Contemplative Bible Reading

Isaiah 10:8 (New International Version 2011) ‘Are not my commanders all kings?’ he (God) says. The prophet Isaiah is relaying words from God. He has been writing about how God employs earthly kings and kingdoms to accomplish His intentions. The verses preceding the one above speak of Assyria. God used Assyria to punish His own […]

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Isaiah 33:7-8 (New English Translation) 7 Look, ambassadors cry out in the streets; messengers sent to make peace weep bitterly. 8 Highways are empty, there are no travelers. Treaties are broken, witnesses are despised, human life is treated with disrespect. The prophet Isaiah is lamenting the condition of life among his people. He starts with […]

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Isaiah 28:29 (New English Translation) This also comes from the Lord who commands armies, who gives supernatural guidance and imparts great wisdom. The word “supernatural” has come to be associated with witchcraft and other things condemned by the Bible. Sometimes I need to step back a little and reconsider words, especially in light of the […]

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Isaiah 59:1 (New English Translation) Look, the Lord’s hand is not too weak to deliver you; his ear is not too deaf to hear you. This verse is a great comfort. The Lord is listening to me. He hears my prayers and my thoughts. The Lord is strong and active. He will do some of […]

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Isaiah 9:2 (New International Version) The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned. Note the next to last phrase of this verse, living in the land of the shadow of death. The last three words in particular caught […]

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Isaiah 51:1 (New International Version) “Listen to me, you who pursue righteousness and who seek the LORD : Look to the rock from which you were cut and to the quarry from which you were hewn; We all came from somewhere. More to the point, we all came from someone. We all have ancestors. In […]

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Isaiah 29: 15 (New International Version) Woe to those who go to great depths to hide their plans from the LORD, who do their work in darkness and think, “Who sees us? Who will know?” How foolish. The thought that we can hide our plans from God, that we can go someplace where he cannot […]

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Isaiah 10:1-2 (New International Version) 1 Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, 2 to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed of my people, making widows their prey and robbing the fatherless. Let’s start with verse 2: depriving the poor, withholding from the […]

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Isaiah 3:16 (New International Version) 16 The LORD says, “The women of Zion are haughty, walking along with outstretched necks, flirting with their eyes, tripping along with mincing steps, with ornaments jingling on their ankles. In this chapter, God is angry with His people. He lists their sins and their coming punishments. Verse 16 tells […]

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Isaiah 44:16-19 (NIV)ß 16 Half of the wood he burns in the fire; over it he prepares his meal, he roasts his meat and eats his fill. He also warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm; I see the fire.” 17 From the rest he makes a god, his idol; he bows down to […]

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