M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Chapter 10
1 Then, from a flask he had with him, Samuel poured oil on Saul’s head and kissed him, saying: “The Lord anoints you ruler over his people Israel. You are the one who will govern the Lord’s people and save them from the power of their enemies all around them.(A)
The Signs Foretold. “This will be the sign[a] for you that the Lord has anointed you ruler over his heritage: 2 When you leave me today, you will meet two men near Rachel’s tomb[b] at Zelzah in the territory of Benjamin. They will say to you, ‘The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father is no longer worried about the donkeys, but is anxious about you and says: What shall I do about my son?’(B) 3 Farther on, when you arrive at the oak of Tabor,[c] three men will meet you as they go up to God at Bethel; one will be bringing three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and the third a skin of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two elevated offerings of bread, which you should accept from them. 5 (C)After that you will come to Gibeath-elohim, where the Philistine garrison[d] is located. As you enter that city, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the high place. They will be preceded by lyres, tambourines, flutes, and harps, and will be in prophetic ecstasy. 6 The spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will join them in their prophetic ecstasy and will become a changed man.(D) 7 When these signs have come to pass, do whatever lies to hand, because God is with you. 8 (E)Now go down ahead of me to Gilgal, for I shall come down to you, to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice communion offerings. Wait seven days until I come to you; I shall then tell you what you must do.”[e]
The Signs Come to Pass. 9 As Saul turned to leave Samuel, God changed his heart. That very day all these signs came to pass…. 10 [f]From there they arrived at Gibeah, where a band of prophets met Saul, and the spirit of God rushed upon him, so that he joined them in their prophetic ecstasy.(F) 11 When all who had known him previously saw him in a prophetic state among the prophets, they said to one another, “What has happened to the son of Kish? Is Saul also among the prophets?”(G) 12 And someone from that district responded, “And who is their father?” Thus the saying arose, “Is Saul also among the prophets?” 13 When he came out of the prophetic ecstasy, he went home.
Silence About the Kingship. 14 Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant, “Where have you been?” Saul replied, “Looking for the donkeys. When we could not find them, we went to Samuel.” 15 Saul’s uncle said, “Tell me, then, what Samuel said to you.” 16 Saul said to his uncle, “He assured us that the donkeys had been found.” But Saul told him nothing about what Samuel had said about the kingship.
Saul Chosen King. 17 Samuel called the people together to the Lord at Mizpah(H) 18 and addressed the Israelites: “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: It was I who brought Israel up from Egypt and delivered you from the power of the Egyptians and from the power of all the kingdoms that oppressed you.(I) 19 But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your evils and calamities, by saying, ‘No! You must appoint a king over us.’ Now, therefore, take your stand before the Lord according to your tribes and families.”(J) 20 So Samuel had all the tribes of Israel come forward, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen.[g] 21 Next he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward by clans, and the clan of Matri was chosen, and finally Saul, son of Kish, was chosen. But when they went to look for him, he was nowhere to be found. 22 (K)Again they consulted the Lord, “Is there still someone else to come forward?” The Lord answered: He is hiding among the baggage. 23 They ran to bring him from there; when he took his place among the people, he stood head and shoulders above all the people.(L) 24 Then Samuel addressed all the people, “Do you see the man whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people!” Then all the people shouted out, “Long live the king!”(M)
25 Samuel next explained to the people the rules of the monarchy,[h] wrote them in a book, and placed them before the presence of the Lord. Samuel then sent the people back to their own homes.(N) 26 Saul also went home to Gibeah, accompanied by warriors whose hearts the Lord had touched. 27 But some worthless people said, “How can this fellow save us?” They despised him and brought him no tribute.[i](O)
Chapter 8
The Flesh and the Spirit.[a] 1 Hence, now there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has freed you from the law of sin and death.(A) 3 For what the law, weakened by the flesh, was powerless to do, this God has done: by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for the sake of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh,(B) 4 so that the righteous decree of the law might be fulfilled in us, who live not according to the flesh but according to the spirit.(C) 5 For those who live according to the flesh are concerned with the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the spirit with the things of the spirit. 6 The concern of the flesh is death, but the concern of the spirit is life and peace.(D) 7 For the concern of the flesh is hostility toward God; it does not submit to the law of God, nor can it;(E) 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.(F) 9 But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.(G) 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness.(H) 11 If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. 12 Consequently, brothers, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.(I)
Children of God Through Adoption.[b] 14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.(J) 15 For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received a spirit of adoption, through which we cry, “Abba,[c] Father!”(K) 16 The Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,(L) 17 and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if only we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.(M)
Destiny of Glory.[d] 18 I consider that the sufferings of this present time are as nothing compared with the glory to be revealed for us.(N) 19 For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; 20 for creation was made subject to futility, not of its own accord but because of the one who subjected it,(O) in hope 21 that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God.(P) 22 We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now;(Q) 23 and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies.(R) 24 For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees?(S) 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.
