| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| August 31, 2024 | ESV (2016) | M’Cheyne Plan 2024 |
1 Samuel 24
1 Samuel 24:11 (ESV) 11 See, my father, see the corner of your robe in my hand. For by the fact that I cut off the corner of your robe and did not kill you, you may know and see that there is no wrong or treason in my hands. I have not sinned against you, though you hunt my life to take it.
After cutting off a corner of Saul’s robe in the cave and struck by his heart, David addressed Saul as “father” and that there be no wrong or treason in his hands despite Saul seeking to take his life. I had never caught before that David used the word “father” in speaking to Saul after he had cut off the corner of his robe. David was the son-in-law of Saul (married to Saul’s daughter, Michal, until he gave her to Palti), so this reference is appropriate in a purely relational sense, but it also conveys David’s a loving, respectful demeanor toward Saul. David was gracious in his dealing with Saul, both in refraining from killing him the cave and the manner in which he spoke to Saul. It is a wonderful picture of the kind of kindness and mercy we are to show our adversaries and a hint at our Messiah, Jesus, successor of David’s line, that would arrive many years later to be the merciful sacrifice for us all.
1 Corinthians 5
1 Corinthians 5:1–2 (ESV) 5 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
Paul confronts the sexual immorality to which the Corinthian church had succumbed. Not only were their actions intolerable, it was even beyond pagan standards, arrogantly misusing “their freedom in Christ to excuse sexual sin” (FSB). The discipline that Paul urged was the complete removal of anyone propagating this behavior. They were told to “Cleanse out the old leaven” (1 Cor. 5:7a) and to stop permitting immoral conduct. By this, Paul illuminates how sin is not only a problem with the individual but that it spreads to infect and influence the church. Paul did not take lightly the corruption of the church and our position should be much the same. Like Paul, we should view the health of the church as paramount, discerning in our analysis of pervasive sin and being swift and resolute in its expulsion.
Ezekiel 3
Ezekiel 3:9 (ESV) 9 Like emery harder than flint have I made your forehead. Fear them not, nor be dismayed at their looks, for they are a rebellious house.” … 26 And I will make your tongue cling to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be mute and unable to reprove them, for they are a rebellious house. 27 But when I speak with you, I will open your mouth, and you shall say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD.’ He who will hear, let him hear; and he who will refuse to hear, let him refuse, for they are a rebellious house.
Multiple times in this chapter, God refers to the people of Israel as a “rebellious house”. They would not be willing to listen to Ezekiel “because all the house of Israel have a hard forehead and a stubborn heart.” (Ezek. 3:7b). To empower Ezekiel to speak to such a people, the LORD gave him a face as hard as their faces and a forehead harder than theirs in the same way emery is harder than flint. Ezekiel was also made speechless for seven years, only able to speak when God instructed him to deliver a message. The combination of these details seem to indicate both the strength and precision of Ezekiel’s ministry for God’s purposes. It is helpful to read Ezekiel’s calling because it reminds us of our own. As members of the body of Christ, each of us has been granted gifts to be faithfully stewarded in order that we may advance the gospel of Christ and bring glory to His name.
Psalm 39
Psalm 39:4–6 (ESV) 4 “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am! 5 Behold, you have made my days a few handbreadths, and my lifetime is as nothing before you. Surely all mankind stands as a mere breath! Selah 6 Surely a man goes about as a shadow! Surely for nothing they are in turmoil; man heaps up wealth and does not know who will gather!
David asks the LORD to help him realize his fleetingness and the short measure of his days. The CSB Notes provides some helpful insights on David’s sentiment:
The lesson to be learned involves seeing everything as God sees it—from his perspective, rather than from the human perspective. Human accomplishments, however great they seem, fade away with the steady march of history. For those who trust in God, life has a meaning and significance that is not tied to earthly achievements.