M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
The People Refuse to Obey the Lord
14 That night all the members of the community raised their voices. They wept out loud. 2 The Israelites spoke against Moses and Aaron. The whole community said to them, “We wish we had died in Egypt or even in this desert. 3 Why is the Lord bringing us to this land? We’re going to be killed by swords. Our enemies will capture our wives and children. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?” 4 They said to one another, “We should choose another leader. We should go back to Egypt.”
5 Then Moses and Aaron fell with their faces to the ground. They did it in front of the whole community of Israel gathered there. 6 Joshua, the son of Nun, tore his clothes. So did Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. Joshua and Caleb were two of the men who had checked out the land. 7 They spoke to the whole community of Israel. They said, “We passed through the land and checked it out. It’s very good. 8 If the Lord is pleased with us, he’ll lead us into that land. It’s a land that has plenty of milk and honey. He’ll give it to us. 9 But don’t refuse to obey him. And don’t be afraid of the people of the land. We will swallow them up. The Lord is with us. So nothing can save them. Don’t be afraid of them.”
10 But all the people talked about killing Joshua and Caleb by throwing stones at them. Then the glory of the Lord appeared at the tent of meeting. All the Israelites saw it. 11 The Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people not respect me? How long will they refuse to believe in me? They refuse even though I have done many signs among them. 12 So I will strike them down with a plague. I will destroy them. But I will make you into a greater and stronger nation than they are.”
13 Moses said to the Lord, “Then the Egyptians will hear about it. You used your power to bring these people up from among them. 14 And the Egyptians will tell the people who live in Canaan about it. Lord, they have already heard a lot about you. They’ve heard that you are with these people. They’ve heard that you have been seen face to face. They’ve been told that your cloud stays over them. They’ve heard that you go in front of them in a pillar of cloud by day. They’ve been told that you go in front of them in a pillar of fire at night. 15 Suppose you put all these people to death and leave none alive. Then the nations who have heard these things about you will talk. They’ll say, 16 ‘The Lord promised to give these people the land of Canaan. But he wasn’t able to bring them into it. So he killed them in the desert.’
17 “Now, Lord, show your strength. You have said, 18 ‘I am the Lord. I am slow to get angry. I am full of love. I forgive those who sin. I forgive those who refuse to obey. But I do not let guilty people go without punishing them. I cause the sin of the parents to affect their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.’ 19 Lord, your love is great. So forgive the sin of these people. Forgive them just as you have done from the time they left Egypt until now.”
20 The Lord replied, “I have forgiven them, just as you asked. 21 You can be sure that I live. You can be just as sure that my glory fills the whole earth. 22 And here is what you can be just as sure of. Not one of these people will see the land I promised to give them. They have seen my glory. They have seen the signs I did in Egypt. And they have seen what I did in the desert. But they did not obey me. And they have tested me ten times. 23 So not even one of them will ever see the land I promised to give to their people of long ago. The person who has not respected me will never see it. 24 But my servant Caleb has a different spirit. He follows me with his whole heart. So I will bring him into the land he went to. And his children after him will receive land there. 25 The Amalekites and the Canaanites are living in the valleys. So turn back tomorrow. Start out toward the desert. Go along the way that leads to the Red Sea.”
26 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 27 “How long will this evil community speak against me? I have heard these Israelites talk about how unhappy they are. 28 So tell them, ‘Here is what I am announcing. I am the Lord. You can be sure that I live. And here is what you can be just as sure of. I will do to you the very thing that I heard you say. 29 You will die in this desert. Every one of you 20 years old or more will die. Every one of you who was counted in the list of the people will die. Every one of you who has spoken out against me will be wiped out. 30 I lifted up my hand and promised to make this land your home. But now not all of you will enter the land. Caleb, the son of Jephunneh, will enter it. So will Joshua, the son of Nun. They are the only ones who will enter the land. 31 You have said that your enemies would capture your children. But I will bring your children in to enjoy the land you have turned your backs on. 32 As for you, you will die in the desert. 33 Your children will be shepherds here for 40 years. They will suffer because you were not faithful. They will suffer until the last of your bodies lies here in the desert. 34 For 40 years you will suffer for your sins. That is one year for each of the 40 days you checked out the land. You will know what it is like to have me against you.’ 35 I, the Lord, have spoken. I will surely do these things to this entire evil community of Israel. They have joined together against me. They will meet their end in this desert. They will die here.”
