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APRIL 20
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has done this thing.” Then the men of the
city said to Joash, “Bring out your son, that he
may die, because he has torn down the altar of
Baal, and because he has cut down the wooden 49:6 Those who trust in their wealth.
image that was beside it.” Mankind’s propensity to trust in his own ma-
31 But Joash said to all who stood against terial goods is well attested in Scripture (e.g.,
him, “Would you plead for Baal? Would you Ps. 52:7; Jer. 17:5). Biblically this is exposed as
save him? Let the one who would plead for the epitome of stupidity (see Prov.23:4,5;Luke
him be put to death by morning! If he is a god, 12:16ff.).
let him plead for himself, because his altar has
been torn down!” Therefore on that day he
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called him Jerubbaal, saying, “Let Baal plead When the iniquity at my heels
against him, because he has torn down his surrounds me?
altar.” 6 Those who trust in their wealth
33 Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, And boast in the multitude of their
the people of the East, gathered together; and riches,
they crossed over and encamped in the Valley 7 None of them can by any means
of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the LORD came redeem his brother,
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upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and Nor give to God a ransom for him—
the Abiezrites gathered behind him. And he 8 For the redemption of their souls is
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sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, costly,
who also gathered behind him. He also sent And it shall cease forever—
messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; 9 That he should continue to live
and they came up to meet them. eternally,
36 So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Is- And not see the Pit.
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rael by my hand as You have said— look, I Proverbs 14:20–21
shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing
floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it 20 The poor man is hated even by his own
is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that neighbor,
You will save Israel by my hand, as You have But the rich has many friends.
said.” And it was so. When he rose early the 21 He who despises his neighbor sins;
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next morning and squeezed the fleece togeth-
er, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowl-
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ful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do
not be angry with me, but let me speak just
once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more 14:20 This sad-but-true picture of human nature
with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the is not given approvingly, but only as a fact.
fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.”
40 And God did so that night. It was dry on the
fleece only, but there was dew on all the But he who has mercy on the poor,
ground. happy is he.
Psalm 49:1–9 Luke 15:1–10
To the Chief Musician. Then all the tax collectors and the sin-
A Psalm of the sons of Korah. 15 ners drew near to Him to hear Him. And
2
the Pharisees and scribes complained, saying,
ear this, all peoples;
H Give ear, all inhabitants of the world, “This Man receives sinners and eats with them.”
3 So He spoke this parable to them, saying:
Both low and high,
2
4 “What man of you, having a hundred
Rich and poor together.
3 My mouth shall speak wisdom, sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave
And the meditation of my heart shall the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after
the one which is lost until he finds it? And
5
give understanding.
I will incline my ear to a proverb; ders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he
4 when he has found it, he lays it on his shoul-
6
I will disclose my dark saying calls together his friends and neighbors, say-
on the harp.
ing to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found
7
Why should I fear in the days
5 my sheep which was lost!’ I say to you that
of evil, likewise there will be more joy in heaven over
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