Day 1 — The First Promise and the First Blood

Read: Genesis 3:15–21
Extended Reading: Genesis 2:1–3:24; 1 John 3:8–9; Revelation 20:10

The opening chapters of Genesis introduce us to a world that was created good, ordered, and whole—and then fractured by sin. What begins in harmony quickly descends into conflict. Adam and Eve rebel against God, and the result is separation, shame, and death. Yet even in the midst of judgment, God speaks words of hope.

In Genesis 3:15, often called the first proclamation of the gospel, God addresses the serpent and declares that the seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head, even as the serpent bruises His heel. This promise points forward to a decisive victory. The conflict between good and evil will not end in a stalemate. Though the coming Redeemer will suffer, the enemy will be dealt a fatal blow.

This promise is immediately followed by an act that carries deep significance. God clothes Adam and Eve with tunics of skin. Their own attempts to cover their shame with fig leaves were insufficient. God Himself provides a covering—but that covering comes at a cost. Blood is shed. An animal’s life is taken so that their nakedness might be covered.

This moment sets a pattern that echoes throughout Scripture. Sin brings death. Covering requires sacrifice. Reconciliation demands the shedding of blood. The resolution of conflict between God and humanity will not be achieved through human effort, but through divine provision.

Imagine what this may have looked like. God, in mercy, providing garments made from skin. The first death recorded in Scripture occurs not as an act of punishment against humanity, but as an act of grace for them. Even in judgment, God is pointing forward to redemption.

This passage invites us to consider how conflict with God is resolved. It is not resolved by denial, self-effort, or moral improvement. It is resolved through substitution. The first blood spilled in the garden points to the final blood that will be shed at the cross.

From the very beginning, God is preparing the way for His Son.

Pray:
Thank God for His mercy and provision in the midst of judgment. Praise Him for making a way to resolve the conflict caused by sin. Express gratitude that He accomplished everything necessary for your reconciliation by having His own Son wounded for your transgressions. 

Day 2 — The Passover Lamb

Read: Exodus 12:1–14 

Before reading this passage, it helps to slow down and enter into the story. Exodus 12 is not merely a historical account—it is a moment of deliverance shaped by fear, obedience, and faith. The Israelites are slaves in Egypt. Judgment is coming. Death will pass through the land. And God provides a way of salvation.

Each household is instructed to select an unblemished lamb. It is not enough to acknowledge the lamb or admire it from a distance. The lamb must be killed. Its blood must be applied to the doorposts and the lintel of the house. Inside, the lamb must be eaten. Salvation is not abstract—it is personal and costly.

Imagine what this night would have been like. Families gathered inside their homes, hearing cries echo throughout Egypt. The smell of roasted lamb filling the air. Parents explaining to children why blood covered the door. Obedience mattered. Faith mattered. God’s word had to be trusted.

The Lord makes a clear promise: “When I see the blood, I will pass over you.” Judgment does not pass over because of ethnicity, effort, or moral standing. It passes over because of blood. Where blood is applied, life is spared.

This moment builds on what we saw in the garden. Once again, an animal’s life is taken so that others might live. Once again, blood becomes the means by which death is averted and deliverance is provided. God is teaching His people—and us—that redemption always comes through substitution.

The Passover lamb points forward to a greater Lamb. Just as the blood of the lamb delivered Israel from physical death, the blood of Jesus Christ delivers us from eternal death. The pattern is unmistakable. Salvation is provided by God, accomplished through sacrifice, and received by faith.

This passage invites sober reflection. Sin is not trivial. Judgment is real. And grace is costly. Yet God is faithful to provide exactly what He requires.

Pray:
Confess the seriousness of sin before the Lord. Thank Him that deliverance comes through the blood of the Lamb. Praise God that through the shed blood of Jesus Christ you have received forgiveness and freedom. Ask Him to reveal any areas where repentance and renewed trust are needed.

Day 3 — The Suffering Servant Foretold

Read: Isaiah 52:13–53:6 , Philippians 2:5–11 

We often comfort ourselves with the thought that things will eventually work out. Sometimes they do. Many times they do not. Relationships fracture, plans fail, and circumstances unfold in ways we never intended. Sin—ours and others’—introduces consequences that cannot always be undone.

