M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan
David Is Chosen as King
16 The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and go. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for I see a king for myself among his sons.”
2 Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ 3 Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will let you know what you are to do. You are to anoint for me the person that I point out to you.”
4 So Samuel did what the Lord had told him to do and went to Bethlehem. Trembling with fear, the elders of the city came to meet him. They said, “Do you come in peace?”
5 He said, “Yes, in peace. I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice.” He consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
6 When they had come, he looked at Eliab and said, “Certainly this is the Lord’s anointed.”
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at how tall he is, because I have rejected him. For the Lord does not look at things the way man does. For man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8 Then Jesse called Abinadab and had him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
9 Then Jesse had Shammah pass by. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.”
10 Jesse had seven of his sons pass before Samuel. Samuel said to Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” 11 Samuel said to Jesse, “Is that all of the young men?”
Jesse said, “There still is the youngest, but he is tending the sheep.”
Samuel said to Jesse, “Send for him, for we cannot sit down to eat until he comes.”
12 He sent for him and brought him in. David had red hair[a] and striking eyes, and was good-looking. The Lord said, “Get up! Anoint him, because this is the one.”
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers. The Spirit of the Lord rushed on David with power from that day forward. After that Samuel set out and returned to Ramah.
David and Saul Meet
14 The Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil[b] spirit from the Lord tormented him.
15 So Saul’s servants said to him, “Please listen to us. An evil spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Our lord, please command your servants who are here with you to seek out a man who is skilled at playing the lyre. Then when the evil spirit from God is on you, he will play the lyre,[c] and you will feel better.”
17 So Saul said to his servants, “Find a man who can play well and bring him to me.”
18 Then one of the young attendants replied, “As a matter of fact, I have seen a son of Jesse from Bethlehem who is a skillful player. He is a strong, brave man, fit for war. He shows good judgment in what he says and is a handsome man. And the Lord is with him.”
19 So Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me your son David, who is with the sheep.”
20 Jesse took a donkey loaded with bread, a container of wine, and a young goat, and he sent them with his son David to Saul. 21 David came to Saul and stood before him. Saul loved him, and David became his armor bearer. 22 So Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Permit David to remain and serve me, for I am very pleased with him.” 23 Whenever the spirit from God came over Saul, David would take the lyre in his hand and play. So Saul would be soothed and feel better, and the evil spirit would depart from him.
Strong and Weak Christians Both Belong to the Lord
14 Accept a person who is weak in faith, and do not pass judgment on things that are just a difference of opinion. 2 One person believes it is right to eat anything. Another person who is weak eats only vegetables. 3 The one who eats everything should not look down on the person who does not do so, and the one who does not eat everything should not judge the person who does, because God has accepted him. 4 Who are you to pass judgment on someone else’s servant? It is up to his master to decide whether that servant stands or falls. And he will stand, because God[a] is able to make him stand.
5 One person values one day above another. Another person values every day the same. Let each person be fully convinced in his own mind. 6 The person who honors a certain day does this for the Lord, and the person who eats does this for the Lord, because he gives thanks to God. And the person who does not eat does this for the Lord and gives thanks to God.
7 In fact, not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself. 8 Indeed, if we live, we live for the Lord, and if we die, we die for the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 For this reason he died, rose,[b] and lived, to be Lord of both the dead and the living.
Do Not Cause a Weak Christian to Stumble in Faith
10 But you, why do you pass judgment on your brother? And you, why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s[c] judgment seat. 11 Indeed, it is written:
As I live, says the Lord,
every knee will bow to me,
and every tongue will acknowledge God.[d]
12 So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.
13 Therefore, let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, resolve never to put an obstacle or a snare in the path of your brother. 14 I know, and I am convinced in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is unclean in and of itself, but it becomes unclean for the one who considers it to be unclean. 15 For example, if your brother is offended because of the food you eat, you are no longer walking in line with love. Do not destroy that person for whom Christ died by the food you eat! 16 So do not give others a reason to speak evil about what you consider good.
17 For the kingdom of God does not consist of eating and drinking, but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. 18 Certainly a person who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and has the approval of people. 19 Consequently, let us pursue those things that lead to peace and building up one another.
20 Do not tear down God’s work for the sake of food. Everything is pure, but it is wrong for a person to eat if it causes anyone to stumble. 21 It is good not to eat meat or drink wine or do anything if it causes your brother to stumble.
22 Keep the conviction that you have in these matters between yourself and God. Blessed is the one who does not condemn himself by what he approves. 23 But the one who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because it does not proceed from faith.[e] Everything that does not proceed from faith[f] is sin.
The Humiliation of the Daughter of Zion[a]
1 How lonely the city sits, which once was full of people!
She, who was great among the nations, is now a widow.
She, who was a princess among the provinces, now works as a slave.
2 At night she weeps bitterly, and her tears linger on her cheek.
Not one of her lovers is there to comfort her.
