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APRIL 21
He is like the beasts that perish. that falls to me.’ So he divided to them his
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livelihood. And not many days after, the
13 This is the way of those who are foolish,
And of their posterity who approve younger son gathered all together, journeyed
their sayings. Selah to a far country, and there wasted his posses-
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Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
14 sions with prodigal living. But when he had
Death shall feed on them; spent all, there arose a severe famine in that
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The upright shall have dominion over land, and he began to be in want. Then he
them in the morning; went and joined himself to a citizen of that
And their beauty shall be consumed in country, and he sent him into his fields to feed
the grave, far from their dwelling. swine. And he would gladly have filled his
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But God will redeem my soul from the stomach with the pods that the swine ate, and
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power of the grave, no one gave him anything.
For He shall receive me. Selah 17 “But when he came to himself, he said,
‘How many of my father’s hired servants have
bread enough and to spare, and I perish with
hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and
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49:15 But God will redeem my soul...He shall will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against
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receive me. This is one of the greatest affirma- heaven and before you, and I am no longer
tions of confidence in God in the Psalms. worthy to be called your son. Make me like
Although the faithless person cannot buy his one of your hired servants.” ’
way out of death (v. 7ff.), the faithful one is 20 “And he arose and came to his father. But
redeemed by the only Redeemer, God Himself. when he was still a great way off, his father
(On the significance of the word “receive,” see saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell
Gen. 5:24; 2 Kin. 2:10; Ps. 73:24; Heb. 11:5.) So in on his neck and kissed him. And the son said
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v. 15 the psalmist expresses his confidence in to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven
God,that He would raise him to eternal life. and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to
be called your son.’
22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring
Do not be afraid when one becomes rich, out the best robe and put it on him, and put a
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When the glory of his house is 23
increased; ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And
17 For when he dies he shall carry bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us
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nothing away; eat and be merry; for this my son was dead
His glory shall not descend after him. and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’
Though while he lives he blesses
18 And they began to be merry.
himself 25 “Now his older son was in the field. And as
(For men will praise you when you do he came and drew near to the house, he heard
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well for yourself), music and dancing. So he called one of the
He shall go to the generation of his servants and asked what these things meant.
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fathers;
They shall never see light.
20 A man who is in honor, yet does not
understand,
Is like the beasts that perish. 15:29 I never transgressed your command-
ment at any time. Unlikely, given the boy’s
Proverbs 14:22–24
obvious contempt for his father, shown by his
22 Do they not go astray who devise evil? refusal to participate in the father’s great joy.
But mercy and truth belong to those This statement reveals the telltale problem
who devise good. with all religious hypocrites. They will not rec-
ognize their sin and repent. The elder son’s
In all labor there is profit, comment reeks of the same spirit as the words
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But idle chatter leads only to poverty. of the Pharisee in 18:11. you never gave me a
young goat. All those years of service to the
24 The crown of the wise is their riches, father appear to have been motivated too
But the foolishness of fools is folly. much by concern for what he could get for
Luke 15:11–32 himself. This son’s self-righteous behavior was
more socially acceptable than the younger
11 Then He said: “A certain man had two brother’s debauchery,but it was equally dishon-
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sons. And the younger of them said to his oring to the father—and called for repentance.
father, ‘Father, give me the portion of goods
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