M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 8
Solomon Dedicates the Temple. 1 Solomon then assembled all of the elders of Israel, all of the heads of the tribes and the leaders of the ancestral clans of the Israelites. They came to King Solomon in Jerusalem in order to bring the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord out of the City of David, that is, Zion.
2 All of the men of Israel assembled before King Solomon at the festival during the month of Ethanim,[a] the seventh month. 3 When all of the elders of Israel had arrived, the priests took the Ark 4 and they brought the Ark of the Lord and the tent of meeting and all of the sacred furnishings that were in the tabernacle. The priests, and the Levites, 5 and King Solomon, and the entire assembly of Israel gathered with him in front of the Ark. They sacrificed so many sheep and oxen that they could not even be counted or numbered.
6 The priests then brought the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, underneath the wings of the cherubim. 7 The wings of the cherubim were spread out covering the place where the Ark was. The cherubim covered the Ark and its poles. 8 The poles stretched out so that one could see the ends of the poles in the Holy Place in front of the inner sanctuary, but one could not see them outside. They are still there up to the present. 9 There was nothing in the Ark except for the two stone tablets that Moses had placed in it at Horeb when the Lord made a covenant with the Israelites when they came out of the land of Egypt.
10 When the priests came out of the Holy Place, a cloud filled the temple of the Lord. 11 The priests could not stand there to minister on account of the cloud, for the glory of the Lord had filled the temple of the Lord.
12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord said that he would live in thick darkness, 13 but now I have built you a temple to dwell in, a place where you can abide forever.”
14 The king then turned around to face the entire assembly of Israel, and he blessed the entire assembly of Israel who stood before him. 15 He said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who has fulfilled what he promised to my father, David, for he said, 16 ‘From the day that I brought my people Israel out of Egypt, I had not chosen a city from all of the tribes of Israel in which a temple for my name could be built, but I chose David to be the leader of my people Israel.’
17 “My father David desired to build a temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, 18 but the Lord said to my father David, ‘You desired to build a temple for my name, and this desire of yours was good, 19 but you are not the one who will build the temple. Your son who comes forth from your body will build the temple for my name.’ 20 The Lord has kept the promise that he made. I have been raised up in my father’s stead to reign upon the throne of Israel, just as the Lord promised, and I have built a temple for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. 21 I have provided a place for the Ark in which one finds the covenant of the Lord that he made with our fathers when he brought them out of the land of Egypt.”
22 Solomon’s Prayer.[b] Solomon then stood before the altar of the Lord in front of the entire assembly of Israel, and he extended his hands to the heavens. 23 He said, “O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like you in the heavens above or on the earth below, who keeps a covenant of mercy with your servants who walk before you with all their heart. 24 You have kept your promise to your servant, David, my father. You spoke it with your own mouth, and with your own hand, you have fulfilled it today.
25 “And so now, O Lord, God of Israel, take heed of what you said to your servant, David, my father, when you said, ‘You will not fail to have one who will sit before me on the throne of Israel, if only your children walk before me as you have walked before me.’ 26 Now, O God of Israel, let what you have said to your servant David, my father, come true. 27 But will God truly dwell upon the earth? Behold, the heavens and the highest heavens could not contain you, how much less this temple that I have built?
28 “Give heed to the prayer of your servant and his supplication, O Lord, my God. Listen to the cry and the prayer that your servant makes before you today. 29 May your eyes be wide open upon this temple night and day, the place of which you said, ‘My name will be there.’ Heed the prayer that your servant makes for this place. 30 Hear the supplication of your servant and your people Israel when they pray for this place. Hear from your dwelling place in heaven, and when you hear, forgive.
31 “When a man wrongs his neighbor and he is required to swear an oath, and he comes to make the oath before your altar in this temple, 32 then listen from heaven and act. Judge between your servants, condemning the evil one and bring down upon his head his deeds. Prove innocent the righteous one, giving him what his righteousness deserves.
33 “When your people Israel have been defeated by an enemy because they have sinned against you, and they return to you and confess your name, and they pray and make supplication to you in this temple, 34 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your people Israel, and bring them back to the land that you gave to their fathers.
35 “When the heavens have been closed up and there is no rain because they have sinned against you, and they pray in this place and they confess your name, and they turn from their sin because you have punished them, 36 then listen from heaven and forgive the sin of your servants, your people Israel, so that you might teach them the right path in which they should walk, and send rain upon your land which you have given to your people as an inheritance.
