Tag: politics
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Jesus, Gender, and Marriage
4“Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’ 5and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’?6So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no…
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Jeroboam’s Rocky Start
25Then Jeroboam fortified Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim and lived there. From there he went out and built up Peniel. 26Jeroboam thought to himself, “The kingdom will now likely revert to the house of David. 27If these people go up to offer sacrifices at the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, they will again give their…
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Divided Kingdom
34“ ‘But I [God] will not take the whole kingdom out of Solomon’s hand; I have made him ruler all the days of his life for the sake of David my servant, whom I chose and who obeyed my commands and decrees. 35I will take the kingdom from his son’s hands and give you [Jeroboam] ten…
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David the Passive Father
5Now Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith, put himself forward and said, “I will be king.” So he got chariots and horses ready, with fifty men to run ahead of him. 6(His father had never rebuked him by asking, “Why do you behave as you do?” He was also very handsome and was born next after Absalom.) 7Adonijah…
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Humble or Haughty?
28You [God] save the humble, but your eyes are on the haughty to bring them low.–2 Samuel 22 For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted. (Matthew 23:12) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up. (James 4:10) Haughty eyes and a proud heart—…
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Unity and Division
1Now a troublemaker named Sheba son of Bikri, a Benjamite, happened to be there. He sounded the trumpet and shouted, “We have no share in David, no part in Jesse’s son! Every man to his tent, Israel!” 2So all the men of Israel deserted David to follow Sheba son of Bikri. But the men of…
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David’s Theological and Political Response
9David answered Rekab and his brother Baanah, the sons of Rimmon the Beerothite, “As surely as the Lord lives, who has delivered me out of every trouble, 10when someone told me, ‘Saul is dead,’ and thought he was bringing good news, I seized him and put him to death in Ziklag. That was the reward I gave him…
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Gospel and Government
10Paul answered: “I am now standing before Caesar’s court, where I ought to be tried. I have not done any wrong to the Jews, as you yourself know very well. 11If, however, I am guilty of doing anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if the charges brought against me by these Jews…
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Is Your Heart Steadfast About the Right Things?
7My heart, O God, is steadfast, my heart is steadfast; I will sing and make music. –Psalm 57
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They Tried to Trap Jesus With Politics
20Keeping a close watch on him, they sent spies, who pretended to be sincere. They hoped to catch Jesus in something he said, so that they might hand him over to the power and authority of the governor. 21So the spies questioned him: “Teacher, we know that you speak and teach what is right, and that…
Joel M Bradshaw 