M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Stages of Israel’s Journey from Egypt
33 Here’s the travel itinerary[a] for the Israelis after they left the land of Egypt in groups under the authority of Moses and Aaron. 2 Moses recorded their departures in their travels after being commanded[b] to do so by the Lord. Here’s a list of their travels based on[c] their departures:
3 They departed from Rameses in the first month, on the fifteenth day of that first month. The day[d] after the Passover, the Israelis came out confidently,[e] and all the Egyptians watched them leave, 4 while they were burying their firstborn, whom the Lord had killed among them. The Lord also executed justice against their gods.
5 Then the Israelis traveled from Rameses and rested[f] in Succoth.
6 They traveled from Succoth, then rested in Etham, which is at the outskirts of the wilderness.
7 They traveled from Etham but turned back to Pi-hahiroth, which is outside of[g] Baal-zephon.
They rested outside of Migdol. 8 They traveled from Hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea to the wilderness. They were on the road three days in the wilderness of Etham, then rested in Marah.
9 They traveled from Marah and arrived at Elim. In Elim there were twelve wells[h] of water and 70 palm trees, so they rested there.
10 They traveled from Elim, then rested by the Reed[i] Sea.
11 They traveled from the Reed[j] Sea, then rested in the Wilderness of Zin.
12 They traveled from the Wilderness of Zin, then rested in Dophkah.
13 They traveled from Dophkah, then rested in Alush.
14 They traveled from Alush, then rested in Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink.
15 They traveled from Rephidim, then rested in the Wilderness of Sinai.
16 They traveled from the Wilderness of Sinai, then rested in Kibroth-hattaavah.
17 They traveled from Kibroth-hattaavah, then rested in Hazeroth.
18 They traveled from Hazeroth, then rested in Rithmah.
19 They traveled from Rithmah, then rested in Rimmon-perez.
20 They traveled from Rimmon-perez, then rested in Libnah.
21 They traveled from Libnah, then rested in Rissah.
22 They traveled from Rissah, then rested in Kehelathah.
23 They traveled from Kehelathah, then rested at Mount Shepher.
24 They traveled from Mount Shepher, then rested in Haradah.
25 They traveled from Haradah, then rested in Makheloth.
26 They traveled from Makheloth, then rested in Tahath.
27 They traveled from Tahath, then rested in Terah.
28 They traveled from Terah, then rested in Mithkah.
29 They traveled from Mithkah, then rested in Hashmonah.
30 They traveled from Hashmonah, then rested in Moseroth.
31 They traveled from Moseroth, then rested in Bene-jaakan.
32 They traveled from Bene-jaakan, then rested in Hor-haggidgad.
33 They traveled from Hor-haggidgad, then rested in Jotbathah.
34 They traveled from Jotbathah, then rested in Abronah.
35 They traveled from Abronah, then rested in Ezion-geber.
36 They traveled from Ezion-geber, then rested in the Wilderness of Zin, which is also known as Kadesh.
37 They traveled from Kadesh, then rested in Mount Hor at the outskirts of the land of Edom.
38 Then Aaron the priest ascended Mount Hor in obedience to the Lord’s command and died there, in the fortieth year after the Israelis had come out of the land of Egypt, on the first day of the fifth month. 39 Aaron was 123 years old when he died on Mount Hor.
40 Meanwhile, the Canaanite king of Arad, who lived in the Negev[k] in the land of Canaan, heard of the approach of the Israelis, 41 who had traveled from Mount Hor and then rested in Zalmonah.
42 They traveled from Zalmonah, then rested in Punon.
43 They traveled from Punon, then rested in Oboth.
44 They traveled from Oboth, then rested in Iye-abarim at the outskirts of Moab.
45 They traveled from Iyim, then rested in Dibon-gad.
46 They traveled from Dibon-gad, then rested in Almon-diblathaim.
47 They traveled from Almon-diblathaim, then rested in the mountains of Abarim, facing Nebo.
48 They traveled from the mountains of Abarim, then rested in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River, across from Jericho.
