M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Song of Moses

32 “Listen, O heavens, and let me speak. Let the earth hear the words of my mouth. ² Let my teaching fall as the rain, and my voice like the water on the grass in the early morning, like rain upon the new grass, and rain upon the plant. ³ For I will make known the name of the Lord. I will tell of the greatness of God! ⁴ The Rock! His work is perfect. All His ways are right and fair. A God Who is faithful and without sin, right and good is He. ⁵ They have acted in sin toward Him, but they are not His children, because the mark of sin is on them. They are a bad and sinful people. ⁶ Is this how you pay the Lord, you foolish people who are not wise? Is He not your Father Who has bought you? He has made you and given you your place. ⁷ Remember the days long ago. Think of the years of all people. Ask your father and he will show you. Ask your leaders. They will tell you. ⁸ When the Most High divided up the world among the nations, he divided the children of men. He set the place where each nation was to live by the number of the sons of Israel. ⁹ For the Lord’s share is His people. He chose the people of Jacob for Himself. ¹⁰ He found him in a desert land, in the empty waste of a desert. He came around him and cared for him. He kept him as He would His own eye. ¹¹ Like an eagle that shakes its nest, that flies over its young, He spread His wings and caught them. He carried them on His wings. ¹² The Lord alone led him. There was no strange god with him. ¹³ He made him sit on the high places of the earth. And he ate the food of the field. He made him eat honey from the rock, oil out of hard rock, ¹⁴ milk from cows and milk from the flock, the fat of lambs, rams of Bashan, goats, and the best of the grain. And you drank wine of the blood of grapes.

¹⁵ “But Jeshurun grew fat and would not obey. You became fat and full of food. Then he turned away from God Who made him. He hated the Rock of His saving power. ¹⁶ They made Him jealous with strange gods. They made Him angry with hated things. ¹⁷ They gave gifts to demons who were not God, to gods they have not known, new gods who came later, whom your fathers did not fear. ¹⁸ You did not think of the Rock Who gave you birth. You forgot the God Who gave you birth.

¹⁹ “The Lord saw this, and hated them. His sons and daughters made Him angry. ²⁰ Then He said, ‘I will hide My face from them. I will see what their end will be. For they are a sinful people, children who are not faithful. ²¹ They have made Me jealous with what is not God. They have made Me angry with their false gods. So I will make them jealous with those who are not a people. I will make them angry with a foolish nation. ²² For a fire is started by My anger. It burns to the very bottom of the place of the dead. It burns up the earth and all that grows on the earth. It burns the base of the mountains.

²³ ‘I will send much trouble upon them. I will use My arrows against them. ²⁴ They will be wasted with hunger. They will be destroyed by burning heat and disease. I will send the teeth of wild animals against them, with the poison of things moving in the dust. ²⁵ The sword will bring death in the street, and bring fear in the homes. It will destroy both young man and young woman, the baby and the man with white hair. ²⁶ I would have said, “I will cut them to pieces. I will make all people forget about them.” ²⁷ But I was afraid that those who hate them would fight in anger against them and would not understand. They would say, “We have won with our own strength. The Lord has not done this.”’

²⁸ “For they are a nation without wise teaching. There is no understanding in them. ²⁹ If they were wise, they would understand this. They would know their future! ³⁰ How could one run after a thousand? How could two make ten thousand run away, unless their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had given them up? ³¹ For their rock is not like our Rock. Even those who hate us judge this. ³² Their vine is from the vine of Sodom, and from the fields of Gomorrah. Their grapes are grapes of poison. Their fruit tastes bitter. ³³ Their wine is the poison of snakes that kill.

³⁴ ‘Are they not kept in store with Me, shut in with My stores of riches? ³⁵ It is Mine to punish when their foot makes a false step. The day of their trouble is near. Their fall is coming fast upon them.’ ³⁶ For the Lord will judge His people. He will have loving-pity on His servants when He sees their strength is gone, and none are left of those who are free or of those who are not free. ³⁷ Then He will say, ‘Where are their gods? Where is the rock where they went to be safe? ³⁸ Who ate the fat of their burnt gifts and drank the wine of their drink gifts? Let them come and help you. Let them be your hiding place! ³⁹ See now that it is I. I am He. There is no god except Me. It is I Who kills and gives life. I hurt, and I heal. And there is no one who can take from My hand. ⁴⁰ For I lift up My hand to heaven, and promise that, as I live forever, ⁴¹ I will make My shining sword sharp. My hand takes hold of what is right and fair. I will punish those who are against Me. And I will punish those who hate Me. ⁴² I will make My arrows drunk with blood. My sword will eat flesh with the blood of those who are killed and those who are in prison, from the long-haired leaders of those who hate Me.’ ⁴³ Be glad, O nations, with His people! For He will punish because of the blood of His servants. He will punish those who fight against Him. And He will take away the sin of His land and His people.”

