M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Shames Saul
24 After Saul returned from chasing the Philistines, he was told, “David is in the Desert of En Gedi.” 2 So he took three thousand chosen men from all Israel and began looking for David and his men near the Rocks of the Wild Goats.
3 Saul came to the sheep pens beside the road. A cave was there, and he went in to relieve himself. Now David and his men were hiding far back in the cave. 4 The men said to David, “Today is the day the Lord spoke of when he said, ‘I will give your enemy over to you. Do anything you want with him.’”
Then David crept up to Saul and quietly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 5 Later David felt guilty because he had cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. 6 He said to his men, “May the Lord keep me from doing such a thing to my master! Saul is the Lord’s appointed king. I should not do anything against him, because he is the Lord’s appointed king!” 7 David used these words to stop his men; he did not let them attack Saul. Then Saul left the cave and went his way.
8 When David came out of the cave, he shouted to Saul, “My master and king!” Saul looked back, and David bowed facedown on the ground. 9 He said to Saul, “Why do you listen when people say, ‘David wants to harm you’? 10 You have seen something with your own eyes today. The Lord put you in my power in the cave. They said I should kill you, but I was merciful. I said, ‘I won’t harm my master, because he is the Lord’s appointed king.’ 11 My father, look at this piece of your robe in my hand! I cut off the corner of your robe, but I didn’t kill you. Now understand and know I am not planning any evil against you. I did nothing wrong to you, but you are hunting me to kill me. 12 May the Lord judge between us, and may he punish you for the wrong you have done to me! But I am not against you. 13 There is an old saying: ‘Evil things come from evil people.’ But I am not against you. 14 Whom is the king of Israel coming out against? Whom are you chasing? It’s as if you are chasing a dead dog or a flea. 15 May the Lord be our judge and decide between you and me. May he support me and show that I am right. May he save me from you!”
16 When David finished saying these words, Saul asked, “Is that your voice, David my son?” And he cried loudly. 17 He said, “You are a better man than I am. You have been good to me, but I have done wrong to you. 18 You told me what good things you did. The Lord handed me over to you, but you did not kill me. 19 People don’t normally let an enemy get away like this, do they? May the Lord reward you because you were good to me today. 20 I know you will surely be king, and you will rule the kingdom of Israel. 21 Now swear to me by the Lord that you will not kill my descendants and that you won’t wipe out my name from my father’s family.”
22 So David made the promise to Saul. Then Saul went back home, and David and his men went up to their hideout.
Wickedness in the Church
5 It is actually being said that there is sexual sin among you. And it is a kind that does not happen even among people who do not know God. A man there has his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! You should have been filled with sadness so that the man who did this should be put out of your group. 3 I am not there with you in person, but I am with you in spirit. And I have already judged the man who did that sin as if I were really there. 4 When you meet together in the name of our Lord Jesus, and I meet with you in spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 then hand this man over to Satan. So his sinful self[a] will be destroyed, and his spirit will be saved on the day of the Lord.
6 Your bragging is not good. You know the saying, “Just a little yeast makes the whole batch of dough rise.” 7 Take out all the old yeast so that you will be a new batch of dough without yeast, which you really are. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 So let us celebrate this feast, but not with the bread that has the old yeast—the yeast of sin and wickedness. Let us celebrate this feast with the bread that has no yeast—the bread of goodness and truth.
9 I wrote you in my earlier letter not to associate with those who sin sexually. 10 But I did not mean you should not associate with those of this world who sin sexually, or with the greedy, or robbers, or those who worship idols. To get away from them you would have to leave this world. 11 I am writing to tell you that you must not associate with those who call themselves believers in Christ but who sin sexually, or are greedy, or worship idols, or abuse others with words, or get drunk, or cheat people. Do not even eat with people like that.
12-13 It is not my business to judge those who are not part of the church. God will judge them. But you must judge the people who are part of the church. The Scripture says, “You must get rid of the evil person among you.”[b]
3 Then the Lord said to me, “Human, eat what you find; eat this scroll. Then go and speak to the people of Israel.” 2 So I opened my mouth, and he gave me the scroll to eat.
