M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Jacob Meets Esau

33 Then Jacob looked up and saw Esau coming with 400 men. So he divided the children among Leah and Rachel and the two women who served him. ² He put the women who served him and their children in front, and Leah and her children behind them, and Rachel and Joseph behind them. ³ Then Jacob went before them. He bowed to the ground seven times, until he came near his brother. ⁴ But Esau ran to meet him and put his arms around him and kissed him. And they cried.

⁵ Then Esau looked up and saw the women and the children. He said, “Who are these with you?” Jacob said, “They are the children whom God, in His loving-favor, has given your servant.” ⁶ Then the women who served Jacob came near with their children, and they bowed to the ground. ⁷ Leah also came near with her children, and they bowed to the ground. Then Joseph and Rachel came near and bowed to the ground.

⁸ Esau said, “What do you mean by all these animals I have met?” And Jacob said, “They are a gift so I may find favor in the eyes of my lord.” ⁹ But Esau said, “I have enough, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.” ¹⁰ But Jacob said, “No, I ask of you, if I have found favor in your eyes, then receive my gift. For I see your face as one sees the face of God. You have received me with favor. ¹¹ Take my gift that has been brought to you. For God has shown loving-kindness to me, and I have all I need.” So he begged him until he took it.

¹² Then Esau said, “Let us be on our way. I will go with you.” ¹³ But Jacob said to him, “My lord knows that the children are weak. And there are young ones in my flocks that need milk. If they are made to go a long way in one day, all the flocks will die. ¹⁴ Let my lord go in front of his servant. And I will be slow in coming to my lord at Seir. I will go as fast as the cattle in front of me and as the children are able.” ¹⁵ So Esau said, “Let me leave with you some of the people who are with me.” But Jacob said, “What need is there? Let me find favor in the eyes of my lord.” ¹⁶ So Esau returned that day on his way to Seir. ¹⁷ But Jacob traveled to Succoth. He built his house there, and put up small buildings for his animals. So the name of the place is Succoth.

¹⁸ Now Jacob came in peace from Paddan-aram to the city of Shechem in the land of Canaan. And he put up his tents near the city. ¹⁹ He bought the piece of land where he had put up his tents for one hundred pieces of money from the sons of Hamor, Shechem’s father. ²⁰ He built an altar there, and gave it the name El-Elohe-Israel.

The Picture-Story of the Man Who Planted Seed ^(A)

4 Jesus began to teach by the sea-shore again. Many people gathered around Him. There were so many He had to get into a boat and sit down. The people were on the shore. ² He taught them many things by using picture-stories. As He taught, He said, ³ “Listen! A man went out to plant seed. ⁴ As he planted the seed, some fell by the side of the road. Birds came and ate them. ⁵ Some seed fell among rocks. It came up at once because there was so little ground. ⁶ But it dried up when the sun was high in the sky because it had no root. ⁷ Some seed fell among thorns. The thorns grew and did not give the seed room to grow. This seed gave no grain. ⁸ Some seed fell on good ground. It came up and grew and gave much grain. Some gave thirty times as much grain. Some gave sixty times as much grain. Some gave one hundred times as much grain.” ⁹ He said to them, “You have ears, then listen!” ¹⁰ Those who were with Jesus and the twelve followers came to Him when He was alone. They asked about the picture-story. ¹¹ He said to them, “You were given the secrets about the holy nation of God. Everything is told in picture-stories to those who are outside the holy nation of God. ¹² They see, but do not know what it means. They hear, but do not understand. If they did, they might turn to God and have their sins forgiven.” ^(B)

Jesus Tells about the Man Who Planted the Seed

¹³ Jesus said to them, “Do you not understand this picture-story? Then how will you understand any of the picture-stories? ¹⁴ What the man plants is the Word of God. ¹⁵ Those by the side of the road are the ones who hear the Word. As soon as they hear it, the devil comes and takes away the Word that is planted in their hearts. ¹⁶ The seed that fell among rocks is like people who receive the Word with joy when they hear it. ¹⁷ Their roots are not deep so they live only a short time. When sorrow and trouble come because of the Word, they give up and fall away. ¹⁸ The seed that was planted among thorns is like some people who listen to the Word. ¹⁹ But the cares of this life let thorns come up. A love for riches and always wanting other things let thorns grow. These things do not give the Word room to grow so it does not give grain. ²⁰ The seed that fell on good ground is like people who hear the Word and understand it. They give much grain. Some give thirty times as much grain. Some give sixty times as much grain. Some give one hundred times as much grain.”

The Picture-Story of the Lamp

²¹ He said to them, “Is a lamp to be put under a pail or under a bed? Should it not be put on a lamp-stand? ²² Everything that is hidden will be brought into the light. Everything that is a secret will be made known. ²³ You have ears, then listen!”

²⁴ Jesus said to them, “Be careful what you listen to. The same amount you give will be given to you, and even more. ²⁵ He who has, to him will be given. To him who does not have, even the little he has will be taken from him.”

