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MARCH 21
heaven above and on the earth beneath; there They have been cast down and are not
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is no other. You shall therefore keep His able to rise.
statutes and His commandments which I com- Proverbs 12:7
mand you today, that it may go well with you
and with your children after you, and that you 7 The wicked are overthrown and are no
may prolong your days in the land which the more,
LORD your God is giving you for all time.” But the house of the righteous will stand.
41 Then Moses set apart three cities on this
side of the Jordan, toward the rising of the Luke 1:1–20
sun, that the manslayer might flee there, who Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set
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kills his neighbor unintentionally, without hav- 1 in order a narrative of those things which
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ing hated him in time past, and that by fleeing have been fulfilled among us, just as those
to one of these cities he might live: Bezer in
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the wilderness on the plateau for the
Reubenites, Ramoth in Gilead for the Gadites,
and Golan in Bashan for the Manassites.
44 Now this is the law which Moses set 1:1 many. Although Luke wrote direct divine
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before the children of Israel. These are the revelation inspired by the Holy Spirit, he
testimonies, the statutes, and the judgments acknowledged the works of others who had
which Moses spoke to the children of Israel set down in writing events from Christ’s life.All
after they came out of Egypt, on this side of those sources have been long lost, except for
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the Jordan, in the valley opposite Beth Peor, in the inspired Gospels.Since Matthew and Mark
the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who were most likely written before Luke, it has
dwelt at Heshbon, whom Moses and the chil- been suggested that either one or both of
dren of Israel defeated after they came out of those may have been among Luke’s sources
Egypt. And they took possession of his land when he did his research.It is also known that
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he was personally acquainted with many first-
and the land of Og king of Bashan, two kings hand witnesses to the events of Christ’s life.
of the Amorites, who were on this side of the And it is possible that some of his sources
Jordan, toward the rising of the sun, from were word-of-mouth reports. About 60 per-
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Aroer, which is on the bank of the River cent of the material in Mark is repeated in
Arnon, even to Mount Sion (that is, Hermon), Luke,and Luke seems to follow Mark’s order of
49 and all the plain on the east side of the Jordan events closely. to set in order. Luke proposed
as far as the Sea of the Arabah, below the to narrate the ministry of Christ in an authori-
slopes of Pisgah. tative, logical, and factual order. those things
Psalm 36:7–12 which have been fulfilled. I.e., the Old
Testament messianic promises fulfilled in
7 How precious is Your lovingkindness, Christ. among us. I.e., in our generation. This
O God! phrase does not mean Luke was personally an
Therefore the children of men put eyewitness to the life of Christ.
their trust under the shadow of
Your wings.
They are abundantly satisfied with the who from the beginning were eyewitnesses
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fullness of Your house, and ministers of the word delivered them to
And You give them drink from the us, it seemed good to me also, having had
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river of Your pleasures.
For with You is the fountain very first, to write to you an orderly account,
9 perfect understanding of all things from the
of life; 4
In Your light we see light. most excellent Theophilus, that you may
know the certainty of those things in which
Oh, continue Your lovingkindness to you were instructed.
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those who know You, 5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of
And Your righteousness to the upright Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the
in heart. division of Abijah. His wife was of the daugh-
Let not the foot of pride come against ters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
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me, 6 And they were both righteous before God,
And let not the hand of the wicked walking in all the commandments and ordi-
drive me away. nances of the Lord blameless. But they had no
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There the workers of iniquity have child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they
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fallen; were both well advanced in years.
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