49 They rested by the Jordan River in the area from Beth-jeshimoth to Abel-shittim in the plains of Moab.
50 Then the Lord told Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan River, across from Jericho, 51 “Tell the Israelis that when they have crossed the Jordan River to the land of Canaan, 52 they are to drive out all the inhabitants of the land and destroy all their idols and their molten images. You are to demolish all their high places, 53 take possession of the land, and live in it, because I’ve given you the land to inherit. 54 You are to divide the land among yourselves by lot according to your families. The larger the families are in number,[l] the larger their inheritance is to be. The fewer the families are in number,[m] the lesser their inheritance is to be. To whomever the lot falls, that inheritance goes to him. Divide it according to your ancestral tribes. 55 But if you fail to drive out the inhabitants of the land before you, their survivors will become irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, to prick your sides and afflict you in the very land in which you’ll be living. 56 Then, what I had planned to do to them, I’ll start to do to you.”
An instruction[a] of Asaph
Remembering God in Times of Trouble
78 Listen, my people, to my instruction.
Hear[b] the words of my mouth.
2 I will tell[c] a parable,
speaking riddles from long ago—
3 things that we have heard and known
and that our ancestors related to us.
4 We will not withhold them from their descendants;
we’ll declare to the next generation the praises of the Lord—
his might and awesome deeds that he has performed.
5 He established a decree in Jacob,
and established the Law in Israel,
that he commanded our ancestors
to reveal to their children
6 in order that the next generation—
children yet to be born—
will know them and
in turn teach them to their children.
7 Then they will put their trust in God
and they will not forget his awesome deeds.
Instead, they will keep his commandments.
8 They will not be like the rebellious generation of their ancestors,
a rebellious generation,
whose heart was not steadfast,
and whose spirits were unfaithful to God.
9 The descendants of Ephraim were sharp shooters with the bow,
but they retreated in the day of battle.
10 They did not keep God’s covenant,
and refused to live by his Law.
11 They have forgotten what he has done,
his awesome deeds that they witnessed.
12 He performed marvelous things
in the presence of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt—
in the fields of Zoan.
13 He divided the sea so that they were able to cross;
he caused the water to stand in a single location.
14 He led them with a cloud during the day,
and during the night with light from the fire.
15 He caused the rocks to split in the wilderness,
and gave them water[d] as from an abundant sea.
16 He brought streams from rock,
causing water to flow like a river.
17 But time and again, they sinned against him,
rebelling against the Most High in the desert.
18 To test God was in their minds,
when they demanded food to satisfy their cravings.[e]
19 They spoke against God by asking,
“Is God able to prepare a feast[f] in the desert?
20 It’s true that[g] Moses[h] struck the rock so that water flowed forth
and torrents of water gushed out,
but is he also able to give bread
or to supply meat for his people?”
21 Therefore, when the Lord heard this, he was angry,
and fire broke out against Jacob.
Moreover, his anger flared against Israel,
22 because they didn’t believe in God
and didn’t trust in his deliverance.
23 Yet he commanded the skies above
and the doors of the heavens to open,
24 so that manna rained down on them for food
and he sent them the grain of heaven.
25 Mortal men[i] ate the food of angels;
he sent provision to them in abundance.
26 He stirred up the east wind in the heavens
and drove the south wind by his might.
27 He caused meat to rain on them like dust
and winged birds as the sand of the sea.
28 He caused these to fall in the middle of the camp
and all around their tents.
29 So they ate and were very satisfied,
because he granted their desire.
30 However, before they had fulfilled their desire,
while their food was still in their mouths,
31 the anger of God flared against them,
and he killed the strongest men
and humbled Israel’s young men.
32 In spite of all of this, they kept on sinning
and didn’t believe in his marvelous deeds.
33 So he made their days end in futility,
and their years with sudden terror.
34 When he struck them, they sought him;
they repented, and eagerly sought God.
35 Then they remembered that God was their rock,
and the Most High God was their deliverer.
36 But they deceived him with their mouths;
they lied to him with their tongues.
37 For their hearts weren’t committed to him,
and they weren’t faithful to his covenant.
Praise to the Victorious God
25 Lord, you are my God;
I will exalt you and praise your name,
for you have done marvelous things,
plans made long ago in faithfulness and truth.
