M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
23 When David heard that the Philistines had attacked Keilah, ransacking the threshing floors and stealing the grain, 2 he prayed and asked God for guidance.
David (to the Lord): Should I attack these Philistines?
Eternal One: Yes. Save Keilah, and defeat the Philistines.
David’s Men (objecting): 3 We have a lot to fear even as we sit here in Judah. Think how much worse it will be if we go to fight the armies of the Philistines in Keilah.
4 So David asked the Eternal again just to make sure.
Eternal One: Yes, defend Keilah. I will grant you victory over the Philistines.
5 So David and his men went down to Keilah and fought the Philistines, carried away their livestock, and slaughtered them. This is how David saved the people of Keilah.
6 When Abiathar, son of Ahimelech, came to David at Keilah, he had fled carrying a sacred priestly garment. 7 When Saul heard that David had gone to rescue Keilah, he was hopeful.
Saul: Surely the True God has sent David into my trap because he has entered into a city with gates and bars.
8 So Saul summoned the people to go down to Keilah and besiege David and his men. 9 When David heard that Saul was coming to attack him, he asked Abiathar to bring him the priestly vest so that he could ask the True God for direction.
David: 10 Eternal God of Israel, Your servant has heard that Saul the king is coming to Keilah to destroy the city since I am here. 11 Will the leaders of Keilah hand me over to save their lives? Is what I heard true? Is Saul really coming? I beg of You, please tell Your servant.
Eternal One: He will come.
David: 12 Then will the men of Keilah hand me over along with my men to Saul when he arrives?
Eternal One: They will do this.
13 So David and his followers, who now numbered about 600, left Keilah going wherever they could. When Saul heard that David had left Keilah, he gave up the chase because the trail was now cold. 14 David hid out in secure places in the wilderness, in the hill country of the wilderness of Ziph in the land of the tribe of Judah. Every day, Saul sent out spies to find him and kill him, but the True God did not allow Saul to capture or kill David.
15 While David was in the wilderness of Ziph at a place called Horesh, he heard that Saul was looking for him. 16 Then Jonathan, son of Saul, figured out where David was and went out to meet him at Horesh. Although David and his men were in a tight spot, Jonathan reassured David’s faith in the True God.
Jonathan: 17 Don’t be afraid. My father Saul will not get his hands on you today or any other day. Someday you will be king over all Israel, and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul knows this.
18 Then the two of them made a sacred covenant before the Eternal One. David remained at Horesh, and Jonathan returned to his home.
19 At that time, some of the people of Ziph went to Saul at Gibeah and told him David was hiding in some of the secure places at Horesh, on the hill of Hachilah to the south of Jeshimon.
People of Ziph: 20 Now, O king, come down whenever you desire, and we will do our part by handing him over to you.
Saul: 21 May the Eternal One favor you for having compassion on me! 22 Check one more time to be sure; find out where he is exactly and who has seen him there because I hear that he is crafty. 23 Look around, find out all his hiding places, and come back to me when you are certain of your information. Then I will go back with you, and if he is still in the land, I will find him among the tribe of Judah no matter how many thousands of people there are.
24 They set out and went to Ziph ahead of Saul. Meanwhile David and his followers were hiding in the wilderness of Maon, in the desert plain[a] to the south of Jeshimon. 25 When Saul and his men went to search for them, David found out and went to the rock in the wilderness of Maon. When Saul heard this, he pursued David in the wilderness of Maon.
26 At one point, Saul and his men were on one side of the mountain, and David and his men on the other. David and his men picked up the pace, trying to escape, but Saul and his forces were closing in fast and hoped to capture them.
27 Then a messenger arrived and spoke to Saul.
Messenger: Come quickly! A Philistine raiding party is in the land!
28 So Saul stopped his pursuit of David and went to fight the Philistines, which is why that place is known as the Rock of Escape.
