| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| @August 3, 2024 | ESV (2016) | M’Cheyne Plan 2024 |
Judges 17
Judges 17:10–13 (ESV) 10 And Micah said to him, “Stay with me, and be to me a father and a priest, and I will give you ten pieces of silver a year and a suit of clothes and your living.” And the Levite went in. 11 And the Levite was content to dwell with the man, and the young man became to him like one of his sons. 12 And Micah ordained the Levite, and the young man became his priest, and was in the house of Micah. 13 Then Micah said, “Now I know that the LORD will prosper me, because I have a Levite as priest.”
Micah of Ephraim (not the prophet Micah of Moresheth) fashioned an idol from the 1,100 pieces of silver he had taken from his mother. He built a shrine, made an ephod and household gods and ordained his sons as pagan priests. When a Levite man from Bethlehem in Judah arrived to sojourn there, Micah invited him to stay and be his priest. The Levite was content to dwell with Micah and was ordained as priest, pleasing Micah, who thought that the LORD would bring him prosperity.
These events are rife with apostasy, demonstrating how Israel had once again departed from faithful obedience to God and were instead doing what was right in their own eyes. The actions of Micah and the Levite man are deplorable, both in Micah offering the man a salary, food and clothing if he agreed to serve as well as the Levite man not confronting Micah on how contrary these arrangements were to God’s order. What’s more, Micah’s heart was so corrupt as to think that the LORD would bless this situation. The men displayed no genuine fear of the LORD—no reverence for His glory and majesty—and Micah thought of Him only on terms of the prosperity He may bring. It is a chapter that should elicit an palpable unease at the depth of transgression man is capable that our LORD would be regarded in this way
Acts 21
Acts 21:10–14 (ESV) 10 While we were staying for many days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11 And coming to us, he took Paul’s belt and bound his own feet and hands and said, “Thus says the Holy Spirit, ‘This is how the Jews at Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.’ ” 12 When we heard this, we and the people there urged him not to go up to Jerusalem. 13 Then Paul answered, “What are you doing, weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be imprisoned but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” 14 And since he would not be persuaded, we ceased and said, “Let the will of the Lord be done.”
Agabus, a prophet, bound Paul’s feet and hands with his belt and prophesied by the Holy Spirit that this represented how the Jews at Jerusalem would bind Paul and give him into the hands of the Gentiles. However, Paul did not sympathize with the concern of the people but was instead heartbroken at their lack of understanding of his readiness to be imprisoned or even die for the name of the Lord Jesus. By this, Paul showed a firmness of resolve, remaining undeterred from his divine commission to go up to Jerusalem. In reading these accounts of Paul, my heart is stirred by the passion and kingdom focus of his ministry. May we be a church that shares the gospel of Christ with the same zeal exemplified by this apostle.
Jeremiah 30–31
Jeremiah 30:11 (ESV) 11 For I am with you to save you, declares the LORD; I will make a full end of all the nations among whom I scattered you, but of you I will not make a full end. I will discipline you in just measure, and I will by no means leave you unpunished.
This is a wonderful verse that encapsulates God’s faithfulness, mercy and justice. The LORD declared His purpose of salvation, scattering Israel but not making of them a full end, promising that there would left a remnant. His discipline would come in just measure, assuring all that the wicked would not go unpunished. These words provide abundant refreshment to the soul as the character of our God. While we endure trials in this life as sojourners and exile in a foreign land, we do so while resting on our Lord who saves and who will vanquish all sin by His righteous judgment.
Mark 16
Mark 16:7 (ESV) 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.”
It seems curious that Peter is singled out here even though he was one of the disciples. The BBC provides some helpful insight by saying, “The risen Redeemer had not disowned [Peter] but still loved him and longed to see him again. A special work of restoration needed to be done. The wandering sheep must be brought back into fellowship with the Shepherd. The backslider must return to the Father’s house.”