⁴⁴ Moses came with Joshua the son of Nun and spoke all the words of this song in the ears of the people. ⁴⁵ When Moses had finished speaking all these words to all Israel, ⁴⁶ he said to them, “Take into your heart all the words I tell you today. Tell them to your children, so they may be careful to do all the words of this Law. ⁴⁷ This word is of great worth to you. It is your very life. By this word you will live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan to take.”

Moses to Die on Mount Nebo

⁴⁸ The Lord said to Moses that same day, ⁴⁹ “Go up to this mountain of the Abarim, Mount Nebo, in the land of Moab beside Jericho. Look at the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel for their own. ⁵⁰ Then die on the mountain you go up, and join your people, as Aaron your brother died on Mount Hor and joined his people. ⁵¹ This is because you were not faithful to Me among the people of Israel at the waters of Meribah-Kadesh, in the Desert of Zin and you did not honor Me as holy among the people of Israel. ⁵² You will see the land from far away, but you will not go into the land I am giving the people of Israel.”

¹²¹ I have done what is fair and right. Do not leave me to those who would make it hard for me. ¹²² Promise that You will bring good to Your servant. Do not let the proud make it hard for me. ¹²³ My eyes become weak with desire for Your saving power and for Your Word that is right and good. ¹²⁴ Act in Your loving-kindness toward Your servant, and teach me Your Laws. ¹²⁵ I am Your servant. Give me understanding so I may know Your Law. ¹²⁶ It is time for You to work, Lord, for they have broken Your Law. ¹²⁷ I love Your Word more than gold, more than pure gold. ¹²⁸ And so I look upon all of Your Law as right. I hate every false way.

¹²⁹ Your Laws are wonderful, and so I obey them. ¹³⁰ The opening up of Your Word gives light. It gives understanding to the child-like. ¹³¹ I opened my mouth wide, breathing with desire for Your Law. ¹³² Turn to me and show me loving-favor, as You always do to those who love Your name. ¹³³ Set my steps in Your Word. Do not let sin rule over me. ¹³⁴ Set me free from the power of man, and I will obey Your Law. ¹³⁵ Make Your face shine upon Your servant and teach me Your Law. ¹³⁶ Tears flow from my eyes because of those who do not keep Your Law.

¹³⁷ You are right and good, O Lord, and Your Law is right. ¹³⁸ The Law You have made is right and good and very faithful. ¹³⁹ I feel weak because those who hate me have forgotten Your Word. ¹⁴⁰ Your Word is very pure and Your servant loves it. ¹⁴¹ I am not important and I am hated but I do not forget Your Law. ¹⁴² You are right forever, and Your Law is truth. ¹⁴³ Trouble and suffering have come upon me, yet Your Word is my joy. ¹⁴⁴ Your Law is right forever. Give me understanding and I will live.

Sin Keeps One from God

59 See, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save, and His ear is not closed that it cannot hear. ² But your wrong-doings have kept you away from your God. Your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. ³ For your hands are sinful with blood, your fingers with wrong-doing, your lips have lied, and your tongue talks about sin. ⁴ No one wants what is right and fair in court. And no one argues his cause with the truth. They trust in what is false, and speak lies. They plan to make trouble and do what is sinful. ⁵ They bring young ones from the eggs of deadly snakes and make traps as a spider does. He who eats of their eggs dies, and a snake comes out of the egg that is crushed. ⁶ Clothing cannot be made from the work of the spider, so they cannot cover themselves with what they make. Their works are works of sin. They hurt others with their hands. ⁷ And they are quick to sin and to kill people who are not guilty. Their thoughts are thoughts of sin. Wherever they go, they destroy and cause suffering. ⁸ They know nothing about peace, and there is nothing fair in their paths. Their roads are not straight. Whoever walks on them does not know peace.

