M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The Lord Takes Care of You

Moses said:

8 Israel, do you want to go into the land the Lord promised your ancestors? Do you want to capture it, live there, and become a powerful nation? Then be sure to obey every command I am giving you.

² Don't forget how the Lord your God has led you through the desert for the past 40 years. He wanted to find out if you were truly willing to obey him and depend on him, ^3 (A) so he made you go hungry. Then he gave you manna,^[a] a kind of food that you and your ancestors had never even heard about. The Lord was teaching you that people need more than food to live—they need every word that the Lord has spoken.

⁴ Over the past 40 years, your clothing hasn't worn out, and your feet haven't swollen. ^5 (B) So keep in mind that the Lord has been correcting you, just as parents correct their children. ⁶ Obey the commands the Lord your God has given you and worship him with fear and trembling.

⁷ The Lord your God is bringing you into a good land with streams that flow from springs in the valleys and hills. ^8-9 You can dig for copper in those hills, and the stones are made of iron ore. And you won't go hungry. Wheat and barley fields are everywhere, and so are vineyards and orchards full of fig, pomegranate,^[b] and olive trees, and there is plenty of honey.

Don't Forget the Lord

Moses said to Israel:

¹⁰ After you eat and are full, give praise to the Lord your God for the good land he gave you. ^11 (C) Make sure that you never forget the Lord or disobey his laws and teachings that I am giving you today. If you always obey them, ¹² you will have plenty to eat, and you will build good houses to live in. ¹³ You will get more and more cattle, sheep, silver, gold, and other possessions.

¹⁴ But when all this happens, don't be proud! Don't forget that you were once slaves in Egypt and that it was the Lord who set you free. ¹⁵ Remember how he led you in that huge and frightening desert where poisonous snakes and scorpions live. There was no water, but the Lord split open a rock, and water poured out so you could drink. ¹⁶ He also gave you manna,^[c] a kind of food your ancestors had never even heard about. The Lord was testing you to make you trust him, so that later on he could be good to you.

¹⁷ When you become successful, don't say, “I'm rich, and I've earned it all myself.” ¹⁸ Instead, remember that the Lord your God gives you the strength to make a living. That's how he keeps the promise he made to your ancestors.

^19-20 But I'm warning you—if you forget the Lord your God and worship other gods, the Lord will destroy you, just as he destroyed the nations you fought.

The Lord Is My Fortress

The Assyrians Surround Jerusalem

(2 Kings 18.13-27; 2 Chronicles 32.1-19)

36 Hezekiah had been king of Judah for 14 years when King Sennacherib of Assyria invaded the country and captured every walled city ² except Jerusalem. The Assyrian king ordered his army commander to leave the city of Lachish and to take a large army to Jerusalem.

The commander went there and stood on the road near the cloth makers' shops along the canal from the upper pool. ³ Three of the king's highest officials came out of Jerusalem to meet him. One of them was Hilkiah's son Eliakim, who was the prime minister. The other two were Shebna, assistant to the prime minister, and Joah son of Asaph, keeper of the government records.

⁴ The Assyrian commander told them:

I have a message for Hezekiah from the great king of Assyria. Ask Hezekiah why he feels so sure of himself. ⁵ Does he think he can plan and win a war with nothing but words? Who is going to help him, now that he has turned against the king of Assyria? ^6 (A) Is he depending on Egypt and its king? That's the same as leaning on a broken stick, and it will go right through his hand.

⁷ Is Hezekiah now depending on the Lord, your God? Didn't Hezekiah tear down all except one of the Lord's altars and places of worship?^[a] Didn't he tell the people of Jerusalem and Judah to worship at that one place?

⁸ The king of Assyria wants to make a bet with you people! He will give you 2,000 horses, if you have enough troops to ride them. ⁹ How could you even defeat our lowest ranking officer, when you have to depend on Egypt for chariots and cavalry? ¹⁰ Don't forget that it was the Lord who sent me here with orders to destroy your nation!

¹¹ Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah said, “Sir, we don't want the people listening from the city wall to understand what you are saying. So please speak to us in Aramaic instead of Hebrew.”

¹² The Assyrian army commander answered, “My king sent me to speak to everyone, not just to you leaders. These people will soon have to eat their own body waste and drink their own urine! And so will the three of you!”

¹³ Then, in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear, he shouted out in Hebrew:

Listen to what the great king of Assyria says! ¹⁴ Don't be fooled by Hezekiah. He can't save you. ¹⁵ Don't trust him when he tells you that the Lord will protect you from the king of Assyria. ¹⁶ Stop listening to Hezekiah. Pay attention to my king. Surrender to him. He will let you keep your own vineyards, fig trees, and cisterns ¹⁷ for a while. Then he will come and take you away to a country just like yours, where you can plant vineyards and raise your own grain.

¹⁸ Hezekiah claims the Lord will save you. But don't be fooled by him. Were any other gods able to defend their land against the king of Assyria? ¹⁹ What happened to the gods of Hamath, Arpad, and Sepharvaim? Were the gods of Samaria able to protect their land against the Assyrian forces? ²⁰ None of those gods kept their people safe from the king of Assyria. Do you think the Lord, your God, can do any better?

^21-22 Eliakim, Shebna, and Joah had been warned by King Hezekiah not to answer the Assyrian commander. So they tore their clothes in sorrow and reported to Hezekiah everything the commander had said.

Opening the Seven Seals

6 At the same time I saw the Lamb open the first of the seven seals, I heard one of the four living creatures shout with a voice like thunder. It said, “Come out!” ^2 (A) Then I saw a white horse. Its rider carried a bow and was given a crown. He had already won some victories, and he went out to win more.

³ When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, “Come out!” ^4 (B) Then another horse came out. It was fiery red. And its rider was given the power to take away all peace from the earth, so people would slaughter one another. He was also given a big sword.

^5 (C) When the Lamb opened the third seal, I heard the third living creature say, “Come out!” Then I saw a black horse, and its rider had a balance scale in one hand. ⁶ I heard what sounded like a voice from somewhere among the four living creatures. It said, “A liter of wheat will cost you a whole day's wages! Three liters of barley will cost you a day's wages too. But don't ruin the olive oil or the wine.”

⁷ When the Lamb opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come out!” ^8 (D) Then I saw a pale green horse. Its rider was named Death, and Death's Kingdom followed close behind. They were given power over one fourth of the earth, and they could kill its people with swords, famines, diseases, and wild animals.

⁹ When the Lamb opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of everyone who had been killed for speaking God's message and telling about their faith. ¹⁰ They shouted, “Master, you are holy and faithful! How long will it be before you judge and punish the people of this earth who killed us?”

^11 (E) Then each of those who had been killed was given a white robe and told to rest for a little while. They had to wait until the complete number of the Lord's other servants and followers would be killed.

^12 (F) When I saw the Lamb open the sixth seal, I looked and saw a great earthquake. The sun turned as dark as sackcloth,^[a] and the moon became red as blood. ^13 (G) The stars in the sky fell to earth, just like figs shaken loose by a windstorm. ^14 (H) Then the sky was rolled up like a scroll,^[b] and all mountains and islands were moved from their places.

^15 (I) The kings of the earth, its famous people, and its military leaders hid in caves or behind rocks on the mountains. They hid there together with the rich and the powerful and with all the slaves and free people. ^16 (J) Then they shouted to the mountains and the rocks, “Fall on us! Hide us from the one who sits on the throne and from the anger of the Lamb. ^17 (K) That terrible day has come! God and the Lamb will show their anger, and who can face it?”