If I were the Devil . . . I mean, if I were the Prince of Darkness, I would, of course, want to engulf the whole earth in darkness. I would have a third of its real estate and four-fifths of its population, but I would not be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree, so I should set about however necessary to take over the United States. I would begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: “Do as you please.” “Do as you please.” To the young, I would whisper, “The Bible is a myth.” I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what is bad is good, and what is good is “square.” In the ears of the young marrieds, I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you. I would caution them not to be extreme in religion, in patriotism, in moral conduct. And the old, I would teach to pray. I would teach them to say after me: “Our Father, which art in Washington” . . . If I were the devil, I’d educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting so that anything else would appear dull an uninteresting. I’d threaten T.V. with dirtier movies and vice versa. And then, if I were the devil, I’d get organized. I’d infiltrate unions and urge more loafing and less work, because idle hands usually work for me. I’d peddle narcotics to whom I could. I’d sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. And I’d tranquilize the rest with pills. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions . . . let those run wild. I would designate an athiest to front for me before the highest courts in the land and I would get preachers to say “she’s right.” With flattery and promises of power, I could get the courts to rule what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography, and thus, I would evict God from the courthouse, and then from the school house, and then from the houses of Congress and then, in His own churches, I would substitute psychology for religion, and I would deify science because that way men would become smart enough to create super weapons but not wise enough to control them. If I were Satan, I’d make the symbol of Easter an egg, and the symbol of Christmas, a bottle. If I were the devil, I would take from those who have and I would give to those who wanted, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious. And then, my police state would force everybody back to work. Then, I could separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines, and objectors in slave camps. In other words, if I were Satan, I’d just keep on doing what he’s doing. Paul Harvey, Good Day.

Chronological Bible — Day 26 of 548 (Exodus / Wilderness / Law) Today's reading: Exodus 1–2 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: A new Pharaoh who did not know Joseph enslaves Israel and orders every Hebrew boy thrown into the Nile, but the midwives fear God more than the king. Moses is hidden, drawn out of the water, and raised in Pharaoh's own house, then flees to Midian after killing an Egyptian. Israel groans, and God hears, remembers His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and knows. The Fathers see in the child saved from a king's slaughter a type of Christ, who was also hunted as an infant and called out of Egypt. Looking back: - Genesis 50: Joseph dies, and in time Egypt forgets what God did through him. - Genesis 15:13: God told Abram his offspring would be afflicted in a foreign land, and here it comes true. Looking ahead: - Exodus 3–4: the burning bush, where God calls Moses back to deliver His people. - Matthew 5:17: Christ comes not to abolish the Law but to fulfill it. - Hebrews 8–10: a better covenant through a better Mediator than Moses.

Chronological Bible — Day 25 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 49–50 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Jacob gathers his twelve sons and speaks over each one, and the hard words for Reuben, Simeon, and Levi show that sin has consequences even inside the chosen family. To Judah he gives the promise of the scepter that will not depart "until tribute comes to him," the royal line that leads to David and finally to Christ, the Lion of the tribe of Judah. Jacob is buried in the promised land, and when the brothers fear revenge, Joseph answers, "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Genesis closes with Joseph dying in Egypt but trusting God's word, asking that his bones be carried up when God visits His people. Looking back: In Genesis 47–48, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, settled Israel in Goshen, and crossed his hands to bless Ephraim and Manasseh. Before that, in Genesis 45–46, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and God sent Jacob down to Egypt without fear. Looking ahead: In Exodus 1–2, a new king who did not know Joseph enslaves Israel, and Moses is born. Matthew's genealogy will trace Judah's line to Christ, the promised King. Hebrews 11 remembers Joseph, who by faith spoke of the exodus and gave directions about his bones.

Chronological Bible — Day 24 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 47–48 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Jacob, the aged pilgrim, stands before Pharaoh and blesses him, and Israel settles in Goshen while Joseph keeps Egypt alive through the famine. Yet Jacob will not let Egypt become home: he makes Joseph swear to carry his bones back to the land God promised. On his sickbed he adopts Ephraim and Manasseh and crosses his hands, setting the younger before the elder, because God's blessing follows grace, not birth order. He blesses them in the name of the God who shepherded him all his life and the Angel who redeemed him from all evil, a glimpse of Christ, the Shepherd and Redeemer of His people. Looking back: In Genesis 45–46, Joseph revealed himself to his brothers and God told Jacob at Beersheba to go down to Egypt without fear. Before that, in Genesis 43–44, Judah offered himself in Benjamin's place during the silver-cup test. Looking ahead: In Genesis 49–50, Jacob blesses all twelve sons and Joseph's story closes with "you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." Matthew's genealogy will carry this family's line to Christ. Hebrews 11 remembers Jacob blessing Joseph's sons and worshiping, leaning on his staff.

