M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Eating the Priests’ Share of the Sacrifice

22 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell Aaron and his sons that they must respect the holy offerings which the Israelites set apart for me. In this way they will not dishonor my holy name. I am the Lord.

³ “Tell them: In future generations if any of your descendants, while unclean, comes near the holy offerings the Israelites set apart for the Lord, that person must be excluded from my presence. I am the Lord.

⁴ “No descendant of Aaron who has a skin disease or a discharge may eat any of the holy offerings until he is clean. Any person who has an emission of semen or touches a dead body, ⁵ an unclean swarming creature or an unclean person ⁶ will be unclean until evening. He must not eat any of the holy offerings unless he has washed himself. ⁷ When the sun has set, he will be clean. Then he may eat the holy offerings because they are his food. ⁸ He must never eat the meat of an animal that dies naturally or is killed by wild animals. It will make him unclean. I am the Lord. ⁹ The priests must do what I order, or their sin will bring them death because they dishonored a holy offering. I am the Lord, who sets them apart as holy.

¹⁰ “Laypeople must never eat any holy offering, even if they are visiting a priest or are working for him. ¹¹ But if a priest buys a slave, the slave and anyone born in his household may eat the priest’s food. ¹² However, if a priest’s daughter marries a layman, she must never eat the food taken from the holy contributions. ¹³ If a priest’s daughter is widowed or divorced, doesn’t have any children, and comes back to live in her father’s home, she may eat her father’s food. But a layperson must never eat it.

¹⁴ “Those who eat a holy offering by mistake must give another holy offering to the priest and add one-fifth more to it. ¹⁵ Priests must not dishonor the holy offerings that the Israelites contribute to the Lord. ¹⁶ They must make those people pay the penalty for their guilt because they have eaten the priests’ holy offerings. I am the Lord, who sets them apart as holy.”

Animals Accepted for Sacrifice

¹⁷ The Lord spoke to Moses, ¹⁸ “Tell Aaron, his sons, and all the Israelites: Israelites or foreigners may bring burnt offerings to the Lord for anything they vowed or as freewill offerings. ¹⁹ The offering must be a male that has no defects from your cattle, sheep, or goats in order to be accepted. ²⁰ Never bring any animal with a physical defect, because it will not be accepted on your behalf. ²¹ A person may bring the Lord a fellowship offering to fulfill a vow or for a freewill offering. Whether it is from the cattle, sheep, or goats, it must be an animal that has no defects in order to be accepted. It must never be an animal that has defects. ²² Never bring the Lord an animal that is blind, has broken bones, cuts, warts, scabs, or ringworm. Never give the Lord any of these in a sacrifice by fire on the altar. ²³ You may use a bull or a sheep with a deformity or one that is stunted in growth as a freewill offering. However, it will not be accepted for a vow. ²⁴ Never bring the Lord an animal that has bruised, crushed, torn out, or cut out testicles. Never do any of these things to an animal in your land. ²⁵ Never bring any kind of castrated animal received from a foreigner as a food offering for your God. A castrated animal will not be accepted on your behalf because castration is a physical defect.”

²⁶ The Lord spoke to Moses, ²⁷ “When a calf, a lamb, or a goat is born, it must stay with its mother for seven days. From the eighth day on it may be accepted as a sacrifice by fire to the Lord. ²⁸ Never slaughter a cow or a sheep and its young the same day.

²⁹ “When you sacrifice a thank offering to the Lord, do it in the proper way. ³⁰ Eat it the same day. Never leave any of it until morning. I am the Lord.

³¹ “Carefully obey my commands. I am the Lord. ³² Never dishonor my holy name. I will show my holiness among the Israelites. I am the Lord, who sets you apart as holy. ³³ I brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the Lord.”

By David.

A psalm by David.

Don’t Daydream or Speak Carelessly When You Worship

5 ^[a]Watch your step when you go to the house of God. It is better to go there and listen than to bring the sacrifices fools bring. Fools are unaware that they are doing ⌞something⌟ evil.

² Don’t be in a hurry to talk. Don’t be eager to speak in the presence of God. Since God is in heaven and you are on earth, limit the number of your words.

³ Daydreaming comes when there are too many worries.

Careless speaking comes when there are too many words.

