M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Counts His Fighting Men

21 Satan rose up against Israel. He stirred up David to count the men of Israel. ² So David said to Joab and the commanders of the troops, “Go! Count the men of Israel from Beersheba all the way to Dan. Report back to me. Then I’ll know how many there are.”

³ Joab replied, “May the Lord multiply his troops 100 times. King David, you are my master. Aren’t all the men under your control? Why would you want me to count them? Do you want to make Israel guilty?”

⁴ In spite of what Joab said, the king’s order had more authority than Joab’s reply did. So Joab left and went all through Israel. Then he came back to Jerusalem. ⁵ Joab reported to David how many fighting men he had counted. In the whole land of Israel there were 1,100,000 men who could use their swords well. That included 470,000 men in Judah.

⁶ But Joab didn’t include the tribes of Levi and Benjamin in the total number. The king’s command was sickening to Joab. ⁷ It was also evil in the sight of God. So he punished Israel.

⁸ Then David said to God, “I committed a great sin when I counted Israel’s men. I beg you to take away my guilt. I’ve done a very foolish thing.”

⁹ The Lord spoke to Gad, David’s prophet. The Lord said, ¹⁰ “Go and tell David, ‘The Lord says, “I could punish you in three different ways. Choose one of them for me to punish you with.” ’ ”

¹¹ So Gad went to David. Gad said to him, “The Lord says, ‘Take your choice. ¹² You can have three years when there will not be enough food in the land. You can have three months when your enemies will sweep you away. They will catch up with you. They will destroy you with their swords. Or you can have three days when the sword of the Lord will punish you. That means there would be three days of plague in the land. My angel would strike down people in every part of Israel.’ So take your pick. Tell me how to answer the one who sent me.”

¹³ David said to Gad, “I’m suffering terribly. Let me fall into the hands of the Lord. His mercy is very great. But don’t let me fall into human hands.”

¹⁴ So the Lord sent a plague on Israel. And 70,000 Israelites died. ¹⁵ God sent an angel to destroy Jerusalem. But as the angel was doing it, the Lord saw it. The Lord decided to end the plague he had sent. So he spoke to the angel who was destroying the people. He said, “That is enough! Do not kill any more people!” The angel of the Lord was standing at Araunah’s threshing floor. Araunah was from the city of Jebus.

¹⁶ David looked up. He saw the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth. The angel was holding out a sword over Jerusalem. David and the elders fell with their faces to the ground. They were wearing the rough clothing people wear when they’re sad.

¹⁷ David said to God, “I ordered the fighting men to be counted. I’m the one who has sinned. I am the shepherd of these people. I’m the one who has done what is wrong. These people are like sheep. What have they done? Lord my God, punish me and my family. But don’t let this plague continue to strike your people.”

David Builds an Altar

¹⁸ Then the angel of the Lord ordered Gad to tell David to go up to the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. He wanted David to build an altar there to honor the Lord. ¹⁹ So David went up and did it. He obeyed the message that Gad had spoken in the Lord’s name.

²⁰ Araunah was threshing wheat. He turned and saw the angel. Araunah’s four children were with him. They hid themselves. ²¹ David approached the threshing floor. Araunah looked up and saw him. So Araunah left the threshing floor. He bowed down to David with his face toward the ground.

²² David said to him, “Let me have the property your threshing floor is on. I want to build an altar there to honor the Lord. When I do, the plague on the people will be stopped. Sell the threshing floor to me for the full price.”

²³ Araunah said to David, “Take it! King David, you are my master. Do what you please. I’ll even provide the oxen for the burnt offerings. Use boards from the threshing sleds for the wood. Use the wheat for the grain offering. I’ll give it all to you.”

²⁴ But King David replied to Araunah, “No! I want to pay the full price. I won’t take what belongs to you and give it to the Lord. I won’t sacrifice a burnt offering that hasn’t cost me anything.”

²⁵ So David paid Araunah 15 pounds of gold for the property. ²⁶ David built an altar there to honor the Lord. He sacrificed burnt offerings and friendship offerings. He called out to the Lord. The Lord answered him by sending fire from heaven on the altar for burnt offerings.

²⁷ Then the Lord spoke to the angel. And the angel put his sword away. ²⁸ When the angel did that, David was still at the threshing floor of Araunah, the Jebusite. David saw that the Lord had answered him. So he offered sacrifices there. ²⁹ At that time, the Lord’s holy tent was at the high place in Gibeon. The altar for burnt offerings was there too. Moses had made the holy tent in the desert. ³⁰ David couldn’t go to the tent to pray to God. That’s because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the Lord.

2 So get rid of every kind of evil, and stop telling lies. Don’t pretend to be something you are not. Stop wanting what others have, and don’t speak against one another. ² Like newborn babies, you should long for the pure milk of God’s word. It will help you grow up as believers. ³ You can do this now that you have tasted how good the Lord is.

The Living Stone and a Chosen People

⁴ Christ is the living Stone. People did not accept him, but God chose him. God places the highest value on him. ⁵ You also are like living stones. As you come to Christ, you are being built into a house for worship. There you will be holy priests. You will offer spiritual sacrifices. God will accept them because of what Jesus Christ has done. ⁶ In Scripture it says,

⁷ This stone is very valuable to you who believe. But to people who do not believe,

⁸ And,

They trip and fall because they do not obey the message. That is also what God planned for them.

