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NOVEMBER 18
Psalm 129:1–4 7 If you endure chastening, God deals with
you as with sons; for what son is there whom
A Song of Ascents.
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a father does not chasten? But if you are with-
M from my youth,” takers, then you are illegitimate and not sons.
“ any a time they have afflicted me out chastening, of which all have become par-
Let Israel now say— 9 Furthermore, we have had human fathers
“Many a time they have afflicted me who corrected us, and we paid them respect.
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from my youth; Shall we not much more readily be in subjec-
Yet they have not prevailed against me. tion to the Father of spirits and live? For they
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The plowers plowed on my back; indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed
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They made their furrows long.” best to them, but He for our profit, that we may
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The LORD is righteous; be partakers of His holiness. Now no chas-
He has cut in pieces the cords tening seems to be joyful for the present, but
of the wicked. painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the
peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who
Proverbs 28:26
have been trained by it.
He who trusts in his own heart Therefore strengthen the hands which
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is a fool, hang down, and the feeble knees, and make
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But whoever walks wisely will be straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame
delivered. may not be dislocated, but rather be healed.
14 Pursue peace with all people, and holiness,
Hebrews 12:1–29
without which no one will see the Lord: look-
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Therefore we also, since we are surround- ing carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace
12 ed by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up
lay aside every weight, and the sin which so eas- cause trouble, and by this many become
ily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance defiled; lest there be any fornicator or pro-
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the race that is set before us, looking unto Je- fane person like Esau, who for one morsel of
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sus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for food sold his birthright. For you know that
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the joy that was set before Him endured the afterward, when he wanted to inherit the
cross, despising the shame, and has sat down blessing, he was rejected, for he found no
at the right hand of the throne of God. place for repentance, though he sought it dili-
For consider Him who endured such hos- gently with tears.
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tility from sinners against Himself, lest you
become weary and discouraged in your souls.
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You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striv-
ing against sin. And you have forgotten the
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exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: 12:14 Pursue…holiness. In this epistle, it is
explained as 1) a drawing near to God with full
“My son, do not despise the chastening faith and a cleansed conscience (10:14,22),
of the LORD, and 2) a genuine acceptance of Christ as the
Nor be discouraged when you are Savior and sacrifice for sin,bringing the sinner
rebuked by Him; into fellowship with God. Unbelievers will not
For whom the LORD loves He chastens,
6 be drawn to accept Christ if believers’ lives do
And scourges every son whom He not demonstrate the qualities God desires,
receives.” including peace and holiness (John 13:35;
1Tim. 4:3; 5:23; 1 Pet. 1:16).
18 For you have not come to the mountain
12:4 bloodshed. None of the Hebrews had that may be touched and that burned with fire,
experienced such intense exhaustion or per- and to blackness and darkness and tempest,
secution that it brought them to death or mar- 19 and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of
tyrdom.Since Stephen (Acts 7:60),James (Acts words, so that those who heard it begged that
12:1), and others (Acts 9:1; 22:4; 26:10) had the word should not be spoken to them any-
faced martyrdom in Jerusalem, it would more. (For they could not endure what was
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appear to rule out that city as the residence of commanded: “And if so much as a beast touch-
this epistle’s recipients. es the mountain, it shall be stoned or shot with
an arrow.” And so terrifying was the sight
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