| Date | Version | Reading Plan |
|---|---|---|
| September 6, 2024 | ESV (2016) | M’Cheyne Plan 2024 |
1 Samuel 31
1 Samuel 31:8–10 (ESV) 8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 So they cut off his head and stripped off his armor and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines, to carry the good news to the house of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Ashtaroth, and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
Following the defeat of the Israelites—the death of Saul, his sons, his armor bearer and his men—the Philistines decapitated Saul and took his body along with his sons and hung them on the wall of Beth-shan. This was done in order to carry the good news of the Philistine victory to the house of their idols and to the people. The FSB provides some additional detail in saying, “According to 1 Chr. 10:10, the Philistines fastened Saul’s head to the temple of Dagon. Ironically, they replaced the head of their decapitated god with that of the king whose God decapitated Dagon (see 1 Sam 5:4).” The book of 1 Sam. thus closes with the gruesome end to Saul and his reign as king, fulfilling Samuel’s words to Saul in 1 Sam. 15:28 when he rejected the word of the LORD in the defeat of the Amalekites: “The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.”
1 Corinthians 11
1 Corinthians 11:19 (ESV) 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
In speaking of the gathering of the church, Paul says that there was to be factions among them in order that those who are genuine are recognized. This is admittedly a difficult passage to take in as Paul seems to be advocating the formation of factions in the church. However, the BBC provides some helpful insight:
Paul foresaw that the schisms already begun in Corinth would increase until they became more serious. Although in general this would be detrimental to the church, yet one good thing would come out of it, that is, that those who were truly spiritual and who were approved of God would be recognized among the Corinthians. When Paul says in this verse: “there must also be factions among you,” this does not mean that it is a moral necessity. God is not condoning splits in the church here. Rather, Paul means that because of the carnal conditions of the Corinthians, it was inevitable that factions would result. Divisions are proof that some have failed to discern the mind of the Lord.
Ezekiel 9
Ezekiel 9:9–10 (ESV) 9 Then he said to me, “The guilt of the house of Israel and Judah is exceedingly great. The land is full of blood, and the city full of injustice. For they say, ‘The LORD has forsaken the land, and the LORD does not see.’ 10 As for me, my eye will not spare, nor will I have pity; I will bring their deeds upon their heads.”
In response to Ezekiel interceding for the people and asking if the LORD would destroy the remnant of Israel, the LORD said that the guilt of Israel and Judah was exceedingly great and that He would bring their deeds upon their heads. The theme of sight in these verses is intriguing. The people declared that the LORD did not see their plight and therefore they owed no loyalty to Him. However, God sees everything and His eyes would now not spare them or have pity. Bringing this into our own context, let it be then for us to know that our Lord sees and knows all. This we acknowledge not that we would live in crippling fear but that everything we speak and do would be a means to honor and glorify Him.
Psalm 48
Psalm 48:10 (ESV) 10 As your name, O God, so your praise reaches to the ends of the earth. Your right hand is filled with righteousness.
The psalmist speaks of how God’s praise reaches the ends of the earth as does His name. It is a wonder to ponder this, of the all-fulfilling joy of everlasting praise for our Creator, dwelling in His glorious presence forever. His right hand is filled with righteousness, the righteousness in which we are clothed having been justified by His blood and adopted as sons and daughters. “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Ps. 16:11)