M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Subjugation of Ammon and Aram(A)
10 Sometime later, the Ammonite king died and his son Hanun succeeded him as king, 2 so David told himself, “I will be loyal to Nahash’s son Hanun, since in his loyalty his father showed gracious love to me.” So David sent a delegation[a] to Hanun to console him about his loss of[b] his father.
But when David’s delegation arrived in Ammonite territory, 3 the Ammonite officials asked their lord Hanun, “Do you think that because David has sent a delegation of consolers to you that he is honoring your father? His delegation has arrived intending to search, scout the land, and then overthrow it, hasn’t it?” 4 So Hanun arrested David’s delegation, shaved off half of their beards, cut off their clothes at the waist line, and sent them away in disgrace.[c]
5 When David had been informed about the incident,[d] he sent word[e] to them, since the men had been deeply humiliated. The king told them, “Stay at Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return.”
6 When the Ammonites realized that they had created quite a stink with[f] David, they hired 20,000 Aramean mercenaries from Beth-rehob and Zobah, along with the king of Maacah and 1,000 men, and 12,000 men from Tob. 7 In response, David sent out Joab and his entire army of elite soldiers. 8 The Ammonites went out in battle formation at the entrance to the city[g] gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob, along with the army[h] from Tob and Maacah, were out by themselves in the open fields.
9 When Joab observed that the battle lines were set up to oppose him both in front and behind, he appointed the best troops in Israel and arrayed them to oppose the Arameans, 10 putting the rest of his forces under the command of his brother Abishai, who arrayed them to oppose the Ammonites. 11 He said, “If the Arameans prove too strong for me, then you are to help me. If the Ammonites prove too strong for you, then I will come help you. 12 Be strong, be courageous on behalf of our people and for the cities of our God, and may the Lord do what he thinks is best.”
13 So Joab and the soldiers who were with him attacked the Arameans in battle formation, and the Arameans retreated in front of him. 14 When the Ammonites saw the Arameans retreating, they also retreated from Abishai back to the city. Then Joab broke off his attack against the Ammonites and went back to Jerusalem. 15 After the Arameans realized that they had been defeated by Israel, they regrouped. 16 Hadadezer sent for the Arameans who lived beyond the Euphrates River,[i] and they set out for Helam, with Shobach[j] leading them as commander of Hadadezer’s army.
17 When David learned this, he mustered all of Israel, crossed the Jordan River, and approached Helam. The Arameans assembled in battle array to attack David, and started their assault. 18 But the Arameans retreated from Israel, and David’s forces[k] killed 700 of their charioteers, 40,000 soldiers, and mortally wounded Shobach, the commander of their army. As a result, Shobach[l] died there. 19 When all the kings who were allied with[m] Hadadezer saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sought terms of peace with the Israelis and became subservient to them. Furthermore, the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.
Ministers of the New Covenant
3 Are we beginning to recommend ourselves again? Unlike some people, we do not need letters of recommendation to you or from you, do we? 2 You are our letter, written in our hearts and known and read by everyone. 3 You are demonstrating that you are the Messiah’s[a] letter, produced by our service, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
4 Such is the confidence that we have in God through the Messiah.[b] 5 By ourselves we are not qualified to claim that anything comes from us. Rather, our credentials come from God, 6 who has also qualified us to be ministers of a new covenant, which is not written but spiritual, because the written text[c] brings death, but the Spirit gives life.
7 Now if the ministry of death that was inscribed in letters of stone came with such glory that the people of Israel could not gaze on Moses’ face (because the glory was fading away from it), 8 will not the Spirit’s ministry have even more glory? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation has glory, then the ministry of justification has an overwhelming glory. 10 In fact, that which once had glory lost its glory, because the other glory surpassed it. 11 For if that which fades away came[d] through glory, how much more does that which is permanent have glory?
12 Therefore, since we have such a hope, we speak very boldly, 13 not like Moses, who kept covering his face with a veil to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of what was fading away. 14 However, their minds were hardened, for to this day the same veil is still there when they read the old covenant. Only in union with the Messiah[e] is that veil removed.[f] 15 Yet even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. 18 As all of us reflect the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces, we are becoming more like him with ever-increasing glory by the Lord’s Spirit.
The Parable of the Eagle
17 This message came to me from the Lord: 2 “Son of Man, compose a riddle and relate a parable to Israel’s house. 3 Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says, “A massive eagle with gigantic wings, long pinions, and full, multi-colored plumage came to Lebanon and took away the top of the cedar.[a] 4 He plucked off the top of its shoot, brought it to a land of merchants, and set it down in a city full of traders. 5 Then the eagle took a seed from the land and planted it in fertile ground. He planted it like a willow tree next to abundant waters. 6 It flourished and became a low, spreading vine. Its branches turned toward him, and its roots spread under him to become a vine that put out shoots and spread out its branches.
