M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 31[a]
The Death of Saul. 1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel, and the Israelites fled before the Philistines, and many were killed at Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines pressed hard upon Saul and his sons. His sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua were killed by the Philistines.
3 There was fierce fighting around Saul, and when the archers found their mark, they seriously wounded him. 4 Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust it through me, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through and abuse me.” But the armor-bearer would not do this for he was terrified. Saul, therefore, took his sword and fell upon it. 5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he, too, fell upon his sword and died with him.
6 So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all of his men died together on the same day. 7 When the Israelites on the other side of the valley and those on the other side of the Jordan saw that the Israelites had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned the cities, and the Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day the Philistines came out to strip the dead, and they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head and stripped off his armor. They sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temples of their idols and among the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Astartes, and they fastened his body to the wall in Beth-shan.
11 Saul Is Buried.[b] When those living in Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all of their brave men traveled during the night and took down the bodies of Saul and his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They went to Jabesh where they cremated them. 13 They took their bones and they buried them under a tree in Jabesh, and they fasted for seven days.[c]
Chapter 11
1 Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
Liturgical Assemblies and Their Problems[a]
Propriety in Worship[b]
The Question of Head Coverings. 2 I praise you because you remember me in everything and you maintain the traditions just as I handed them down to you.
3 But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the husband is the head of his wife, and God is the head of Christ. 4 Any man who prays or prophesies with his head covered brings disgrace on his head. 5 And any woman who prays or prophesies with her head unveiled brings disgrace upon her head, for it is just as though she had her head shaved. 6 Indeed, if a woman refuses to wear a veil, then she might as well have her hair cut off. If it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, then she should wear a veil.
7 It is not right for a man to have his head covered, since he is the image of God and the reflection of his glory, whereas woman is the reflection of the glory of man. 8 For man was not made from woman, but woman was made from man. 9 Nor was man created for the sake of woman, but woman was created for the sake of man.
10 Therefore, a woman should have on her head a sign[c] of her dependence, because of the angels. 11 Nevertheless, in the Lord, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. 12 Although woman came from man, so does every man come from a woman, and all things come from God.
13 The Question of Long Hair. Judge for yourselves. Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head unveiled? 14 Does not nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair, he is disgraced, 15 whereas if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair was given to her as a covering. 16 However, if anyone wishes to argue further on this point, we have no such custom to do so, nor do any of the Churches of God.
The Lord’s Supper, Sign of Unity[d]
17 Do You Despise the Church of God? Now in giving you this instruction I cannot praise you, because your meetings tend to do more harm than good. 18 To begin with, when you come together in your assembly, I hear that there are divisions among you, and to some extent I am inclined to believe it. 19 There must be such factions among you so that it will become clear to you which groups should be trusted.
20 [e]When you do assemble, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper, 21 for each of you goes ahead with his own supper, and one goes hungry while another has too much to drink. 22 Do you not have homes in which you can eat and drink? Or do you have such contempt for the Church of God that you humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? In this matter, I cannot praise you.
23 You Proclaim the Death of the Lord.[f]For what I received from the Lord I handed on to you: the Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and after giving thanks he broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”
25 In the same fashion, after the supper,[g] he also took the cup and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Whenever you drink it, do this in remembrance of me.” 26 And so, whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the death of the Lord until he comes.
27 God’s Judgment on the Community.[h] Therefore, anyone who eats the bread and drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner is guilty of an offense against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone should examine himself about eating the bread and drinking from the cup. 29 For a person who eats and drinks without discerning the body of the Lord is eating and drinking judgment on himself.
30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 If we were to examine ourselves, we would not be condemned. 32 However, when we are judged by the Lord, he is disciplining us to save us from being condemned together with the world.
33 Practical Conclusion. Therefore, brethren, when you come together for the meal, wait for one another. 34 If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that in assembling you may not incur condemnation. As for the other matters, I will resolve them when I come.
Chapter 9[a]
Punishment of the Idolaters. 1 Then he shouted loudly for me to hear: “The scourges of the city are drawing near, each brandishing his weapon of destruction.” 2 Thereupon, I saw six men approaching from the direction of the upper gate which faces north, each one with a weapon for slaughter in his hand. Among them was a man clothed in linen,[b] with the necessary paraphernalia for writing in his hand. They went in and stood beside the bronze altar.
3 The glory of the God of Israel had risen above the cherubim upon which it rested to the threshold of the temple. Then he called to the man clothed in linen who had the writing case at his side, 4 and he said to him: “Go throughout the city, throughout Jerusalem, and mark[c] with a cross the foreheads of all those who grieve and lament over all the abominable practices that run rampant throughout its boundaries.”
5 To the others I heard him say: “Follow him throughout the city and kill, without looking upon them with pity or showing them any mercy. 6 Cut down old men, young men and maidens, small children and women, but touch no one who is marked on the forehead with a cross. Begin at my sanctuary.” And so they began with the elders who were in front of the temple. 7 Then he said to them: “Defile the temple and fill the courtyards with the slain.” Then they went forth and killed their way through the city.
8 While they continued with their mission of slaying, I was left alone. Throwing myself on the ground, I cried out, “Ah, Lord God, will you annihilate all that is left of Israel by pouring out your wrath on Jerusalem?” 9 He answered: “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is filled with bloodshed and the city is filled with perversity. They believe that the Lord has forsaken the land and that he does not see. 10 However, I will not look upon them with pity or show them any mercy. I will bring down their deeds upon their heads.”
11 Then the man clothed in linen and carrying the writing case reported, “I have done as you commanded me.”
Psalm 48[a]
Thanksgiving for the Deliverance of God’s People
1 A psalm of the sons of Korah.[b] A song.
2 Great is the Lord and worthy of high praise
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain,[c] 3 towering in its beauty,
is the joy of the entire earth.
Mount Zion, the true heights of the north,[d]
is the city of the great King.
4 God is in her citadels
and has revealed himself as her fortress.[e]
5 [f]For the kings conspired together
and came onward in unison.
6 As soon as they beheld her, they were astounded;
filled with panic, they fled.
7 They were seized with trembling,
with pains like those of a woman in labor,
8 as though a wind from the east[g]
were breaking up the ships of Tarshish.
9 What we had heard,
we have now beheld for ourselves[h]
in the city of the Lord of hosts,
in the city of our God
that he established to endure forever. Selah
10 O God, as we stand in the midst of your temple,
we will meditate on your kindness.[i]
11 Like your name,[j] O God,
your praise extends to the ends of the earth.
Your right hand is filled with righteousness;
12 let Mount Zion rejoice.
Let the towns of Judah exult
in your saving judgments.[k]
13 [l]Walk around Zion; pass throughout her;
count the number of her towers.
14 Take careful note of her ramparts,
walk through her citadels,
so that you may recount for future generations
15 that such is God;
our God forever and ever,
he will be our guide eternally.[m]
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