salvation through the forgiveness of sin. When Mary went to visit her cousin, Elizabeth, who was pregnant with John, the baby leaped in Elizabeth's womb and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. Mary sang a song of praise: Oh, how my soul praises the Lord. How my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour! For he took notice of this lowly servant girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed. For the Mighty One is holy, and he has done great things for me. He shows mercy from generation to generation to all who fear him. His mighty arm has done tremendous things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones. He has brought down princes from their thrones and exalted the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things and sent the rich away with empty hands. He has helped his servant Israel and remembered to be merciful. For he made this promise to our ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever. (Luke 1:57-80) (Luke 1:39-56)
22 December Trust 23 December Worship When Jesus was born, three magi from the East arrived in Jerusalem looking for the newborn King of the Jews. They told King Herod they had followed a star and had come to worship the new king. Herod was deeply disturbed and tried to trick the magi. He told them to look for the child in Bethlehem, then return to tell him so he too could worship. But he wanted to kill the child. Joseph, a carpenter from Nazareth, was engaged to Mary. When he found out Mary was pregnant, he decided to break their engagement quietly. But an angel appeared to him in a dream and told him what he had told Mary. He reminded Joseph of Isaiah's prophecy: Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means 'God with us'. So Joseph married Mary. (Matthew 1:19-25) The magi followed the star to Bethlehem and found Jesus, where they gave him gifts of frankincense, gold and myrrh. They bowed down and worshipped him. But they did not return to Jerusalem, because they had been warned in a dream. (Matthew 2:1-12)
24 December The Birth of the Messiah Joseph and Mary travelled to Bethlehem to be counted in a census. While they were there, Mary gave birth to Jesus. There was no room in the inn so she laid him in a manger. 25 December The Son of God In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness can ever extinguish it. The Word became human the Word was Jesus. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. To all who believe and accept him, he gives the right to become children of God. That night, angels appeared to shepherds and announced the birth of the Messiah. The shepherds hurried to Bethlehem to see the baby. Through Jesus, God has revealed himself to us. They told everyone they saw what the angels had said, then returned to the fields where they praised God. (Luke 2:1-20) (John 1:1-18)