36 So the Lord struck down the men Moses had sent to check out the land. They had returned and had spread a bad report about the land. And that had made the whole community speak out against Moses. 37 Those men were to blame for spreading the bad report. So the Lord struck them down. They died of a plague. 38 Only two of the men who went to check out the land remained alive. One of them was Joshua, the son of Nun. The other was Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.
39 Moses reported to all the Israelites what the Lord had said. And they became very sad. 40 Early the next morning they set out for the highest point in the hill country. “We have sinned,” they said. “Now we are ready to go up to the land the Lord promised to give us.”
41 But Moses said, “Why aren’t you obeying the Lord’s command? You won’t succeed. 42 So don’t go up. The Lord isn’t with you. Your enemies will win the battle over you. 43 The Amalekites and the Canaanites will meet you on the field of battle. You have turned away from the Lord. So he won’t be with you. And you will be killed by swords.”
44 But they wouldn’t listen. They still went up toward the highest point in the hill country. They went up even though Moses didn’t move from the camp. They went even though the ark of the Lord’s covenant didn’t move from the camp. 45 Then the Amalekites and the Canaanites who lived in that hill country came down. They attacked the Israelites. They won the battle over them. They chased the Israelites all the way to Hormah.
A psalm of Asaph.
50 The Mighty One, God, the Lord, speaks.
He calls out to the earth
from the sunrise in the east
to the sunset in the west.
2 From Zion, perfect and beautiful,
God’s glory shines out.
3 Our God comes, and he won’t be silent.
A burning fire goes ahead of him.
A terrible storm is all around him.
4 He calls out to heaven and earth to be his witnesses.
Then he judges his people.
5 He says, “Gather this holy people around me.
They made a covenant with me by offering a sacrifice.”
6 The heavens announce that what God decides is right.
That’s because he is a God of justice.
7 God says, “Listen, my people, and I will speak.
I will be a witness against you, Israel.
I am God, your God.
8 I don’t bring charges against you because of your sacrifices.
I don’t bring charges because of the burnt offerings you always bring me.
9 I don’t need a bull from your barn.
I don’t need goats from your pens.
10 Every animal in the forest already belongs to me.
And so do the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I own every bird in the mountains.
The insects in the fields belong to me.
12 If I were hungry, I wouldn’t tell you.
The world belongs to me. And so does everything in it.
13 Do I eat the meat of bulls?
Do I drink the blood of goats?
14 Bring me thank offerings, because I am your God.
Carry out the promises you made to me, because I am the Most High God.
15 Call out to me when trouble comes.
I will save you. And you will honor me.”
16 But here is what God says to a sinful person.
“What right do you have to speak the words of my laws?
How dare you speak the words of my covenant!
17 You hate my teaching.
You turn your back on what I say.
18 When you see a thief, you join him.
You make friends with those who commit adultery.
19 You use your mouth to speak evil.
You use your tongue to spread lies.
20 You are a witness against your brother.
You always tell lies about your own mother’s son.
21 When you did these things, I kept silent.
So you thought I was just like you.
But now I’m going to bring you to court.
I will bring charges against you.
22 “You who forget God, think about this.
If you don’t, I will tear you to pieces.
No one will be able to save you.
23 People who sacrifice thank offerings to me honor me.
To those who are without blame I will show my power to save.”
The Lord Will Judge Jerusalem and Judah
3 Here is what
the Lord who rules over all is about to do.
The Lord will take away from Jerusalem and Judah
supplies and help alike.
He will take away all the supplies of food and water.
2 He’ll take away heroes and soldiers.
He’ll take away judges and prophets.
He’ll take away fortune tellers and elders.
3 He’ll take away captains of groups of 50 men.
He’ll take away government leaders.
He’ll take away advisers, skilled workers
and those who are clever at doing evil magic.
4 The Lord will make mere youths their leaders.
Children will rule over them.
5 People will treat one another badly.
They will fight against one another.
They will fight against their neighbors.
Young people will attack old people.
Ordinary people will attack those who are more important.
6 A man will grab one of his brothers
in his father’s house. He will say,
“You have a coat. So you be our leader.
