| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| @July 29, 2024 | ESV (2016) | M’Cheyne Plan 2024 |
Judges 12
Judges 12:1–2 (ESV) 12 The men of Ephraim were called to arms, and they crossed to Zaphon and said to Jephthah, “Why did you cross over to fight against the Ammonites and did not call us to go with you? We will burn your house over you with fire.” 2 And Jephthah said to them, “I and my people had a great dispute with the Ammonites, and when I called you, you did not save me from their hand.
Following Jephthah’s defeat of the Ammonites, the men of Ephraim angrily confronted Jephthah, asking why they were not called to go with them and threatened to burn Jephthah’s house with him inside. The BBC provides additional context on the conflict:
The men of Ephraim were jealous of Jephthah’s victory, complaining that they had not been allowed to share in it. Jephthah reminded them that he had appealed to them in vain for help. The Ephraimites mocked Jephthah’s people, the Gileadites, saying that they were nothing but fugitives from Ephraim. (The Ephraimites were troublemakers. They took issue with Gideon when he defeated the Midianites [chap. 8] and now they quarreled with Jephthah without just cause.)
Acts 16
Acts 16:32–34 (ESV) 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. 33 And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. 34 Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.
Paul and Silas shared the gospel of Jesus to the jailer and his family in Philippi following dramatic events in which the foundations of the prison were shaken by an earthquake and the prisoners’ bonds were unfastened. The jailer’s genuine conversion manifested in his servant hospitality of Paul and Silas in washing their feet, being immediately baptized (he and and his family) and setting food before them. Interestingly, the rejoicing in v. 34 is interpreted differently among various translations. The ESV says that he rejoiced with his house hold that he had believed in God (emphasis mine), while others translate it in some fashion that their rejoicing was rooted in how they all believed in God. This instance is also helpful in illustrating the kind of celebrative response we are to have when one or a family comes to faith in Christ. It is an event that warrants exultation in our Lord and His grace for bringing a heart from death to life.
Jeremiah 25
Jeremiah 25:11–12 (ESV) 11 This whole land shall become a ruin and a waste, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 Then after seventy years are completed, I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the Chaldeans, for their iniquity, declares the LORD, making the land an everlasting waste.
God through Isaiah declared that the nations would serve the king of Babylon for seventy years. As the CSB Notes describes, “The seventy years is often regarded as a round number, but here it is the literal period of time between 606/605 BC when Daniel was taken captive, and 536 BC when Zerubbabel led the first group of resettlers back to Judah.” It was to be a lengthy time in exile and thus the hope of swift deliverance was unfounded. After the seventy years elapsed, God would punish the king of Babylon for their sins and make the land an everlasting waste. The details of the Israelites’ exilic period showcase the scale of God’s power and ability to orchestrate entire nations to fulfill His masterful plan of redemption and bring glory to His name.
Mark 11
Mark 11:11 (ESV) 11 And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
Following His triumphal entry into Jerusalem, Jesus went into the temple, reflecting the prophecy in Mal. 3:1 which says, “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. And the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant in whom you delight, behold, he is coming, says the LORD of hosts.” When He looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went to Bethany with the twelve disciples. The BBC describes how Jesus “was not at home in this temple because the priests and people refused to give Him His rightful place. So when He had looked around briefly, the Savior withdrew to Bethany.”