2 For you have made the city a heap of rubble,
the fortified city into a ruin;
the foreigners’ citadel[a] is no longer a city—
it will never be rebuilt!
3 Therefore strong peoples will glorify you;
cities of ruthless nations will revere you.
4 For you have been a stronghold for the poor,
a stronghold for the needy in distress,
a shelter from the storm
and a shade from the heat—
for the blistering attack[b] from the ruthless
is like a rainstorm beating against a wall,
5 and the noise of foreigners is like the heat of the desert.
Just as you subdue heat by the shade of clouds,
so the victory songs of violent men will be stilled.
Celebration of the Righteous
6 “On this mountain,[c] the Lord of the Heavenly Armies will prepare for all peoples
a banquet of rich food,
a banquet of well-aged wines—
rich food full of marrow,
and refined wines of the finest[d] vintage
7 And on this mountain,[e] he will swallow up
the burial[f] shroud that enfolds all peoples,
the veil that is spread over all nations—
8 he has swallowed up[g] death forever!
Then the Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and he will take away the disgrace of his people
from the entire earth.”
for the Lord has spoken.
9 “And you[h] will say at that time,[i]
‘Look! It’s the Lord![j] This is our God!
We waited for him,
and he saved us.
This is the Lord!
We waited for him,
so let us rejoice,
and we will[k] be glad that he has saved us.”
The Misery of Moab
10 For the Lord’s power[l] will rest on this mountain,[m]
but the Moabites will be trodden down beneath him,
just as straw is trodden down
in the slime of[n] a manure pit.
11 They will spread out their hands in the thick of it,
just as swimmers spread out their hands to swim,
but the Lord will bring down their pride,
together with the cleverness of their hands.
12 He brings down the high fortifications of your walls
and lays them low;
he will raze them[o] to the ground,
right down to the dust.
We are God’s Children
3 See what kind of love the Father has given us: We are called God’s children—and that is what we are![a] For this reason the world does not recognize us, because it did not recognize him, either.
2 Dear friends, we are now God’s children, but what we will be like has not been revealed yet. We know that when the Messiah[b] is revealed, we will be like him, because we will see him as he is. 3 And everyone who has this hope based on him keeps himself pure, just as the Messiah[c] is pure. 4 Everyone who keeps living in sin also practices disobedience. In fact, sin is disobedience. 5 You know that the Messiah[d] was revealed to take away sins,[e] and there is not any sin in him. 6 No one who remains in union with him keeps on sinning. The one who keeps on sinning hasn’t seen him or known him.
7 Little children, don’t let anyone deceive you. The person who practices righteousness is righteous, just as the Messiah[f] is righteous. 8 The person who practices sin belongs to the evil one, because the Devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason that the Son of God was revealed was to destroy what the Devil has been doing. 9 No one who has been born from God practices sin, because God’s[g] seed abides in him. Indeed, he cannot go on sinning, because he has been born from God. 10 This is how God’s children and the Devil’s children are distinguished.[h] No person who fails to practice righteousness and to love his brother is from God.
Love One Another
11 This is the message that you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 12 Do not be like Cain,[i] who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because what he was doing was evil and his brother’s actions[j] were righteous. 13 So do not be surprised, brothers, if the world hates you.
14 We know that we have passed from death to life, because we love one another. The person who does not love[k] remains spiritually[l] dead. 15 Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life present in him. 16 This is how we have come to know love: the Messiah[m] gave his life for us. We, too, ought to give our lives for our brothers. 17 Whoever has earthly possessions and notices a brother in need and yet withholds his compassion from him, how can the love of God be present in him? 18 Little children, we must stop expressing love merely by our words and manner of speech; we must love[n] also in action[o] and in truth. 19 This is how we will know that we belong to the truth and how we will be able to keep ourselves[p] strong in his presence.
20 If our hearts condemn us, God is greater than our hearts and knows everything. 21 Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence in the presence of God. 22 Whatever we request we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus the Messiah,[q] and to love one another as he commanded us. 24 The person who keeps his commandments abides in God,[r] and God abides in him.[s] This is how we can be sure that he remains in us: he has given us his Spirit.
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