Take charge of all these broken-down buildings!”
7 But at that time the brother will cry out,
“I can’t help you.
I don’t have any food or clothing in my house.
Don’t make me the leader of these people.”
8 Jerusalem is about to fall.
And so is Judah.
They say and do things against the Lord.
They dare to disobey him to his very face.
9 The look on their faces is a witness against them.
They show off their sin, just as the people of Sodom did.
They don’t even try to hide it.
How terrible it will be for them!
They have brought trouble on themselves.
10 Tell those who do what is right that things will go well with them.
They will enjoy the results of the good things they’ve done.
11 But how terrible it will be for those who do what is evil!
Trouble is about to fall on them.
They will be paid back for the evil things they’ve done.
12 Those who are young treat my people badly.
Women rule over them.
My people, your leaders have taken you down the wrong path.
They have turned you away from the right path.
13 The Lord takes his place in court.
He stands up to judge the people.
14 He judges the elders and leaders of his people.
He says to them,
“My people are like a vineyard.
You have destroyed them.
The things you have taken from poor people are in your houses.
15 What do you mean by crushing my people?
Why are you grinding the faces of the poor into the dirt?”
announces the Lord. He is the Lord who rules over all.
16 The Lord continues,
“The women in Zion are very proud.
They walk along with their noses in the air.
They tease men with their eyes.
They sway their hips as they walk along.
Little chains jingle on their ankles.
17 So I will put sores on the heads of Zion’s women.
And I will remove the hair from their heads.”
18 At that time the Lord will take away the beautiful things they wear. He will take away their decorations, headbands and moon-shaped necklaces. 19 He’ll take away their earrings, bracelets and veils. 20 He’ll remove their headdresses, anklets and belts. He’ll take away their perfume bottles and charms. 21 He’ll remove the rings they wear on their fingers and in their noses. 22 He’ll take away their fine robes and their capes and coats. He’ll take away their purses 23 and mirrors. And he’ll take away their linen clothes, turbans and shawls.
24 Instead of smelling sweet,
the women will smell bad.
Instead of wearing belts,
they will wear ropes.
Instead of having beautiful hair,
they won’t have any hair at all.
Instead of wearing fine clothes,
they’ll wear rough clothes to show how sad they are.
Instead of being beautiful,
on their bodies they’ll have the marks of their owners.
25 Jerusalem, your men will be killed by swords.
Your soldiers will die in battle.
26 The city of Zion will be very sad.
Like a widow, she will lose everything.
She will sit on the ground and mourn.
4 At that time seven women
will grab hold of one man.
They’ll say to him, “We will eat our own food.
We’ll provide our own clothes.
Just let us become your wives.
Take away our shame!”
The Branch of the Lord
2 At that time Israel’s king will be beautiful and glorious. He will be called The Branch of the Lord. The fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of those who are still left alive in Israel. 3 Those who are left in Zion will be called holy. They will be recorded among those who are alive in Jerusalem. 4 The Lord will wash away the sin of the women in Zion. He will clean up the blood that was spilled there. He will judge those who spilled that blood. His burning anger will blaze out at them. 5 Then the Lord will create over Jerusalem a cloud of smoke by day. He will also create a glow of flaming fire at night. The cloud and fire will appear over all of Mount Zion. They will also appear over the people who gather together there. The Lord’s glory will be like a tent over everything. 6 It will cover the people and give them shade from the hot sun all day long. It will be a safe place where they can hide from storms and rain.
Faith That Produces Action
11 Faith is being sure of what we hope for. It is being sure of what we do not see. 2 That is what the people of long ago were praised for.
3 We have faith. So we understand that everything was made when God commanded it. That’s why we believe that what we see was not made out of what could be seen.
4 Abel had faith. So he brought to God a better offering than Cain did. Because of his faith Abel was praised as a godly man. God said good things about his offerings. Because of his faith Abel still speaks. He speaks even though he is dead.
5 Enoch had faith. So he was taken from this life. He didn’t die. “He couldn’t be found, because God had taken him away.” (Genesis 5:24) Before God took him, Enoch was praised as one who pleased God. 6 Without faith it is impossible to please God. Those who come to God must believe that he exists. And they must believe that he rewards those who look to him.