The Picture-Story of the Grain

²⁶ He said, “The holy nation of God is like a man who plants seed in the ground. ²⁷ He goes to sleep every night and gets up every day. The seed grows, but he does not know how. ²⁸ The earth gives fruit by itself. The leaf comes first and then the young grain can be seen. And last, the grain is ready to gather. ²⁹ As soon as the grain is ready, he cuts it. The time of gathering the grain has come.”

The Picture-Story of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ Jesus said, “In what way can we show what the holy nation of God is like? Or what picture-story can we use to help you understand? ³¹ It is like a grain of mustard seed that is planted in the ground. It is the smallest of all seeds. ³² After it is put in the ground, it grows and becomes the largest of the spices. It puts out long branches so birds of the sky can live in it.” ³³ As they were able to understand, He spoke the Word to them by using many picture-stories. ³⁴ Jesus helped His followers understand everything when He was alone with them.

The Wind and Waves Obey Jesus ^(C)

³⁵ It was evening of that same day. Jesus said to them, “Let us go over to the other side.” ³⁶ After sending the people away, they took Jesus with them in a boat. It was the same boat He used when He taught them. Other little boats went along with them. ³⁷ A bad wind storm came up. The waves were coming over the side of the boat. It was filling up with water. ³⁸ Jesus was in the back part of the boat sleeping on a pillow. They woke Him up, crying out, “Teacher, do You not care that we are about to die?” ³⁹ He got up and spoke sharp words to the wind. He said to the sea, “Be quiet! Be still.” At once the wind stopped blowing. There were no more waves. ⁴⁰ He said to His followers, “Why are you so full of fear? Do you not have faith?” ⁴¹ They were very much afraid and said to each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and waves obey Him!”

The Jews Destroy Those Who Try to Kill Them

9 Now came the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar, when the king’s law was about to be carried out. It was the day when those who hated the Jews hoped to get the rule over them. But their plan was turned around, and the Jews ruled over those who hated them. ² The Jews gathered in their cities in all the parts of the nation of King Ahasuerus to hurt those who wanted to kill them. No one could stand in front of them, for the fear of them had come upon all the people. ³ The princes of the nation, the rulers, the leaders, and those who were doing the king’s work all helped the Jews, because the fear of Mordecai had come upon them. ⁴ For Mordecai was great in the king’s house. His name spread through all the nation, for the man Mordecai became greater and greater. ⁵ So the Jews killed and destroyed with sword all those who hated them. They did as they pleased to those who hated them. ⁶ In the city of Susa where the king ruled the Jews killed and destroyed 500 men, ⁷ and Parshandatha, Dalphon, Aspatha, ⁸ Poratha, Adalia, Aridatha, ⁹ Parmashta, Arisai, Aridai, and Vaizatha. ¹⁰ These were the ten sons of Haman, the son of Hammedatha, who hated the Jews. But they did not touch anything that belonged to them.

¹¹ On that day the number of those who were killed in the city of Susa where the king lived was told to the king. ¹² And the king said to Queen Esther, “The Jews have killed and destroyed 500 men and the ten sons of Haman in Susa. What then have they done in the rest of the king’s nation! Now what do you ask of me? It will be done for you. What else do you want? It will be done.” ¹³ Esther said, “If it pleases the king, let the Jews in Susa be allowed tomorrow also to carry out today’s law. Let the bodies of Haman’s ten sons be hanged on the tower.” ¹⁴ So the king said that this should be done. He made it known in Susa, and the bodies of Haman’s ten sons were hanged. ¹⁵ The Jews in Susa gathered also on the fourteenth day of the month of Adar and killed 300 men in Susa. But they did not touch anything that belonged to them.

¹⁶ Now the rest of the Jews who were in the king’s nation gathered to fight for their lives and get rid of those who hated them. They killed 75,000 of those who hated them. But they did not touch anything that belonged to them. ¹⁷ This was on the thirteenth day of the month of Adar. On the fourteenth day they rested and made it a day of eating and joy. ¹⁸ But the Jews in Susa gathered on the thirteenth and fourteenth days of the same month. And they rested on the fifteenth day and made it a day of eating and joy. ¹⁹ So the Jews of the villages, who lived in the small towns without walls, made the fourteenth day of the month of Adar a special day of joy and eating and sharing their food with one another.

The Special Supper of Purim

²⁰ Mordecai wrote down these things. And he sent letters to all the Jews who were in all the nation of King Ahasuerus, both near and far. ²¹ He told them to remember the fourteenth and fifteenth days of the month of Adar each year. ²² Because on those days the Jews got rid of those who hated them. It was a month which was changed from sorrow into joy, from a day of sorrow into a special day. He said that they should make them days of eating and joy and sending food to one another and gifts to the poor.

