M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Two skilled craftsmen are given special mention in this work of the people. They are called to transform the abundant gifts the people freely provide into the congregation tent and its furnishings. It is God who gifts the hearts and hands of these two individuals and further inspires them to teach others. Of all the women and men who lend their expertise to this project, only Bezalel and Oholiab are recorded. Until Solomon’s temple is built in Jerusalem, their handiwork will be admired by all of Israel as the house of the Eternal One.
36 Moses: Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person whom the Eternal One has gifted with expertise and wisdom in order to build the sanctuary shall use these gifts as the Eternal One has directed.
2 Moses called together Bezalel, Oholiab, and every skilled person whom the Eternal had gifted with special skills—everyone whose heart moved them to work—to help out and contribute to the construction work.
This project is nothing like the forced labor the people endured back in Egypt. All the creativity and work put into the building and furnishing of the congregation tent comes from the heart. People with various skills—skills honed in slavery—step forward as free men and women to create a home on earth for God. Ultimately all talent and skill comes from God. Used properly they all point back to God.
3 Moses handed over to the workers all the materials the Israelites donated to build the congregation tent. Every morning new contributions continued to come in. 4 Eventually the craftsmen who were working on every aspect of the sanctuary project interrupted their particular jobs 5 and reported to Moses.
Workers: The people are bringing far more than we need to complete the work which the Eternal One has instructed us to do.
6 So Moses issued a new directive, and it spread quickly throughout the camp.
Moses: We do not need any more contributions to complete the congregation tent. We have more than enough.
With that the people stopped bringing contributions, 7 for the material already on hand was more than enough to construct, furnish, and decorate the sanctuary.
8 All the craftsmen made 10 curtains out of finely woven linen for the congregation tent. Using blue, purple, and scarlet thread, Bezalel had skilled workers embroider images of the winged guardians on the curtains.[a] 9 Each curtain was 42 feet long and 6 feet wide. All 10 curtains were identical in size and shape. 10 Bezalel had his craftsmen connect five curtains together to make one large panel; then they connected the other five curtains to make a second. 11-12 He had 50 blue loops made and attached along the edge of the outer curtain of the first panel, and then did the same thing on the edge of the outer curtain of the second. He made sure the loops matched up with each other. 13 He also had 50 clasps fashioned from gold and used them to join the curtains together, so that the interior of the congregation tent formed one continuous piece.
14 He then had 11 panels of tent fabric made out of goat hair to use as a covering for the interior of the congregation tent. 15 Each panel was 45 feet long and 6 feet wide. All 11 of the panels were identical in size and shape. 16 He joined five panels together to form one large panel and then did the same with the remaining six to form a second large panel. 17 He had 50 loops made and attached along the edge of the outer panel of each set. 18 Then he had 50 clasps fashioned from bronze and used them to connect the panels together, so that they formed one continuous piece. 19 He then covered the goat hair panels with a layer of red-dyed rams’ skins and covered that with a layer made from sea-cow hides.
20 Bezalel then had his workers construct the supporting frame panels for the congregation tent out of acacia wood. 21 Each panel was 15 feet high and 27 inches wide. 22 He had them carve two tenons on each panel to fit into the next. They made all the panels this way. 23 This is how they made all the panels for the congregation tent: he made 20 panels for the southern end 24 and set them into 40 bases made of silver—two bases beneath each panel. 25 He made 20 panels for the northern end as well 26 and set them into 40 silver bases beneath the 20 panels—two bases beneath each framing panel.
27 At the back wall of the congregation tent (the side that faces west), he made six panels. 28 He also made two special panels to support each corner on the back of the tent. 29 They came together with the side panels at the bottom to make a strong corner and attached at the top of the first ring. He did the same thing at both corners. 30 On the back wall, there were eight frame panels with silver bases—16 bases in all—two beneath each panel.
31 He then made crossbars of acacia wood, five to connect the frame panels on one side of the congregation tent, 32 five more to connect the panels on the other side, and five more to connect the panels at the back, the side that faces west. 33 He ran one bar in the center from corner to corner, halfway up the panels. 34 He overlaid the panels with gold and fashioned gold rings to hold the crossbars, and he overlaid the crossbars with gold as well.
35 Bezalel had his skilled workers make the veil by embroidering finely woven linen with images of winged guardians in blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 36 To hold up the veil, he erected four acacia wood posts that were overlaid with gold onto four silver bases. He fashioned gold hooks for them. 37 For the entrance to the tent, he made a fabric screen out of finely woven linen richly embroidered with blue, purple, and scarlet thread. 38 He hung it on five posts using hooks overlaid with gold. The posts were set into four bases made of bronze.
