M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 28
1 In those days the Philistines gathered together their armies to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “Know that you and your men are to go out to battle with me.” 2 David said to Achish, “Then you will know for sure what your servant can do.” Achish said to David, “You will, therefore, be my bodyguard from now on.”
3 Samuel was dead, and all of Israel had mourned for him and had buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had expelled mediums and wizards from out of the land. 4 The Philistines assembled together and went and camped at Shunem. Saul gathered together all of Israel and they camped at Gilboa. 5 [a]When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid, and his heart trembled. 6 Saul inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him in dreams, or by the Urim, or through the prophets.
Saul and the Medium. 7 Saul said to his servants, “Find me a woman who is a medium so that I can go to her and inquire of her.” His servants answered, “There is a woman who is a medium in Endor.” 8 Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes. He went with two men, and they came to the woman by night. He said, “Please consult a spirit for me, bring up the one whose name I give you.” 9 But the woman said to him, “You surely know what Saul has done, how he has expelled mediums and wizards out of the land. Why would you set a trap for my life, bringing on my death?” 10 Saul swore an oath to her by the Lord saying, “As the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.” 11 The woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you,” and he answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.”
12 Samuel Appears. When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out in a loud voice, and the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me, Saul?” 13 The king said to her, “Do not be afraid! What did you see?” She said to Saul, “I saw a spirit coming up from the earth.” 14 He said to her, “What does he look like?” She said, “An old man wearing a robe came up.” Saul realized that it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated his face to the ground.
15 Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you bothered me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress. The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned against me. He does not answer me anymore, either by prophets or by dreams. I have called upon you so that you can make known to me what I should do.” 16 Samuel said, “Why do you question me now that the Lord has turned against you and has become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done for himself exactly what he predicted through me. The Lord has ripped the kingdom out of your hand, and he has given it to your neighbor, to David. 18 You did not heed the voice of the Lord nor enact his fierce rage against Amalek. Therefore, the Lord has done this thing to you today. 19 The Lord will hand over both you and Israel into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also deliver the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
20 The Medium Feeds Saul. Saul fell full length upon the ground for he was terrified because of what Samuel had said. His strength was gone, for he had not eaten anything all day and night. 21 When the woman came up to Saul and saw that he was greatly troubled, she said to him, “Look, your handmaid has obeyed your command. I have taken my life in my hands when I did what you had ordered me to do. 22 Therefore, please heed the voice of your handmaid. Let me give you something to eat, and then you will have the strength to go on your way.” 23 [b]He refused and said, “I will not eat!”
But both his servants and the woman kept urging him, and he finally listened to them. He got up off the ground and sat on the couch. 24 The woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she quickly killed it. She took some flour, kneaded it, and baked it into loaves of unleavened bread. 25 She set it before Saul and his servants. They ate, and then they got up and went on their way that night.
Chapter 9
The Example of Paul’s Apostolate
A Missionary’s Rights. 1 Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? 2 Although others may not regard me as an apostle, at least I am to you, for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
3 To those who seek to pass judgment on me, my defense is this. 4 Do we not have the right to eat and drink? 5 Do we not have the right to be accompanied by a believing wife like the other apostles, the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas?[a] 6 Are Barnabas[b] and I the only ones who do not have the right to refrain from working? 7 What soldier would ever serve in the army at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard without eating its fruit? Or who tends a flock without consuming some of its milk?
8 I am not saying this based simply on human authority, for the Law says the very same thing. 9 In the Law of Moses it is written, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” Is it for oxen that God is concerned, 10 or does he not rather say this for our sake? Without question it was written for our sake, for whoever plows should plow in hope and whoever threshes should thresh in hope, both in expectation of a share in the crop. 11 If we have sown a spiritual crop for you, is it unreasonable for us to expect from you a material harvest? 12 If others have this claim on you, do not we?
Despite this, we have never availed ourselves of any such right. On the contrary, we put up with anything rather than place an obstacle to the gospel of Christ. 13 Do you not know that those who perform the temple service receive their food from the temple, and that those who officiate at the altar share in the offerings? 14 In the same way, the Lord ordered that those who preach the gospel should get their living from the gospel.[c]
15 I Have Become All Things to All. However, I have never availed myself of any of these rights, and I have not written this to influence you to grant me such treatment; I would rather die first. No one shall deprive me of this boast! 16 If I proclaim the gospel, that is no reason for me to boast, for the obligation to do so has been given to me, and woe to me if I fail to fulfill it.
17 If I proclaimed the gospel of my own volition, I would deserve a reward; but if I do not do so voluntarily, I am simply discharging the commission that has been given to me. 18 What then is my reward? It is simply that in my preaching I may offer the gospel free of charge and not make use of the rights that the gospel affords me.
19 Although I am free and belong to no man, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. 20 To the Jews, I became like a Jew in order to win the Jews. To those under the Law, I became like one under the Law—although I myself am not under the Law—in order to win over those under the Law. 21 To those outside the Law, I became like one outside the Law—although I am not outside the Law of God but am subject to the Law of Christ—in order to win over those outside the Law. 22 To the weak, I have become weak in order to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, so that by every possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel so that I might share it with you.
