M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Settles in Ziklag
27 Then David said in his heart, “One day I’ll be swept away by the hand of Saul. There’s nothing better for me than to escape immediately to the land of the Philistines. Then Saul will give up searching for me in all the territories of Israel, so I’ll escape from his hand.” 2 So David rose and crossed over, he and the 600 men that were with him, to Achish son of Maoch, king of Gath. 3 David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his men, every man with his household, and David with his two wives—Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. 4 So when Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer searched for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If now I have found favor in your eyes, let me be given a place in one of the country towns, so I may live there. Why should your servant stay in the royal city with you?” 6 So Achish granted him Ziklag that day. Thus Ziklag came to belong to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 The number of days that David stayed in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and raided the Geshurites, the Gizrites and the Amalekites, for those were inhabitants of the region from ancient times, as you go all the way from Shur and as far as the land of Egypt. 9 David attacked the region and was leaving not a man or woman alive, and took away sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels and clothing. When he returned and came to Achish, 10 Achish would ask, “Where have you raided today?”
So David would reply, “Against the Negev of Judah, against the Negev of the Jerahmeelite and against the Negev of the Kenites.” 11 David left no man or woman alive to bring to Gath, thinking, “Unless they should tell about us, saying: ‘So did David.’” So was his practice all the time he stayed in the country of the Philistines. 12 Then Achish trusted David, saying, “He has certainly made himself abhorrent to his people Israel; therefore, he will be my vassal forever.”
Concerning Idol Sacrifices
8 Now concerning idol sacrifices, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 If anyone thinks he knows anything, he doesn’t yet know as he ought to know. 3 But if anyone loves God, he is known by Him.
4 Therefore concerning the eating of idol sacrifices, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no God but one. [a] 5 For even if there are so-called “gods,” whether in heaven or on earth (as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”),
6 yet for us there is one God, the Father,[b]
from whom are all things,
and we exist for Him;
and one Lord, Yeshua the Messiah,
through whom are all things,
and we exist through Him.
7 But that knowledge is not in everyone—some, so accustomed to idols up until now, eat food as an idol sacrifice; and their conscience, being weak, is defiled. 8 But food will not bring us before God. We are no worse off if we do not eat and no better off if we do eat. 9 But watch out that this freedom of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. [c] 10 For suppose someone sees you—who have this knowledge—dining in an idol’s temple. If his conscience is weak, won’t he be emboldened to eat idol sacrifices? 11 For the one who is weak is destroyed by your knowledge—the brother for whom Messiah died. 12 In this way, when you sin against the brothers and sisters and wound their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Messiah. 13 For this reason, if food causes my brother to stumble, I will never eat meat again, so that I do not cause my brother to stumble.
Woe to the Mountains
6 The word of Adonai came to me saying: 2 “Son of man, set your face toward the mountains of Israel and prophesy to them. 3 Say: mountains of Israel, hear the word of Adonai!” Thus says Adonai Elohim concerning the mountains and concerning the hills, concerning the wadis and concerning the valleys: “Behold, I will bring a sword on you. I will destroy your high places. 4 Your altars will become desolate. Your sun pillars will be broken. I will cast down your slain men before your idols. 5 I will lay the corpses of Bnei-Yisrael before their idols. I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6 In all your dwellings the cities will be desolate. The high places will be deserted. Your altars will be laid waste and made desolate, your idols broken and destroyed, your sun pillars cut down and your works blotted out. 7 The slain will fall in your midst. Then you will know that I am Adonai.
8 “Yet I will leave a remnant, some that escape the sword among the nations, when you have been scattered through the countries. 9 The survivors will remember Me among the nations where they are carried captive, how I was crushed by their adulterous heart that has strayed from Me and their eyes which have lusted after their idols. They will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils that they committed in all their abominations. 10 They will know that I am Adonai. I have not warned in vain that I would do this evil to them.”
11 Thus says Adonai Elohim: “Clap your hands, stamp your foot and cry, ‘Alas!’ because of all the vile abominations of the house of Israel who will fall by the sword, by famine and by plague. 12 The one who is far off will die of the plague; the one who is near will fall by the sword. Whoever remains and is spared will die by the famine; this is how I will spend My fury on them. 13 You will know that I am Adonai, when your slain lie among their idols surrounding their altars, on every high hill, on all the mountaintops, under every green tree and under every leafy oak—the places where they offer sweet aroma to all their idols. 14 I will stretch out My hand over them and make the land desolate and waste, more than the wilderness of Diblah, wherever they live. Then they will know that I am Adonai.”
Arise, O God of Our Fathers
Psalm 44
1 For the music director, a psalm of the sons of Korah, a contemplative song.
2 We have heard with our ears, O God
—our fathers have told us—
of a work You did in their days, in days of old.
3 With Your hand You displaced nations, but You planted them.
You afflicted peoples, and You drove them out.
4 For it was not by their own sword that they took possession of the land,
nor did their own arm save them.
But it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your face—
for You favored them.
5 You are my King, O God—
command victories for Jacob!
6 Through You we push back our foes.
Through Your Name we trample those rising up against us.
7 For I do not trust in my bow,
nor can my sword save me.
8 For You saved us from our oppressors
and put to shame those who hated us.
9 In God we make our boast all day
and Your Name we praise forever. Selah
10 Yet You have spurned and humiliated us,
and no longer go out with our armies.
11 You make us retreat before the enemy.
Those who hate us have plundered us.
12 You gave us to be devoured like sheep[a]
and have scattered us among the nations.
13 You are selling Your people cheaply—
not even getting a great price for them.
14 You made us a taunt for our neighbors,
a scorn and ridicule for those around us.
15 You have made us a byword among the nations,
head-wagging among the peoples.
16 All day my disgrace is before me,
and my face is covered with shame—
17 because of the sound of taunting and reviling
from the face of a vengeful enemy.
18 All this came upon us, though we did not forget You,
nor were we false to Your covenant.
19 Our heart did not turn back,
nor did our steps stray from Your path.
20 Yet You crushed us in a place of jackals,
covered us with the shadow of death.
21 If we had forgotten the Name of our God
or stretched our hands to a foreign god,
22 would God not have discovered it?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
23 But for Your sake we are slain all day.
We are counted as sheep for slaughter.[b]
24 Awake! Why do you sleep, my Lord?
Wake up! Do not cast us off forever.
25 Why do You hide Your face
and forget our misery and oppression?
26 For our soul sinks down to the dust.
Our belly cleaves to the earth.
27 Arise, be our help,
and redeem us
for Your mercy’s sake.
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.