7 “‘“All of a sudden, there was another eagle with gigantic wings and thick plumage. The vine stretched its roots hungrily toward him and spread its branches out to him in order to be watered on the terraces where it was planted. 8 It was transplanted into good soil[b] near abundant water, and it produced branches and bore fruit, becoming a magnificent vine.”’
9 “Tell them, ‘This is what the Lord God says, “Will it prosper? Won’t he pull up its roots, and strip it bare so all its fresh foliage dries up? It won’t be by great strength or by a great army that it will be uprooted. 10 Look! Because it’s a transplanted vine, won’t it wither when the east wind hits it? It will surely wither in the terraces where it had started to sprout.”’”
The Meaning of the Parable
11 This message came to me from the Lord: 12 “Tell my[c] rebellious house, ‘Don’t you know what these things mean? Look! The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem, captured her king and princes, and took them with him to Babylon. 13 Then he took one of the royal descendants, made a covenant with him, and put him under an oath of loyalty, taking the leaders of the land captive 14 in order to humiliate the kingdom so it wouldn’t be able to return to power, but would still be able to continue as long as he keeps his covenant. 15 But he rebelled against the king of Babylon[d] by sending his messengers to Egypt to obtain horses and a large army. Will he succeed? Or will the one who did this escape? Will he break the covenant, but still be delivered?’”
God will Punish the King
16 “As long as I live,” declares the Lord God, “in Babylon, that place where the king has enthroned him, whose oath he despised so as to break his covenant, he’ll die with him. 17 Pharaoh, with his massive army and large battalions won’t protect him when mounds and siege walls are built to destroy many people.[e] 18 He despised the oath he had made and broke the covenant. Look! Because he willingly submitted,[f] yet he has done all these things, he won’t escape.
19 Therefore, this is what the Lord God says, “As long as I live, because he despised my oath and broke my covenant, he’s going to suffer the consequences.[g] 20 I’ll spread my net over him so that he’ll be caught in my snare. I’ll bring him to Babylon and carry out my sentence there because of his treachery toward me. 21 The fugitives of his troops will die by the sword, and the survivors will be scattered to the four[h] winds. Then you’ll know that I, the Lord, have spoken.”
The Transplanted Vine
22 This is what the Lord God says, “I’m also going to take a shoot from the top of a cedar and plant it. I’ll pluck off its delicate twigs and transplant it on a high and lofty mountain. 23 I’ll transplant it on Israel’s land, and it will grow branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic cedar. All sorts[i] of birds will rest under it, and they’ll settle down in the shade of its branches. 24 Then all the trees of the fields will know that I, the Lord, bring down the lofty tree and exalt the lowly tree. I dry up the green[j] tree and cause the dry tree to bud. I the Lord have spoken this, and I will fulfill it.”
To the Director: A special Davidic psalm to the tune of[a] “Lily of The Covenant,” for teaching about his battle with Aram-naharaim and Aram-zobah, when Joab returned and attacked 12,000 Edomites in the Salt Valley.[b]
A Prayer for God’s Help against Adversaries
60 God, you have cast us off;
you have breached our defenses
and you have become enraged.
Return to us!
2 You made the earth quake;
you broke it open.
Repair its fractures,
because it has shifted.
3 You made your people go through hard times;
you had us drink wine that makes us stagger.
4 But you have given a banner to those who fear you,
so they may display it in honor of truth.[c]
5 So your loved ones may be delivered,
save us by your power[d]
and answer us quickly!
6 Then God spoke in his holiness,
“I will rejoice—
I will divide Shechem;
I will portion out the Succoth Valley.
7 Gilead belongs to me,
and Manasseh is mine.
Ephraim is my helmet,
and Judah my scepter.
8 Moab is my wash basin;
over Edom I will throw my shoes;
over Philistia I will celebrate my triumph.”
9 Who will lead me to the fortified city?
Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Aren’t you the one, God, who has cast us off?
Didn’t you refuse, God, to accompany our armies?
11 Help us in our distress,
for human help is worthless.
12 Through God we will fight[e] valiantly;
and it is he who will crush our enemies.[f]
To the Director: A composition[g] by David for stringed instruments.
A Prayer for God’s Protection
61 God, hear my cry;
pay attention to my prayer.
2 From the end of the earth I will cry to you
whenever my heart is overwhelmed.
Place me on the rock that’s too high for me.
3 For you have been a refuge for me,
a tower of strength before the enemy.
4 Let me make my home in your tent forever;
let me hide under the shelter of your wings.
5 For you, God, have heard my promises;
you have assigned to me[h] the heritage of those who fear your name.
6 Add day after day to the king’s life;
may his years continue[i] for many generations.
7 May he be enthroned before God forever;
Appoint your[j] gracious love and truth to guard him.
8 So I will sing songs to your name forever;
I will fulfill my promises day by day.
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