Professor Horner’s Reading Plan

Matthew 5; Deuteronomy 30; 1 Corinthians 11; Revelation 10; Song of Solomon 5; Psalms 33; Proverbs 28; 2 Chronicles 3; Daniel 12; Acts 15

Matthew 5

1When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him.

2Then he began to teach them, saying:

3“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs. j

4Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.

5Blessed are the humble, for they will inherit the earth.

6Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.

7Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.

8Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.

9Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.

10Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

11“You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.

12Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

13“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt should lose its taste, how can it be made salty? It’s no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.

14“You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden.

15No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house.

16In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

17“Don’t think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.

18For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or one stroke of a letter will pass away from the law until all things are accomplished.

19Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commands and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever does and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

20For I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the kingdom of heaven.

21“You have heard that it was said to our ancestors, Do not murder, and whoever murders will be subject to judgment.

22But I tell you, everyone who is angry with his brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Whoever insults his brother or sister, will be subject to the court. Whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be subject to hellfire.

23So if you are offering your gift on the altar, and there you remember that your brother or sister has something against you,

24leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled with your brother or sister, and then come and offer your gift.

25Reach a settlement quickly with your adversary while you’re on the way with him to the court, or your adversary will hand you over to the judge, and the judge to the officer, and you will be thrown into prison.

26Truly I tell you, you will never get out of there until you have paid the last penny.

27“You have heard that it was said, Do not commit adultery.

28But I tell you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

29If your right eye causes you to sin, gouge it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell.

30And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of the parts of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.

31“It was also said, Whoever divorces his wife must give her a written notice of divorce.

32But I tell you, everyone who divorces his wife, except in a case of sexual immorality, causes her to commit adultery. And whoever marries a divorced woman commits adultery.

33“Again, you have heard that it was said to our ancestors,  You must not break your oath, but you must keep your oaths to the Lord.

34But I tell you, don’t take an oath at all: either by heaven, because it is God’s throne;

35or by the earth, because it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, because it is the city of the great King.

36Do not swear by your head, because you cannot make a single hair white or black.

37But let your ‘yes’ mean ‘yes,’ and your ‘no’ mean ‘no.’ Anything more than this is from the evil one.

38“You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.

39But I tell you, don’t resist an evildoer. On the contrary, if anyone slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also.

40As for the one who wants to sue you and take away your shirt, let him have your coat as well.

41And if anyone forces you to go one mile, go with him two.

42Give to the one who asks you, and don’t turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you.

43“You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.

44But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

45so that you may be children of your Father in heaven. For he causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

46For if you love those who love you, what reward will you have? Don’t even the tax collectors do the same?

47And if you greet only your brothers and sisters, what are you doing out of the ordinary? Don’t even the Gentiles do the same?

48Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Deuteronomy 30

1“When all these things happen to you — the blessings and curses I have set before you — and you come to your senses while you are in all the nations where the LORD your God has driven you,

2and you and your children return to the LORD your God and obey him with all your heart and all your soul by doing everything I am commanding you today,

3then he will restore your fortunes, have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the peoples where the LORD your God has scattered you.

4Even if your exiles are at the farthest horizon, he will gather you and bring you back from there.

5The LORD your God will bring you into the land your fathers possessed, and you will take possession of it. He will cause you to prosper and multiply you more than he did your fathers.

6The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the hearts of your descendants, and you will love him with all your heart and all your soul so that you will live.

7The LORD your God will put all these curses on your enemies who hate and persecute you.

8Then you will again obey him and follow all his commands I am commanding you today.

9The LORD your God will make you prosper abundantly in all the work of your hands, your offspring, the offspring of your livestock, and the produce of your land. Indeed, the LORD will again delight in your prosperity, as he delighted in that of your fathers,

10when you obey the LORD your God by keeping his commands and statutes that are written in this book of the law and return to him with all your heart and all your soul.

11“This command that I give you today is certainly not too difficult or beyond your reach.

