Contemplative Bible Reading

1 Samuel 22:1-2 (New Living Translation) 1 So David left Gath and escaped to the cave of Adullam. Soon his brothers and all his other relatives joined him there. 2 Then others began coming—men who were in trouble or in debt or who were just discontented—until David was the captain of about 400 men. This […]

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1 Samuel 1:6-7 (New Living Translation) 6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle. Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even […]

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Habakkuk 2:8 (New Living Translation) 8 Because you have plundered many nations,now all the survivors will plunder you. This is part of a conversation between God and the prophet Habakkuk. God was telling the prophet about using the nation of Babylon to punish a sinful people. The Babylonians would sweep through and conquer in a […]

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Obadiah 1:13 (New Living Translation) 13 You should not have plundered the land of Israelwhen they were suffering such calamity.You should not have gloated over their destructionwhen they were suffering such calamity.You should not have seized their wealthwhen they were suffering such calamity. God is speaking to the people of Edom through the prophet Obadiah. […]

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Isaiah 45:7 (New Living Translation) 7 I create the light and make the darkness.I send good times and bad times.I, the Lord, am the one who does these things. God is speaking to Cyrus the Great of Persia through the prophet Isaiah. God is reminding Cyrus of a few things before God uses Cyrus to […]

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Isaiah 44:16-17 (New Living Translation) 16 He burns part of the tree to roast his meatand to keep himself warm.He says, “Ah, that fire feels good.”17 Then he takes what’s leftand makes his god: a carved idol!He falls down in front of it,worshiping and praying to it.“Rescue me!” he says.“You are my god!” God is […]

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Jonah 4:8 (New Living Translation) 8 And as the sun grew hot, God arranged for a scorching east wind to blow on Jonah. The sun beat down on his head until he grew faint and wished to die. “Death is certainly better than living like this!” he exclaimed. This is the end of the story […]

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Isaiah 11:3 (New Living Translation) 3 He will delight in obeying the Lord.He will not judge by appearancenor make a decision based on hearsay. Most folks who study these things believe these verses from the prophet Isaiah are describing Jesus Christ. The prior verses tell us that the Spirit of the Lord will rest on […]

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Proverbs 10:19 (New Living Translation) 19 Too much talk leads to sin.Be sensible and keep your mouth shut. I have been writing this contemplation collection of thoughts for about 16 years as of this morning. I have struggled with contemplating the collection of Proverbs. Every phrase could be a contemplation. They could stand alone without […]

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Proverbs 10:17 (New Living Translation) 17 People who accept discipline are on the pathway to life,but those who ignore correction will go astray. One book that greatly influenced how I read the Bible and live as a Christian is “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” Being a Christian is like walking on a pathway. There are several pathways […]

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