All her friends have betrayed her. They are now her enemies.
3 Judah has gone into exile. She endures affliction and harsh labor.
She lives among the nations. She finds no rest.
All her pursuers caught up with her when she was in great distress.
4 The roads to Zion are mourning,
because there are no travelers going to the appointed assemblies.
All her gates are deserted. Her priests groan.
Her virgins grieve. Her grief is bitter.
5 Her foes have risen to the top. Her enemies prosper.
Because of her many acts of rebellion, the Lord has brought grief to her.
Her children have gone into captivity in the presence of the foe.
6 The daughter of Zion[b] has lost all her splendor.
Her officials have become like deer that find no pasture.
Powerless, they fled before[c] the pursuer.
7 Jerusalem remembers the days of her affliction and her homeless wandering.
She remembers all her precious things which were hers from long ago.
When her people fell under the hand of the foe, there was no one to help her.
Foes saw her and laughed at the end she has come to.
8 Jerusalem has sinned terribly, so she is unclean.[d]
All who once honored her now despise her, because they have seen her nakedness.
She can only sigh and turn away.
9 Her flow of blood stains her skirt. She did not consider the outcome of her sin.
Her collapse was astonishing. There was no one to comfort her.
Look, Lord, at my affliction, for the enemy has done awful things.
10 The foe has laid hands on all her precious things.
She has even seen nations enter her sanctuary,
nations about whom you commanded, “They shall not enter your assembly.”
11 All her people are sighing as they search for bread.
They traded their precious things for food in order to stay alive.
Look, Lord, and see that I have become despised.
12 But nothing like this is happening to you, all you who pass me by.[e]
Look and see if there is any pain like my pain, which was dealt out to me,
which the Lord caused me to suffer on the day of his burning anger.
13 From on high he sent fire into my bones and overpowered[f] me.
He spread a net for my feet. He turned me back.
He made me desolate. I was sick all day long.
14 The yoke of my sinful rebellion is fastened to my neck.
My sins are bound together by his hand.
They have risen up as high as my neck. He has weakened my strength.[g]
The Lord has given me into the hands of people I cannot resist.
15 The Lord has tossed aside all the strong men in my midst.
He called an assembly against me to break my best young men.
The Lord has trampled the virgin daughter of Judah in a winepress.
16 Because of these things, I am weeping. My eye, my eye flows with water,
because the comforter, the one who restores my soul, is far away from me.
My children have become desolate, because the enemy has prevailed.
17 Zion spreads out her hands, but there is no one to comfort her.
The Lord has commanded those who surround Jacob to be his foes.
Among them, Jerusalem has become an unclean thing.
18 The Lord is righteous. I am the one who rebelled against the word from his mouth.
Please listen, all you peoples, and see my pain.
My virgins and my best young men have gone into captivity.
19 I called to my lovers, but they deceived me.
My priests and my elders perished in the city,
as they sought food for themselves to restore their lives.
20 See, Lord, I am in distress. My emotions are in turmoil.
My heart turns over inside me, because I have been very rebellious.
Outside, the sword takes away my children.
Inside, there is death.
21 People have heard that I am groaning. There is no one who comforts me.
All my enemies have heard about my misery, and they rejoiced that you did this.
Bring on the day that you have announced, so that they may become like me.
22 May all their wickedness come before you. Deal harshly with them,
just as you dealt harshly with me because of all my rebellion.
Yes, my groans are many, and my heart is sick.
Psalm 32
How Blessed Is the Person Whose Rebellion Is Forgiven
Heading
By David. A maskil.[a]
The Joy of Forgiveness
1 How blessed is the person
whose rebellion is forgiven,
whose sin is covered.
2 How blessed is the person
whose guilt the Lord does not charge against him,
in whose spirit there is no deceit.
Obtaining the Joy of Forgiveness
3 When I kept silent,
my bones wasted away as I groaned all day long.
4 For day and night your hand was heavy on me. Interlude
My moisture was dried up by the droughts of summer.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you,
and I did not cover up my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my rebellion to the Lord,” Interlude
and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
6 Because of this, let everyone who receives favor pray to you
at a time when you may be found.
Surely when the mighty waters overflow,
they will not reach him.
7 You are my hiding place.
You will protect me from distress. Interlude
You will surround me with shouts of deliverance.
Sharing the Joy of Forgiveness
8 I will make you wise.
I will instruct you in the way that you should go.
I will guide you, keeping my eye on you.
9 Do not be like a horse or a mule, which has no understanding.
Its mouth must be controlled by a bit and bridle,
or else it will not come to you.
10 Many are the sorrows of the wicked,
but mercy will surround those who trust in the Lord.
11 Rejoice in the Lord and celebrate, all you righteous,
and shout joyfully, all you upright in heart.
The Holy Bible, Evangelical Heritage Version®, EHV®, © 2019 Wartburg Project, Inc. All rights reserved.