Contemplative Bible Reading

Joel 3:13a (New Living Translation) Don’t tear your clothing in your grief, but tear your hearts instead. I love the how the message is worded in this phrase. In the day of Joel the prophet, people would literally tear their clothes to express grief. I suppose what some people do today is punch or kick […]

[Read more →]

Daniel 10:10-14 (New Living Translation) 10 Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. 11 And the man said to me, “Daniel, you are very precious to God, so listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to […]

[Read more →]

Daniel 10:4-7 (New Living Translation) 4 On April 23, as I was standing on the bank of the great Tigris River, 5 I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. 6 His body looked like a precious gem. His face flashed like lightning, […]

[Read more →]

Daniel 10:1-3 (New Living Translation) 1 In the third year of the reign of King Cyrus of Persia, Daniel (also known as Belteshazzar) had another vision. He understood that the vision concerned events certain to happen in the future—times of war and great hardship. 2 When this vision came to me, I, Daniel, had been […]

[Read more →]

Daniel 1:8 (New International Version) But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way. Tis the season for New Year’s resolutions. I never understood that, but it seems that it is important for many people. The resolutions […]

[Read more →]

Micah 4:3 (New Living Translation) The Lord will mediate between peoples and will settle disputes between strong nations far away. They will hammer their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will no longer fight against nation, nor train for war anymore. At first, I thought this was the famous phrase that […]

[Read more →]

1 Chronicles 27:23-24 (New Living Translation) 23 When David took his census, he did not count those who were younger than twenty years of age, because the Lord had promised to make the Israelites as numerous as the stars in heaven. 24 Joab son of Zeruiah began the census but never finished it because the […]

[Read more →]

1 Chronicles 18:14-17 (New Living Translation) 14 So David reigned over all Israel and did what was just and right for all his people. 15 Joab son of Zeruiah was commander of the army. Jehoshaphat son of Ahilud was the royal historian. 16 Zadok son of Ahitub and Ahimelech son of Abiathar were the priests. […]

[Read more →]

2 Kings 23:15 (New Living Translation) The king also tore down the altar at Bethel—the pagan shrine that Jeroboam son of Nebat had made when he caused Israel to sin. He burned down the shrine and ground it to dust, and he burned the Asherah pole. This verse describes what the King of Judah was […]

[Read more →]

1 Samuel 3:19 (New Living Translation) As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. Samuel was a prophet. He is the definition of a prophet in that what he predicted came true or, as in this verse, “proved to be reliable.” This is pretty simple, yet […]

[Read more →]