“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” – Genesis 1:1
You know that feeling when you open a brand new book and read the first line?
There’s something electric about beginnings. Today, starting Professor Horner’s reading system, I found myself swimming in beginnings. Ten of them, actually. And what struck me wasn’t just that these were all “first chapters,” but how God orchestrates beginnings with such intentional sovereignty.
Today’s Ten Beginnings
Genesis 1 opens with the ultimate beginning. God speaks creation into existence. Joshua 1 begins Israel’s conquest of the Promised Land. Job 1 introduces us to a man whose faith would be tested beyond imagination. Psalm 1 starts the entire Psalter with the blessing of the righteous. Proverbs 1 opens with the fear of the Lord as the beginning of knowledge. Isaiah 1 begins the greatest prophetic book with a call to reason together. Matthew 1 starts the New Testament with Christ’s genealogy. Acts 1 launches the church age. Romans 1 begins Paul’s theological masterpiece. And 1 Thessalonians 1 opens with thanksgiving for a faithful church.
Ten beginnings.
But as I read through them, I realized something profound. Every single one of these beginnings is actually God’s beginning, not man’s.
The Sovereignty of Divine Initiative
John Calvin understood this beautifully. In his commentary on Genesis, he wrote: “Nothing is more unreasonable than to imagine that the world was made by chance, or that nature is its own parent.” What I see in today’s readings is that God doesn’t just start things. He initiates everything according to His eternal purpose.
Look at how this plays out across our ten chapters.
In Genesis 1, God speaks and creates ex nihilo. From nothing.
There’s no committee meeting, no democratic vote among the Trinity. “Then God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light” (Genesis 1:3).
Pure divine initiative.
But then watch how this same pattern unfolds in Joshua 1. Who tells Joshua to cross the Jordan? The Lord does. “Now it happened after the death of Moses the servant of Yahweh, that Yahweh spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses’ minister, saying, ‘Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore arise, cross this Jordan’” (Joshua 1:1-2a). God initiates the conquest. Joshua doesn’t wake up one morning and decide it’s time to take the land. God commands it.
The same divine initiative appears in Job 1, though in a way that might make us uncomfortable. Satan can’t touch Job without God’s permission. Even in the cosmic drama of suffering, God remains sovereign.
As the Puritan Thomas Watson reminded us: “God’s decree does not make him the author of sin, but the orderer of it.” God doesn’t cause Job’s suffering, but He certainly governs it for His own purposes.
When Scripture Interprets Scripture
Here’s where reading ten chapters simultaneously becomes so rich.
Matthew 1 and Romans 1 started talking to each other almost immediately. Matthew opens with “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” (Matthew 1:1).
But then Romans 1 gives us the theological framework for understanding why this genealogy matters. “Concerning His Son, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, who was declared the Son of God with power by the resurrection from the dead” (Romans 1:3-4a).
Matthew gives us the historical lineage. Romans gives us the theological significance. Scripture interpreting Scripture right before our eyes! As the Westminster Confession puts it, “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture, is the Scripture itself.” This is exactly what Horner’s system lets us experience daily.
But there’s more.
Psalm 1 speaks of the blessed man who “delights in the law of Yahweh” (Psalm 1:2), and then Proverbs 1 tells us “The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of knowledge” (Proverbs 1:7a). The Psalms show us the heart posture of the godly, while Proverbs gives us the foundation of that godliness.
They’re not just adjacent chapters in my reading. They’re complementary revelations of what it means to walk with God.
The Pattern of Divine Faithfulness
What’s emerging already, just on day one, is a pattern I suspect will deepen over the coming months. God’s absolute faithfulness to His covenant promises.
Every beginning in today’s reading points forward to something God will accomplish.
Genesis 1 points to the new creation. Joshua 1 points to the ultimate rest we have in Christ. Job 1 points to suffering that produces endurance. The Psalms and Proverbs point to the wisdom and worship that should mark God’s people. Isaiah 1 points to the coming Messiah. Matthew 1 gives us that Messiah. Acts 1 shows us His ongoing work through the church. Romans 1 explains the theological foundation. And 1 Thessalonians 1 shows us what a faithful church looks like as they wait for His return.
Richard Sibbes, that sweet Puritan preacher, used to say, “There is more mercy in Christ than sin in us.” Looking at these ten beginnings, I see that truth woven throughout.
Every beginning God initiates carries within it the promise of His mercy triumphing over our failure.
The Reformed Heart Rejoices
As I closed my Bible this morning, I found my heart doing what John Owen described as the believer’s great privilege.
Resting in God’s sovereign grace.
These aren’t just ten random chapters. They’re ten movements in God’s one great symphony of redemption.
Thomas Brooks once wrote, “God’s love is like Himself. Without beginning, without change, without end.” That’s what I see in today’s beginnings. Not random starts, but the eternal God revealing His eternal love through His eternal plan.
If you’re just starting this reading journey too, take heart. God doesn’t just initiate creation and conquest and calling. He initiates your faith too. “He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
That’s not just a nice promise. It’s the same divine faithfulness that spoke light into darkness in Genesis 1 and raised Christ from the dead in Romans 1.
Tonight, I’m resting in this truth. Every beginning with God is really just another glimpse of the beginning that never had a beginning. His eternal love for His people.
What connections are you seeing in your reading? I’d love to hear how Scripture is interpreting Scripture in your own journey through these ten daily chapters.
Share your thoughts