⁹ But God chose you to be his people. You are royal priests. You are a holy nation. You are God’s special treasure. You are all these things so that you can give him praise. God brought you out of darkness into his wonderful light. ¹⁰ Once you were not a people. But now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy. But now you have received mercy.

Living Godly Lives Among People Who Don’t Believe

¹¹ Dear friends, you are outsiders and those who wander in this world. So I’m asking you not to give in to your sinful desires. They fight against your soul. ¹² People who don’t believe might say you are doing wrong. But lead good lives among them. Then they will see your good deeds. And they will give glory to God on the day he comes to judge.

¹³ Follow the lead of every human authority. Do this for the Lord’s sake. Obey the emperor. He is the highest authority. ¹⁴ Obey the governors. The emperor sends them to punish those who do wrong. He also sends them to praise those who do right. ¹⁵ By doing good you will put a stop to the talk of foolish people. They don’t know what they are saying. ¹⁶ Live as free people. But don’t use your freedom to cover up evil. Live as people who are God’s slaves. ¹⁷ Show proper respect to everyone. Love the family of believers. Have respect for God. Honor the emperor.

¹⁸ Slaves, obey your masters out of deep respect for God. Obey not only those who are good and kind. Obey also those who are not kind. ¹⁹ Suppose a person suffers pain unfairly because they want to obey God. This is worthy of praise. ²⁰ But suppose you receive a beating for doing wrong, and you put up with it. Will anyone honor you for this? Of course not. But suppose you suffer for doing good, and you put up with it. God will praise you for this. ²¹ You were chosen to do good even if you suffer. That’s because Christ suffered for you. He left you an example that he expects you to follow. ²² Scripture says,

²³ People shouted at him and made fun of him. But he didn’t do the same thing back to them. When he suffered, he didn’t say he would make them suffer. Instead, he trusted in the God who judges fairly. ²⁴ “He himself carried our sins” in his body on the cross. (Isaiah 53:5) He did it so that we would die as far as sins are concerned. Then we would lead godly lives. “His wounds have healed you.” (Isaiah 53:5) ²⁵ “You were like sheep wandering away.” (Isaiah 53:6) But now you have returned to the Shepherd. He is the one who watches over your souls.

Jonah Is Angry That the Lord Spares Nineveh

4 But to Jonah this seemed very wrong. He became angry. ² He prayed to the Lord. Here is what Jonah said to him. “Lord, isn’t this exactly what I thought would happen when I was still at home? That is what I tried to prevent by running away to Tarshish. I knew that you are gracious. You are tender and kind. You are slow to get angry. You are full of love. You are a God who takes pity on people. You don’t want to destroy them. ³ Lord, take away my life. I’d rather die than live.”

⁴ But the Lord replied, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

⁵ Jonah had left the city. He had sat down at a place east of it. There he put some branches over his head. He sat in their shade. He waited to see what would happen to the city. ⁶ Then the Lord God sent a leafy plant and made it grow up over Jonah. It gave him more shade for his head. It made him more comfortable. Jonah was very happy he had the leafy plant. ⁷ But before sunrise the next day, God sent a worm. It chewed the plant so much that it dried up. ⁸ When the sun rose, God sent a burning east wind. The sun beat down on Jonah’s head. It made him very weak. He wanted to die. So he said, “I’d rather die than live.”

⁹ But God spoke to Jonah. God said, “Is it right for you to be angry about the plant?”

“It is,” Jonah said. “In fact, I’m so angry I wish I were dead.”

¹⁰ But the Lord said, “You have been concerned about this plant. But you did not take care of it. You did not make it grow. It grew up in one night and died the next. ¹¹ And shouldn’t I show concern for the great city of Nineveh? It has more than 120,000 people. They can’t tell right from wrong. Nineveh also has a lot of animals.”

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Disciples

9 Jesus called together the 12 disciples. He gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to heal sicknesses. ² Then he sent them out to announce God’s kingdom and to heal those who were sick. ³ He told them, “Don’t take anything for the journey. Do not take a walking stick or a bag. Do not take any bread, money or extra clothes. ⁴ When you are invited into a house, stay there until you leave town. ⁵ Some people may not welcome you. If they don’t, leave their town and shake the dust off your feet. This will be a witness against the people living there.” ⁶ So the 12 disciples left. They went from village to village. They announced the good news and healed people everywhere.

⁷ Now Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard about everything that was going on. He was bewildered, because some were saying that John the Baptist had been raised from the dead. ⁸ Others were saying that Elijah had appeared. Still others were saying that a prophet of long ago had come back to life. ⁹ But Herod said, “I had John’s head cut off. So who is it that I hear such things about?” And he tried to see Jesus.

Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹⁰ The disciples returned. They told Jesus what they had done. Then he took them with him. They went off by themselves to a town called Bethsaida. ¹¹ But the crowds learned about it and followed Jesus. He welcomed them and spoke to them about God’s kingdom. He also healed those who needed to be healed.

