M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Defeats Ammon and Aram^(A)

10 Later the king of Ammon died, and his son Hanun became king in his place. ² David thought, “I will show kindness to Hanun as his father Nahash showed me kindness.” So David sent his servants to comfort Hanun after his father’s death. But when David’s servants entered Ammonite territory, ³ the Ammonite princes asked their master Hanun, “Do you think David is honoring your father because he sent men to comfort you? Hasn’t David sent his men to explore the city, spy on it, and destroy it?” ⁴ So Hanun took David’s men, shaved off half of each man’s beard, cut off their clothes from the waist down, and sent them away.

⁵ After David was told what had happened, he sent someone to meet them because they were deeply humiliated. The king said to them, “Stay in Jericho until your beards have grown back, and then return to Jerusalem.”

⁶ The Ammonites realized that they had made themselves offensive to David. So they hired the Arameans from Beth Rehob and Zobah (20,000 foot soldiers), the army of the king of Maacah (1,000 men), and the men of Tob (12,000 men).

⁷ After David heard about this, he sent Joab and all the elite troops. ⁸ The Ammonites formed a battle line at the entrance of the city gate, while the Arameans from Zobah and Rehob and the men from Tob and Maacah remained by themselves in the open country.

⁹ When Joab saw he was under attack in front and behind, he took the select troops of Israel and organized them for combat against the Arameans. ¹⁰ He put his brother Abishai in charge of the rest of the troops. Abishai organized them for combat against the Ammonites.

¹¹ Joab said, “If the Arameans are too strong for my troops, be ready to help me. And if the Ammonites are too strong for your troops, I’ll come to help you. ¹² Be strong! Let’s prove ourselves strong for our people and for the cities of our Elohim, and Yahweh will do what he considers right.”

¹³ Then Joab and his troops advanced to fight the Arameans, and the Arameans fled. ¹⁴ When the Ammonites saw that the Arameans had fled, the Ammonites fled from Abishai and went into the city. So Joab stopped his campaign against the Ammonites and returned to Jerusalem.

¹⁵ Realizing that Israel had defeated them, the Arameans reassembled their troops. ¹⁶ Hadadezer sent messengers to get Arameans from beyond the Euphrates River. The Arameans came to Helam with Shobach, the commander of Hadadezer’s army, leading them.

¹⁷ When David was told about this, he assembled Israel’s army, crossed the Jordan River, and came to Helam. The Arameans formed a battle line against David’s troops and fought him. ¹⁸ The Arameans fled from Israel, and David killed 700 chariot drivers and 40,000 horsemen. David struck Shobach dead.

¹⁹ When all the kings who were subject to Hadadezer saw that Israel had defeated them, they made peace with Israel and became their subjects. And the Arameans were afraid to help the Ammonites anymore.

The Ministry That Comes from Christ Is Greater Than Moses’ Ministry

3 Do we have to show you our qualifications again? Do we, like some people, need letters that recommend us to you or letters from you that recommend us to others? ² You’re our letter of recommendation written in our hearts that everyone knows and reads. ³ It’s clear that you are Christ’s letter, written as a result of our ministry. You are a letter written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, a letter written not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

⁴ Christ gives us confidence about you in God’s presence. ⁵ By ourselves we are not qualified in any way to claim that we can do anything. Rather, God makes us qualified. ⁶ He has also qualified us to be ministers of a new promise,^[a] a spiritual promise, not a written one. Clearly, what was written brings death, but the Spirit brings life.

⁷ The ministry that brought death was inscribed on stone. Yet, it came with such glory that the people of Israel couldn’t look at Moses’ face. His face was shining with glory, even though that glory was fading. ⁸ Won’t the ministry that brings the Spirit have even more glory? ⁹ If the ministry that brings punishment has glory, then the ministry that brings God’s approval has an overwhelming glory. ¹⁰ In fact, the ministry that brings punishment lost its glory because of the superior glory of the other ministry. ¹¹ If that former ministry faded away despite its glory, how much more does that ministry which remains continue to be glorious?

