M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Gifts Given When a Person Sins without Meaning To
4 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, ‘If a person sins without meaning to, by not obeying what the Lord has told us to do, these are the rules he must follow. 3 If the chosen religious leader sins and so brings guilt on the people, let him give to the Lord a bull that is perfect. It is a sin gift for the sin he has done. 4 He will bring the bull to the door of the meeting tent before the Lord. He will lay his hand on the head of the bull, and kill the bull before the Lord. 5 Then the chosen religious leader is to take some of the bull’s blood and bring it to the meeting tent. 6 The religious leader will put his finger in the blood and put some of the blood seven times before the Lord and in front of the curtain of the holy place. 7 And the religious leader will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar of sweet-smelling perfume in the meeting tent before the Lord. Then he will pour out all of the bull’s blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts at the door of the meeting tent. 8 He will take from it all the fat of the bull of the sin gift, the fat that covers the inside parts, and all the fat that is on the inside parts, 9 and the two kidneys with the fat that is on them, and the part on the liver, which he will take off with the kidneys, 10 just as these are taken from the bull of the peace gift. The religious leader is to burn them on the altar of burnt gifts. 11 But the bull’s skin and all its flesh, its head, legs, inside parts and its waste, 12 all the rest of the bull, he is to bring to a clean place away from the tents, where the ashes are poured out. There he will burn it on wood with fire. It will be burned where the ashes are poured out.
13 ‘If all the people of Israel sin and do not obey what the Lord has told them, without meaning to and without knowing about it, they are guilty. 14 When their sin becomes known, the people will give a bull from the herd for a sin gift. They will bring it in front of the meeting tent. 15 Then the leaders of the people will lay their hands on the bull’s head before the Lord. And the bull will be killed before the Lord. 16 The chosen religious leader will take some of the bull’s blood to the meeting tent. 17 There the religious leader will put his finger in the blood and put it seven times before the Lord and in front of the curtains. 18 He will put some of the blood on the horns of the altar before the Lord in the meeting tent. And he will pour out all the blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts at the door of the meeting tent. 19 He will take all its fat from it and burn it on the altar. 20 He will do the same with the bull as he did with the bull of the sin gift. So the religious leader will pay for their sins. And they will be forgiven. 21 Then he will bring the bull away from the tents and burn it as he burned the first bull. It is the sin gift for all the people.
22 ‘When a leader sins without meaning to, by doing any of all the things the Lord God has told us not to do, he becomes guilty. 23 If his sin is made known to him, he will bring for his gift a male goat that is perfect. 24 He will lay his hand on the head of the male goat, and kill it in the place where they kill the burnt gifts before the Lord. It is a sin gift. 25 Then the religious leader will take some of the blood of the sin gift with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out the rest of its blood at the base of the altar of burnt gifts. 26 He will burn all its fat on the altar like the fat of the peace gifts. So the religious leader will pay the price for the man’s sin. And he will be forgiven.
27 ‘If anyone among the people of the land sins without meaning to, by doing any of the things the Lord said not to do, he becomes guilty. 28 If his sin is made known to him, he will bring for his gift a female goat that is perfect, for the sin he has done. 29 He will lay his hand on the head of the sin gift, and kill the sin gift at the place of burnt gifts. 30 The religious leader will take some of its blood with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 31 Then he will take all its fat, just as the fat was taken from the peace gifts. And the religious leader will burn it on the altar for a pleasing smell to the Lord. So the religious leader will pay for his sin. And he will be forgiven.
32 ‘If he brings a lamb for a sin gift, he will bring a female lamb that is perfect. 33 He will lay his hand on the head of the sin gift, and kill it for a sin gift in the place where they kill the burnt gifts. 34 The religious leader will take some of the blood of the sin gift with his finger and put it on the horns of the altar of burnt gifts. He will pour out all the rest of its blood at the base of the altar. 35 Then he will take all its fat, just as the lamb’s fat is taken from the peace gifts. The religious leader will burn it on the altar, on the gifts by fire to the Lord. So the religious leader will pay for him the price for the sin he has done. And he will be forgiven.
The Difference between Good and Sinful People
1 Happy is the man who does not walk in the way sinful men tell him to, or stand in the path of sinners, or sit with those who laugh at the truth. 2 But he finds joy in the Law of the Lord and thinks about His Law day and night. 3 This man is like a tree planted by rivers of water, which gives its fruit at the right time and its leaf never dries up. Whatever he does will work out well for him.
4 Sinful men are not like this. They are like straw blown away by the wind. 5 So the sinful will not stand. They will be told they are guilty and have to suffer for it. Sinners will not stand with those who are right with God. 6 For the Lord knows the way of those who are right with Him. But the way of the sinful will be lost from God forever.
God’s Chosen One Will Rule
2 Why are the nations so shaken up and the people planning foolish things? 2 The kings of the earth stand in a line ready to fight, and all the leaders are against the Lord and against His Chosen One. 3 They say, “Let us break their chains and throw them away from us.”
4 He Who sits in the heavens laughs. The Lord makes fun of them. 5 Then He will speak to them in His anger and make them afraid, saying, 6 “But as for Me, I have set My King on Zion, My holy mountain.” 7 I will make known the words of the Lord. He said to Me, “You are My Son. Today I have become Your Father. 8 Ask of Me, and I will give the nations for you to own. The ends of the earth will belong to You. 9 You will break them using a piece of iron. And they will be broken in pieces like pots of clay.”
10 So, kings, be wise. Listen, you rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and be full of joy as you shake in fear. 12 Kiss the Son. Be afraid that He may be angry and destroy you in the way. For His anger is quick. Happy are all who put their trust in Him.