Chronological Bible — Day 23 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 45–46 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Joseph can hold back no longer—he makes himself known to his brothers, weeps over them, and refuses their fear. What they meant for evil, God meant for good: to send Joseph ahead and preserve a remnant so the covenant family would not die in the famine. His forgiveness and self-revelation point to Christ, who shows Himself to those who rejected Him and turns their guilt into life. At Beersheba, God speaks to Jacob: go down to Egypt; I will make you a great nation there, and I will bring you up again. The patriarch trusts the promise and leads his household into the land that will hold them until the Exodus. Looking back: In Genesis 43–44, Judah offered himself for Benjamin and the brothers faced the silver-cup test without abandoning the favored son. Before that, in Genesis 41–42, Joseph rose from prison to Pharaoh's side and the brothers made their first trip for grain, still not knowing who ruled Egypt. Looking ahead: In Genesis 47–48, Jacob blesses Pharaoh and adopts Ephraim and Manasseh into the promise. Matthew's genealogy will run through this family to Christ. Hebrews 11 remembers the patriarchs who trusted God's word even when the land of promise was still ahead.

Chronological Bible — Day 22 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 43–44 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: The famine drives Jacob's sons back to Egypt, and Judah pledges his own life for Benjamin so the family can live. Joseph's silver-cup test presses the brothers right where they failed before: will they abandon the favored brother again? Judah won't. He offers himself in Benjamin's place and agrees to carry the blame forever if the boy is lost. His self-offering points ahead to Christ, who becomes the pledge for His brothers and takes their place so they can go free to the Father. Looking back: In Genesis 41–42, Joseph rose from prison to Pharaoh's side and the brothers made their first trip for grain. Before that, in Genesis 37, they betrayed Joseph and hardened their hearts against the favored son. Looking ahead: In Genesis 45, Joseph makes himself known and weeps over his brothers. God keeps this family alive in Egypt so that, in time, He can bring Israel out with a mighty hand. From Judah's line comes the true Pledge who saves His people.

Chronological Bible — Day 21 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 41–42 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: In a single day Joseph goes from the prison to Pharaoh's right hand, because God gives the meaning of Pharaoh's dreams and Joseph gives God the credit. Seven years of plenty and seven of famine drive his brothers to Egypt, where they bow before the brother they sold, just as his dreams foretold. Their old guilt wakes up ("we are guilty concerning our brother"), and repentance begins. Joseph, rejected by his own and then raised up to feed the nations with bread, points us to Christ, the Bread of Life. Looking back: - Genesis 39–40 (continues the story) - Genesis 37–38 (recent context) Looking ahead: - Genesis 43–44 (next in the narrative) - Matthew 1:1–17 (genealogy fulfilled) - Hebrews 11 (faith of patriarchs)

Chronological Bible — Day 20 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 39–40 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Sold into Potiphar's house, Joseph still walks with the Lord—and the Lord is with him. When Potiphar's wife presses him toward adultery, he refuses because he will not sin against God. Falsely accused, he is thrown into prison; even there God gives him favor and wisdom. He interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker: one restored, one hanged. Joseph's unjust suffering is already being woven into the saving of many, and it foreshadows the Righteous One who would be betrayed, suffer without guilt, and yet rise to deliver His people. Looking back: Genesis 37–38 (continues the story); Genesis 35–36 (recent context) Looking ahead: Genesis 41–42 (next in the narrative); Matthew 1:1–17 (genealogy fulfilled); Hebrews 11 (faith of patriarchs)

