Contemplative Bible Reading

Hosea 6:6 (New International Version) For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings. This is one of those passages that sticks with me; it has for years. I believe God is telling us that he cherishes what is in the heart more than what we do with our hands […]

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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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Jonah 1:3 (New International Version) But Jonah ran away from the LORD and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the LORD. Another verse from one of my favorite histories in […]

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Acts 4:25-26 (New International Version) from Psalms 2 25You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ” ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? 26The kings of the earth take their stand and the rulers gather together against the Lord and against his Anointed […]

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Proverbs 18:18 (New International Version) Casting the lot settles disputes and keeps strong opponents apart. I read this week as well. It was another of those, “What does this say? This must be a misprint!” The writer of this proverb is telling me to “roll the dice” or “cut a deck of cards” to settle […]

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Proverbs 20:30 (New International Version) Blows and wounds cleanse away evil, and beatings purge the inmost being. I read this passage just this week. Something must be wrong here, this must be a misprint. If nothing else, this passage can easily be misapplied. I mean look at it, if someone is sinning you take a […]

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Song of Solomon 1:16 (New International Version) How handsome you are, my lover! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant. Verdant. People don’t use words like “verdant” anymore. I had to learn what this meant. Some definitions: Lacking experience or sophistication Naïve Unripe in knowledge or judgment Unsophisticated Raw Green As a verdant youth […]

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1 Kings 8:6 (New International Version) The priests then brought the ark of the LORD’s covenant to its place in the inner sanctuary of the temple, the Most Holy Place, and put it beneath the wings of the cherubim. The ark of the covenant. That was made famous by the movie with Harrison Ford – […]

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Micah 7:18 (New International Version) Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. What a fundamental question. Who is a God like the one true God? God forgives sins and shows mercy. So […]

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Job 11:14 (New American Standard Bible) If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away, And do not let wickedness dwell in your tents; Romans 6:12 (New American Standard Bible) Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, Genesis 4:7 (New American Standard Bible) “If you […]

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