M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Abijah Succeeds Rehoboam(A)
13 During the eighteenth year of the reign of[a] King Jeroboam, Abijah became king over Judah. 2 He reigned for three years in Jerusalem. His mother was Uriel’s daughter Micaiah from Gibeah.
A war started between Abijah and Jeroboam. 3 Abijah started the battle with an army of 400,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers, but Jeroboam opposed him with 800,000 specially chosen valiant soldiers. 4 Abijah stood on Mount Zemaraim in the hill country of Ephraim and announced:
“Listen to me, Jeroboam and Israel! 5 Don’t you know that the Lord God of Israel assigned the kingship over Israel to David and his descendants forever by a salt covenant?[b] 6 Even so, Nebat’s son Jeroboam, who used to serve David’s son Solomon, rose in rebellion against his own master! 7 Useless troublemakers[c] soon gathered around him, who turned out to be too strong for Rehoboam, because he was young, timid, and unable to withstand them.
8 “So now you think you’ll be able to withstand the Lord’s kingdom as controlled by David’s descendants, just because you have a large crown and have brought with you the golden calves that Jeroboam made for you as gods. 9 Haven’t you already driven away the Lord’s priests, the descendants of Aaron and the descendants of Levi? Haven’t you established your own priests like the people of other[d] lands?
10 “Now as far as we’re concerned, the Lord is our God, and we haven’t abandoned him. The descendants of Aaron are ministering to the Lord as priests, and the descendants of Levi continue their work. 11 Every morning and evening, they’re offering burnt offerings and fragrant incense to the Lord, the showbread is set out on the pure table, and they take care of the golden lamp stand so its lamps can continue to burn every evening. We continue to be faithful over what the Lord our God entrusted to us, but you have abandoned him. 12 Now listen! God is with us to lead us, and his priests are about to sound their battle trumpets against you. Descendants of Israel, don’t fight against the Lord God of your ancestors, because you won’t succeed!”
13 But Jeroboam had sent an ambush to attack from the rear, so Israel was in front of Judah, with the ambush set in place behind them. 14 When the army of[e] Judah turned around to look, they were being attacked from both front and rear, so they cried out to the Lord while the priests sounded their trumpets. 15 Then the army of Judah sounded a war cry, and God routed Jeroboam and the entire army of Israel in front of Abijah and Judah. 16 When the descendants of Israel ran away from the army of Judah, God handed them over to the army of Judah. 17 Abijah and his army defeated them in a tremendous slaughter that resulted in 500,000 special forces from Israel being slain. 18 And so the descendants of Israel were defeated at that time. The descendants of Judah were victorious because they trusted in the Lord God of their ancestors. 19 After this Abijah pursued Jeroboam and captured Bethel and its villages, Jeshanah and its villages, and Ephron and its villages.
Jeroboam’s Death and Asa’s Reign in Judah
20 Jeroboam never recovered his strength for the rest of Abijah’s life. The Lord struck Jeroboam,[f] and he died, 21 but Abijah continued to grow more powerful. He took fourteen wives for himself and fathered 22 sons and sixteen daughters. 22 The rest of Abijah’s accomplishments, his lifestyle and his memoirs are recorded in the Midrash[g] of the Prophet Iddo.
The Letter to the Church in Sardis
3 “To the messenger[a] of the church in Sardis, write:
‘The one who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars says this:
‘I know what you’ve been doing. You are known for being alive, but you are dead. 2 Be alert, and strengthen the things that are left, which are about to die. I note that your actions are incomplete before my God. 3 So remember what you received and heard. Obey it, and repent. If you are not alert, I will come like a thief, and you won’t know the time when I will come to you. 4 But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their clothes. They will walk with me in white clothes because they are worthy. 5 The person who overcomes[b] in this way will wear white clothes, and I will never erase his name from the Book of Life. I will acknowledge his name in the presence of my Father and his angels.
6 ‘Let everyone[c] listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
The Letter to the Church in Philadelphia
7 “To the messenger[d] of the church in Philadelphia, write:
‘The one who is holy, who is true,
who has the key of David,
who opens a door that[e] no one can shut,
and who shuts a door that[f] no one can open,
‘says this:
8 ‘I know what you’ve been doing. Look! I have put in front of you an open door that no one can shut. You have only a little strength, but you have obeyed my word and have not denied my name. 9 I will make those who belong to the synagogue of Satan—those who claim to be Jews and aren’t, but are lying—come and bow down at your feet. Then they will realize that I have loved you. 10 Because you have obeyed my command to endure,[g] I will keep you from the hour of testing that is coming to the whole world to test those living on the earth. 11 I am coming soon! Hold on to what you have so that no one takes your victor’s crown. 12 I will make the one who overcomes[h] to become a pillar in the sanctuary of my God, and he will never go out of it again. I will write on him the name of my God, the name of the city of my God (the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God), and my own new name.
