M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Prohibiting Child Sacrifice

20 The Lord spoke to Moses, ² “Tell the Israelis that when an Israeli or a resident alien^[a] who lives in Israel offers^[b] his child to Molech, he is certainly to be put to death.^[c] The people who live in the land are to stone him with stones. ³ As for me, I’ll oppose that man. I’ll eliminate him from contact with his people^[d] for sacrificing his children to Molech, thereby defiling my sanctuary and profaning my holy name. ⁴ If the people avoid dealing^[e] with that man when he offers his child to Molech—that is, if they fail to execute him— ⁵ then I’ll oppose that man and his family and eliminate him from contact with his people,^[f] along with all the prostitutes who accompany him and who have committed prostitution with Molech.”

Consulting the Dead Prohibited

⁶ “I’ll oppose and eliminate from contact with his people^[g] whoever consults mediums or familiar spirits, thereby committing spiritual prostitution with them. ⁷ Therefore, separate yourselves and be holy, because I am the Lord your God. ⁸ Keep my statutes and observe them. I am the Lord, who has set you apart.”

Honoring Parents

⁹ “Anyone who curses his father or mother is certainly to be put to death.^[h] He has cursed his father or mother, so his guilt will remain his responsibility.”

Honoring the Seventh Commandment

¹⁰ “If anyone commits adultery with another man’s wife, including when someone commits adultery with his neighbor’s wife, both the adulterer and the adulteress are to die.

¹¹ “If a man has sexual relations with his father’s wife, he has exposed his father’s nakedness, so both of them are to be put to death. Their guilt will remain their responsibility.

¹² “If a man has sexual relations with his daughter-in-law, the two are to be put to death. They’ve committed a repulsive act. Their guilt^[i] will remain their responsibility.

¹³ “If a man has sexual relations with another male as he would with a woman, both have committed a repulsive act. They are certainly to be put to death.

¹⁴ “If a man takes a wife along with her mother, that’s wickedness. They are to be burned with fire—that is, both him and them, so that there will be no wickedness in your midst.

¹⁵ “If a man has sexual relations with an animal, he is to be put to death, and you are also to kill the animal.

¹⁶ “If a woman approaches any animal to have sexual relations with it, both the woman and the animal are to be put to death. Their guilt^[j] will remain their responsibility.

¹⁷ “If a man takes his sister, his father’s daughter, or his mother’s daughter, so that he exposes her nakedness and she exposes his nakedness, it’s a shameful thing. They are to be eliminated from contact with their people^[k] in front of their people’s children. He has exposed his sister’s nakedness. He’ll continue to bear responsibility for^[l] his iniquity.

¹⁸ “If a man has sexual relations with a menstruating woman, he has exposed her nakedness, laying bare her fountain. He has exposed the source of her blood. Both are to be eliminated from contact with their people.^[m]

¹⁹ “You are not to have sexual relations with your mother’s sister or your father’s sister, because that is laying bare the nakedness of his close relative. They’ll continue to bear responsibility for^[n] their iniquity.

²⁰ “If a man has sexual relations with his uncle’s wife, he has exposed his uncle’s nakedness. They are to bear responsibility for^[o] punishment of their sin. They’ll die childless.

²¹ “If a man takes his brother’s wife, it’s immoral.^[p] He has exposed his brother’s nakedness. They’ll be childless.”

Living Distinctively in Holiness

²² “Be sure to keep all my statutes and observe all my ordinances, so that the land where I’m about to bring you to live won’t vomit you out. ²³ You are not to live^[q] by the customs of the nations, whom I’ve cast away right in front of you. Because they did all of these things, I detested them. ²⁴ But I’ve promised^[r] you that you’ll inherit the land that I’m about to give you as your permanent possession^[s]—a land flowing with milk and honey.

“I am your God. I’ve separated you from the people. ²⁵ You are to differentiate between the clean animal and the unclean and between the unclean bird and the clean. You are not to make yourselves detestable on account of any animal, bird, or any creeping creature of the ground that I’ve separated for you as unclean.

²⁶ “You are to be holy toward me, because I, the Lord, am holy. I’ve separated you from among the people to be mine.