¹² Late in the afternoon the 12 disciples came to him. They said, “Send the crowd away. They can go to the nearby villages and countryside. There they can find food and a place to stay. There is nothing here.”

¹³ Jesus replied, “You give them something to eat.”

The disciples answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish. We would have to go and buy food for all this crowd.” ¹⁴ About 5,000 men were there.

But Jesus said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about 50 each.” ¹⁵ The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. ¹⁶ Jesus took the five loaves and the two fish. He looked up to heaven and gave thanks. He broke them into pieces. Then he gave them to the disciples to give to the people. ¹⁷ All of them ate and were satisfied. The disciples picked up 12 baskets of leftover pieces.

Peter Says That Jesus Is the Messiah

¹⁸ One day Jesus was praying alone. Only his disciples were with him. He asked them, “Who do the crowds say I am?”

¹⁹ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist. Others say Elijah. Still others say that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life.”

²⁰ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “God’s Messiah.”

Jesus Speaks About His Coming Death

²¹ Jesus strongly warned them not to tell this to anyone. ²² He said, “The Son of Man must suffer many things. The elders will not accept him. The chief priests and the teachers of the law will not accept him either. He must be killed and on the third day rise from the dead.”

²³ Then he said to all of them, “Whoever wants to follow me must say no to themselves. They must pick up their cross every day and follow me. ²⁴ Whoever wants to save their life will lose it. But whoever loses their life for me will save it. ²⁵ What good is it if someone gains the whole world but loses or gives up their very self? ²⁶ Suppose someone is ashamed of me and my words. The Son of Man will come in his glory and in the glory of the Father and the holy angels. Then he will be ashamed of that person.

²⁷ “What I’m about to tell you is true. Some who are standing here will not die before they see God’s kingdom.”

Jesus’ Appearance Is Changed

²⁸ About eight days after Jesus said this, he went up on a mountain to pray. He took Peter, John and James with him. ²⁹ As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed. His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in shining glory. Jesus and the two of them talked together. ³¹ They talked about how he would be leaving them soon. This was going to happen in Jerusalem. ³² Peter and his companions had been very sleepy. But then they became completely awake. They saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him. ³³ As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter spoke up. “Master,” he said to him, “it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters. One will be for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” Peter didn’t really know what he was saying.

³⁴ While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them. The disciples were afraid as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ A voice came from the cloud. It said, “This is my Son, and I have chosen him. Listen to him.” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept quiet about this. They didn’t tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Jesus Heals a Boy Who Is Controlled by an Evil Spirit

³⁷ The next day Jesus and those who were with him came down from the mountain. A large crowd met Jesus. ³⁸ A man in the crowd called out. “Teacher,” he said, “I beg you to look at my son. He is my only child. ³⁹ A spirit takes hold of him, and he suddenly screams. It throws him into fits so that he foams at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him. It is destroying him. ⁴⁰ I begged your disciples to drive it out. But they couldn’t do it.”

⁴¹ “You unbelieving and evil people!” Jesus replied. “How long do I have to stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you?” Then he said to the man, “Bring your son here.”

⁴² Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him into a fit. The boy fell to the ground. But Jesus ordered the evil spirit to leave the boy. Then Jesus healed him and gave him back to his father. ⁴³ They were all amazed at God’s greatness.

Jesus Speaks a Second Time About His Coming Death

Everyone was wondering about all that Jesus did. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ⁴⁴ “Listen carefully to what I am about to tell you. The Son of Man is going to be handed over to men.” ⁴⁵ But they didn’t understand what this meant. That was because it was hidden from them. And they were afraid to ask Jesus about it.

Who Is the Most Important Person?

⁴⁶ The disciples began to argue about which one of them would be the most important person. ⁴⁷ Jesus knew what they were thinking. So he took a little child and had the child stand beside him. ⁴⁸ Then he spoke to them. “Anyone who welcomes this little child in my name welcomes me,” he said. “And anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. The one considered least important among all of you is really the most important.”

⁴⁹ “Master,” said John, “we saw someone driving out demons in your name. We tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”

⁵⁰ “Do not stop him,” Jesus said. “Anyone who is not against you is for you.”

The Samaritans Do Not Welcome Jesus

⁵¹ The time grew near for Jesus to be taken up to heaven. So he made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. ⁵² He sent messengers on ahead. They went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him. ⁵³ But the people there did not welcome Jesus. That was because he was heading for Jerusalem. ⁵⁴ The disciples James and John saw this. They asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to destroy them?” ⁵⁵ But Jesus turned and commanded them not to do it. ⁵⁶ Then Jesus and his disciples went on to another village.

The Cost of Following Jesus

⁵⁷ Once Jesus and those who were with him were walking along the road. A man said to Jesus, “I will follow you no matter where you go.”

⁵⁸ Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens. Birds have nests. But the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let dead people bury their own dead. You go and tell others about God’s kingdom.”

⁶¹ Still another person said, “I will follow you, Lord. But first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

⁶² Jesus replied, “Suppose someone starts to plow and then looks back. That person is not fit for service in God’s kingdom.”