⁹ So what is right and fair is far from us. What is right and good does not come to us. We hope for light, but see darkness. We hope for bright light, but we walk in the dark. ¹⁰ We feel for the wall like blind men. We feel our way like those who have no eyes. We trip at noon as in the night. Among those who are strong, we are like dead men. ¹¹ All of us make noise like bears, and cry inside ourselves like doves. We hope for what is right and fair, but it is not there. We hope to be saved, but it is far from us. ¹² For we have done much wrong before You, and our sins speak against us. Our wrong-doing is with us, and we know our sins. ¹³ We have gone against the Lord and have acted as if we do not know Him. We have turned away from our God. We have made it hard for others. We have thought and spoken lying words from the heart. ¹⁴ What is right and fair is turned back. What is right and good stands far away. Truth has fallen in the street, and what is right cannot come in. ¹⁵ Yes, truth is not there. And he who turns away from sin comes under the anger of sinners.

Now the Lord saw this, and it did not please Him to see that what is right and fair was not being done. ¹⁶ He saw and wondered that there was no man to speak up for what is right. Then His own arm brought saving power, and what is right with Him gave Him strength. ¹⁷ Being right and good was His covering for His breast, saving power was His headcovering, clothing of anger was his covering, and His strong desires were like a coat. ¹⁸ He will pay them back for their works. He will send anger upon those who are against Him, and will punish those who hate Him. He will send punishment on the islands. ¹⁹ They will fear the name of the Lord from the west, and His shining-greatness from the rising of the sun. When the one who hates us comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a wall against him. ²⁰ “The One Who saves from the punishment of sin will come to Zion, and He will come to those of Jacob who turn from their sinful ways,” says the Lord. ²¹ “And as for Me, this is My agreement with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit which is upon you, and My Words which I have put in your mouth, will not leave your mouth, or the mouth of your children, or the mouth of your children’s children,” say the Lord, “from now and forever.”

Jesus Teaches on the Mountain about Saying What Is Wrong in Others

7 “Do not say what is wrong in other people’s lives. Then other people will not say what is wrong in your life. ² You will be guilty of the same things you find in others. When you say what is wrong in others, your words will be used to say what is wrong in you. ³ Why do you look at the small piece of wood in your brother’s eye, and do not see the big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take that small piece of wood out of your eye,’ when there is a big piece of wood in your own eye? ⁵ You who pretend to be someone you are not, first take the big piece of wood out of your own eye. Then you can see better to take the small piece of wood out of your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give that which belongs to God to dogs. Do not throw your pearls in front of pigs. They will break them under their feet. Then they will turn and tear you to pieces.

Jesus Teaches about Prayer

⁷ “Ask, and what you are asking for will be given to you. Look, and what you are looking for you will find. Knock, and the door you are knocking on will be opened to you. ⁸ Everyone who asks receives what he asks for. Everyone who looks finds what he is looking for. Everyone who knocks has the door opened to him. ⁹ What man among you would give his son a stone if he should ask for bread? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, would he give him a snake? ¹¹ You are bad and you know how to give good things to your children. How much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask Him?

Jesus Teaches about Others

¹² “Do for other people whatever you would like to have them do for you. This is what the Jewish Law and the early preachers said.

Jesus Teaches about Two Roads

¹³ “Go in through the narrow door. The door is wide and the road is easy that leads to hell. Many people are going through that door. ¹⁴ But the door is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life that lasts forever. Few people are finding it.

Jesus Teaches about False Teachers

¹⁵ “Watch out for false teachers. They come to you dressed as if they were sheep. On the inside they are hungry wolves. ¹⁶ You will know them by their fruit. Do men pick grapes from thorns? Do men pick figs from thistles? ¹⁷ It is true, every good tree has good fruit. Every bad tree has bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot have bad fruit. A bad tree cannot have good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not have good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ So you will know them by their fruit. ²¹ Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will go into the holy nation of heaven. The one who does the things My Father in heaven wants him to do will go into the holy nation of heaven. ²² Many people will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not preach in Your Name? Did we not put out demons in Your Name? Did we not do many powerful works in Your Name?’ ²³ Then I will say to them in plain words, ‘I never knew you. Go away from Me, you who do wrong!’

Jesus Teaches about Houses Built on Rock or Sand

²⁴ “Whoever hears these words of Mine and does them, will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. ²⁵ The rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house did not fall because it was built on rock. ²⁶ Whoever hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down. The water came up. The wind blew and hit the house. The house fell and broke apart.” ²⁸ Then Jesus finished talking. The people were surprised and wondered about His teaching. ²⁹ He was teaching them as One Who has the right and the power to teach. He did not teach as the teachers of the Law.