15 Jesus: I am the true vine, and My Father is the keeper of the vineyard. 2 My Father examines every branch in Me and cuts away those who do not bear fruit. He leaves those bearing fruit and carefully prunes them so that they will bear more fruit; 3 already you are clean because you have heard My voice. 4 Abide in Me, and I will abide in you. A branch cannot bear fruit if it is disconnected from the vine, and neither will you if you are not connected to Me.
5 I am the vine, and you are the branches. If you abide in Me and I in you, you will bear great fruit. Without Me, you will accomplish nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is like a branch that is tossed out and shrivels up and is later gathered to be tossed into the fire to burn. 7 If you abide in Me and My voice abides in you, anything you ask will come to pass for you. 8 Your abundant growth and your faithfulness as My followers will bring glory to the Father.
At a time when all of His disciples are feeling as if they are about to be uprooted, Jesus sketches a picture of this new life as a flourishing vineyard—a labyrinth of vines and strong branches steeped in rich soil, abundant grapes hanging from their vines ripening in the sun. Jesus sculpts a new garden of Eden in their imaginations—one that is bustling with fruit, sustenance, and satisfying aromas. This is the Kingdom life. It is all about connection, sustenance, and beauty. But within this promise of life is the warning that people must be in Christ or they will not experience these blessings.
Jesus: 9 I have loved you as the Father has loved Me. Abide in My love. 10 Follow My example in obeying the Father’s commandments and receiving His love. If you obey My commandments, you will stay in My love. 11 I want you to know the delight I experience, to find ultimate satisfaction, which is why I am telling you all of this.
12 My commandment to you is this: love others as I have loved you. 13 There is no greater way to love than to give your life for your friends. 14 You celebrate our friendship if you obey this command. 15 I don’t call you servants any longer; servants don’t know what the master is doing, but I have told you everything the Father has said to Me. I call you friends. 16 You did not choose Me. I chose you, and I orchestrated all of this so that you would be sent out and bear great and perpetual fruit. As you do this, anything you ask the Father in My name will be done. 17 This is My command to you: love one another.
18 If you find that the world despises you, remember that before it despised you, it first despised Me. 19 If you were a product of the world order, then it would love you. But you are not a product of the world because I have taken you out of it, and it despises you for that very reason. 20 Don’t forget what I have spoken to you: “a servant is not greater than the master.” If I was mistreated, you should expect nothing less. If they accepted what I have spoken, they will also hear you. 21 Everything they do to you they will do on My account because they do not know the One who has sent Me. 22 If I had not spoken within their hearing, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for ignoring My voice.
23 If someone despises Me, he also despises My Father. 24 If I had not demonstrated things for them that have never been done, they would not be guilty of sin. But the reality is they have stared Me in the face, and they have despised Me and the Father nonetheless. 25 Yet their law, which says, “They despised Me without any cause,”[a] has again been proven true.
26 I will send a great Helper to you from the Father, one known as the Spirit of truth. He comes from the Father and will point to the truth as it concerns Me. 27 But you will also point others to the truth about My identity, because you have journeyed with Me since this all began.
12 Those who love discipline love knowledge,
but fools hate any kind of correction.
2 The Eternal prefers those who do good,
but He condemns those who plot evil.
3 Doing what is wrong keeps everyone off balance and insecure,
but those who do right will never be uprooted.
4 A dignified wife brings honor to her husband,
but a shameful wife is like decay eating away at his bones.
5 The thoughts of the right-living tend toward justice,
but the guidance of the wicked is trickery and treachery.
6 The words of the wicked ambush from the shadows, seeking blood,
but the speech of the honest keeps them free.
7 The wrongdoers are overthrown—no one is left!
But the house of the right-living remains strong.
8 A person is commended for expressing insight,
but a perverted heart is despised.
9 It is better to be overlooked and have a servant
than to be pretentious and have nothing to eat.
10 Those who are righteous treat their animals humanely,
but the compassion of the wicked is really inhumane.
A person in a positive relationship with God stands in a right relationship with His creation. How we treat animals may mirror our souls—not just the pets in our home, but the pets in our neighborhood and the animals in our food supply. One who is truly right with God considers the needs of His creatures.
11 Whoever works the land will have more than enough food,
but whoever follows empty pursuits lacks sense.
12 The wicked envy what the evil plunder,
but the root of the right-living produces fruit for all.
13 A wrongdoer is soon boxed in by his deceitful talk,
but the one who does right escapes from trouble unharmed.
14 Words spoken wisely result in much good,
and working with your hands pays a large reward.
15 Fools follow their own directions and think they are right,
but wise people listen intently to advice.
16 A fool’s anger is quickly evident,
but a clever person knows how to hide his flaws.
17 A faithful witness speaks the truth,
but a false witness utters lies.
18 Thoughtless words cut deeply like a thrusting sword,
but the speech of the wise is a healing balm.
19 Truth spoken will stand forever,
but lies survive only briefly.