Yet Scripture points us to something that did work out perfectly: God’s plan of salvation.

Isaiah’s prophecy of the Suffering Servant is striking not only for its clarity, but for its certainty. Written more than seven hundred years before the birth of Christ, it describes the suffering, rejection, and substitutionary death of the Messiah in vivid detail. What is especially remarkable is that Isaiah speaks of these future events in the past tense, as though they had already occurred.

This is intentional. God is revealing the certainty of His plan. Redemption was not a reaction to human failure—it was a divine purpose established before the foundation of the world. Long before nails pierced flesh, God had already declared the outcome.

Isaiah tells us that the Servant would be despised, rejected, pierced, and crushed—not for His own sin, but for ours. “The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Salvation is accomplished not through power or triumph, but through suffering and humility.

Paul echoes this truth in Philippians 2, reminding us that Jesus willingly humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming obedient even to the point of death on a cross. This was not forced upon Him. It was chosen in love.

Consider what it would have meant to believe Isaiah’s prophecy centuries before its fulfillment. Faith required trusting not only God’s power, but His timing. Today, we read these words knowing they have been fulfilled. Yet we are still called to the same kind of faith—confidence in God’s promises, even when circumstances seem uncertain.

Pray:
Thank God for the certainty of His plan of salvation. Praise Him for sending His Son to suffer in your place. Ask Him to deepen your faith and trust in Jesus Christ, especially when you are tempted to doubt His purposes or timing.

Day 4 — By His Wounds

Read: Isaiah 53:7–12 

As Isaiah’s prophecy continues, the details become even more striking. The Suffering Servant is no longer described in broad strokes, but with specificity that points unmistakably to Jesus Christ. This passage speaks of silence before accusers, unjust death, burial among the wicked, and ultimate vindication. Every line draws us closer to the cross.

Knowing what we do now about Jesus’ arrest, trial, crucifixion, and burial, it is difficult not to notice how precisely these words align with the gospel accounts. The Servant is led as a lamb to the slaughter. He does not open His mouth in defense. He is cut off from the land of the living. He makes His grave with the wicked and with the rich in His death. These are not vague predictions—they are exacting details.

Yet the most astonishing truth in this passage is not how accurately it foretells events, but why those events take place. Isaiah tells us that “it pleased the Lord to bruise Him.” These words confront us with the sobering reality that the suffering of the Servant was not accidental or outside God’s control. The cross was the will of God, not the failure of His plan.

Jesus was “numbered with the transgressors,” though He had committed no violence and spoken no deceit. He bore the sin of many and made intercession for those who were guilty. This is substitution in its fullest sense. Christ took our place. He received what we deserved so that we might receive what we could never earn.

This truth should shape not only what we believe, but how we respond. Awareness of fulfilled prophecy strengthens our confidence in Scripture. Awareness of substitution humbles our hearts. Salvation is not the result of our effort—it is the result of Christ’s obedience and suffering.

To meditate on this passage is to stand at the foot of the cross long before it was raised and to recognize that our redemption was secured through wounds not our own.

Pray:
Reflect on the reality that it pleased God to bruise His Son for your salvation. Thank Him for bearing your sin and shame. Bring before the Lord any gratitude, sorrow, or awe stirred in your heart by the cost of your redemption.

Day 5 — The Pierced King

Read: Zechariah 12, John 19:34 

Zechariah’s prophecy speaks of a day when God’s people will look upon “Me whom they pierced” and mourn. These words anticipate not only the physical act of piercing, but the deep sorrow that accompanies the realization of what that act represents. Sin will be seen for what it truly is, and grief will follow.

John’s Gospel records the fulfillment of this prophecy with stark clarity. After Jesus has died, a Roman soldier pierces His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flow out. This detail confirms the reality of His death. There is no ambiguity. Jesus has truly given His life.

Imagine standing at the cross as a follower or family member of Jesus. His mother Mary is there. The apostle John is there. They watch as life leaves His body. What must they have felt as the soldier’s spear pierces His side? What grief, confusion, and sorrow would have filled their hearts?