Chronological Bible — Day 19 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 37–38 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Joseph's brothers sell him into Egypt out of envy over the dreams and the coat his father gave him. In the same stretch, Judah's line continues through Tamar by a hard mercy that keeps the promise alive. What looks like betrayal is already under God's hand; later Joseph will say God meant it for good. The righteous one handed over and later raised up foreshadows Christ, through whom God saves many. Looking back: - Genesis 35–36: Jacob renamed Israel, Rachel buried, Esau's line listed - Genesis 33–34: Jacob meets Esau, and the trouble at Shechem Looking ahead: - Genesis 39–40: Joseph in Potiphar's house and in prison - Matthew 1:1–17: Judah's line fulfilled in Christ - Hebrews 11: the faith of the patriarchs

Chronological Bible — Day 18 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 35–36 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: God sends Jacob back to Bethel, and before going he has his household put away their foreign gods and purify themselves. At Bethel God confirms the new name Israel and repeats the promise of land and descendants. Even so, this chapter is full of grief: Deborah dies, Rachel dies giving birth to Benjamin, and Isaac is buried by his sons. Esau's long family line in chapter 36 shows that God's word to Esau was also kept, while the promise keeps moving through Jacob toward Christ. Faithfulness to God starts with turning away from idols and going back to the place where He first met you. Looking back: Genesis 28 (Jacob's ladder at Bethel, where the promise was first given to him); Genesis 33–34 (the story continues after Shechem). Looking ahead: Genesis 37–38 (Joseph and Judah, the next part of the story); Matthew 1:1–17 (the genealogy that leads to Christ); Hebrews 11 (the faith of the patriarchs).

Chronological Bible — Day 17 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 33–34 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Jacob limps out of his night of wrestling and meets Esau with humility, bowing seven times, and Esau runs, embraces him, and weeps. Jacob says seeing his brother's face is like seeing the face of God, a picture of the father who runs to the prodigal in Luke 15. Chapter 34 is the dark turn: Jacob settles at Shechem instead of going on to Bethel as he vowed, and Dinah is violated. Simeon and Levi answer with deceit and slaughter, zeal without mercy, and Jacob is left grieving the cost. Reconciliation is grace, but lingering short of God's call and answering evil with violence leaves its own wreckage. Looking back: Genesis 31–32 (Jacob's flight from Laban and the wrestling at Peniel); Genesis 29–30 (Leah, Rachel, and the sons now in the caravan). Looking ahead: Genesis 35–36 (Bethel at last, and Esau's line); Matthew 1:1–17 (the genealogy that carries these promises to Christ); Hebrews 11 (the faith of the patriarchs).

Chronological Bible — Day 16 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 31–32 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: After twenty years with Laban, Jacob leaves with his family, and God Himself tells him to go home and promises to be with him. Laban chases him, and the two part ways with a boundary pile of stones and a vow at Mizpah. Then Jacob, afraid of meeting Esau, sends gifts ahead and prays, and that night he wrestles with a man until daybreak. He is renamed Israel, and he limps away. The deceiver is humbled and blessed by clinging to God, and the promise to Abraham moves on through a wounded, faithful man. Looking back: Genesis 29–30 (the story continues: Leah, Rachel, and Laban's flocks). Genesis 27–28 (the stolen blessing and the ladder at Bethel, where God first promised to bring Jacob back). Looking ahead: Genesis 33–34 (Jacob meets Esau). Matthew 1:1–17 (the genealogy that carries Israel's line to Christ). Hebrews 11 (the faith of the patriarchs).

Chronological Bible — Day 15 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 29–30 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Jacob the deceiver is now deceived, as Laban gives him Leah in place of Rachel. The Lord sees unloved Leah, and from her come Levi, the line of the priesthood, and Judah, the line of David and of Christ. Out of a rivalrous, wounded household God begins to build the twelve tribes of Israel and blesses Jacob's labor. The promise moves forward by God's mercy, not by human scheming. Looking back: - Genesis 27–28 (continues the story) - Genesis 25–26 (recent context) Looking ahead: - Genesis 31–32 (next in the narrative) - Matthew 1:1–17 (genealogy fulfilled) - Hebrews 11 (faith of patriarchs)