29 From there David went up and lived in the narrow canyons and cliffs of Engedi.
4 Rather than power brokers, think of us as servants of the Anointed One, the Liberating King, caretakers of the mysteries of God. 2 Because we are in this particular role, it is especially important that we are people of fidelity and integrity. 3 It makes little difference to me how you or any human court passes judgment on me. I even resist the temptation to compare myself to the ever-changing human standard. 4 Although I am not aware of any flaw that might exclude me from this divine service, that’s not the reason I stand acquitted—the only supreme judge, our Lord, will examine me in the proper time. 5 So resist the temptation to act as judges before all the evidence is in. When the Lord comes, He will draw our buried motives, thoughts, and deeds (even things we don’t know or admit to ourselves) out of the dark shadows of our hearts into His light. When this happens, the voice of God will speak to each of us the only praise that will ever matter.
6 Right now, brothers and sisters, the best thing I can do for you is to apply these principles to the situation with Apollos and me. Maybe we can show you the meaning of the saying, “not beyond the things written.” If you learn that, perhaps none of you will swell with pride because you fall into the seductive trap of pitting one against the other. 7 Is there any reason to consider yourselves better than others? What do you have that you didn’t receive? If you received it as a gift, why do you boast like it is something you achieved on your own?
8 Now let’s see if I have it straight. You suppose that you already have all you need. You already are rich and prosperous. And without us you’ve already begun to reign like kings. To be honest, I wish you did reign so that we could reign with you 9 because it seems to me that God has put His emissaries[a] at the end of the line, like convicts in their final walk to certain death. We have become a spectacle to the rest of the world—to all people and heaven’s messengers. 10 We are nothing but fools for the cause of the Anointed One while you are wise in Him. Am I right? We are feeble and tired while you are mighty and full of life. You are well respected by others while we’re treated as contemptuous creatures by pretty much everyone everywhere. 11 Up to this very minute, we are famished, we are thirsty, and our clothes are shabby, practically rotted to pieces. We are homeless, hapless wanderers. 12 But still we labor, working with our hands to meet our needs because, despite all of this, when a fist is raised against us, we respond with a blessing; when we face violence and persecution, we stay on mission; and 13 when others choose taunts and slander against us, we speak words of encouragement and reconciliation. We’re treated as the scum of the earth—and I am not talking in the past tense; I mean today! We’re the scraps of society, nothing more than the foulest human rubbish.
Paul explains and exemplifies the goals of a mature believer in a way that may be easily contrasted with the desires of an immature believer. He is seeking love and truth more than popularity, embracing suffering rather than comfort. In fact, he disregards popularity and comfort completely so that he isn’t distracted from the love and truth of Jesus. This could be a powerful force in the world if believers embraced this kind of maturity.
14 I am not telling you all this so that you’ll feel guilty or be ashamed of how you have acted. I am only trying to warn you, just as a father would warn his children. 15 You may have 10,000 instructors in the faith of the Anointed One, but you have only one father. In Jesus the Anointed I have become your father through my efforts in spreading the good news. 16 So as your father in the faith, I want to encourage you to live as I have lived. Imitate my life. 17 This is one of the reasons I sent Timothy to be with you. He is my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. His mission is to remind you of the way I experience life in the Anointed. In all the churches everywhere I go, I teach the same lessons the same way, and I live out those lessons. 18 But the reality is, some of you have put yourselves on pedestals and live like you are high above the rest—it’s as if you assumed I would not return to confront your misguided pride. 19 But I am coming. Lord willing, I will be with you soon. Then I will know what power is backing those arrogant folks and their words. 20 The kingdom of God is not a realm of grandiose talk; it is a realm of power. 21 So tell me what you want. Should I visit you, rod in hand ready to discipline a crew of self-important people; or should I embrace you, love you, and gently teach you as we celebrate the blessings of God together?