⁴ When you make a promise to God, don’t be slow to keep it because God doesn’t like fools. Keep your promise. ⁵ It is better not to make a promise than to make one and not keep it. ⁶ Don’t let your mouth talk you into committing a sin. Don’t say in the presence of a ⌞temple⌟ messenger, “My promise was a mistake!” Why should God become angry at your excuse and destroy what you’ve accomplished?

⁷ In spite of many daydreams, pointless actions, and empty words, you should still fear God.

Corrupt Officials Have Corrupt Officials over Them

⁸ Don’t be surprised if you see poor people being oppressed, denied justice, or denied their rights in any district. One authority is watching over another, and they both have authorities watching over them. ⁹ Yet, a king is an advantage for a country with cultivated fields.

The Value of Money

¹⁰ Whoever loves money will never be satisfied with money. Whoever loves wealth will never be satisfied with more income. Even this is pointless. ¹¹ As the number of goods increase, so do the number of people who consume them. What do owners gain ⌞from all their goods⌟ except ⌞the opportunity⌟ to look at them?

¹² The sleep of working people is sweet, whether they eat a little or a lot. But the full stomachs that rich people have will not allow them to sleep.

Economic Ruin

¹³ There is a painful tragedy that I have seen under the sun: Riches lead to the downfall of those who hoard them. ¹⁴ These hoarded riches were then lost in bad business deals. The owners had children, but now they have nothing to give them. ¹⁵ They came from their mother’s womb naked. They will leave as naked as they came. They won’t even be able to take a handful of their earnings with them from all their hard work.

¹⁶ This also is a painful tragedy: They leave exactly as they came. What advantage do they gain from working so hard for the wind? ¹⁷ They spend their entire lives in darkness, in constant frustration, sickness, and resentment.

Conclusion: God Alone Gives Contentment

¹⁸ At last I have seen what is good and beautiful: It is to eat and drink and to enjoy the good in all our hard work under the sun during the brief lives God gives us. That is our lot ⌞in life⌟. ¹⁹ It is a gift from God when God gives some people wealth and possessions, the power to enjoy them, ⌞the ability⌟ to accept their lot in life, and ⌞the ability⌟ to rejoice in their own hard work. ²⁰ These people won’t give much thought to their brief lives because God keeps them occupied with the joy in their hearts.

Greeting

1 From Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by God’s will—a will that contains Christ Jesus’ promise of life.

² To Timothy, my dear child.

Good will,^[a] mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord!

³ I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day when I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience as my ancestors did. ⁴ I remember your tears and want to see you so that I can be filled with happiness. ⁵ I’m reminded of how sincere your faith is. That faith first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice. I’m convinced that it also lives in you.

Paul’s Advice for Timothy

⁶ You received a gift from God when I placed my hands on you ⌞to ordain you⌟. Now I’m reminding you to fan that gift into flames. ⁷ God didn’t give us a cowardly spirit but a spirit of power, love, and good judgment. ⁸ So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord or be ashamed of me, his prisoner. Instead, by God’s power, join me in suffering for the sake of the Good News. ⁹ God saved us and called us to be holy, not because of what we had done, but because of his own plan and kindness.^[b] Before the world began, God planned that Christ Jesus would show us God’s kindness. ¹⁰ Now with the coming of our Savior Christ Jesus, he has revealed it. Christ has destroyed death, and through the Good News he has brought eternal life into full view. ¹¹ I was appointed to be a messenger of this Good News, an apostle, and a teacher.

¹² For this reason I suffer as I do. However, I’m not ashamed. I know whom I trust. I’m convinced that he is able to protect what he had entrusted to me until that day.

¹³ With faith and love for Christ Jesus, consider what you heard me say to be the pattern of accurate teachings. ¹⁴ With the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us, protect the Good News that has been entrusted to you.

News about Paul’s Coworkers

¹⁵ You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.

¹⁶ May the Lord be merciful to the family of Onesiphorus. He often took care of my needs and wasn’t ashamed that I was a prisoner. ¹⁷ When he arrived in Rome, he searched hard for me and found me. ¹⁸ May the Lord grant that Onesiphorus finds mercy when that day comes. You know very well that he did everything possible to help me in Ephesus.