12It is not in heaven so that you have to ask, ‘Who will go up to heaven, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’

13And it is not across the sea so that you have to ask, ‘Who will cross the sea, get it for us, and proclaim it to us so that we may follow it?’

14But the message is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, so that you may follow it.

15See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity.

16For I am commanding you today to love the LORD your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the LORD your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

17But if your heart turns away and you do not listen and you are led astray to bow in worship to other gods and serve them,

18I tell you today that you will certainly perish and will not prolong your days in the land you are entering to possess across the Jordan.

19I call heaven and earth as witnesses against you today that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Choose life so that you and your descendants may live,

20love the LORD your God, obey him, and remain faithful to him. For he is your life, and he will prolong your days as you live in the land the LORD swore to give to your fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.”

1 Corinthians 11

1Imitate me, as I also imitate Christ.

2Now I praise you because you remember me in everything and hold fast to the traditions just as I delivered them to you.

3But I want you to know that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of the woman, and God is the head of Christ.

4Every man who prays or prophesies with something on his head dishonors his head.

5Every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head, since that is one and the same as having her head shaved.

6For if a woman doesn’t cover her head, she should have her hair cut off. But if it is disgraceful for a woman to have her hair cut off or her head shaved, let her head be covered.

7A man should not cover his head, because he is the image and glory of God. So too, woman is the glory of man.

8For man did not come from woman, but woman came from man.

9Neither was man created for the sake of woman, but woman for the sake of man.

10This is why a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

11In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, and man is not independent of woman.

12For just as woman came from man, so man comes through woman, and all things come from God.

13Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?

14Does not even nature itself teach you that if a man has long hair it is a disgrace to him,

15but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For her hair is given to her as a covering.

16If anyone wants to argue about this, we have no other custom, nor do the churches of God.

17Now in giving this instruction I do not praise you, since you come together not for the better but for the worse.

18For to begin with, I hear that when you come together as a church there are divisions among you, and in part I believe it.

19Indeed, it is necessary that there be factions among you, so that those who are approved may be recognized among you.

20When you come together, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s Supper.

21For at the meal, each one eats his own supper. So one person is hungry while another gets drunk!

22Don’t you have homes in which to eat and drink? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What should I say to you? Should I praise you? I do not praise you in this matter!

23For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: On the night when he was betrayed, the Lord Jesus took bread,

24and when he had given thanks, broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.”

25In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, and said, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.”

26For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

27So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sin against the body and blood of the Lord.

28Let a person examine himself; in this way let him eat the bread and drink from the cup.

29For whoever eats and drinks without recognizing the body, eats and drinks judgment on himself.

30This is why many are sick and ill among you, and many have fallen asleep.

31If we were properly judging ourselves, we would not be judged,

32but when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined, so that we may not be condemned with the world.

33Therefore, my brothers and sisters, when you come together to eat, welcome one another.

34If anyone is hungry, he should eat at home, so that when you gather together you will not come under judgment. I will give instructions about the other matters whenever I come.

Revelation 10

1Then I saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven, wrapped in a cloud, with a rainbow over his head. His face was like the sun, his legs were like pillars of fire,

2and he held a little scroll opened in his hand. He put his right foot on the sea, his left on the land,

3and he called out with a loud voice like a roaring lion. When he cried out, the seven thunders raised their voices.

4And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write, but I heard a voice from heaven, saying, “Seal up what the seven thunders said, and do not write it down!”

5Then the angel that I had seen standing on the sea and on the land raised his right hand to heaven.

6He swore by the one who lives forever and ever, who created heaven and what is in it, the earth and what is in it, and the sea and what is in it: “There will no longer be a delay,

7but in the days when the seventh angel will blow his trumpet, then the mystery of God will be completed, as he announced to his servants the prophets.”

8Then the voice that I heard from heaven spoke to me again and said, “Go, take the scroll that lies open in the hand of the angel who is standing on the sea and on the land.”