²³ So the Jews agreed to do what they had started to do, and what Mordecai had written to them. ²⁴ For Haman the son of Hammedatha, the Agagite, the one who hated all the Jews, had planned to destroy the Jews. He had drawn names, using Pur, to trouble them and destroy them. ²⁵ But when the king heard about it, he made it known by letter that his plan against the Jews should bring trouble upon himself. And he had Haman and his sons hanged on the tower. ²⁶ So they called these days Purim after the name of Pur. Because of what was written in this letter, and what they had seen and what had happened to them, ²⁷ the Jews set apart this special time each year for themselves, for their children and their children’s children, and for all who joined them. They would always remember to keep these two days special, as it was written and at the same time every year. ²⁸ These days were to be remembered and kept as a special time for all their children-to-come, in every family, every land, and every city. These days of Purim were not to be forgotten by the Jews. Their children and their children’s children were to remember them forever.

²⁹ Then Queen Esther, the daughter of Abihail, with Mordecai the Jew, wrote with full power to make this second letter about Purim sure. ³⁰ Letters were sent to all the Jews in the 127 parts of the nation of Ahasuerus, in words of peace and truth. ³¹ They made sure that these days of Purim would be kept at the right times, as Mordecai the Jew and Queen Esther had told them. These days were set apart for themselves and for their children and their children’s children, with the times they were to go without food and the times they were to be sad. ³² The words of Esther made the rules for keeping Purim sure, and it was written in the book.

Mordecai Is Honored by the King

10 King Ahasuerus put a tax on the people of the nation and the parts beside the sea. ² All the acts of his power and strength, and the whole story of the high honor given to Mordecai by the king, are written in the Book of the Chronicles of the kings of Media and Persia. ³ For Mordecai the Jew was second in power only to King Ahasuerus and great among the Jews. He found favor in the eyes of his people. He worked for the good of his people and spoke for the well-being of all the Jews.

4 What about Abraham, our early father? What did he learn? ² If Abraham was made right with God by what he did, he would have had something to be proud of. But he could not be proud before God. ³ The Holy Writings say, “Abraham put his trust in God and that made him right with God.” ^{(A) 4} If a man works, his pay is not a gift. It is something he has earned. ⁵ If a man has not worked to be saved, but has put his trust in God Who saves men from the punishment of their sins, that man is made right with God because of his trust in God. ⁶ David tells of this. He spoke of how happy the man is who puts his trust in God without working to be saved from the punishment of sin. ⁷ “Those people are happy whose sinful acts are forgiven and whose sins are covered. ⁸ Those people are happy whose sins the Lord will not remember.” ^(B)

⁹ Is this happiness given to the Jews only? Or is it given also to the people who are not Jews? We say again, “Abraham put his trust in God and that made him right with God.” ^{(C) 10} When did this happen? Was it before or after Abraham went through the religious act of becoming a Jew? It was before. ¹¹ He went through the religious act after he had put his trust in God. That religious act proved that his trust in God made him right with God even before he went through the religious act of becoming a Jew. In that way, it made him the early father of all those who believe. It showed that those who did not go through the religious act of becoming a Jew could be right with God. ¹² He is also the early father of all those who have gone through the religious act of becoming a Jew. It is not because they went through the act. It is because they put their trust in God the same as Abraham did before he went through the religious act of becoming a Jew. ¹³ God promised to give the world to him and to all his family after him. He did not make this promise because Abraham obeyed the Law. He promised to give the world to Abraham because he put his trust in God. This made him right with God. ¹⁴ If those who obey the Law are to get the world, then a person putting his trust in God means nothing. God’s promise to Abraham would be worth nothing. ¹⁵ God’s anger comes on a man when he does not obey the Law. But if there were no Law, then no one could break it.

¹⁶ So God’s promise is given to us because we put our trust in Him. We can be sure of it. It is because of His loving-favor to us. It is for all the family of Abraham. It is for those who obey the Law. It is for those who put their trust in God as Abraham did. In this way, he is the father of all Christians. ¹⁷ The Holy Writings say, “I have made you a father of many nations.” This promise is good because of Who God is. He makes the dead live again. He speaks, and something is made out of nothing. ¹⁸ Abraham believed he would be the father of many nations. He had no reason to hope for this, but he had been told, “Your children will become many nations.” ^{(D) 19} Abraham was about one hundred years old. His body was about dead, but his faith in God was not weak when he thought of his body. His faith was not weak when he thought of his wife Sarah being past the age of having children. ²⁰ Abraham did not doubt God’s promise. His faith in God was strong, and he gave thanks to God. ²¹ He was sure God was able to do what He had promised. ²² Abraham put his trust in God and was made right with Him. ²³ The words, “He was made right with God,” were not for Abraham only. ²⁴ They were for us also. God will make us right with Himself the same way He did Abraham, if we put our trust in God Who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. ²⁵ Jesus died for our sins. He was raised from the dead to make us right with God.