Genesis 3:1-7, Psalm 1 Proverbs 1:20-23, Luke 1:1-25 Audio Bible Reading

Genesis 3:1-7:
This passage recounts the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve. The serpent, described as more cunning than any other wild animal God had made, deceives Eve into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which God had forbidden. The serpent challenges God’s command and suggests that eating the fruit will make them like God, knowing good and evil. Eve sees that the fruit is desirable for gaining wisdom, eats it, and also gives some to Adam who is with her, and he eats it too. Their eyes are opened as a result, and they realize they are naked. They then sew fig leaves together to make coverings for themselves, marking the loss of their innocence and the beginning of human sin and moral struggle.

Psalm 1:
Psalm 1 contrasts the ways and fates of the righteous and the wicked. It describes the righteous person as blessed, likening him to a tree planted by streams of water, yielding fruit and whose leaves do not wither, prospering in all they do. In contrast, the wicked are like chaff that the wind blows away. The psalm concludes by noting that the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. This psalm sets the tone for the entire book by highlighting the themes of wisdom and the two paths one can follow.

Proverbs 1:20-23:
Wisdom is personified as a woman who calls out in the public squares and at the city gates, rebuking the simple and foolish for their complacency and disdain for knowledge. She offers her rebuke for their ignorance and refusal to heed her advice, promising to pour out her spirit on them and make her teachings known if they turn at her rebuke.

Luke 1:1-25:
This passage introduces Luke’s Gospel with an account of its purpose: to provide an orderly and researched account of the life of Jesus, ascertained from eyewitnesses, intended for Theophilus to affirm the truth of what he was taught. It then transitions to the story of Zechariah and Elizabeth, an elderly and childless couple, both righteous and blameless in the sight of God. While Zechariah, a priest, is serving in the temple, he is visited by the angel Gabriel, who announces that Elizabeth will bear a son named John. This son is destined to be great in the eyes of the Lord and will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. Zechariah doubts the angel's words due to their old age, and as a sign, he is rendered unable to speak until the day these things take place. Meanwhile, Elizabeth conceives as foretold.