M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Aaron and Miriam Rebel
12 Miriam and Aaron rebelled against Moses on account of the Cushite woman that he had married. 2 They asked, “Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Hasn’t he also spoken through us?”
But the Lord heard it.
3 Now the man Moses was very humble—more than any person on earth. 4 All of a sudden, the Lord told Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, “The three of you are to come out to the Tent of Meeting.” So the three of them went out. 5 Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, stood at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, and summoned Aaron and Miriam. So both of them went forward.
6 Then he told the two of them: “Pay attention to what I have to say! When there is a prophet among you, won’t I, the Lord, reveal myself to him in a vision? Won’t I speak with him in a dream? 7 But that’s not how it is with my servant Moses, since he has been entrusted with my entire household! 8 I speak to him audibly[a] and in visions, not in mysteries.[b] If he can gaze at the image of the Lord, why aren’t you afraid to speak against my servant Moses?” 9 Because the Lord was very angry with them, he left, 10 but when the cloud ascended from the tent, Miriam had become leprous, as white as snow! Aaron turned toward Miriam, and she had leprosy!
11 Aaron begged Moses, “I pray my lord, please don’t hold this sin against us, since we’ve acted foolishly and sinned in doing so. 12 Please don’t let her be like one of the living dead, who is born with a congenital skin disease.”[c]
13 So Moses prayed to the Lord: “O Lord, please heal her.”
14 But the Lord told Moses, “If her father had merely spit in her face, wouldn’t she be humiliated? She is to be placed in isolation for seven days. After that, she may be brought in.” 15 So Miriam was isolated outside the camp for seven days and the people didn’t travel until Miriam was brought in. 16 After that, the people traveled from Hazeroth and encamped in the Wilderness of Paran.
The Twelve Explorers(A)
13 Later, the Lord told Moses, 2 “Send men to explore the land of Canaan that I’m about to give to the Israelis. Send one man to represent each of his ancestor’s tribes, every one of them a distinguished leader[d] among them.”
3 So that’s just what Moses did, sending them from the Wilderness of Paran according to the Lord’s instructions. All of the men were Israeli leaders. 4 These were their names: From Reuben’s tribe, Zaccur’s son Shammua; 5 From Simeon’s tribe, Hori’s son Shaphat; 6 From Judah’s tribe, Jephunneh’s son Caleb; 7 from Issachar’s tribe, Joseph’s son Igal; 8 From Ephraim’s tribe, Nun’s son Hoshea; 9 From Benjamin’s tribe, Raphu’s son Palti; 10 from Zebulun’s tribe, Sodi’s son Gaddiel; 11 from Joseph’s tribe of Manasseh, Susi’s son Gaddi; 12 From Dan’s tribe, Gemalli’s son Ammiel; 13 from Asher’s tribe, Michael’s son Sethur; 14 from Naphtali’s tribe, Vophsi’s son Nahbi; 15 and from Gad’s tribe, Machi’s son Geuel. 16 These are the names of the men sent by Moses to explore the land.
Moses Issues Orders to the Explorers
Moses renamed Nun’s son Hoshea to Joshua. 17 Then he[e] sent them out to explore the land of Canaan. He instructed them, “Go up from here through the Negev,[f] then ascend to the hill country. 18 See what the land is like. Observe whether the people who live there are strong or weak, or whether they’re few or numerous. 19 Look to see whether the land where they live is good or bad, and whether the cities in which they live are merely tents or if they’re fortified. 20 Examine the farmland,[g] whether it’s fertile or barren, and see if there are fruit-bearing trees in it or not. Be very courageous, and bring back some samples of the fruit of the land.”
As it was, that time of year[h] was the season for the first fruits of the grape harvest. 21 So they went to explore the land from the Wilderness of Zin to Rehob, and as far as the outskirts of Hamath. 22 They went through the Negev[i] and reached Hebron, where Ahiman, Sheshai, and Talmai, the descendants of Anak lived. (Hebron had been constructed seven years before Zoan in Egypt had been built).[j] 23 Soon they arrived in the valley of Eshcol, where they cut a single branch of grapes and carried it on a pole between two men,[k] along with some pomegranates and figs. 24 The entire place was called the Eshcol Valley on account of the cluster of grapes that the men of Israel had taken from there.
