M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
Rahab Helps the Israelite Spies
2 (A) Joshua chose two men as spies and sent them from their camp at Acacia with these instructions: “Go across the river and find out as much as you can about the whole region, especially about the town of Jericho.”
The two spies left the Israelite camp at Acacia and went to Jericho, where they decided to spend the night at the house of a prostitute[a] named Rahab.
2 But someone found out about them and told the king of Jericho, “Some Israelite men came here tonight, and they are spies.” 3-7 So the king sent soldiers to Rahab's house to arrest the spies.
Meanwhile, Rahab had taken the men up to the flat roof of her house and had hidden them under some piles of flax plants[b] that she had put there to dry.
The soldiers came to her door and demanded, “Let us have the men who are staying at your house. They are spies.”
She answered, “Some men did come to my house, but I didn't know where they had come from. They left about sunset, just before it was time to close the town gate.[c] I don't know where they were going, but if you hurry, maybe you can catch them.”
The guards at the town gate let the soldiers leave Jericho, but they closed the gate again as soon as the soldiers went through. Then the soldiers headed toward the Jordan River to look for the spies at the place where people cross the river.
8 Rahab went back up to her roof. The spies were still awake, so she told them:
9 I know that the Lord has given Israel this land. Everyone shakes with fear because of you. 10 (B) We heard how the Lord dried up the Red Sea[d] so you could leave Egypt. And we heard how you destroyed Sihon and Og, those two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River. 11 We know that the Lord your God rules heaven and earth, and we've lost our courage and our will to fight.
12 Please promise me in the Lord's name that you will be as kind to my family as I have been to you. Do something to show 13 that you won't let your people kill my father and mother and my brothers and sisters and their families.
14 “Rahab,” the spies answered, “if you keep quiet about what we're doing, we promise to be kind to you when the Lord gives us this land. We pray that the Lord will kill us if we don't keep our promise!”[e]
15 Rahab's house was built into the town wall,[f] and one of the windows in her house faced outside the wall. She gave the spies a rope, showed them the window, and said, “Use this rope to let yourselves down to the ground outside the wall. 16 Then hide in the hills. The men who are looking for you won't be able to find you there. They'll give up and come back after a few days, and you can be on your way.”
17-20 The spies said:
You made us promise to let you and your family live. We will keep our promise, but you can't tell anyone why we were here. You must tie this red rope on your window when we attack, and your father and mother, your brothers, and everyone else in your family must be here with you. We'll take the blame if anyone who stays in this house gets hurt. But anyone who leaves your house will be killed, and it won't be our fault.
21 “I'll do exactly what you said,” Rahab promised. Then she sent them on their way and tied the red rope to the window.
22 The spies hid in the hills for three days while the king's soldiers looked for them along the roads. As soon as the soldiers gave up and returned to Jericho, 23 the two spies went down into the Jordan valley and crossed the river. They reported to Joshua and told him everything that had happened. 24 “We're sure the Lord has given us the whole country,” they said. “The people there shake with fear every time they think of us.”
(A song for worship.)
A Prayer for Mercy
1 Our Lord and our God,
I turn my eyes to you,
on your throne in heaven.
2 Servants look to their master,
but we will look to you,
until you have mercy on us.
3 Please have mercy, Lord!
We have been insulted
more than we can stand,
4 and we can't take more abuse
from those proud,
conceited people.
(A song by David for worship.)
Thanking the Lord for Victory
1 The Lord was on our side!
Let everyone in Israel say:
2 “The Lord was on our side!
Otherwise, the enemy attack
3 would have killed us all,
because it was furious.
4 We would have been swept away
in a violent flood
5 of high and roaring waves.”
6 Let's praise the Lord!
He protected us from enemies
who were like wild animals,
7 and we escaped like birds
from a hunter's torn net.
8 The Lord made heaven and earth,
and he is the one
who sends us help.
(A song for worship.)
The Lord's People Are Safe
1 Everyone who trusts the Lord
is like Mount Zion
that cannot be shaken
and will stand forever.
2 Just as Jerusalem is protected
by mountains on every side,
the Lord protects his people
by holding them in his arms
now and forever.
3 He won't let the wicked
rule his people
or lead them to do wrong.
4 Let's ask the Lord to be kind
to everyone who is good
and completely obeys him.
5 When the Lord punishes
the wicked,
he will punish everyone else
who lives an evil life.
Pray for peace in Israel!
Jerusalem Will Be Saved
62 Jerusalem, I will speak up
for your good.
I will never be silent
till you are safe and secure,
sparkling like a flame.
2 Your great victory will be seen
by every nation and king;
the Lord will even give you
a new name.
3 You will be a glorious crown,
a royal headband
for the Lord your God.
4 Your name will no longer be
“Deserted and Childless,”
but “Happily Married.”
You will please the Lord;
your country
will be his bride.
5 Your people will take the land,[a]
just as a young man
takes a bride.
The Lord will be pleased
because of you,
just as a husband is pleased
with his bride.
6 Jerusalem, on your walls
I have stationed guards,
whose duty it is
to speak out day and night,
without resting.
They must remind the Lord
7 and not let him rest
till he makes Jerusalem strong
and famous everywhere.