²⁷ “Moreover, a man or a woman who has a ritual spirit or a familiar spirit is certainly to die. They are to be stoned to death with boulders. They will continue to bear responsibility for their guilt.”^[t]

Davidic^[a]

A Prayer for Help and Forgiveness

The Purposes in God’s Timing

The Purpose of Life

⁹ What benefit does the worker gain from what he undertakes? ¹⁰ I have observed the burdens placed by God on human beings in order to perfect them. ¹¹ He made everything appropriate in its time. He also placed eternity within them—yet, no person can fully comprehend what God is doing from beginning to end.

¹² I have concluded that the only worthwhile thing for them is to take pleasure in doing good in life; ¹³ moreover, every person should eat, drink, and enjoy the benefits of everything that he undertakes, since it is a gift from God.

¹⁴ I have concluded that everything that God undertakes will last for eternity—nothing can be added to it nor taken away from it—and that God acts this way so that people will fear him. ¹⁵ That which was, now is; and that which will be, already is; and God examines what has already taken place.

From Dust to Dust

¹⁶ I also examined on earth:

¹⁷ I told myself, “God will judge both the righteous and the wicked, because there is a time set to judge^[d] every event and every work.”

¹⁸ “As for human beings,” I told myself, “God puts them to the test, that they might see themselves as mere animals.” ¹⁹ For what happens to people also happens to animals—a single event happens to them: just as someone dies, so does the other. In fact, they all breathe the same way, so that a human being has no superiority over an animal. All of this is pointless. ²⁰ All of them go to one place: all of them originate from dust, and all of them return to dust.

²¹ Who knows whether^[e] the spirit of human beings ascends, and whether^[f] the spirit of animals descends to the earth? ²² I concluded that it is worthwhile for people to find joy in their accomplishments, because that is their inheritance, since who can see what will exist after them?

Treatment of Widows

5 Never speak harshly to an older man, but appeal to him as if he were your father. Treat^[a] younger men like brothers, ² older women like mothers, and younger women like sisters, with absolute purity.

³ Honor widows who have no other family members to care for them.^{[b] 4} But if a widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to respect their own family by repaying their parents, for this is pleasing in God’s sight. ⁵ A woman who has no other family members to care for her^[c] and who is left all alone has placed her hope in God and devotes herself to petitions and prayers night and day. ⁶ But the self-indulgent widow^[d] is just as good as dead.

⁷ Continue to give these instructions, so that they may be blameless. ⁸ If anyone does not take care of his own relatives, especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. ⁹ A widow may be put on the widows’^[e] list if she is at least sixty years old and has been the wife of one husband.^{[f] 10} She must be well known for her good actions as a woman who has raised children, welcomed strangers, washed the saints’ feet, helped the suffering, and devoted herself to doing good in every way.

¹¹ But do not include younger widows on your list.^[g] For whenever their natural desires cause them to lose their devotion to the Messiah,^[h] they want to remarry. ¹² They receive condemnation because they have set aside their prior commitment to the Messiah.^{[i] 13} At the same time, they also learn how to be lazy while going from house to house. Not only this, but they even become gossips and keep busy by interfering in other people’s lives, saying things they should not say.

¹⁴ Therefore, I want younger widows to remarry, have children, manage their homes, and not give the enemy any chance to ridicule them. ¹⁵ For some widows^[j] have already turned away to follow Satan. ¹⁶ If any woman^[k] is a believer and has relatives who are widows, she should help them. The church should not be burdened, so it can help those widows who have no other family members to care for them.^[l]

Elders and Their Duties

¹⁷ Elders who handle their duties^[m] well should be considered worthy of double compensation,^[n] especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching. ¹⁸ For the Scripture says, “You must not muzzle an ox while it is treading out grain,”^[o] and, “A worker deserves his pay.”^{[p] 19} Do not accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported “by two or three witnesses.”^{[q] 20} As for those who keep on sinning, rebuke them in front of everyone so that the rest will also be afraid. ²¹ With God as my witness, as well as the Messiah^[r] Jesus and the chosen angels, I solemnly call on you to carry out these instructions without prejudice, doing nothing on the basis of partiality. ²² Do not ordain^[s] anyone hastily. Do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself pure. ²³ Stop drinking only water, but use a little wine for your stomach because of your frequent illnesses.

²⁴ The sins of some people are obvious, leading them to judgment. The sins^[t] of others follow them there. ²⁵ In the same way, good actions are obvious, and those that are not cannot remain hidden.