M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

Israel Sins in Moab

25 While Israel stayed at Shittim, the people were not faithful to the Lord and began to have sex with the daughters of Moab. ² They asked the people of Israel to bring gifts to their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. ³ So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the Lord was angry with Israel. ⁴ The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders of the people, kill them, and put their bodies in the bright daylight before the Lord. Then the strong anger of the Lord may turn away from Israel.” ⁵ So Moses said to the judges of Israel, “Each of you kill his men who have joined themselves to Baal of Peor.”

⁶ Then one of the people of Israel came and brought a Midianite woman to his family. Moses and all the people of Israel saw this while they were crying at the door of the meeting tent. ⁷ When Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the religious leader, saw it, he rose up from among the people. He took a spear in his hand ⁸ and went after the man of Israel into the tent. Then he cut through the bodies of both the man of Israel and the woman. So the very bad disease that spread on the people of Israel was stopped. ⁹ Those who died because of this bad disease were 24,000.

¹⁰ Then the Lord said to Moses, ¹¹ “Phinehas the son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron the religious leader, has turned My anger away from the people of Israel. He was jealous with My jealousy among them, so I did not destroy the people of Israel in My jealousy. ¹² So say to them that I make My agreement of peace with Phinehas. ¹³ It will be an agreement for him and his children after him that they will always be religious leaders, because he was jealous for his God, and did what he was to do to pay for the sin of the people of Israel.”

¹⁴ The name of the man of Israel who was killed with the Midianite woman was Zimri the son of Salu. He was a leader of a father’s house among the Simeonites. ¹⁵ The name of the Midianite woman who was killed was Cozbi the daughter of Zur. Zur was the head of the people of a father’s house in Midian.

¹⁶ The Lord said to Moses, ¹⁷ “Be angry at the Midianites and fight against them. ¹⁸ For they have brought trouble to you with their false ways. They have fooled you and turned you to the wrong way. They have brought you trouble at Peor with Cozbi, the daughter of the leader of Midian, their sister. She was killed on the day the very bad disease came because of Peor.”

The God of Israel at Sinai

68 May God rise up. May those who hate Him be divided. And may they run away from Him. ² Drive them away like smoke in the wind. Let the sinful be destroyed before God like a candle melts by the fire. ³ But let those who are right and good be glad. Let them be happy before God. Yes, let them be full of joy. ⁴ Sing to God. Sing praises to His name. Make a road for Him Who goes through the deserts. The Lord is His name. Be full of joy before Him.

⁵ God in His holy house is a father to those who have no father. And He keeps the women safe whose husbands have died. ⁶ God makes a home for those who are alone. He leads men out of prison into happiness and well-being. But those who fight against Him live in an empty desert.

⁷ O God, when You went out before Your people, when You walked through the desert, ⁸ the earth shook. The heavens poured down rain before God. And Sinai shook before God, the God of Israel. ⁹ You sent a heavy rain, O God. You brought life back to Your promised land when it was dry. ¹⁰ Your people made it their home. O God, You gave the poor what they needed because You are good.

¹¹ The Lord gives the Word. And the women who tell the good news are many. ¹² The kings of armies run. They run away. And she who stays at home divides the riches. ¹³ When you lie down among the sheep, you are like the wings of a dove covered with silver, and the end of its wings with shining gold. ¹⁴ When the All-powerful divided the kings there, snow was falling in Zalmon.

¹⁵ A mountain of God is the mountain of Bashan. A mountain of many high tops is the mountain of Bashan. ¹⁶ O mountains of many high tops, why do you look with jealousy at the mountain which God has chosen for His home? For sure, the Lord will live there forever. ¹⁷ The war-wagons of God are 20,000, even thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, as at Sinai, in the holy place. ¹⁸ You have gone up on high. You have taken those who were held with You. You have received gifts of men, even among those who fought against You. So the Lord God may live there with them.

¹⁹ Honor and thanks be to the Lord, Who carries our heavy loads day by day. He is the God Who saves us. ²⁰ Our God is a God Who sets us free. The way out of death belongs to God the Lord. ²¹ But God will break the head of those who hate Him, the hair-covered head of him who goes on in his sins. ²² The Lord said, “I will bring them back from Bashan. I will bring them back from the bottom of the sea. ²³ So your feet may crush them in blood. And the tongue of your dogs may have a share of those who hate you.”

²⁴ They have seen Your people walking together, O God. They have seen the people of my God and King walking into the holy place. ²⁵ Those who sing are in front. Those who play music are behind. And young women who beat timbrels are between. ²⁶ Give thanks to God in the meetings of worship. Give thanks to the Lord, you who are of the family of Israel. ²⁷ There is young Benjamin leading them. The rulers of Judah are among the people, and the rulers of Zebulun, and the rulers of Naphtali.

