The One Year Bible for Women - Flipbook - Page 3
JANUARY 1
W O M A N E N T E R E D AT P R E C I S E LY T H E R I G H T T I M E . All creation had preceded
her, and in all creation there was yet a void. Her absence was observable and felt,
mysteriously unsettling before she had even appeared. Creation was incomplete.
From a garden filled with every provision and goodness, paradoxically man would
experience lack. With all other creatures blessed to fill the earth and multiply, he was
notably alone. Had there been a mistake or some oversight? Would the creation of Eve
occur in mere afterthought, a problem solved for Adam? Far from it. Rather, God had
been setting his stage, methodically unfolding his masterful plan. Granted a sacred
season of aloneness, man would discover his God-given design for relationship.
Despite his capacity for outreach, laughter, and all forms of reciprocal love, as of
yet there were no means for such. We envision God’s thrill in unveiling what he had
known all along: that woman would meet man in exhilarating match, a helper both
stronger and weaker than he. God thus blessed the two in equal commission that each
would contribute uniquely, reflecting in great splendor the image of a holy God.
All this, his gift in bringing forth his epic masterpiece in creation: woman.
GENESIS 1:1–2:25
In the beginning God created the heavens
and the earth.* 2 The earth was formless and
empty, and darkness covered the deep waters.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over the
surface of the waters.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there
was light. 4 And God saw that the light was
good. Then he separated the light from the
darkness. 5 God called the light “day” and
the darkness “night.”
And evening passed and morning came,
marking the first day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a space
between the waters, to separate the waters
of the heavens from the waters of the
earth.” 7 And that is what happened. God
made this space to separate the waters of
the earth from the waters of the heavens.
8 God called the space “sky.”
And evening passed and morning came,
marking the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the
sky flow together into one place, so dry
ground may appear.” And that is what
happened. 10 God called the dry ground
“land” and the waters “seas.” And God
saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let
the land sprout with v egetation—every
sort of s eed-bearing plant, and trees that
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grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will
then produce the kinds of plants and
trees from which they came.” And that
is what happened. 12 The land produced
vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants,
and trees with s eed-bearing fruit. Their
seeds produced plants and trees of the same
kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 And evening passed and morning
came, marking the third day.
14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the
sky to separate the day from the night.
Let them be signs to mark the seasons,
days, and years. 15 Let these lights in the
sky shine down on the earth.” And that
is what happened. 16 God made two great
lights—the larger one to govern the day,
and the smaller one to govern the night. He
also made the stars. 17 God set these lights
in the sky to light the earth, 18 to govern
the day and night, and to separate the light
from the darkness. And God saw that it
was good.
19 And evening passed and morning
came, marking the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with
fish and other life. Let the skies be filled
with birds of every kind.” 21 So God created
great sea creatures and every living thing
that scurries and swarms in the water,
and every sort of b
ird—each producing
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