| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| August 22, 2024 | ESV (2016) | M’Cheyne Plan 2024 |
1 Samuel 14
1 Samuel 14:43–46 (ESV) 43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.” And Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the tip of the staff that was in my hand. Here I am; I will die.” 44 And Saul said, “God do so to me and more also; you shall surely die, Jonathan.” 45 Then the people said to Saul, “Shall Jonathan die, who has worked this great salvation in Israel? Far from it! As the LORD lives, there shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground, for he has worked with God this day.” So the people ransomed Jonathan, so that he did not die. 46 Then Saul went up from pursuing the Philistines, and the Philistines went to their own place.
Jonathan confessed that he had eaten honey in the forest, thereby breaking the rash oath made by Saul. Jonathan placed himself under the curse of the oath, was willing to suffer its consequences and Saul affirmed his death, invoking a curse on himself if Jonathan did not die. However, the people stepped in and ransomed Jonathan’s life so that he did not die. Saul’s establishment of oaths and invocation of curses in this chapter seem to indicate a misguided faith and obedience to the Lord. He was often impulsive and reckless, revealing aspects of his character as those we would be wise to avoid.
Romans 12
Romans 12:1–2 (ESV) 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Paul exhorts the brothers in Christ to present their whole selves as a living sacrifice. Every part of the believer is to be given over to God for His service, to glorify our Lord and make Him known among the nations. Conformity to this world is incompatible with the mission set before us. Instead, we are to be transformed by the gospel—a process of lifelong renewal—and to align ourselves with the objective truth of God. Our being tested and refined will yield the fruit of discernment as to the will of God and what He has established as good, acceptable and perfect.
Jeremiah 51
Jeremiah 51:41–44 (ESV) 41 “How Babylon is taken, the praise of the whole earth seized! How Babylon has become a horror among the nations! 42 The sea has come up on Babylon; she is covered with its tumultuous waves. 43 Her cities have become a horror, a land of drought and a desert, a land in which no one dwells, and through which no son of man passes. 44 And I will punish Bel in Babylon, and take out of his mouth what he has swallowed. The nations shall no longer flow to him; the wall of Babylon has fallen.
In this lengthy chapter, the LORD through Jeremiah proclaims the utter destruction of Babylon. So much detail is given as to the comprehensiveness of punishment that it provokes a profound realization of God’s perfect justice. Babylon was an instrument used by Almighty God for His will and purposes and now the nation would be brought to ruin. The complexities of God’s workings to raise and lower powers in this world are beyond our comprehension, but all speak to His grandeur and ultimate reign over creation.
Psalm 30
Psalm 30:4–5 (ESV) 4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name. 5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
David urges the saints to sing praises to the LORD and give thanks to His holy name. Praise and gratitude are bedfellows in the worship of our God, to be bound together in depth and fervency. The duration of the LORD’s anger is compared to that of His favor, the former lasting only a moment but the latter a lifetime. For the saints, God’s anger is corrective and restorative as our loving Father brings His sons and daughters ever closer to Himself in fullness of joy. There will be tears, but only to tarry for the night and cannot compare to the joy sure to come in the morning.