The Explorers Return
25 At the end of 40 days, they all returned from exploring the land, 26 came in to Moses and Aaron, and delivered their report to the entire congregation of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran at Kadesh. They brought back their report to the entire congregation and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 “We arrived at the place where you’ve sent us,” they reported, “and it certainly does flow with milk and honey. Furthermore, this is its fruit, 28 except that the people who have settled in the land are strong, and their cities are greatly fortified. We also saw the descendants of Anak. 29 Amalek lives throughout the Negev,[l] while the Hittites, Jebusites, and Amorites live in the hill country. The Canaanites live by the sea and on the bank of the Jordan.”
30 Caleb silenced the people on Moses’ behalf and responded, “Let’s go up and take control, because we can definitely conquer it.”
31 “We can’t attack those people,” the men who were with him said, “because they’re too strong compared to us.”
32 So they put out this false report to the Israelis about the land that they had explored: “The land that we’ve explored is one[m] that devours its inhabitants. All the people whom we observed were giants.[n] 33 We also saw the Nephilim,[o] the descendants of Anak. Compared to the Nephilim, as we see things, we’re like grasshoppers, and that’s their opinion of us!”
To the Director: A song by the Sons of Korah.
The Destiny of the Wicked and the Upright
49 Listen to this, all you people!
Pay attention, all you who live in the world,
2 both average people and those of means,[a]
the rich and the poor together.
3 My mouth will speak wisely,
and I will understand what I think about.
4 I will focus my attention on[b] a proverb;
I will use the harp to expound my riddle.
5 Why should I be afraid when evil days come my way,
when the wickedness of those who deceive me surrounds me—
6 those who put confidence in their wealth
and boast about their great riches?
7 No man can redeem the life of another,[c]
nor can he give to God a sufficient payment for him—
8 for it would cost too much to redeem his life,
and the payments would go on forever—
9 that he should go on living
and not see corruption.
10 Indeed, he will see wise people die;
the stupid and the senseless will meet their doom
and leave their wealth to others.
11 Their inner thoughts are on[d] their homes forever;
their dwellings from generation to generation.
They even name their lands after themselves.
12 But humanity cannot last, despite its conceit;[e]
it will pass away just like the animals.[f]
13 This is the fate of those who are foolish
and of those who correct their words after they speak.
14 Like sheep, they are destined for the realm of the dead,[g]
with death as their shepherd.
The upright will have dominion over them in the morning;
their strength will be consumed in the afterlife,[h]
so that they have no home.
15 God will truly redeem me from the power[i] of Sheol.[j]
He will surely receive me!
16 Don’t be afraid when someone gets rich,
when the glory of his household increases.
17 When he dies, he will not be able to take it all with him[k]—
his possessions[l] will not follow him to the grave,[m]
18 although he considers himself blessed while he’s alive.
Though people praise you for doing well,
19 you will end up like your[n] ancestors’ generation,
never again to see the light of day!
20 Humanity, despite its conceit, does not understand
that it will perish, just like the animals.
A Message for Judah and Jerusalem
2 The message that Amoz’s son Isaiah received[a] concerning Judah and Jerusalem:
2 “It will come about in the last days
that the mountain that is the Lord’s Temple will be established
as the highest of mountains,[b]
and will be raised above the hills;
all the nations will stream to[c] it.
3 Many groups of people[d] will come, commenting,
“Come! Let’s go up to[e] the Temple of the God of Jacob,
that they[f] may teach us his ways.
Then let’s walk in his paths.”
The Rule of God from Jerusalem
“Instruction[g] will proceed from Zion,
and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
4 He will judge between the nations,
and will render verdicts[h] for the benefit of many.[i]
“They will beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nations will not raise swords against nations,
and they will not learn warfare anymore.
5 “You house of Jacob!
Come! Let’s live[j] in the Lord’s light.
6 For you have rejected your people,
the house of Jacob,
because they are filled with practices learned[k] from the East
and they are fortune-tellers like the Philistines.
They cut deals[l] with foreigners.[m]
7 Their land is filled with silver and gold,
and there is no end to their treasures;
their land is filled with horses,
and there is no end to their chariots.
8 Their land is filled with idols;
they bow down to the work of their hands,
to what their own fingers have made.
The Coming Day of the Lord
10 [p] “Go into the rocks!
Hide in the dust
to escape[q] the terror of the Lord
and to escape[r] the glory of his majesty![s]
11 The[t] haughty looks of mankind will be brought low,[u]
the lofty pride of human beings will be humbled,
and the Lord alone will be exalted at that time.[v]
12 “For the Lord of the Heavenly Armies has reserved[w] a time[x]
to oppose[y] all who are proud and haughty,
and the[z] self-exalting—
they will be humbled.