Chronological Bible — Day 14 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 27–28 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Rebekah and Jacob deceive blind Isaac, and Jacob takes the blessing meant for Esau. The family breaks apart, and Jacob flees with nothing but a stone for a pillow. Yet at Bethel God meets him in a dream of a ladder joining earth and heaven, and renews the promise given to Abraham and Isaac. Christ names Himself that ladder (John 1:51), and the Church sings of the Theotokos as the ladder by which God came down to us. God's grace finds us even while we run. Looking back: - Genesis 25–26: the birthright sold and the promise renewed to Isaac - Genesis 23–24: Sarah's burial at Machpelah and Rebekah brought to Isaac Looking ahead: - Genesis 29–30: Jacob serves for Rachel and Leah, and the tribes begin - Matthew 1:1–17: the line of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob fulfilled in Christ - Hebrews 11: the faith of the patriarchs

Chronological Bible — Day 12 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 23–24 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Sarah dies, and Abraham buys the cave of Machpelah. It's the first piece of the promised land he actually owns, and it's a grave, yet he trusts God's promise will outlive him. Then Abraham's servant prays simply for guidance, and God leads him straight to Rebekah, so the promise goes on through Isaac. Quiet faithfulness and honest prayer carry the promised line forward, the same line that leads to Christ. Looking back: - Genesis 21–22 (continues the story) - Genesis 19–20 (recent context) Looking ahead: - Genesis 25–26 (next in the narrative) - Matthew 1:1–17 (genealogy fulfilled) - Hebrews 11 (faith of patriarchs)

Chronological Bible — Day 11 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 21–22 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Isaac is born at last—the child God promised, not the one Abraham tried to force. Then on Moriah the Lord asks for that same son, and Abraham obeys until a ram is provided in Isaac's place. The Church has long heard Christ here: the Father who gives His Son, and the Son who is offered and yet lives. God keeps His word, and He Himself provides the sacrifice. Looking back: Genesis 19–20 (continues the story); Genesis 17–18 (recent context) Looking ahead: Hebrews 11:17–19 (Isaac in figure); John 3:16 (Father gives Son)

Chronological Bible — Day 10 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 19–20 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Genesis 19–20 holds judgment and protection side by side. Sodom falls under God's verdict, yet angels seize Lot and pull him out—salvation by mercy, not by his strength. Abraham's plea still echoes: the Lord knows how to rescue the righteous. Then in Gerar, Abraham's fear again endangers Sarah, but God guards the promise in a dream to Abimelech so the Seed is not lost to human weakness. Judgment on evil and care for the covenant line both point toward Christ, who condemns sin and saves the helpless. Looking back: • Genesis 17–18 — covenant seal; Mamre; prayer for Sodom • Genesis 15–16 — covenant by faith; Hagar and Ishmael Looking ahead: • Genesis 21–22 — Isaac born; the binding of Isaac • Matthew 1:1–17 — genealogy fulfilled in Christ • Hebrews 11 — faith of the patriarchs

Chronological Bible — Day 9 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 17–18 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Genesis 17–18 seals the patriarchal promise. God renames Abram Abraham and Sarai Sarah, gives circumcision as the covenant sign, and swears that Isaac will come through Sarah—not through human scheming. Then the Lord appears by the oaks of Mamre: three visitors receive Abraham's hospitality, announce Isaac's birth within a year, and hear Abraham plead for the righteous in Sodom. The Church has long seen in this visitation a glimpse of the Holy Trinity, and in the promised son a step toward the Seed in whom all nations are blessed. Looking back: • Genesis 15–16 — covenant by faith; Hagar and Ishmael • Genesis 13–14 — Abram and Lot; Melchizedek Looking ahead: • Genesis 19–20 — Sodom and the next chapter of the promise • Matthew 1:1–17 — genealogy fulfilled in Christ • Hebrews 11 — faith of the patriarchs

Chronological Bible — Day 7 of 548 (Patriarchs) Today's reading: Genesis 13–14 biblegateway.com/passage/?se… Meaning: Abram and Lot part ways; Abram yields the choice of land, and the Lord renews the promise of descendants and inheritance. When Lot is taken captive, Abram goes out and rescues him. Returning, he meets Melchizedek, king of Salem and priest of God Most High, who brings bread and wine and blesses him. The Church reads Melchizedek as a type of Christ — the eternal priest who blesses and feeds His people (see Hebrews 7 and Psalm 110). Looking back: • Genesis 11–12 (continues the story) • Genesis 9–10 (recent context) Looking ahead: • Hebrews 7:1–10 (Melchizedek and Christ) • Psalm 110 (priest forever)