Ezekiel’s strange vision of clouds and fires, light and lightning, creatures with four faces, wheels within wheels, and a throne-chariot is a prelude to his ultimate vision. For a moment he glimpses a humanlike figure seated on a throne; this, he says, is the glory of the Eternal. The word “glory” refers to God’s visible manifestation. Though God is unseen, from time to time human beings are given the privilege of seeing His glory. This glory accompanies Israel in the wilderness and resides in the temple in Jerusalem. But Ezekiel realizes God’s glory is not restricted to Jerusalem; it is in Babylon with those in exile. The fact that God’s glory is seen in Babylon and reported by His prophet offers comfort to those displaced in a foreign land.
2 The Voice (to Ezekiel): Son of man, rise to your feet. I want to speak to you.
2 As soon as the voice spoke, the Spirit entered me and lifted me to my feet; I listened to what the voice told me.
The Voice: 3 Son of man, I am dispatching you to the people of Israel. They are a rebellious nation that lives in defiance of Me. They and their ancestors have broken loyalties with Me even up to this very day. 4 Go to the Israelites, who are stubborn and hardhearted, and tell them, “This is what the Eternal Lord has to say.” 5 Whether this nation of rebels listens or refuses to listen to My message, at least they will know a prophet has visited them. 6 Do not fear them or their words, son of man. Though you will dwell among the thistles and briars of their hostility, though their reactions will make you think you’re sitting on scorpions, do not be afraid. Pay no attention to their threats, and don’t let their glaring faces intimidate you. They are a rebellious lot. 7 It is vital you feed them My words, whether they choose to digest them or not, for they are a rebellious people.
8 Listen to what I tell you, son of man. Do not follow their rebellious ways. Open your mouth and eat what I give you.
9 When I looked, I saw a hand extended toward me. In its palm was a scroll. 10 As I looked on, the scroll was unrolled, and I could see that there was writing on the front and back. It was covered with words of lament, grief, and disaster.
Psalm 38
A song of David for remembering.
This is one of a group of psalms known in later tradition as the penitential psalms, namely, psalms that confess sins and express confidence in God’s mercy. In this psalm a serious illness threatens the life of the worshiper.
1 O Eternal One, please do not scold me in Your anger;
though Your wrath is just, do not correct me in Your fury.
2 The arrows from Your bow have penetrated my flesh;
Your hand has come down hard on me.
3 Because Your anger has infected the depths of my being and stolen my health,
my flesh is ill.
My bones are no longer sound
because of all the sins I have committed.
4 My guilt has covered me; it’s more than I can handle;
this burden is too heavy for me to carry.
5 Now sores cover me—infected and putrid sores,
because of all the foolish things I have done.
6 I am bent down, cowering in fear, prostrate on the ground;
I spend the day in mourning, guilty tears stinging and burning my eyes.
7 My back aches. I’m full of fever;
my body is no longer whole, no longer well.
8 I am completely numb, totally spent, hopelessly crushed.
The agitation of my heart makes me groan.
9 O Lord, You know all my desires;
nothing escapes You; You hear my every moan.
10 My heart pounds against my chest; my vigor is completely drained;
my eyes were once bright, but now the brightness is all gone.
11 Even my friends and loved ones turn away when they see this marked man;
those closest to me are no longer close at all.
12 Those who want me dead lay traps upon my path;
those who desire my downfall threaten—my end is near—
they spend their days plotting against me.
13 Like one who is deaf, my ears do not hear.
Like one who is mute, my tongue cannot speak.
14 The truth is this: I am like one who cannot hear;
I cannot even protest against them.
15 Still I wait expectantly for You, O Eternal One—
knowing You will answer me in some way, O Lord, my True God.
16 I only asked, “When I stumble on the narrow path,
don’t let them boast or celebrate my failure.”
17 I am prepared for what may come; my time must be short;
my pain and suffering a constant companion.
18 I confess, “I have sinned,”
and I regret the wrong I have done.
19 My enemies are alive and well,
they are powerful and on the increase,
and for no reason, they hate me.
20 When I do good, my opponents reward me with evil;
though I pursue what is right, they stand against me.
21 Eternal One, do not leave me to their mercy;
my True God, don’t be far from me when they are near.
22 I need Your help now—not later.
O Lord, be my Rescuer.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.