The Robert Murray M‘Cheyne
Bible Reading Plan
December 4
Private Reading
Nahum 2
The Overthrow of Nineveh
1 The one who scatters has come up against you.
Man the fortress, watch the road;
Strengthen your back, summon all your strength.
2 For the Lord will restore the splendor of Jacob
Like the splendor of Israel,
Even though devastators have devastated them
And destroyed their vine branches.
3 The shields of his mighty men are colored red,
The warriors are dressed in scarlet,
The chariots are enveloped in flashing steel
When he is prepared to march,
And the cypress spears are brandished.
4 The chariots race madly in the streets,
They rush wildly in the squares,
Their appearance is like torches,
They dash to and fro like lightning flashes.
5 He remembers his nobles;
They stumble in their march,
They hurry to her wall,
And the mantelet is set up.
6 The gates of the rivers are opened
And the palace is dissolved.
7 It is fixed:
She is stripped, she is carried away,
And her handmaids are moaning like the sound of doves,
Beating on their breasts.
8 Though Nineveh was like a pool of water throughout her days,
Now they are fleeing;
“
Stop, stop,”
But no one turns back.
9 Plunder the silver!
Plunder the gold!
For there is no limit to the treasure—
Wealth from every kind of desirable object.
10 She is emptied! Yes, she is desolate and waste!
Hearts are melting and knees knocking!
Also anguish is in the whole body
And all their faces are grown pale!
11 Where is the den of the lions
And the feeding place of the young lions,
Where the lion, lioness and lion’s cub prowled,
With nothing to disturb them?
12 The lion tore enough for his cubs,
Killed enough for his lionesses,
And filled his lairs with prey
And his dens with torn flesh.
13 “Behold, I am against you,” declares the Lord of hosts. “I
will burn up her chariots in smoke, a sword will devour your young lions; I will
cut off your prey from the land, and no longer will the voice of your messengers
be heard.”
Luke 18
Parables on Prayer
1 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray
and not to lose heart,
2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and
did not respect man.
3 “There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give
me legal protection from my opponent.’
4 “For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, ‘Even
though I do not fear God nor respect man,
5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will give her legal protection, otherwise
by continually coming she will wear me out.’ ”
6 And the Lord said, “Hear what the unrighteous judge *?said;
7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and
night, and will He delay long over them?
8 “I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However,
when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”
The Pharisee and the Publican
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that
they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt:
10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other
a tax collector.
11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank
You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like
this tax collector.
12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling
to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God,
be merciful to me, the sinner!’
14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will
be exalted.”
15 And they were bringing even their babies to Him so that He would touch them,
but when the disciples saw it, they began rebuking them.
16 But Jesus called for them, saying, “Permit the children to come to Me,
and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
17 “Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like
a child will not enter it at all.”
The Rich Young Ruler
18 A ruler questioned Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit
eternal life?”
19 And Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except
God alone.
20 “You know the commandments, ‘Do not commit adultery, Do not murder,
Do not steal, Do not bear false witness, Honor your father and mother.’ ”
21 And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.”
22 When Jesus heard this, He said to him, “One thing you still lack; sell
all that you possess and distribute it to the poor, and you shall have treasure
in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
23 But when he had heard these things, he became very sad, for he was extremely
rich.
24 And Jesus looked at him and said, “How hard it is for those who are
wealthy to enter the kingdom of God!
25 “For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than
for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
26 They who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?”
27 But He said, “The things that are impossible with people are possible
with God.”
28 Peter said, “Behold, we have left our own homes and followed You.”
29 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left
house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom
of God,
30 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come,
eternal life.”
31 Then He took the twelve aside and said to them, “Behold, we are going
up to Jerusalem, and all things which are written through the prophets about
the Son of Man will be accomplished.
32 “For He will be handed over to the Gentiles, and will be mocked and
mistreated and spit upon,
33 and after they have scourged Him, they will kill Him; and the third day He
will rise again.”
34 But the disciples understood none of these things, and the meaning of this
statement was hidden from them, and they did not comprehend the things that were
said.
Bartimaeus Receives Sight
35 As Jesus was approaching Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the road begging.
36 Now hearing a crowd going by, he began to inquire what this was.
37 They told him that Jesus of Nazareth was passing by.
38 And he called out, saying, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
39 Those who led the way were sternly telling him to be quiet; but he kept crying
out all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”
40 And Jesus stopped and commanded that he be brought to Him; and when he came
near, He questioned him,
41 “What do you want Me to do for you?” And he said, “Lord,
I want to regain my sight!”
42 And Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has made you
well.”
43 Immediately he regained his sight and began following Him, glorifying God;
and when all the people saw it, they gave praise to God.
"Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, © Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission." (www.Lockman.org)