7 Noah had faith. So he built an ark to save his family. He built it because of his great respect for God. God had warned him about things that could not yet be seen. Because of his faith Noah showed the world that it was guilty. Because of his faith he was considered right with God.
8 Abraham had faith. So he obeyed God. God called him to go to a place he would later receive as his own. So he went. He did it even though he didn’t know where he was going. 9 Because of his faith he made his home in the land God had promised him. Abraham was like an outsider in a strange country. He lived there in tents. So did Isaac and Jacob. They received the same promise he did. 10 Abraham was looking forward to the city that has foundations. He was waiting for the city that God planned and built. 11 And Sarah had faith. So God made it possible for her to become a mother. She became a mother even though she was too old to have children. But Sarah believed that the God who made the promise was faithful. 12 Abraham was past the time when he could have children. But many children came from that one man. They were as many as the stars in the sky. They were as many as the grains of sand on the seashore. No one could count them.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They didn’t receive the things God had promised. They only saw them and welcomed them from a long way off. They openly said that they were outsiders and strangers on earth. 14 People who say things like that show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 What if they had been thinking of the country they had left? Then they could have returned to it. 16 Instead, they longed for a better country. They wanted a heavenly one. So God is pleased when they call him their God. In fact, he has prepared a city for them.
17 Abraham had faith. So when God tested him, Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice. Abraham had held on tightly to the promises. But he was about to offer his one and only son. 18 God had said to him, “Your family line will continue through Isaac.” (Genesis 21:12) Even so, Abraham was going to offer him up. 19 Abraham did this, because he believed that God could even raise the dead. In a way, he did receive Isaac back from death.
20 Isaac had faith. So he blessed Jacob and Esau. He told them what was ahead for them.
21 Jacob had faith. So he blessed each of Joseph’s sons. He blessed them when he was dying. Because of his faith he worshiped God. Jacob worshiped as he leaned on the top of his walking stick.
22 Joseph had faith. So he spoke to the people of Israel about how they would leave Egypt someday. When his death was near, he spoke about where to bury his bones.
23 Moses’ parents had faith. So they hid him for three months after he was born. They saw he was a special child. They were not afraid of the king’s command.
24 Moses had faith. So he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. That happened after he had grown up. 25 He chose to be treated badly together with the people of God. He chose not to enjoy sin’s pleasures. They only last for a short time. 26 He suffered shame because of Christ. He thought it had great value. Moses considered it better than the riches of Egypt. He was looking ahead to his reward. 27 Because of his faith, Moses left Egypt. It wasn’t because he was afraid of the king’s anger. He didn’t let anything stop him. That’s because he saw the God who can’t be seen. 28 Because of his faith, Moses was the first to keep the Passover Feast. He commanded the people of Israel to sprinkle blood on their doorways. He did it so that the destroying angel would not touch their oldest sons.
29 The people of Israel had faith. So they passed through the Red Sea. They went through it as if it were dry land. The Egyptians tried to do it also. But they drowned.
30 Israel’s army had faith. So the walls of Jericho fell down. It happened after they had marched around the city for seven days.
31 Rahab, the prostitute, had faith. So she welcomed the spies. That’s why she wasn’t killed with those who didn’t obey God.
32 What more can I say? I don’t have time to tell about all the others. I don’t have time to talk about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah. I don’t have time to tell about David and Samuel and the prophets. 33 Because of their faith they took over kingdoms. They ruled fairly. They received the blessings God had promised. They shut the mouths of lions. 34 They put out great fires. They escaped being killed by swords. Their weakness was turned to strength. They became powerful in battle. They beat back armies from other countries. 35 Women received back their dead. The dead were raised to life again. There were others who were made to suffer greatly. But they refused to be set free. They did this so that after death they would be raised to an even better life. 36 Some were made fun of and even whipped. Some were held by chains. Some were put in prison. 37 Some were killed with stones. Some were sawed in two. Some were killed by swords. They went around wearing the skins of sheep and goats. They were poor. They were attacked. They were treated badly. 38 The world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains. They lived in caves. They lived in holes in the ground.
39 All these people were praised because they had faith. But none of them received what God had promised. 40 That’s because God had planned something better for us. So they would only be made perfect together with us.
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