37 “When there is famine in the land, or pestilence, blight, mildew, locusts, or grasshoppers, or if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities, whatever plague or sickness might occur, 38 and whatever prayer or supplication is made by anyone, or by all of your people Israel, because each person knows the plague of his own heart, and he lifts up his hands toward this temple, 39 then listen from your heavenly dwelling place. Forgive, and act, and give each person what his ways deserve, for you know his heart, for you alone know all human hearts, 40 so that they might fear you all the days that they live in the land that you gave our fathers.
41 “And as to the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel, but comes from a distant land for your name’s sake, 42 for they have heard about your great name and your strong hand and your outstretched arm, and he comes to this temple to pray, 43 listen from your heavenly dwelling place, and do everything for which the foreigner calls out to you. Then all of the people upon the earth will know your name and fear you just as your people Israel does, and that they might know that the temple that I have built is called by your name.
44 “When your people go out to battle against their enemy wherever you send them, and they pray to the Lord toward the city that you have chosen and toward the temple that I have built for your name, 45 then listen to their prayer and supplication from heaven and maintain their cause.
46 “If they sin against you, for there is no one who is sinless, and you are angry with them so that they are delivered over to the enemy and carried off as captives into the land of their enemy, whether it be far or near, 47 and they have a change of heart in the land where they have been carried off into captivity, and they repent and they make supplication to you in the land where they have been carried off as captives, and they say, ‘We have sinned, we have done what is wrong, and we have acted wickedly,’ 48 and if they turn back to you with all their heart and all their soul in the land to which their enemies took them as captives, and they pray to you in the direction of the land that you gave their fathers, and the city that you have chosen, and the temple that I have built, 49 then listen to their prayer and their supplication from your heavenly dwelling place and maintain their cause. 50 Forgive your people who have sinned against you, all of the offenses that they have committed against you, and cause those who carried them off into captivity to be filled with compassion.
51 “They are your people and your inheritance whom you brought forth from Egypt, from the midst of an iron-smelting furnace. 52 May your eyes be open to see the supplication of your servant and the supplication of your people Israel. Listen to them whenever they call out to you, 53 for you separated your inheritance from all the other people upon the earth, as you declared through Moses your servant, when you O Lord, my Lord, brought our fathers out of Egypt.”
54 When Solomon had finished saying all of these prayers and supplications to the Lord, he rose up from before the altar of the Lord where he had been kneeling with his hands lifted up to the heavens. 55 He stood, and he blessed the whole assembly of Israel in a loud voice, saying, 56 “Praise be to the Lord who has given rest to his people Israel just as he promised. He has not failed to fulfill a single word of all the good promises that he made through Moses his servant.
57 “May the Lord, our God, be with us, just as he was with our fathers; may he not leave us or abandon us. 58 May he turn our hearts to him to walk in all of his ways and to observe all of his commandments, his statutes, and his ordinances which he commanded our fathers.
59 “May these words that I have prayed before the Lord draw near to the Lord, our God, both day and night. May he uphold the cause of his servants and the cause of his people Israel, responding to each day’s needs, 60 so that all the people upon the earth might know that the Lord is God, there is no other.
61 “Let your heart, therefore, be at peace with the Lord, our God, by walking in his statutes and observing his commandments, as is true today.”
62 Then the king and all of Israel with him offered sacrifices before the Lord. 63 Solomon offered up a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord of twenty-two thousand oxen and one hundred twenty-two thousand sheep. This is how the king and all of the people of Israel dedicated the temple of the Lord.
64 That day the king consecrated the court in front of the temple for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and for the fat of peace offerings because the bronze altar that was before the Lord was too small for burnt offerings, grain offerings, and the fat of peace offerings.
65 At that time Solomon celebrated before the Lord, our God, with all of Israel, a great assembly, people who came from the entrance of Hamath down to the Wadi of Egypt. It lasted seven days, and then another seven days, fourteen days in all.[c] 66 The next day he sent the people away. They blessed the king and they went home, filled with joy and glad of heart for all of the good things that the Lord had done for David, his servant, and Israel, his people.
Chapter 5
1 Hence, be imitators of God, as beloved children, 2 and walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a sacrificial offering whose fragrance is pleasing to God.
Sins To Avoid. 3 Indeed, fornication and impurity of any kind, as well as greed, should not even be mentioned among you. Such talk is not fitting for saints. 4 You should never engage in any obscene or foolish or suggestive conversation. All this is completely out of place. Instead, you should rather be engaged in offering thanks to God.
5 You can be absolutely certain that no immoral or impure person or one who is greedy—that is, an idolater—will have any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God.
6 Let no one deceive you with worthless arguments. These are the very things that bring down the wrath of God on those who are disobedient. 7 Do not associate with them.