9So I went to the angel and asked him to give me the little scroll. He said to me, “Take and eat it; it will be bitter in your stomach, but it will be as sweet as honey in your mouth.”

10Then I took the little scroll from the angel’s hand and ate it. It was as sweet as honey in my mouth, but when I ate it, my stomach became bitter.

11And they said to me, “You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages, and kings.”

Song of Solomon 5

1I have come to my garden — my sister, my bride. I gather my myrrh with my spices. I eat my honeycomb with my honey. I drink my wine with my milk. Eat, friends! Drink, be intoxicated with caresses!

2I was sleeping, but my heart was awake. A sound! My love was knocking! Open to me, my sister, my darling, my dove, my perfect one. For my head is drenched with dew, my hair with droplets of the night.

3I have taken off my clothing. How can I put it back on? I have washed my feet. How can I get them dirty?

4My love thrust his hand through the opening, and my feelings were stirred for him.

5I rose to open for my love. My hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with flowing myrrh on the handles of the bolt.

6I opened to my love, but my love had turned and gone away. My heart sank because he had left. I sought him, but did not find him. I called him, but he did not answer.

7The guards who go about the city found me. They beat and wounded me; they took my cloak from me — the guardians of the walls.

8Young women of Jerusalem, I charge you, if you find my love, tell him that I am lovesick.

9What makes the one you love better than another, most beautiful of women? What makes him better than another, that you would give us this charge?

10My love is fit and strong, notable among ten thousand.

11His head is purest gold. His hair is wavy and black as a raven.

12His eyes are like doves beside flowing streams, washed in milk and set like jewels.

13His cheeks are like beds of spice, mounds of perfume. His lips are lilies, dripping with flowing myrrh.

14His arms are rods of gold set with beryl. His body is an ivory panel covered with lapis lazuli.

15His legs are alabaster pillars set on pedestals of pure gold. His presence is like Lebanon, as majestic as the cedars.

16His mouth is sweetness. He is absolutely desirable. This is my love, and this is my friend, young women of Jerusalem.

Psalms 33

1Rejoice in the LORD, you righteous ones; praise from the upright is beautiful.

2Praise the LORD with the lyre; make music to him with a ten-stringed harp.

3Sing a new song to him; play skillfully on the strings, with a joyful shout.

4For the word of the LORD is right, and all his work is trustworthy.

5He loves righteousness and justice; the earth is full of the LORD’s unfailing love.

6The heavens were made by the word of the LORD, and all the stars, by the breath of his mouth.

7He gathers the water of the sea into a heap; he puts the depths into storehouses.

8Let the whole earth fear the LORD; let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

9For he spoke, and it came into being; he commanded, and it came into existence.

10The LORD frustrates the counsel of the nations; he thwarts the plans of the peoples.

11The counsel of the LORD stands forever, the plans of his heart from generation to generation.

12Happy is the nation whose God is the LORD  — the people he has chosen to be his own possession!

13The LORD looks down from heaven; he observes everyone.

14He gazes on all the inhabitants of the earth from his dwelling place.

15He forms the hearts of them all; he considers all their works.

16A king is not saved by a large army; a warrior will not be rescued by great strength.

17The horse is a false hope for safety; it provides no escape by its great power.

18But look, the LORD keeps his eye on those who fear him — those who depend on his faithful love

19to rescue them from death and to keep them alive in famine.

20We wait for the LORD; he is our help and shield.

21For our hearts rejoice in him because we trust in his holy name.

22May your faithful love rest on us, LORD, for we put our hope in you.

Proverbs 28

1The wicked flee when no one is pursuing them, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.

2When a land is in rebellion, it has many rulers, but with a discerning and knowledgeable person, it endures.

3A destitute leader who oppresses the poor is like a driving rain that leaves no food.

4Those who reject the law praise the wicked, but those who keep the law pit themselves against them.

5The evil do not understand justice, but those who seek the LORD understand everything.

6Better the poor person who lives with integrity than the rich one who distorts right and wrong.

