M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David with the Philistines

27 David said to himself, “Some day Saul will kill me. There is nothing better for me than to run to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will become tired of looking for me any more in the land of Israel. And I will get away from him.” ² So David got up and crossed over with his 600 men to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath. ³ David lived with Achish at Gath, he and his men. Each man had those of his family with him. David had with him his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, who had been Nabal’s wife. ⁴ When Saul was told that David had run to Gath, he looked for him no more.

⁵ Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your eyes, let me be given a place in one of the country towns, that I may live there. For why should your servant live with you in the city of the king?” ⁶ So Achish gave him the town of Ziklag that day. Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. ⁷ David lived in the country of the Philistines for a year and four months.

⁸ Now David and his men went up to fight the Geshurites, the Girzites and the Amalekites. For they had been living in the land a long time, as you come to Shur, even as far as the land of Egypt. ⁹ David destroyed the land and did not leave a man or a woman alive. He took away the sheep, the cattle, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing. Then he returned and came to Achish. ¹⁰ Achish said, “Where have you gone to battle today?” And David said, “Against the Negev of Judah, the Negev of the Jerahmeelites, and the Negev of the Kenites.” ¹¹ David did not leave a man or woman alive to bring news to Gath, thinking, “They might tell about us. They might say, ‘This is what David has done all the time he has lived in the country of the Philistines.’” ¹² And Achish believed David, saying, “He has made the people of Israel hate him. So he will become my servant forever.”

Food Given to False Gods

8 I want to write about food that has been given as a gift in worship to a false god. We all know something about it. Knowing about it makes one feel important. But love makes one strong. ² The person who thinks he knows all the answers still has a lot to learn. ³ But if he loves God, he is known by God also.

⁴ What about food that has been given as a gift to a false god in worship? Is it right? We know that a false god is not a god at all. There is only one God! There is no other. ⁵ Men have thought there are many such gods and lords in the sky and on the earth. ⁶ But we know there is only one God. He is the Father. All things are from Him. He made us for Himself. There is one Lord. He is Jesus Christ. He made all things. He keeps us alive.

⁷ Not all men know this. They have given food as a gift in worship to a god as if the god were alive. Some men have done this all their lives. If they eat such food, their hearts tell them it is wrong. ⁸ Food will not bring us near to God. We are no worse if we do not eat it, or we are no better if we eat it. ⁹ Since you are free to do as you please, be careful that this does not hurt a weak Christian. ¹⁰ A Christian who is weak may see you eat food in a place where it has been given as a gift to false gods in worship. Since he sees you eat it, he will eat it also. ¹¹ You may make the weak Christian fall into sin by what you have done. Remember, he is a Christian brother for whom Christ died. ¹² When you sin against a weak Christian by making him do what is wrong, you sin against Christ. ¹³ So then, if eating meat makes my Christian brother trip and fall, I will never eat it again. I do not want to make my Christian brother sin.

The Lord Judges Israel for Worshiping False Gods

6 The Word of the Lord came to me, saying, ² “Son of man, turn your face toward the mountains of Israel, and tell what is going to happen against them. ³ Say, ‘Mountains of Israel, listen to the Word of the Lord God! This is what the Lord God says to the mountains, the hills, the deep and wide valleys: “I Myself am going to bring a sword against you. And I will destroy your high places. ⁴ So your altars will be laid waste. Your altars for special perfume will be broken. And I will kill your people in front of your false gods. ⁵ I will lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their false gods, and spread your bones around your altars. ⁶ In every place you live, cities will be laid waste and the high places will be destroyed. Your altars will be laid waste and destroyed. Your false gods will be broken and destroyed. Your altars for special perfume will come to an end. ⁷ Your people will fall dead among you, and you will know that I am the Lord.

⁸ “But I will leave some of you alive. For some of you will get away from the sword when you are spread among the lands and nations. ⁹ Then those who get away will remember Me in the nations where they have been taken. They will remember how I have been hurt by their sinful hearts which turned away from Me, and by their sinful eyes which followed after their false gods. And they will hate themselves in their own eyes for the sins they have done, for all their sinful ways. ¹⁰ Then they will know that I am the Lord. I have not spoken with empty words that I would bring this trouble upon them.”’

¹¹ “The Lord God says, ‘Clap your hands, and step hard with your feet, and say, “It is bad because of all the hated sins of the people of Israel! They will fall by the sword, hunger, and disease. ¹² He who is far away will die by disease. And he who is near will be killed by the sword. He who stays and is shut in by armies will die by hunger. This is how I will send My anger upon them. ¹³ Then you will know that I am the Lord, when their dead lie among their false gods around their altars. They will lie on every high hill, on all the mountain tops, under every green tree, and under every oak tree with many leaves. Their dead will be in all the places where they burned special perfume to all their false gods. ¹⁴ I will put out My hand against them in every place they live. I will make the land more of a waste than the desert toward Diblah. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”’”

Prayer because of Troubles

44 O God, we have heard with our ears. Our fathers have told us what work You did in their days, in the days long ago. ² With Your own hand You made the nations leave, and put our fathers in the land. You brought trouble upon the nations, and You spread them out. ³ It was not by their sword that they took the land. Their own arm did not save them. But it was Your right hand, and Your arm, and the light of Your face, for You favored them.

⁴ You are my King, O God. Jacob wins because You say it must be so. ⁵ Through You we will push away those who hate us. Through Your name we will walk over those who rise up against us. ⁶ For I will not trust my bow, and my sword will not save me. ⁷ But You have saved us from those who fight against us. You have put to shame those who hate us. ⁸ In God we have had our pride all day long. And we will give thanks to Your name forever.

⁹ But now You have turned from us and have put us to shame. You do not go out with our armies. ¹⁰ You made us turn away from those who fight against us. And those who hate us have robbed us. ¹¹ You give us up to be eaten like sheep. You have spread us out among the nations. ¹² You sell Your people for nothing, and become no richer from their price. ¹³ You have made us a shame to our neighbors. Those around us laugh and make fun of us. ¹⁴ You have made us hated among the nations. The people laugh at us. ¹⁵ All day long my shame is with me and has become too much for me. ¹⁶ Those who talk against me, and who hate me are around me and want to punish me.

¹⁷ All this has come upon us, but we have not forgotten You. We have not been false to Your agreement. ¹⁸ Our heart has not turned away. And our steps have not turned from Your way. ¹⁹ But You have crushed us in a place of wild dogs, and covered us with the shadow of death.

²⁰ If we had forgotten the name of our God, or put out our hands to a strange god, ²¹ would not God find this out? For He knows the secrets of the heart. ²² But we are killed all day long because of You. We are thought of as sheep that are ready to be killed. ²³ Awake, O Lord! Why do You sleep? Rise up! Do not turn away from us forever. ²⁴ Why do You hide Your face? Why do You forget our troubles and our suffering? ²⁵ For our soul is brought down to the dust. Our body holds on to the earth. ²⁶ Rise up and help us! Save us because of Your loving-kindness.