13 He will take his stand[aa] against all the cedars[ab] of Lebanon,
against the proud and self-exalting;
and against all the oaks of Bashan;
14 against all the high mountains,
and against all the lofty hills;
15 against every high tower,
and against every fortified wall;
16 against all the ships from Tarshish,
and against all their impressive watercraft.
17 “Humanity’s haughtiness will be humbled,
male arrogance will be brought low,
and the Lord alone will be exalted in that day.
18 Their[ac] idols will utterly vanish.[ad]
19 “They will enter caverns in the rocks
and holes in the ground
to escape[ae] the presence of the terror of the Lord,
to escape[af] the splendor of his majesty
when he arises to terrify the earth.
20 At that time,[ag] mankind will throw
their silver and gold idols[ah]
that their fingers have made[ai] as objects of worship
to the moles and to the bats.
21 They will enter caverns in the rocks
and clefts in the cliffs,
to escape[aj] the terror of the Lord
and to escape[ak] the splendor of his majesty,
when he arises to terrorize the earth.
The Law is a Reflection
10 For the Law, being only[a] a reflection[b] of the blessings to come and not their substance, can never make perfect those who come near by the same sacrifices repeatedly offered year after year. 2 Otherwise, would they not have stopped offering them, because the worshipers, cleansed once for all, would no longer be aware of any sins? 3 Instead, through those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins year after year, 4 for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.
The Messiah Offered One Sacrifice
5 For this reason, the Scriptures[c] say, when the Messiah[d] was about to come into the world:
“You did not want sacrifices and offerings,
but you prepared a body for me.
6 In burnt offerings and sin offerings
you never took delight.
7 Then I said, ‘See, I have come to do your will, O God’
In the volume of the scroll this is written about me.”[e]
8 In this passage he says, “You never wanted or took delight in sacrifices, offerings, burnt offerings, and sin offerings,”[f] which are offered according to the Law. 9 Then he says, “See, I have come to do your will.”[g] He takes away the first in order to establish the second. 10 By God’s will we have been sanctified once and for all through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus, the Messiah.[h]
11 Day after day every priest stands and repeatedly offers the same sacrifices that can never take away sins. 12 But when this priest[i] had offered for all time one sacrifice for sins, “he sat down at the right hand of God.”[j] 13 Since that time, he has been waiting for his enemies to be made a footstool for his feet. 14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 15 The Holy Spirit also assures us of this, for he said:
16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them
after those days, declares the Lord:[k]
I will put my laws in their hearts
and will write them on their minds,
17 and I will never again remember their sins
and their lawless deeds.”[l]
18 Now where there is forgiveness of these sins,[m] there is no longer any offering for sin.
How We Should Live
19 Therefore, my brothers, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain (that is, through his flesh), 21 and since we have a great high priest over the household of God, 22 let us continue to come near with sincere hearts in the full assurance that faith provides, because our hearts have been sprinkled clean from a guilty conscience, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. 23 Let us continue to hold firmly to the hope that we confess without wavering, for the one who made the promise is faithful. 24 And let us continue to consider how to motivate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another even more as you see the day of the Lord[n] coming nearer.
26 For if we choose to go on sinning after we have learned the full truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but only a terrifying prospect of judgment and a raging fire that will consume the enemies of God.[o] 28 Anyone who violates the Law of Moses dies without mercy “on the testimony of two or three witnesses.”[p] 29 How much more severe a punishment do you think that person deserves who tramples on God’s Son, treats as common the blood of the covenant by which it[q] was sanctified, and insults the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know the one who said, “Vengeance belongs to me; I will pay them back,”[r] and again, “The Lord[s] will judge his people.”[t] 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God!
32 But you must continue to remember those earlier days, how after you were enlightened you endured a hard and painful struggle. 33 At times you were made a public spectacle by means of insults and persecutions, while at other times you associated with people who were treated this way. 34 For you sympathized[u] with the prisoners and cheerfully submitted to the violent seizure of your property, because you know that you have a better and more permanent possession.
35 So don’t lose your confidence, since it holds a great reward for you. 36 For you need endurance, so that after you have done God’s will you can receive what he has promised. 37 For
“in a very little while
the one who is coming will return—
he will not delay;
38 but my righteous one will live by faith,
and if he turns back,
my soul will take no pleasure in him.”[v]
39 Now, we do not belong to those who turn back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved.
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