This moment should move us as well. While we rightly rejoice in the salvation Christ has secured, there is also a place for mourning. Jesus did not suffer in abstraction. He suffered because of sin—our sin. The spear that pierced His side is a reminder of the cost of redemption.

And yet, even here, there is purpose. The piercing fulfills prophecy. It confirms the finality of Christ’s death. And it sets the stage for resurrection. Blood and water flow from the wound, symbolizing both atonement and cleansing.

The King who was pierced is the King who saves. His suffering is not the end of the story, but it is the necessary path to life. To look upon the pierced Christ is to confront both the gravity of sin and the depth of divine love.

Pray:
Thank the Lord for willingly taking your place on the cross. Reflect on the cost of your salvation and allow both gratitude and reverent sorrow to shape your response. Praise God for fulfilling His promises through the suffering of His Son.

Day 6 — The Shepherd Struck, the Sheep Scattered

Read: Zechariah 13 

Zechariah prophesies of a moment when the Shepherd will be struck and the sheep will be scattered. These words find their fulfillment on the night of Jesus’ arrest, when His disciples flee in fear and confusion. What unfolds is not merely cowardice—it is the collapse of misplaced expectations.

The disciples believed Jesus was the Messiah, but their understanding of what that meant was inaccurate. They anticipated an earthly king who would overthrow Roman rule and restore Israel’s national power. When Jesus allows Himself to be arrested rather than resist, their expectations shatter. The Messiah they envisioned does not align with the suffering Servant before them.

This reveals a deeper issue: idolatry of expectation. The disciples had fashioned an image of the Messiah that suited their hopes and desires. When reality contradicted that image, faith faltered. Rather than trusting God’s plan, they scattered.

We face the same temptation. When God does not act according to our expectations, we are tempted to question His goodness or abandon our trust. We may not consciously reject God, but we may cling to a version of Him shaped by our preferences rather than His Word.

Disordered love leads to chaos. When anything—comfort, success, security, or control—is elevated above God, it becomes an idol. And idols inevitably disappoint. Only God is worthy of ultimate trust.

Yet even in this scattering, grace is at work. Jesus knows the disciples will flee, and still He goes to the cross for them. Their failure does not derail God’s plan. The Shepherd is struck so that the sheep might ultimately be gathered and restored.

Pray:
Ask God to reveal any misplaced expectations or idols in your heart. Confess areas where you have trusted your own understanding rather than His will. Thank Jesus for remaining faithful even we, as His followers, falter.

Day 7 — Bethlehem’s King

Read: Micah 5:1–5, Luke 2:1–7 

In Micah’s prophecy, the promised ruler of Israel is said to come from Bethlehem—an unremarkable town, small among the clans of Judah. It is not the place one would expect a king to emerge from. Yet God often works through what appears insignificant to accomplish what is eternal.

At the time Micah wrote these words, Assyria was the dominant oppressive force threatening Israel. The prophecy speaks of a coming ruler who would stand and shepherd his people in the strength of the Lord, bringing peace. This peace, however, would not come through military conquest or political power.

Luke’s account of Jesus’ birth reveals the fulfillment of this prophecy. Jesus is born not in a palace, but in a stable. His arrival is quiet, humble, and easily overlooked. Yet this child is the King who will confront the deepest enemies of humanity—sin, Satan, and death.

The mention of “the Assyrian” in Micah’s prophecy points beyond any single historical figure. It represents all forces that oppose God’s rule. Even now, Scripture tells us that many antichrists exist. Though Christ has secured ultimate victory, we still live in a world marked by spiritual conflict.

This can feel overwhelming. Temptation presses in. Sorrow weighs heavy. Darkness can seem persistent and powerful. Yet the good news is this: the King has already come. His strength is not found in domination, but in humility and meekness. Through surrender and obedience, He overcomes the world.

Bethlehem reminds us that God’s power is not limited by appearances. What seems small can change everything. The King born in humility is the King who reigns in victory.

Pray:
Thank God for sending His Son as a humble King who brings true peace. Ask Him to help you face your battles through Christ’s strength, marked by humility and trust rather than fear or self-reliance.