²⁸ Your God has called for your strength. Show Your strength, O God, Who has acted for us. ²⁹ Kings will bring gifts to You because of Your holy house at Jerusalem. ³⁰ Speak sharp words to the wild animals in the tall grass by the river, the group of bulls with the calves of the people. Walk on those who desire pieces of silver. Divide the people who have joy in war. ³¹ Princes will come from Egypt. Ethiopia will hurry to put her hands out to God.

³² Sing to God, O nations of the earth. Sing praises to the Lord. ³³ Sing to Him Who sits upon the heavens, the heavens of old. Listen, He sends out His voice, His powerful voice. ³⁴ Tell of the power of God. His great power is over Israel and His strength is in the sky. ³⁵ O God, You are honored with fear as You come from Your holy place. The God of Israel Himself gives strength and power to His people. Honor and thanks be to God!

God Will Destroy Moab

15 The special word against Moab: Ar of Moab is destroyed and laid waste in a night. And in a night Kir of Moab is destroyed and laid waste. ² They have gone up to the house of worship and to Dibon. They have gone to the high places to cry. Moab cries over Nebo and Medeba. The hair has been cut from everyone’s head and face. ³ In their streets they have dressed themselves with cloth made from hair. On the tops of their houses and in their open spaces everyone is crying with many tears. ⁴ Heshbon and Elealeh cry out also. Their voice is heard as far as Jahaz. So the soldiers of Moab cry out. Moab’s soul shakes within him. ⁵ My heart cries out for Moab. His men have run away as far as Zoar and Eglath-shelishiyah. For they go up the hill of Luhith crying. On the road to Horonaim they cry in sorrow over their being destroyed. ⁶ For the waters of Nimrim have been laid waste. The grass is dried up. The new grass died out. There is no green thing. ⁷ So the many things they have gathered and stored up they carry away over the river of Arabim. ⁸ The cry of sorrow has gone around the land of Moab. Its noise is heard as far as Eglaim and Beer-elim. ⁹ The waters of Dimon are full of blood. Yet I will bring more troubles to Dimon. I will bring a lion upon those of Moab who have run away, and upon the people of the land who are still alive.

Teaching for Married Christians

3 Wives, obey your own husbands. Some of your husbands may not obey the Word of God. By obeying your husbands, they may become Christians by the life you live without you saying anything. ² They will see how you love God and how your lives are pure. ³ Do not let your beauty come from the outside. It should not be the way you comb your hair or the wearing of gold or the wearing of fine clothes. ⁴ Your beauty should come from the inside. It should come from the heart. This is the kind that lasts. Your beauty should be a gentle and quiet spirit. In God’s sight this is of great worth and no amount of money can buy it. ⁵ This was the kind of beauty seen in the holy women who lived many years ago. They put their hope in God. They also obeyed their husbands. ⁶ Sarah obeyed her husband Abraham. She respected him as the head of the house. You are her children if you do what is right and do not have fear.

⁷ In the same way, husbands should understand and respect their wives, because women are weaker than men. Remember, both husband and wife are to share together the gift of life that lasts forever. If this is not done, you will find it hard to pray.

Teaching for All Christians

⁸ Last of all, you must share the same thoughts and the same feelings. Love each other with a kind heart and with a mind that has no pride. ⁹ When someone does something bad to you, do not do the same thing to him. When someone talks about you, do not talk about him. Instead, pray that good will come to him. You were called to do this so you might receive good things from God. ¹⁰ For “If you want joy in your life and have happy days, keep your tongue from saying bad things and your lips from talking bad about others. ¹¹ Turn away from what is sinful. Do what is good. Look for peace and go after it. ¹² The Lord watches over those who are right with Him. He hears their prayers. But the Lord is against those who sin.” ^{(A) 13} Who will hurt you if you do what is right? ¹⁴ But even if you suffer for doing what is right, you will be happy. Do not be afraid or troubled by what they may do to make it hard for you. ¹⁵ Your heart should be holy and set apart for the Lord God. Always be ready to tell everyone who asks you why you believe as you do. Be gentle as you speak and show respect. ¹⁶ Keep your heart telling you that you have done what is right. If men speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see the good way you have lived as a Christian. ¹⁷ If God wants you to suffer, it is better to suffer for doing what is right than for doing what is wrong.

Christ Suffered for Us

¹⁸ Christ suffered and died for sins once for all. He never sinned and yet He died for us who have sinned. He died so He might bring us to God. His body died but His spirit was made alive. ¹⁹ Christ went and preached to the spirits in prison. ²⁰ Those were the spirits of the people who would not obey in the days of Noah. God waited a long time for them while Noah was building the big boat. But only eight people were saved from dying when the earth was covered with water. ²¹ This is like baptism to us. Baptism does not mean we wash our bodies clean. It means we are saved from the punishment of sin and go to God in prayer with a heart that says we are right. This can be done because Christ was raised from the dead. ²² Christ has gone to heaven and is on the right side of God. Angels and powers of heaven are obeying Him.