13 ‘Let everyone[i] listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
The Letter to the Church in Laodicea
14 “To the messenger[j] of the church in Laodicea, write:
‘The Amen, the witness who is faithful and true, the originator of God’s creation, says this:
15 ‘I know your actions, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. 16 Since you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I am going to spit you out of my mouth. 17 You say, “I am rich. I have become wealthy. I don’t need anything.” Yet you don’t realize that you are miserable, pitiful, poor, blind, and naked. 18 Therefore, I advise you to buy from me gold purified in fire so you may be rich, white clothes to wear so your shameful nakedness won’t show, and ointment to put on your eyes so you may see. 19 I correct and discipline those whom I love, so be serious and repent! 20 Look! I am standing at the door and knocking. If anyone listens to my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat[k] with me. 21 I will give a place to sit with me on my throne to the one who overcomes,[l] just as I have overcome[m] and have sat down with my Father on his throne.
22 ‘Let everyone[n] listen to what the Spirit says to the churches.’”
Call to Rebuild the Temple
1 On the first day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[a] King Darius, this message from the Lord came by[b] Haggai[c] the prophet to Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, and to Jehozadak’s son Joshua, the high priest:
2 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘These people keep saying, “No, the right[d] time for rebuilding the Lord’s Temple has not yet come.”’”
3 Then this message from the Lord came by[e] Haggai the prophet: 4 “Is it the right[f] time for all of you to live in your own paneled houses while this house remains in ruins?”
Consequences of Not Rebuilding
5 “Now this is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies, says: ‘Carefully consider your ways:
6 You have sowed much
but have reaped little.
You have eaten
but don’t have enough to become satisfied.
You have drunk
but don’t have enough to become intoxicated.
You have clothed yourself
but don’t have enough to keep warm.
And the hired laborer deposits his salary
in a bag full of holes!’”
Command to Rebuild the Temple
7 “This is what the Lord of the Heavenly Armies says: ‘Carefully consider your ways: 8 Go up into the mountains, bring timber, and reconstruct my house. Then I will be pleased with it and I will be honored,’ says the Lord. 9 ‘You turned away in pursuit of abundance, but look at how little you found![g] What you did manage to bring home, I blew away! And why?’ declares the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. ‘It’s because of my house! It lies in ruins while each of you runs off to his own house! 10 That is why the heavens keep withholding dew from you, and the earth withholds her fruit. 11 I sent a drought on the land, on the mountains, on your grain, on your new wines, on your oil—on everything the ground produces—on men, on livestock, and on everything you do![h]’”
The People Obey
12 Then Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and all the rest[i] of the people obeyed the Lord their God and the words of Haggai the prophet, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord. 13 Haggai, the messenger of the Lord, spoke to the people with a special commission[j] from the Lord: “‘I am with you,’ declares the Lord.”
14 Then the Lord revitalized the spirit of Shealtiel’s son Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, the spirit of Jehozadak’s son Joshua the high priest, and the spirit of all the rest[k] of the people, so they came and began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of the Heavenly Armies. 15 This took place on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month of the second year of the reign of[l] King Darius.
Jesus Changes Water into Wine
2 On the third day of that week[a] there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother told him, “They don’t have any more wine.”
4 “How does that concern us, dear lady?”[b] Jesus asked her. “My time hasn’t come yet.”
5 His mother told the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
6 Now standing there were six stone water jars used for the Jewish rites of purification, each one holding from two to three measures.[c] 7 Jesus told the servants,[d] “Fill the jars with water.” So they filled them up to the brim. 8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the man in charge of the banquet.” So they did.
9 When the man in charge of the banquet tasted the water that had become wine (without knowing where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew), he[e] called for the bridegroom 10 and told him, “Everyone serves the best wine first, and the cheap kind when people[f] are drunk. But you have kept the best wine until now!” 11 Jesus did this, the first[g] of his signs, in Cana of Galilee. He revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.
12 After this, Jesus[h] went down to Capernaum—he, his mother, his brothers, and his disciples—and they remained there for a few days.
Confrontation in the Temple over Money(A)
13 The Jewish Passover was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 14 In the Temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, as well as moneychangers sitting at their tables. 15 After making a whip out of cords, he drove all of them out of the Temple, including the sheep and the cattle. He scattered the coins of the moneychangers and knocked over their tables.
16 Then he told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s house a marketplace!” 17 His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for your house will consume me.”[i]
18 Then the Jewish leaders[j] asked him, “What sign can you show us as authority for doing these things?”
19 Jesus answered them, “Destroy this sanctuary, and in three days I will rebuild it.”
20 The Jewish leaders[k] said, “This sanctuary has been under construction for 46 years, and you’re going to rebuild it in three days?” 21 But the sanctuary he was speaking about was his own body. 22 After he had been raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this. So they believed the Scripture and the statement that Jesus had made.[l]
Jesus Knows All People
23 While Jesus[m] was in Jerusalem for the Passover Festival, many people believed in him[n] because they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 Jesus, however, did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and didn’t need anyone to tell him what people were like, because he himself knew what was in every person.[o]
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