¹² Since we have confidence in the new promise, we speak very boldly. ¹³ We are not like Moses. He kept covering his face with a veil. He didn’t want the people of Israel to see the glory fading away. ¹⁴ However, their minds became closed. In fact, to this day the same veil is still there when they read the Old Testament. It isn’t removed, because only Christ can remove it. ¹⁵ Yet, even today, when they read the books of Moses, a veil covers their minds. ¹⁶ But whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.

¹⁷ This Lord is the Spirit. Wherever the Lord’s Spirit is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Judah Is Compared to a Tree

17 Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ² “Son of man, tell this riddle. Give this illustration to the nation of Israel. ³ Say, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: A large eagle came to Lebanon. It had large wings with long, colorful feathers. It took hold of the top of a cedar tree. ⁴ It broke off the highest twig and carried it to a country of merchants. It planted the twig in a city of merchants.

⁵ “‘Then it took a seedling from that country and planted the seedling in fertile soil. The eagle planted the seedling like a willow where there was plenty of water. ⁶ The plant sprouted and grew into a low vine that spread over the ground. Its branches turned upward toward the eagle, but its roots grew downward. So it became a vine, producing branches and growing shoots.

⁷ “‘There was another large eagle with large wings and many feathers. Now, the vine stretched its roots toward this eagle and sent its branches toward the eagle so that the eagle could water it. The vine turned away from the garden where it was planted. ⁸ It was planted in good soil beside plenty of water so that it could grow branches, bear fruit, and become a wonderful vine.’

⁹ “Tell the nation of Israel, ‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: Will this vine live and grow? Won’t the first eagle uproot it and tear off its fruit? Then it will wither. All the leaves on its branches will wither. It won’t take much strength or many people to pull the vine up by its roots. ¹⁰ It might be planted again, but will it live and grow? It will wither completely when the east wind blows on it. It will certainly wither in the garden where it is growing.’”

¹¹ Yahweh spoke his word to me. He said, ¹² “Ask these rebellious people, ‘Don’t you know what this means?’ Tell them, ‘The king of Babylon came to Jerusalem and captured its king and its leaders. He brought them home with him to Babylon. ¹³ Then he took someone from the royal family, made a treaty with him, and made him promise to be loyal. He took away the leading citizens from Judah ¹⁴ so that it would remain a humiliated country and be unable to regain its power. The country could only survive by keeping the treaty. ¹⁵ But the king of Judah rebelled against the king of Babylon by sending his messengers to Egypt to get horses and many soldiers. Will the king of Judah succeed? Will anyone who does such things escape? He can’t break a treaty and go unpunished.

¹⁶ “‘As I live, declares Adonay Yahweh, the king of Judah will die in Babylonia. He will die in the country of the king who appointed him king of Judah. The king of Judah broke his promise and his treaty with the king of Babylon. ¹⁷ Even with a large army and many people, Pharaoh will not be able to help him in battle when the Babylonians put up dirt ramps and set up blockades to kill many people. ¹⁸ The king of Judah broke the promise and the treaty that he pledged to keep. He did all these things, and he can’t go unpunished.

¹⁹ “‘So this is what Adonay Yahweh says: As I live, I will certainly punish you for rejecting my promise and hating my treaty. ²⁰ I will spread my net over you to catch you in my trap. I will take you to Babylon and judge you there for rebelling against me. ²¹ The best of your troops will die in battle. Anyone who remains will be scattered in every direction that the wind blows. Then you will know that I, Yahweh, have spoken.

²² “‘This is what Adonay Yahweh says: I, too, will take hold of the top of a cedar tree. I will break off the highest twig and plant it on a high and lofty mountain. ²³ I will plant it on a high mountain in Israel. It will grow branches and produce fruit. It will become a magnificent cedar tree. Every kind of bird will nest in it and find a home in the shelter of its branches. ²⁴ Then all the trees in the field will know that I am Yahweh. I cut down tall trees, and I make small trees grow tall. I dry up green trees, and I make dry trees grow. I, Yahweh, have spoken, and I will do it.’”

Psalm 60

For the choir director; according to shushan eduth;^[a] a miktam by David; for teaching. When David fought Aram Naharaim and Aram Zobah, and when Joab came back and killed 12,000 men from Edom in the Dead Sea region.

Psalm 61

For the choir director; on a stringed instrument; by David.