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FEBRUARY 24
To eat up my flesh,
My enemies and foes,
They stumbled and fell.
18:21 Molech. This Semitic false deity (god of 3 Though an army may
the Ammonites) was worshiped with child encamp against me,
sacrifice (see Lev. 20:2–5; 1 Kin. 11:7; 2 Kin. My heart shall not fear;
23:10; Jer. 32:35). Since this chapter deals oth- Though war may rise
erwise with sexual deviation, there is likely an against me,
unmentioned sexual perversion connected In this I will be confident.
with this pagan ritual. Jews giving false gods
homage gave foreigners occasion to blas- Proverbs 10:9
pheme the true God. 9 He who walks with integrity walks
securely,
But he who perverts his ways will
‘Do not defile yourselves with any of these become known.
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things; for by all these the nations are defiled,
which I am casting out before you. For the Mark 4:21–41
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land is defiled; therefore I visit the punish- 21 Also He said to them, “Is a lamp brought to
ment of its iniquity upon it, and the land vom- be put under a basket or under a bed? Is it not
its out its inhabitants. You shall therefore to be set on a lampstand? For there is noth-
26
22
keep My statutes and My judgments, and ing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has
shall not commit any of these abominations, anything been kept secret but that it should
either any of your own nation or any stranger come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let
23
who dwells among you 27 (for all these him hear.”
abominations the men of the land have done, 24 Then He said to them, “Take heed what
who were before you, and thus the land is you hear. With the same measure you use, it
defiled), lest the land vomit you out also will be measured to you; and to you who hear,
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when you defile it, as it vomited out the more will be given. For whoever has, to him
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nations that were before you. For whoever more will be given; but whoever does not
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commits any of these abominations, the per- have, even what he has will be taken away
sons who commit them shall be cut off from from him.”
among their people. 26 And He said, “The kingdom of God is as if
‘Therefore you shall keep My ordinance, a man should scatter seed on the ground,
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so that you do not commit any of these abom- 27 and should sleep by night and rise by day,
inable customs which were committed before and the seed should sprout and grow, he him-
you, and that you do not defile yourselves by self does not know how. For the earth yields
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them: I am the LORD your God.’ ” crops by itself: first the blade, then the head,
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after that the full grain in the head. But when
Psalm 27:1–3
the grain ripens, immediately he puts in the
A Psalm of David. sickle, because the harvest has come.”
30 Then He said, “To what shall we liken the
T he LORD is my light and kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall
my salvation;
31
Whom shall I fear? we picture it? It is like a mustard seed which,
The LORD is the strength when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than
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of my life; all the seeds on earth; but when it is sown, it
Of whom shall I be afraid?
2
When the wicked came against me
4:31 a mustard seed. A reference to the com-
mon black mustard plant. The leaves were
27:1 light. This important biblical word pic- used as a vegetable and the seed as a condi-
ture with exclusively positive connotations ment. It also had medicinal benefits. smaller
pictures the light of redemption in contrast to than all. The mustard seed is not the smallest
the darkness of condemnation (see Pss. 18:28; of all seeds in existence, but it was in compar-
36:9; 43:3; Is. 60:1,19,20; Mic. 7:8; John 8:12; ison to all the other seeds the Jews sowed in
12:46; 1 John 1:5). Palestine.
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