Tag: jesus
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God, the Only Hope
7Truly no man can ransom another, or give to God the price of his life,8for the ransom of their life is costly and can never suffice,9that he should live on forever and never see the pit.–Psalm 49 The general understanding was that after death, a person went to Sheol, the underworld, the grave, the place…
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For They Shall Be Comforted
11You have turned for me my mourning into dancing;you have loosed my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness,12that my glory may sing your praise and not be silent.O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever!–Psalm 30 We don’t know why David was mourning. This psalm was part of the dedication of the Temple that…
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The Satisfied Sheep
1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.–Psalm 23 One of the most famous chapters of the Bible. It’s a guaranteed read at a funeral graveside service, and it’s a fountain of theology. Yeah, you read that right. We just need this verse. A verse so famous, that you might be able to approach random people…
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Looking Back
18they divide my garments among them,and for my clothing they cast lots.–Psalm 22 Today’s reading is hard to digest. David was going through something tremendously difficult. And the psalm doesn’t tell us what it was. We know that for the first half of his adult life, David was chased like a vigilante around the country…
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Forever King
“…16The LORD is king forever and ever…”–Psalm 10 The person who wrote this psalm really struggled with the world. He saw society as full of people who treated others badly. The poor were taken advantage of by the powerful. The wicked people afflict others with injustice and do so as a means of renouncing God. And for…
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Cashing that Paycheck
20“The LORD will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me.–Deuteronomy 28, part 2 The final chunk of this chapter is a depressing jolt of reality. Show covenant love to God…
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Motivations
…if you obey the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, being careful to do them, 14and if you do not turn aside from any of the words that I command you today, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.–Deuteronomy 28, part 1 This gigantic…
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Nobody Escapes
26“‘Cursed be anyone who does not confirm the words of this law by doing them.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’–Deuteronomy 27 Imagine you are watching a movie where all the heroes are trapped. And one by one they try to escape the trap. Some try valiantly, but fail. Others almost make it, but…
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Keeping Promises
21“If you make a vow to the LORD your God, you shall not delay fulfilling it, for the LORD your God will surely require it of you, and you will be guilty of sin. 22But if you refrain from vowing, you will not be guilty of sin. 23You shall be careful to do what has passed your lips, for you have…
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Joseph’s Dilemma
13“If any man takes a wife and goes in to her and then hates her 14and accuses her of misconduct and brings a bad name upon her, saying, ‘I took this woman, and when I came near her, I did not find in her evidence of virginity,’ 15then the father of the young woman and her mother…
Joel M Bradshaw 