Christians Are Children of Light. 8 Once you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light, 9 for light produces all goodness and righteousness and truth. 10 Discern what the Lord finds pleasing. 11 Take no part in the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather seek to expose them.
12 For it is shameful even to speak of what deeds people do in secret. 13 However, everything that is exposed by the light is made visible, 14 and whatever is made visible is light. Therefore, it is said,[a]
“Awake, O sleeper!
Rise from the dead,
and Christ will shine on you.”
15 Therefore, take care to live as intelligent people, and do not be like those who are senseless. 16 Make the most of the present time, for this is a wicked age. 17 Do not be foolish, but recognize what is the will of the Lord. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which can lead to debauchery.
Rather, be filled with the Spirit, 19 as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with one another. Sing and chant to the Lord in your hearts, 20 giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Christ and Christian Spouses[b]
Be Subject to One Another in Christ. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22 Wives, be subject to your husbands as you are to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife, just as Christ is the head of the Church, the body of which he is the Savior. 24 Just as the Church is subject to Christ, so also wives must be subject to their husbands in everything.25 Love One Another in Christ. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the Church and gave himself up for her 26 in order to sanctify her by cleansing her with water and the word,[c] 27 in order to present the Church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such flaw, but holy and without the slightest blemish.
28 In the same way, husbands should love their wives as they do their own bodies. The man who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hates his own body; rather, he nourishes it and cares for it, even as Christ does for the Church, 30 because we are members of his body.
31 For this reason
a man shall leave his father and mother
and be joined to his wife,
and the two shall become one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery. Here I am applying it to Christ and the Church. 33 However, each one of you should love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife should respect her husband.
Chapter 38
First Prophecy against Gog.[a] 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, turn your face toward Gog, in the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him.
3 Say: Thus says the Lord God: I am against you, Gog, chief prince of Meshech and Tubal. 4 I will turn you around and affix hooks in your jaws, and I will lead you forth with your entire army—your horses and your horsemen, all of them fully equipped, and a huge horde with bucklers and shields, all of them brandishing their swords.
5 Accompanying them will be the forces of Persia, Ethiopia, and Put, all with shields and helmets; 6 Gomer[b] and all its troops; Beth-togarmah from the far north with all its troops—a huge assemblage gathered in support of you. 7 Get ready and be prepared, you and all your troops and all your allies that have come together to support you. Keep yourselves at my disposal.
8 After a long period of time, you will be given orders, and sometime thereafter you will invade a land that has emerged from ruin. Its people have been assembled from many nations on the mountains of Israel which had long been desolate, and all of them are living in safety. 9 You will advance, coming forth like a storm. You will cover the land like a cloud, you and all your troops and the many nations who have come to support you.
10 Thus says the Lord God: On that day thoughts will arise in your mind, and you will devise an evil scheme. 11 You will say, “I will attack this country that has no means of defense and march against this peaceful nation which dwells with a sense of security, even though it has no walls or bars or gates. 12 I will plunder and loot and strip bare the settlements which once lay in ruins but are now inhabited by a people gathered from the nations who dwell at the very center of the world, a people engaged in trade and breeding cattle.”
13 Sheba and Dedan, and the merchants of Tarshish and all her villages, will say to you, “Is it for plunder that you have come? Have you assembled your horde to carry off silver and gold, to take away cattle and goods, and to seize a great amount of booty?”
14 Second Prophecy against Gog. Therefore, prophesy, son of man, and say to Gog: Thus says the Lord God: On that day when my people Israel are living securely, will you not rouse yourself 15 and come forth from your home in the far recesses of the north, you and many nations with you, a mighty army of soldiers beyond counting, all of them riding on horses? 16 You will come forth against my people Israel like a cloud covering the earth. In the final days, I will bring you against my land so that the nations will know me when through you, O Gog, I display my holiness before their eyes.
17 Thus says the Lord God: It was you of whom I spoke in former days through my servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied for many years that I would bring you against them. 18 On that day, when Gog attacks the land of Israel, says the Lord God, my fury will be aroused.
19 In my jealousy and in my blazing wrath, I swear that there will be a tremendous earthquake in the land of Israel. 20 The fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the beasts of the field, and all the reptiles that crawl on the ground, and every human being on the face of the earth will tremble at my presence. Mountains will be thrown down, cliffs will crumble, and every wall will tumble to the ground.
21 I will summon the sword against Gog on all my mountains, says the Lord God, and the swords of all will be turned against their comrades. 22 With pestilence and bloodshed, I will bring judgment upon him, and I will pour down torrential rain, hailstones, fire and brimstone upon him and his troops and the many nations that are supporting him. 23 I will, thereby, display my greatness and my holiness and make myself known to many nations. Then they will know that I am the Lord.
