M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David at Ziklag

27 David said to himself, “One of these days Saul will sweep me away. The best thing for me to do is to make sure that I escape to Philistine territory. Then Saul will give up looking all over Israel for me, and I’ll escape from him.” ² So David went with his 600 men to King Achish of Gath, Moach’s son. ³ David and his men stayed with Achish in Gath. Each one had his family, and David had his two wives, Ahinoam from Jezreel and Abigail (who had been Nabal’s wife) from Carmel. ⁴ When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he didn’t search for him anymore.

⁵ David said to Achish, “If you will permit me, let me have a place in one of the outlying towns so that I can live there. Why should I live in the royal city with you?” ⁶ So Achish immediately gave him Ziklag. (This is why Ziklag still belongs to the kings of Judah today.)

⁷ David stayed in Philistine territory for one year and four months. ⁸ Then David and his men went to raid the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites. (They lived in the territory which extends from Telaim^[a] to Shur and Egypt.) ⁹ Whenever David attacked the territory, he left no man or woman alive. He also took sheep, cattle, donkeys, camels, and clothing and returned to Achish.

¹⁰ Achish would ask, “Whom did you raid today?”^[b]

And David would answer, “the Negev in Judah,” or “the portion of the Negev where the descendants of Jerahmeel live,” or “the portion of the Negev where the Kenites live.” ¹¹ He did not bring a single man or woman back to Gath alive. He thought, “They could tell Achish what I really did.” This was his practice as long as he lived in Philistine territory. ¹² And Achish believed David. Achish thought, “He has definitely made his own people in Israel despise him. He’ll be my servant from now on.”

Advice about Food Offered to False Gods

8 Now, concerning food offered to false gods: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes people arrogant, but love builds them up. ² Those who think they know something still have a lot to learn. ³ But if they love God, they are known by God.

⁴ Now about eating food that was offered to false gods: We know that the false gods in this world don’t really exist and that no god exists except the one God. ⁵ People may say that there are gods in heaven and on earth—many gods and many lords, as they would call them. ⁶ But for us,

⁷ But not everyone knows this. Some people are so used to worshiping false gods that they believe they are eating food offered to a false god. So they feel guilty because their conscience is weak.

⁸ Food will not affect our relationship with God. We are no worse off if we eat that food and no better off if we don’t. ⁹ But be careful that by using your freedom you don’t somehow make a believer who is weak in faith fall into sin. ¹⁰ For example, suppose someone with a weak conscience sees you, who have this knowledge, eating in the temple of a false god. Won’t you be encouraging that person to eat food offered to a false god? ¹¹ In that case, your knowledge is ruining a believer whose faith is weak, a believer for whom Christ died. ¹² When you sin against other believers in this way and harm their weak consciences, you are sinning against Christ.

¹³ Therefore, if eating food offered to false gods causes other believers to lose their faith, I will never eat that kind of food so that I won’t make other believers lose their faith.

A Prophecy against the Mountains of Israel

6 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, look toward the mountains of Israel, and prophesy against them. ³ Say this, ‘You mountains of Israel, listen to the word of Adonay Yahweh! This is what Adonay Yahweh says to the mountains and hills and to the ravines and valleys: I am going to attack you with a sword and destroy your worship sites. ⁴ Your altars will be destroyed, and your incense burners will be smashed. I will kill people in front of your idols. ⁵ I will lay the dead bodies of the people of Israel in front of your idols, and I will scatter their bones around your altars. ⁶ Wherever people live, the cities will be ruined, and the worship sites will be wrecked. Your altars will be ruined and demolished. Your idols will be smashed and completely destroyed. Your incense burners will be cut down, and everything you have done will be wiped out. ⁷ People will be killed, and they will fall among you. Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

⁸ “‘But I will let some people live. Some people will escape the battle among the nations and be scattered throughout the countries. ⁹ Then those who escape will remember me among the nations where they are taken captive. I was hurt by their adulterous hearts, which turned away from me, and by their eyes, which lusted after idols. They will hate themselves for the evil and disgusting things that they have done. ¹⁰ Then you will know that I am Yahweh and that the disaster I promised was not an empty threat.

¹¹ “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Clap your hands, stomp your feet, and say, “Oh no!” because the people of Israel have done evil and disgusting things. So they will die in wars, famines, and plagues. ¹² Plagues will kill those who are far away. Those who are near will die in wars, and anyone who is left and has escaped will die in famines. This is how I will unleash my anger. ¹³ Then you will know that I am Yahweh.

“‘Those who are killed will lie beside the idols around their altars. They will lie on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, and under every large tree and every leafy oak. These are the places where they made offerings to their disgusting idols. ¹⁴ I will use my power against them and destroy the land, from the desert to Diblah. Then they will know that I am Yahweh.’”

Psalm 44

For the choir director; a maskil by Korah’s descendants.