26 In the same way, the Spirit too comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. 27 And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because it intercedes for the holy ones according to God’s will.(T)
God’s Indomitable Love in Christ. 28 [e]We know that all things work for good for those who love God,[f] who are called according to his purpose.(U) 29 [g]For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.(V) 30 And those he predestined he also called; and those he called he also justified; and those he justified he also glorified.(W)
31 [h]What then shall we say to this? If God is for us, who can be against us?(X) 32 He who did not spare his own Son but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him?(Y) 33 Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us.(Z) 34 Who will condemn? It is Christ [Jesus] who died, rather, was raised, who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.(AA) 35 What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? 36 As it is written:(AB)
“For your sake we are being slain all the day;
we are looked upon as sheep to be slaughtered.”
37 No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.(AC) 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor present things,[i] nor future things, nor powers,(AD) 39 nor height, nor depth,[j] nor any other creature will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Chapter 47
Against the Philistines. 1 The word of the Lord that came to Jeremiah the prophet concerning the Philistines, before Pharaoh attacked Gaza:(A)
2 Thus says the Lord:
[a] See: waters are rising from the north,
to become a torrent in flood;
They shall flood the land and all it contains,
the cities and their inhabitants.
People will howl and wail,
every inhabitant of the land.
3 At the noise of the pounding hooves of his steeds,
the clanking chariots, the rumbling wheels,
Parents do not turn back for their children;
their hands hang helpless,
4 Because of the day that is coming
to destroy all the Philistines
And cut off from Tyre and Sidon[b]
the last of their allies.
Yes, the Lord is destroying the Philistines,
the remnant from the coasts of Caphtor.(B)
5 Baldness is visited upon Gaza,(C)
Ashkelon is reduced to silence;
Ashdod, remnant of their strength,
how long will you gash yourself?[c]
6 Ah! Sword of the Lord!
When will you find rest?
Return to your scabbard;
stop, be still!
7 How can it find rest
when the Lord has commanded it?
Against Ashkelon and the seacoast,
there he has appointed it.(D)
Psalm 23[a]
The Lord, Shepherd and Host
1 A psalm of David.
I
The Lord is my shepherd;[b]
there is nothing I lack.(A)
2 In green pastures he makes me lie down;
to still waters he leads me;
3 (B)he restores my soul.
He guides me along right paths[c]
for the sake of his name.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,(C)
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff comfort me.
II
5 [d]You set a table before me
in front of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;(D)
my cup overflows.(E)
6 Indeed, goodness and mercy[e] will pursue me
all the days of my life;
I will dwell in the house of the Lord(F)
for endless days.
Psalm 24[f]
The Glory of God in Procession to Zion
1 A psalm of David.
I
The earth is the Lord’s and all it holds,(G)
the world and those who dwell in it.
2 For he founded it on the seas,
established it over the rivers.(H)
II
3 Who may go up the mountain of the Lord?(I)
Who can stand in his holy place?
4 [g]“The clean of hand and pure of heart,
who has not given his soul to useless things,
what is vain.
5 He will receive blessings from the Lord,
and justice from his saving God.
6 Such is the generation that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.”
Selah
III
7 Lift up your heads, O gates;[h]
be lifted, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.(J)
8 Who is this king of glory?
The Lord, strong and mighty,
the Lord, mighty in war.
9 Lift up your heads, O gates;
rise up, you ancient portals,
that the king of glory may enter.
10 Who is this king of glory?
The Lord of hosts, he is the king of glory.
Selah
Scripture texts, prefaces, introductions, footnotes and cross references used in this work are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition © 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Inc., Washington, DC All Rights Reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.