7A discerning son keeps the law, but a companion of gluttons humiliates his father.

8Whoever increases his wealth through excessive interest collects it for one who is kind to the poor.

9Anyone who turns his ear away from hearing the law — even his prayer is detestable.

10The one who leads the upright into an evil way will fall into his own pit, but the blameless will inherit what is good.

11A rich person is wise in his own eyes, but a poor one who has discernment sees through him.

12When the righteous triumph, there is great rejoicing, but when the wicked come to power, people hide.

13The one who conceals his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them will find mercy.

14Happy is the one who is always reverent, but one who hardens his heart falls into trouble.

15A wicked ruler over a helpless people is like a roaring lion or a charging bear.

16A leader who lacks understanding is very oppressive, but one who hates dishonest profit prolongs his life.

17Someone burdened by bloodguilt will be a fugitive until death. Let no one help him.

18The one who lives with integrity will be helped, but one who distorts right and wrong will suddenly fall.

19The one who works his land will have plenty of food, but whoever chases fantasies will have his fill of poverty.

20A faithful person will have many blessings, but one in a hurry to get rich will not go unpunished.

21It is not good to show partiality  — yet even a courageous person may sin for a piece of bread.

22A greedy one is in a hurry for wealth; he doesn’t know that poverty will come to him.

23One who rebukes a person will later find more favor than one who flatters with his tongue.

24The one who robs his father or mother and says, “That’s no sin,” is a companion to a person who destroys.

25A greedy person stirs up conflict, but whoever trusts in the LORD will prosper.

26The one who trusts in himself is a fool, but one who walks in wisdom will be safe.

27The one who gives to the poor will not be in need, but one who turns his eyes away will receive many curses.

28When the wicked come to power, people hide, but when they are destroyed, the righteous flourish.

2 Chronicles 3

1Then Solomon began to build the LORD’s temple in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah where the LORD had appeared to his father David, at the site David had prepared on the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.

2He began to build on the second day of the second month in the fourth year of his reign.

3These are Solomon’s foundations for building God’s temple: the length was ninety feet, and the width thirty feet.

4The portico, which was across the front extending across the width of the temple, was thirty feet wide; its height was thirty feet; he overlaid its inner surface with pure gold.

5The larger room he paneled with cypress wood, overlaid with fine gold, and decorated with palm trees and chains.

6He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and the gold was the gold of Parvaim.

7He overlaid the temple — the beams, the thresholds, its walls and doors — with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.

8Then he made the most holy place; its length corresponded to the width of the temple, 30 feet, and its width was 30 feet. He overlaid it with forty-five thousand pounds of fine gold.

9The weight of the nails was twenty ounces of gold, and he overlaid the ceiling with gold.

10He made two cherubim of sculptured work, for the most holy place, and he overlaid them with gold.

11The overall length of the wings of the cherubim was 30 feet: the wing of one was 7½ feet, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, touching the wing of the other cherub.

12The wing of the other cherub was 7½ feet, touching the wall of the room; its other wing was 7½ feet, reaching the wing of the other cherub.

13The wingspan of these cherubim was 30 feet. They stood on their feet and faced the larger room.

14He made the curtain of blue, purple, and crimson yarn and fine linen, and he wove cherubim into it.

15In front of the temple he made two pillars, each 27 feet high. The capital on top of each was 7½ feet high.

16He had made chainwork in the inner sanctuary and also put it on top of the pillars. He made a hundred pomegranates and fastened them into the chainwork.

17Then he set up the pillars in front of the sanctuary, one on the right and one on the left. He named the one on the right Jachin and the one on the left Boaz.

Daniel 12

1At that time Michael, the great prince who stands watch over your people, will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape.

2Many who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake, some to eternal life, and some to disgrace and eternal contempt.

3Those who have insight will shine like the bright expanse of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

4“But you, Daniel, keep these words secret and seal the book until the time of the end. Many will roam about, and knowledge will increase.”