8 The Lord has given his word
and made this promise:
“Never again will I give
to your enemies
the grain and grapes
for which you struggled.
9 As surely as you harvest
your grain and grapes,
you will eat your bread
with thankful hearts,
and you will drink your wine
in my temple.”
10 People of Jerusalem,
open your gates!
Repair the road to the city
and clear it of stones;
raise a banner to help
the nations find their way.
11 (A) Here is what the Lord has said
for all the earth to hear:
“Soon I will come to save
the city of Zion
and to reward you.
12 Then you will be called,
‘The Lord's Own People,
The Ones He Rescued!’
Your city will be known
as a good place to live
and a city full of people.”
Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles
(Mark 3.13-19; Luke 6.12-16)
10 Jesus called together his twelve disciples. He gave them the power to force out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and sickness. 2 The first of the twelve apostles was Simon, better known as Peter. His brother Andrew was an apostle, and so were James and John, the two sons of Zebedee. 3 Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew the tax collector,[a] James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus were also apostles. 4 The others were Simon, known as the Eager One,[b] and Judas Iscariot,[c] who later betrayed Jesus.
Instructions for the Twelve Apostles
(Mark 6.7-13; Luke 9.1-6)
5 Jesus sent out the twelve apostles with these instructions:
Stay away from the Gentiles and don't go to any Samaritan town. 6 Go only to the people of Israel, because they are like a flock of lost sheep. 7 (A) As you go, announce that the kingdom of heaven will soon be here.[d] 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead to life, heal people who have leprosy,[e] and force out demons. You received without paying, now give without being paid. 9 Don't take along any gold, silver, or copper coins. 10 (B) And don't carry[f] a traveling bag or an extra shirt or sandals or a walking stick.
Workers deserve their food. 11 So when you go to a town or a village, find someone able and willing to have you as their guest and stay with them until you leave. 12 When you go to a home, give it your blessing of peace. 13 If the home is deserving, let your blessing remain with them. But if the home doesn't accept you, take back your blessing of peace. 14 (C) If someone won't welcome you or listen to your message, leave their home or town. And shake the dust from your feet at them.[g] 15 (D) I promise you the day of judgment will be easier for the towns of Sodom and Gomorrah[h] than for that town.
Warning about Trouble
(Mark 13.9-13; Luke 21.12-17)
16 (E) I am sending you like lambs into a pack of wolves. So be as wise as snakes and as innocent as doves. 17 (F) Watch out for people who will take you to court and have you beaten in their synagogues. 18 Because of me, you will be dragged before rulers and kings to tell them and the Gentiles about your faith. 19 But when someone arrests you, don't worry about what you will say or how you will say it. At that time you will be given the words to say. 20 But you will not really be the one speaking. The Spirit from your Father will tell you what to say.
21 (G) Brothers and sisters will betray one another and have each other put to death. Parents will betray their own children, and children will turn against their parents and have them killed. 22 (H) Everyone will hate you because of me. But if you remain faithful until the end, you will be saved. 23 When people mistreat you in one town, hurry to another one. I promise you before you have gone to all the towns of Israel, the Son of Man will come.
24 (I) Students are not better than their teacher, and slaves are not better than their master. 25 (J) It is enough for students to be like their teacher and for slaves to be like their master. If people call the head of the family Satan, what will they say about the rest of the family?
The One To Fear
(Luke 12.2-7)
26 (K) Don't be afraid of anyone! Everything that is hidden will be found out, and every secret will be known. 27 Whatever I say to you in the dark, you must tell in the light. And you must announce from the housetops whatever I have whispered to you. 28 (L) Don't be afraid of people. They can kill you, but they cannot harm your soul. Instead, you should fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell. 29 Aren't two sparrows sold for only a penny? But your Father knows when any one of them falls to the ground. 30 Even the hairs on your head are counted. 31 So don't be afraid! You are worth much more than many sparrows.
Telling Others about Christ
(Luke 12.8,9)
32 If you tell others you belong to me, I will tell my Father in heaven you are my followers. 33 (M) But if you reject me, I will tell my Father in heaven you don't belong to me.
Not Peace, but Trouble
(Luke 12.51-53; 14.26,27)
34 Don't think I came to bring peace to the earth! I came to bring trouble, not peace. 35 (N) I came to turn sons against their fathers, daughters against their mothers, and daughters-in-law against their mothers-in-law. 36 Your worst enemies will be in your own family.
37 (O) If you love your father or mother or even your sons and daughters more than me, you are not fit to be my disciples. 38 (P) And unless you are willing to take up your cross and follow me, you are not fit to be my disciples. 39 (Q) If you try to save your life, you will lose it. But if you give it up for me, you will surely find it.
Rewards
(Mark 9.41)
40 (R) Anyone who welcomes you welcomes me. And anyone who welcomes me also welcomes the one who sent me. 41 Anyone who welcomes a prophet, just because that person is a prophet, will be given the same reward as a prophet. Anyone who welcomes a good person, just because that person is good, will be given the same reward as a good person. 42 And anyone who gives one of my most humble followers a cup of cool water, just because that person is my follower, will be rewarded.
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