M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

David Hides and Saul Seeks

23 Then they reported to David saying, “Look, the Philistines are raiding Keilah and they are plundering the threshing floors.” ² So David inquired of Adonai saying, “Shall I go and attack those Philistines?”

Adonai said to David, “Go, attack the Philistines and deliver Keilah.”

³ But David’s fellow men said to him, “Look, we’re afraid here in Judah; how much more so if we go to Keilah against the Philistine forces?”

⁴ Once again David inquired of Adonai, and Adonai answered him saying, “Arise! Go to Keilah, for I am going to deliver the Philistines into your hand.” ⁵ So David and his fellow men went to Keilah and fought against the Philistines, drove off their livestock and inflicted a great slaughter on them. Thus David rescued the inhabitants of Keilah. ⁶ It came about, when Abiathar son of Ahimelech fled to David at Keilah, he came down with an ephod in his hand.

⁷ Now when Saul was told that David had gone to Keilah, Saul said, “God has delivered him into my hand! For he shut himself in by entering a town with barred gates.” ⁸ So Saul summoned all the troops for battle, to go down to Keilah to besiege David and his fellow men.

⁹ Now David knew that Saul was plotting evil against him, so he said to Abiathar the kohen, “Bring the ephod.” ¹⁰ Then David said, “Adonai, God of Israel, Your servant has heard for certain that Saul intends to come to Keilah to destroy the town because of me. ¹¹ Will the men of Keilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down, as Your servant has heard? Adonai God of Israel, I pray, tell Your servant.”

“He will come down,” Adonai said.

¹² Then David asked, “Will the men of Keilah surrender me and my fellow men into the hand of Saul?”

“They will surrender,” Adonai said.

¹³ Then David and his fellow men, about 600, got up and left Keilah, and went wherever they could go. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he stopped the pursuit. ¹⁴ So David stayed in the strongholds of the wilderness, remaining in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. Saul searched for him every day, but God did not give him into his hand.

¹⁵ By now David was aware that Saul would come out to seek his life while David was in the wilderness of Ziph at Choresh. ¹⁶ Then Saul’s son Jonathan arose and went to David at Choresh and strengthened him in God. ¹⁷ “Don’t be afraid,” he said to him, “because my father Saul will never find you. You will be king over Israel and I will be second to you. Even my father Saul recognizes that.” ¹⁸ Again they cut a covenant before Adonai. David remained at Choresh, but Jonathan went home.

¹⁹ Then some of the Ziphites went up to Saul in Gibeah, saying, “Isn’t David hiding with us in the strongholds at Choresh, in the hill of Hachilah which is south of Jeshimon? ²⁰ Now therefore, O king, come down whenever it is a desire of your soul to come down—our part will be to deliver him into the king’s hand.”

²¹ “May you be blessed of Adonai,” Saul said, “for you have taken pity on me. ²² Go now, make more sure, investigate and scout out his place where he usually goes and who has seen him there. For I have been told that he is very cunning. ²³ Look around and see in which of all the hiding places he has been hiding, and return to me with certainty, and I will go with you. If he is in the area, I will search him out among all the clans of Judah.” ²⁴ Then they got up and went to Ziph ahead of Saul.

But David and his men were then in the wilderness of Maon in the Arabah, to the south of Jeshimon. ²⁵ So when Saul and his men began the search, David was informed. Then he went down to the rocky area and stayed in the wilderness of Maon. On hearing this, Saul pursued David in the wilderness of Maon. ²⁶ Then, while Saul was advancing on one side of the mountain, David and his men were on the other side of the mountain. David was hurrying to elude Saul. Meanwhile Saul and his men were closing-in on David and his men to seize them. ²⁷ But a messenger came to Saul saying, “Hurry and come, for the Philistines have invaded the land!” ²⁸ So Saul had to return from chasing after David, and go to engage the Philistines. Therefore they called that place the Rock of Separation. ²⁹ From there David went up and stayed in the strongholds of En-gedi.

Learning to Imitate Messiah’s Emissary

4 So let each one think of us in this way—as Messiah’s helpers and stewards of the mysteries of God. ² In this case, moreover, what is required of stewards is to be found trustworthy. ³ But to me it matters very little to be judged by you or by any human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. ⁴ For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this. It is the Lord who judges me. ⁵ Therefore do not judge anything before the time—wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light the things hidden in darkness and also make clear the motives of the hearts. Then the praise for each one will come from God.

⁶ Now I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, brothers and sisters, so you might learn from us not to go beyond what is written. Then none of you will be puffed up in favor of one against the other. ⁷ For who makes you different? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?

⁸ Already you are full! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! Indeed, I wish you were kings, so we also might be kings with you! ⁹ For it seems to me that God has put us, the emissaries, on display last of all—like men sentenced to death. For we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people. ¹⁰ We are fools for Messiah’s sake, but you are wise in Messiah! We are weak, but you are strong! You are honored, but we are dishonored! ¹¹ To this very hour we are both hungry and thirsty, dressed in rags and mistreated and homeless. ¹² We toil, working with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless. When we are persecuted, we endure. ¹³ When we are slandered, we speak kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the dregs of all things—even to this moment.

¹⁴ I do not write these things to make you ashamed, but to warn you as my dearly loved children. ¹⁵ For though you may have ten thousand guardians in Messiah, yet you do not have many fathers. For in Messiah Yeshua, I became your father through the Good News. ¹⁶ I urge you therefore—be imitators of me. ¹⁷ For this reason I have sent you Timothy, my dearly loved and faithful child in the Lord. He will remind you of my ways in Messiah, just as I teach everywhere in every community.

¹⁸ Now some are puffed up, as though I were not coming to you. ¹⁹ But I will come to you soon, if the Lord is willing; and I will find out not the talk of those who are puffed up, but their power. ²⁰ For the kingdom of God does not consist of talk but of power. ²¹ What do you want? Shall I come to you with a rod, or in love and a spirit of gentleness?

A Rebellious House

2 Then He said to me: “Son of man, stand on your feet, and I will speak with you.” ² As He spoke to me, the Ruach came upon me and stood me up on my feet. I heard Him speaking to me again.

³ He said to me, “Son of man, I send you to Bnei-Yisrael, to rebellious nations that have been rebelling against Me. They and their fathers have rebelled against Me to this very day. ⁴ The children have hard faces and stubborn hearts. I am sending you to them, and you are to tell them, ‘Thus says Adonai Elohim.’ ⁵ Whether they listen, or whether they will refuse to listen—for they are a rebellious house—they will know that a prophet was among them.

⁶ “But you, son of man, do not be afraid of them. Do not fear their words, though thistles and thorns are beside you and you sit among scorpions. Do not be afraid of their words or be dismayed by their looks—for they are a rebellious house. ⁷ You will speak My words to them, whether they will listen or whether they will refuse to listen—for they are rebellious. ⁸ Now you, son of man, hear what I say to you: do not be rebellious like that rebellious house. Open your mouth, and eat what I am giving to you.”

⁹ I looked, and behold, a hand was stretched out to me, holding a written scroll. ¹⁰ He spread it out before me. It was written on, front and back. Written on it were lamentations, dirges and woe.

A Burden Too Heavy for Me

Psalm 38