19 A poor man who walks with honor is better than a fool who is sinful in his speaking.
2 It is not good for a person to be without much learning, and he who hurries with his feet rushes into sin.
3 The foolish acts of man make his way bad, and his heart is angry toward the Lord.
4 Riches add many friends, but a poor man is separated from his friend.
5 A man who tells lies about someone will be punished. He who tells lies will not get away.
6 Many will ask for the favor of a man who gives much, and every man is a friend to him who gives gifts.
7 All the brothers of a poor man hate him. How much more do his friends go far from him! He runs to them with words, but they are gone.
8 He who gets wisdom loves his own soul. He who keeps understanding will find good.
9 A man who tells lies about someone will be punished. He who tells lies will be lost.
10 It is not right for a fool to live in great comfort, and for sure, for a servant to rule over rulers.
11 A man’s understanding makes him slow to anger. It is to his honor to forgive and forget a wrong done to him.
12 The king’s anger is like the noise of a lion, but his favor is like morning water upon the grass.
13 A foolish son destroys his father. The arguing of a wife is like water falling drop by drop all the time.
14 House and riches are handed down from fathers, but an understanding wife is from the Lord.
15 Being lazy makes one go into a deep sleep, and a lazy man will suffer from being hungry.
16 He who keeps God’s Word keeps his soul, but he who is not careful of his ways will die.
17 He who shows kindness to a poor man gives to the Lord and He will pay him in return for his good act.
18 Punish your son if he needs it while there is hope, and do not worry about his crying.
19 An angry man will suffer punishment. For if you save him from his trouble, you will only have to do it again.
20 Listen to words about what you should do, and take your punishment if you need it, so that you may be wise the rest of your days.
21 There are many plans in a man’s heart, but it is the Lord’s plan that will stand.
22 What is desired in a man is his kindness, and it is better to be a poor man than a liar.
23 The fear of the Lord leads to life, and he who has it will sleep well, and will not be touched by sin.
24 The lazy man buries his hand in the dish, and will not even bring it to his mouth again.
25 Hit a man who laughs at the truth, and the foolish may become wise. But speak strong words to one who has understanding, and he will get more learning.
26 He who hurts his father and puts his mother out of the house is a son who causes much shame.
27 My son, stop listening to teaching that will cause you to turn away from the words of much learning.
28 A man without worth who tells all he knows laughs at what is right and fair, and the mouth of the sinful spreads wrong-doing.
29 Ways of punishing are made ready for those who laugh at the truth, and beatings are for the back of fools.
The Christian Is Complete in Christ
2 I want you to know how hard I have worked for you and for the Christians in the city of Laodicea and for those who have never seen me. 2 May their hearts be given comfort. May they be brought close together in Christian love. May they be rich in understanding and know God’s secret. It is Christ Himself. 3 In Christ are hidden all the riches of wisdom and understanding. 4 I tell you this so no one will try to change your mind with big sounding talk. 5 Even if I am far away from you in body, I am with you in spirit. I am happy to learn how well you are getting along. It is good to hear that your faith is so strong in Christ. 6 As you have put your trust in Christ Jesus the Lord to save you from the punishment of sin, now let Him lead you in every step. 7 Have your roots planted deep in Christ. Grow in Him. Get your strength from Him. Let Him make you strong in the faith as you have been taught. Your life should be full of thanks to Him.
Wisdom of the World Is Empty
8 Be careful that no one changes your mind and faith by much learning and big sounding ideas. Those things are what men dream up. They are always trying to make new religions. These leave out Christ. 9 For Christ is not only God-like, He is God in human flesh. 10 When you have Christ, you are complete. He is the head over all leaders and powers. 11 When you became a Christian, you were set free from the sinful things of the world. This was not done by human hands. You were set free from the sins of your old self by what was done in Christ’s body. 12 When you were baptized, you were buried as Christ was buried. When you were raised up in baptism, you were raised as Christ was raised. You were raised to a new life by putting your trust in God. It was God Who raised Jesus from the dead. 13 When you were dead in your sins, you were not set free from the sinful things of the world. But God forgave your sins and gave you new life through Christ. 14 We had broken the Law many ways. Those sins were held against us by the Law. That Law had writings which said we were sinners. But now He has destroyed that writing by nailing it to the cross. 15 God took away the power of the leaders of this world and the powers of darkness. He showed them to the world. The battle was won over them through Christ.
Watch for Those Who Want to Keep the Law
16 Do not let anyone tell you what you should or should not eat or drink. They have no right to say if it is right or wrong to eat certain foods or if you are to go to religious suppers. They have no right to say what you are to do at the time of the new moon or on the Day of Rest. 17 These things are a picture of what is coming. The important thing is Christ Himself. 18 Do not let anyone rob you of your crown. They will try to get you to bow down in worship of angels. They think this shows you are not proud. They say they were told to do this in a dream. These people are proud because of their sinful minds. 19 Such people are not a part of Christ. Christ is the Head. We Christians make up His body. We are joined together as a body is held together. Our strength to grow comes from Christ.
20 You have died with Christ and become dead to those old ways. Then why do you follow the old ways of worship? Why do you obey man-made rules? 21 These rules say, “You must not put your hand on this.” “Do not put this into your mouth.” “You must not put your finger on that.” 22 All these things come to an end when they are used. You are following only man-made rules. 23 It looks as if it is wise to follow these rules in an act of worship, because they are hard on the body. It looks as if they are done without pride, but they are worth nothing. They do not take away a man’s desire to sin.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.