Flee from Idolatry[d]
24 Discipline Yourself So As Not To Be Disqualified. You are well aware that while all the runners in the stadium compete in the race, only one wins the prize. Run in such a way as to win the prize. 25 Everyone who seeks a prize submits himself to rigorous self-discipline in every respect. They do so to win a perishable crown, while we seek an imperishable one. 26 Therefore, I do not run without purpose, nor do I fight like a man beating the air. 27 Rather, I discipline my body and bring it under control, for fear that after preaching to others I myself may be disqualified.
Chapter 7
The End Is Near. 1 This word of the Lord came to me: 2 Son of man, thus says the Lord God to the land of Israel:
It is finished. The end is coming
upon the four corners of the land.
3 Now the end is upon you.
I will unleash my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct,
and punish you for all your loathsome deeds.
4 I will not look upon you with pity
or be merciful to you.
I will punish you for your evil conduct
and for your abominable practices.
Then you will know
that I am the Lord.
5 Thus says the Lord God:
Disasters are coming, one after another.
6 The end is coming; it is coming upon you.
Behold its approach!
7 Your doom is coming upon you,
O inhabitant of the land.
The time is coming, the day is near—
a time of panic and not of rejoicing.
8 Soon I will pour out my wrath upon you
and vent my anger against you.
I will judge you according to your conduct
and punish you for your abominable deeds.
9 I will not look upon you with mercy,
nor will I have pity on you.
I will repay you for your conduct
and for the abominations in your midst.
Then you will know
that it is I, the Lord, who strike.
10 Now is the day of the Lord.
Behold, the end is at hand.
The scepter has blossomed;
insolence is at its peak.
11 Violence has now become the means
to punish wickedness.
None of the people will be left,
nor their wealth nor anything of value.
12 The time has come; the day is near.
Let not the buyer rejoice nor the seller mourn,
for fury engulfs the entire populace.
13 The seller will not be able to recover what he has sold as long as he lives. Neither party will be willing to cancel out the transaction.
14 They have sounded the trumpet
and made everything ready,
but no one goes to battle,
my wrath falls upon all alike.
15 The sword is outside;
pestilence and famine are within.
Those in the country will die by the sword;
those in the city will be devoured
by famine and pestilence.
16 If any manage to survive,
they will escape to the mountains
like doves of the valleys.
There I will slaughter them all,
each one for his iniquity.
17 All their hands will be limp,
and all their knees will turn to water.
18 They will put on sackcloth,
their entire body trembling.
Shame shall be on all their faces,
and their heads will be shaved.
19 They shall fling their silver into the streets,
and their gold shall be considered as refuse.
Their silver and gold will not be able to save them
on the day of the Lord’s wrath.
They will not be able to satisfy their hunger
or to fill their bellies,
for wealth was the reason for their iniquity.
20 They used to take pride
in their beautiful jewelry
from which they would fashion
vile, abominable images.
Therefore, I will regard their jewelry
as nothing more than filth.
21 I will hand it all over to foreigners as plunder
and as booty to the wicked of the earth,
and they will defile it.
22 I will turn my face away from them
while they profane my treasured land;
the violent shall enter and defile it.
23 Prepare chains,
because the land is full of bloodshed
and the city is filled with violence.
24 I will bring in the cruelest of the nations
to seize their houses.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the strong,
and their sanctuaries will be profaned.
25 When terror comes, they will seek peace,
but there will be none.
26 There will be disaster after disaster
and rumor upon rumor.
Prophets will be pestered endlessly for a vision;
priests will fail to offer guidance,
and the elders will provide no counsel.
27 The king will go into mourning;
the prince will be enveloped in despair;
the hands of the common people will tremble.
I will deal with them as their conduct deserves,
and I will judge them in accordance with their judgments.
Thus they will know that I am the Lord.
Psalm 45[a]
Nuptial Ode for the Messianic King
1 For the director.[b] According to “Lilies.” A maskil of the sons of Korah. A love song.
2 [c]My heart[d] is moved by a noble theme
as I sing my poem to the king;
my tongue is like the pen of a skillful scribe.
3 You are the most handsome of men;[e]
grace has anointed your lips,
for God has blessed you forever.
4 Gird your sword upon your thigh, O warrior,
and advance in splendor and majesty.
5 Ride on triumphantly in truth, humility, and justice;
may your right hand perform wondrous deeds.
6 Your arrows are sharp;
nations will lie beneath your feet;
the enemies of the king will lose heart.[f]
7 Your throne, O God,[g] will last forever and ever;
the scepter of your kingdom will be a scepter of justice.
8 You love righteousness and hate wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has established you above your fellow kings
by anointing you with the oil of gladness.
9 [h]All your robes are fragrant
with myrrh and aloes and cassia;
from palaces of ivory
stringed instruments bring joy to your heart.
10 Daughters of kings[i] are among your women in waiting;
at your right hand is your queen
adorned in gold of Ophir.
11 My daughter, listen carefully to my words
and follow them diligently.
Forget your people and your father’s house;[j]
12 then the king will desire your beauty.
Since he is your lord,
13 bow down before him.
The Daughter of Tyre[k] will bring you gifts,
people of wealth will seek your favor.
14 Within the palace the king’s daughter is adorned
in robes threaded with gold.
15 In embroidered garments she is led to the king,
followed by her virgin companions,
who are also led to you.,[l]
16 They are brought in with joy and gladness
as they enter the palace of the king.
17 Your[m] sons will take the place of your ancestors;
you will make them princes in all the earth.
18 I will extol your name through all generations;
therefore, the nations will praise you forever and ever.[n]
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