5Then I, Daniel, looked, and two others were standing there, one on this bank of the river and one on the other.

6One of them said to the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river, “How long until the end of these wondrous things?”

7Then I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the water of the river. He raised both his hands toward heaven and swore by him who lives eternally that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. When the power of the holy people is shattered, all these things will be completed.

8I heard but did not understand. So I asked, “My lord, what will be the outcome of these things?”

9He said, “Go on your way, Daniel, for the words are secret and sealed until the time of the end.

10Many will be purified, cleansed, and refined, but the wicked will act wickedly; none of the wicked will understand, but those who have insight will understand.

11From the time the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.

12Happy is the one who waits for and reaches 1,335 days.

13But as for you, go on your way to the end; you will rest, and then you will stand to receive your allotted inheritance at the end of the days.”

Acts 15

1Some men came down from Judea and began to teach the brothers: “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom prescribed by Moses, you cannot be saved.”

2After Paul and Barnabas had engaged them in serious argument and debate, Paul and Barnabas and some others were appointed to go up to the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about this issue.

3When they had been sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and they brought great joy to all the brothers and sisters.

4When they arrived at Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church, the apostles, and the elders, and they reported all that God had done with them.

5But some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to command them to keep the law of Moses.”

6The apostles and the elders gathered to consider this matter.

7After there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them: “Brothers and sisters, you are aware that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles would hear the gospel message and believe.

8And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he also did to us.

9He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith.

10Now then, why are you testing God by putting a yoke on the disciples’ necks that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear?

11On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus in the same way they are.”

12The whole assembly became silent and listened to Barnabas and Paul describe all the signs and wonders God had done through them among the Gentiles.

13After they stopped speaking, James responded: “Brothers and sisters, listen to me.

14Simeon has reported how God first intervened to take from the Gentiles a people for his name.

15And the words of the prophets agree with this, as it is written:

16After these things I will return and rebuild David’s fallen tent. I will rebuild its ruins and set it up again,

17so the rest of humanity may seek the Lord — even all the Gentiles who are called by my name — declares the Lord who makes these things

18known from long ago.

19Therefore, in my judgment, we should not cause difficulties for those among the Gentiles who turn to God,

20but instead we should write to them to abstain from things polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from blood.

21For since ancient times, Moses has had those who proclaim him in every city, and every Sabbath day he is read aloud in the synagogues.”

22Then the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, decided to select men who were among them and to send them to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas: Judas, called Barsabbas, and Silas, both leading men among the brothers.

23They wrote: “From the apostles and the elders, your brothers, To the brothers and sisters among the Gentiles in Antioch, Syria, and Cilicia: Greetings.

24Since we have heard that some without our authorization went out from us and troubled you with their words and unsettled your hearts,

25we have unanimously decided to select men and send them to you along with our dearly loved Barnabas and Paul,

26who have risked their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

27Therefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who will personally report the same things by word of mouth.

28For it was the Holy Spirit’s decision — and ours — not to place further burdens on you beyond these requirements:

29that you abstain from food offered to idols, from blood, from eating anything that has been strangled, and from sexual immorality. You will do well if you keep yourselves from these things. Farewell.”

30So they were sent off and went down to Antioch, and after gathering the assembly, they delivered the letter.

31When they read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.

32Both Judas and Silas, who were also prophets themselves, encouraged the brothers and sisters and strengthened them with a long message.

33After spending some time there, they were sent back in peace by the brothers and sisters to those who had sent them.

34

35But Paul and Barnabas, along with many others, remained in Antioch, teaching and proclaiming the word of the Lord.

36After some time had passed, Paul said to Barnabas, “Let’s go back and visit the brothers and sisters in every town where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they’re doing.”

37Barnabas wanted to take along John Mark.

38But Paul insisted that they should not take along this man who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

39They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed off to Cyprus.

40But Paul chose Silas and departed, after being commended by the brothers and sisters to the grace of the Lord.

41He traveled through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.