Contemplative Bible Reading

Job 37:23-24 (New Living Translation) 23 We cannot imagine the power of the Almighty; but even though he is just and righteous, he does not destroy us. 24 No wonder people everywhere fear him. All who are wise show him reverence.” People everywhere fear God. Those select few who are wise revere God. Why do […]

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Job 36:26 (New Living Translation) Look, God is greater than we can understand. We find this statement in one of the more contemplative (hi)stories in the Bible. God is great. God is so great, we cannot understand God. We cannot truly know God, because God is just…well, God. There are days when I wonder in […]

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Isaiah 35: 5-7 (New Living Translation) 5 And when he comes, he will open the eyes of the blind and unplug the ears of the deaf. 6 The lame will leap like a deer, and those who cannot speak will sing for joy! Springs will gush forth in the wilderness, and streams will water the […]

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Isaiah 1:5 (New Living Translation) Why do you continue to invite punishment? Must you rebel forever? Your head is injured, and your heart is sick. God is sending a question to the people through the prophet Isaiah. Simple question: What are you doin’? Their lives were bringing pain and suffering. Their minds were sick; their […]

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Proverbs 22:2 (New Living Translation) The rich and poor have this in common: The Lord made them both. The two phrases in this sentence seem to be opposite. God created us all equal in His sight (the second phrase). There are unequal people—some rich, some poor (the first phrase). Hmmm, doesn’t make sense to me. […]

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Ecclesiastes 1:9 (New Living Translation) History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new. So, what’s the use? The Bible tells us that nothing changes. Injustice, hate, sin—they just roll on and roll over us. The key phrase in this verse is “under the sun.” That doesn’t […]

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1 Samuel 6:18 (New Living Translation) The large rock at Beth-shemesh, where they set the Ark of the Lord, still stands in the field of Joshua as a witness to what happened there. This sentence comes at the end of a (hi)story about how the Ark of the LORD (a treasure chest that held the […]

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Psalm 101: 6 (New Living Translation) I will search for faithful people    to be my companions. Companions can define a person. I choose my companions. I choose my life. The writer of this 3,000-year-old verse searched for people who were faithful to God the creator to be his companions, to define his life. This is certainly […]

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Deuteronomy 24:19 (New Living Translation) When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the Lord your God will bless you in all you do. These sentences are the start of […]

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Leviticus 26:13 (English Standard Version) I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that you should not be their slaves. And I have broken the bars of your yoke and made you walk erect. God is talking to His people. God reminds them of their recent past as […]

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