20 Deceit darkens the hearts of those who plot evil,
but advocates of peace have joy.
21 The right-living are not overcome with calamity,
but wrongdoers have their fill of it.
22 Lying lips disgust the Eternal,
but those who act faithfully delight Him.
23 A clever man is careful in revealing what he knows,
but a fool betrays his incompetence.
24 The hand of the hard workers will one day rule,
and slackers will be forced to labor.
25 The weight of worry drags us down,
but a good word lightens our day.
26 Those who live right are good guides to those who follow,[a]
but wrongdoers will steer their friends down the wrong path.
27 Slackers don’t take time to cook their food,[b]
but hard workers prize everything they have.
28 Life springs up along the path of integrity,
and death has no place along its course.
We come to God as sinners; but He wants to transform our habits, attitudes, and practices into the ways of Jesus: to live, forgive, and love as He did.
5 So imitate God. Follow Him like adored children, 2 and live in love as the Anointed One loved you—so much that He gave Himself as a fragrant sacrifice, pleasing God.
3 Listen, don’t let any kind of immorality be breathed among you. Any demoralizing behaviors (perverse sexual acts, uncleanliness, greediness, and the like) are inappropriate topics of conversation for those set apart as God’s people. 4 Don’t swear or spurt nonsense. Don’t make harsh jokes or clown around. Make proper use of your words, and offer them thankfully in praise. 5 This is what we know for certain: no one who engages in loose sex, impure actions, and greed—which is just a form of idolatry—has any inheritance in the kingdom of God and His Anointed.
6 Don’t be fooled by people whose sentences are compounded with useless words, empty words—they just show they are empty souls. For, in His wrath, God will judge all the children of disobedience for these kinds of sins. 7 So don’t be persuaded into their ignorance; and don’t cast your lot with them 8 because, although you were once the personification of darkness, you are now light in the Lord. So act like children of the light. 9 For the fruit of the light is all that is good, right, and true. 10 Make it your aim to learn what pleases our Lord. 11 Don’t get involved with the fruitless works of darkness; instead, expose them to the light of God. 12 You see, it’s a disgrace to speak of their secrets (so don’t even talk about what they do when no one is looking). 13-14 When the light shines, it exposes even the dark and shadowy things and turns them into pure reflections of light. This is why they sing,
Awake, you sleeper!
Rise from your grave,
And the Anointed One will shine on you.
15 So be careful how you live; be mindful of your steps. Don’t run around like idiots as the rest of the world does. Instead, walk as the wise! 16 Make the most of every living and breathing moment because these are evil times. 17 So understand and be confident in God’s will, and don’t live thoughtlessly. 18 Don’t drink wine excessively. The drunken path is a reckless path. It leads nowhere. Instead, let God fill you with the Holy Spirit. 19 When you are filled with the Spirit, you are empowered to speak to each other in the soulful words of pious songs, hymns, and spiritual songs; to sing and make music with your hearts attuned to God; 20 and to give thanks to God the Father every day through the name of our Lord Jesus the Anointed for all He has done.
Wisdom is a rare commodity. Paul urges believers, then and now, to walk wisely. It involves living well every day. Time itself seems to be co-opted by dark forces. But when believers understand God’s will, avoid drunkenness, and allow God to fill them with His Spirit, they are able to walk wisely and live well. The Spirit-filled life is not just for a special few; it is the normal Christian life, and it affects everything, including how we live in community and how we treat others at home.
21 And the Spirit makes it possible to submit humbly to one another out of respect for the Anointed. 22 Wives, it should be no different with your husbands. Submit to them as you do to the Lord, 23 for God has given husbands a sacred duty to lead as the Anointed leads the church and serves as the head. (The church is His body; He is her Savior.) 24 So wives should submit to their husbands, respectfully, in all things, just as the church yields to the Anointed One.
25-26 Husbands, you must love your wives so deeply, purely, and sacrificially that we can understand it only when we compare it to the love the Anointed One has for His bride, the church. We know He gave Himself up completely to make her His own, washing her clean of all her impurity with water and the powerful presence of His word. 27 He has given Himself so that He can present the church as His radiant bride, unstained, unwrinkled, and unblemished—completely free from all impurity—holy and innocent before Him. 28 So husbands should care for their wives as if their lives depended on it, the same way they care for their own bodies. As you love her, you ultimately are loving part of yourself (remember, you are one flesh). 29 No one really hates his own body; he takes care to feed and love it, just as the Anointed takes care of His church, 30 because we are living members of His body. 31 “And this is the reason a man leaves his father and his mother and is united with his wife; the two come together as one flesh.”[a] 32 There is a great mystery reflected in this Scripture, and I say that it has to do with the marriage of the Anointed One and the church. 33 Nevertheless, each husband is to love and protect his own wife as if she were his very heart, and each wife is to respect her own husband.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.