3 He said to me, “Human, eat this scroll which I am giving you, and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth.
4 Then he said to me, “Human, go to the people of Israel, and speak my words to them. 5 You are not being sent to people whose speech you can’t understand, whose language is difficult. You are being sent to Israel. 6 You are not being sent to many nations whose speech you can’t understand, whose language is difficult, whose words you cannot understand. If I had sent you to them, they would have listened to you. 7 But the people of Israel will not be willing to listen to you, because they are not willing to listen to me. Yes, all the people of Israel are stubborn and will not obey. 8 See, I now make you as stubborn and as hard as they are. 9 I am making you as hard as a diamond, harder than stone. Don’t be afraid of them or be frightened by them, though they are a people who turn against me.”
10 Also, he said to me, “Human, believe all the words I will speak to you, and listen carefully to them. 11 Then go to the captives, your own people, and say to them, ‘The Lord God says this.’ Tell them this whether they listen or not.”
12 Then the Spirit lifted me up, and I heard a loud rumbling sound behind me, saying, “Praise the glory of the Lord in heaven.” 13 I heard the wings of the living creatures touching each other and the sound of the wheels by them. It was a loud rumbling sound. 14 So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away. I was unhappy and angry, and I felt the great power of the Lord. 15 I came to the captives from Judah, who lived by the Kebar River at Tel Abib. I sat there seven days where these people lived, feeling shocked.
Israel’s Warning
16 After seven days the Lord spoke his word to me again. He said, 17 “Human, I now make you a watchman for Israel. Any time you hear a word from my mouth, warn them for me. 18 When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ you must warn them so they may live. If you don’t speak out to warn the wicked to stop their evil ways, they will die in their sin. But I will hold you responsible for their death. 19 If you warn the wicked and they do not turn from their wickedness or their evil ways, they will die because of their sin. But you will have saved your life.
20 “Again, those who do right may turn away from doing good and do evil. If I make something bad happen to them, they will die. Because you have not warned them, they will die because of their sin, and the good they did will not be remembered. But I will hold you responsible for their deaths. 21 But if you have warned those good people not to sin, and they do not sin, they will surely live, because they believed the warning. And you will have saved your life.”
22 Then I felt the power of the Lord there. He said to me, “Get up and go out to the plain. There I will speak to you.” 23 So I got up and went out to the plain. I saw the glory of the Lord standing there, like the glory I saw by the Kebar River, and I bowed facedown on the ground.
24 Then the Spirit entered me and made me stand on my feet. He spoke to me and said, “Go, shut yourself up in your house. 25 As for you, human, the people will tie you up with ropes so that you will not be able to go out among them. 26 Also, I will make your tongue stick to the roof of your mouth so you will be silent. You will not be able to argue with the people, even though they turn against me. 27 But when I speak to you, I will open your mouth, and you will say to them, ‘The Lord God says this.’ Those who will listen, let them listen. Those who refuse, let them refuse, because they are a people who turn against me.
Life Is Short
For the director of music. For Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
39 I said, “I will be careful how I act
and will not sin by what I say.
I will be careful what I say
around wicked people.”
2 So I kept very quiet.
I didn’t even say anything good,
but I became even more upset.
3 I became very angry inside,
and as I thought about it, my anger burned.
So I spoke:
4 “Lord, tell me when the end will come
and how long I will live.
Let me know how long I have.
5 You have given me only a short life;
my lifetime is like nothing to you.
Everyone’s life is only a breath. Selah
6 People are like shadows moving about.
All their work is for nothing;
they collect things but don’t know who will get them.
7 “So, Lord, what hope do I have?
You are my hope.
8 Save me from all my sins.
Don’t let wicked fools make fun of me.
9 I am quiet; I do not open my mouth,
because you are the one who has done this.
10 Quit punishing me;
your beating is about to kill me.
11 You correct and punish people for their sins;
like a moth, you destroy what they love.
Everyone’s life is only a breath. Selah
12 “Lord, hear my prayer,
and listen to my cry.
Do not ignore my tears.
I am like a visitor with you.
Like my ancestors, I’m only here a short time.
13 Leave me alone so I can be happy
before I leave and am no more.”
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.