Psalm 89[a]
Prayer for the Fulfillment of God’s Promise
1 A maskil[b] of Ethan the Ezrahite.
2 [c]I will sing forever of the Lord’s kindness;
with my lips I will proclaim your faithfulness[d]
throughout the generations.
3 You said, “My kindness lasts forever;
my faithfulness is as firmly established as the heavens.
4 “I have made a covenant with my chosen one;
I have sworn to my servant David:
5 ‘I will establish your descendants forever
and allow your throne to endure for all generations.’ ”[e] Selah
6 [f]Let the heavens[g] praise your wonders, O Lord,
your faithfulness in the assembly of your holy ones.
7 For who in the skies can be compared to the Lord?
Is there any heavenly being[h] who is like the Lord,
8 a God who is feared in the council of the holy ones,
greater and more awesome than any who stand in his presence?
9 O Lord, God of hosts,[i] who is like you?
Almighty Lord, your faithfulness is never absent.
10 You control the raging sea,
calming its surging waves.
11 You crushed Rahab[j] with a deadly blow;
you scattered your foes with your mighty arm.
12 Yours are the heavens and yours is the earth;
you founded the world[k] and all that is in it.
13 You created the north and the south;[l]
Tabor and Hermon joyously praise your name.
14 Mighty is your arm and strong is your hand;
your right hand is forever raised high.
15 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of your throne;
kindness and faithfulness go before your face.[m]
16 Blessed[n] are the people who know how to acclaim you, O Lord,
who walk in the light of your countenance.
17 In your name they rejoice all day long,
and they exult in your righteousness.
18 [o]You are the strength in which they glory,
and by your kindness our horn[p] is exalted.
19 For the Lord is our shield,
the Holy One of Israel, our King.
20 [q]On one occasion you spoke in a vision[r]
and said to your faithful servants:
“I have appointed as leader one who is mighty;
I have exalted one chosen from the people.
21 I have found David, my servant,
and with my holy oil I have anointed him.
22 “My hand will sustain him;
my arm will make him strong.
23 No enemy will overcome him;
no one who is wicked will oppress him.
24 “I will crush his foes before him
and strike down those who hate him.
25 My faithfulness and my kindness will be with him;
through my name his horn will be exalted.
26 “I will stretch his hand as far as the sea
and his right hand as far as the rivers.[s]
27 He will cry to me, ‘You are my Father,
my God, the Rock of my salvation.’
28 [t]“I will designate him as my firstborn,
the highest of all earthly kings.
29 Forever I will maintain my kindness for him,
and my covenant with him will never end.
30 I will establish his dynasty forever
and his throne as long as the heavens.
31 [u]“If his descendants forsake my law
and refuse to conform to my decrees,
32 if they break my statutes
and do not keep my precepts,
33 I will punish their disobedience with the rod
and their iniquity with scourges.
34 “But I will not deprive him of my kindness
or fail to observe my faithfulness.[v]
35 [w]I will not violate my covenant
or alter the promise I have spoken.
36 “By my holiness I have sworn once and for all:
never will I break faith with David.
37 His dynasty will last forever,
and his throne will endure before me like the sun.
38 It will endure forever like the moon,
a faithful witness in the sky.” Selah
39 [x]But now you have spurned and rejected him,
you have become filled with wrath against your anointed one.[y]
40 You have repudiated your covenant with your servant
and dishonored his crown in the dust.
41 You have breached all his walls
and turned his strongholds into ruins.
42 Every passer-by has despoiled him;
he has become a laughingstock to his neighbors.
43 [z]You have exalted the right hand of his foes
and caused all his enemies to rejoice.
44 You have driven back his drawn sword
and left him to fight without your support.
45 You have put an end to his glory
and toppled his throne to the ground.
46 You have curtailed the time of his youth[aa]
and enveloped him in shame. Selah
47 [ab]How long, O Lord? Will you remain hidden forever?
How long[ac] will your wrath blaze like a fire?
48 Remember how brief is my span of life
and how weak you have made all mortals.
49 Who can live and never experience death?
Who can save himself from the power of the netherworld? Selah
50 [ad]Where is your kindness of old, O Lord,
which you swore to David in your faithfulness?
51 Remember, O Lord, the insults hurled at your servant;
recall how I have borne in my heart the slanders of all the peoples.
52 Your enemies have leveled insults at us, O Lord;
they have taunted the footsteps of your anointed one.
53 Blessed be the Lord forever.
Amen! Amen![ae]
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