Sunday, June 2, 2013

Highlighted Part One: Old Testament

     Last week, a good friend of mine wrote a blog post about highlighting Bible verses. Just like me, she is an advocate of not writing in books, and thus any verse she does underline or highlight is pretty special. I thought that it was a neat idea for a post, and it got me wondering what verses I have marked in my own Bible. After another friend borrowed the idea, I decided that I would do so as well.

     In elementary school, I wielded my highlighter with great enthusiasm, and the ink bled through to the other side of the page, leaving my Bible spotty pink and yellow. In seventh grade, my parents gave me an NIV Bible for Easter, and I resolved to highlight very little. Later, I decided that I was old and mature enough to make wise decisions about what to mark, and broke out the pens again, marking far more verses than I realized before looking for them intentionally.

     Exodus 2:24
     God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob.
     
     Joshua 24:15
     But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.

     Psalm 16:5-6
     Lord, you have assigned me my portion and my cup; you have made my lot secure. The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance.

     Psalm 35:8
     Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
      
     Psalm 126
     When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, "The Lord has done great things for them." The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev. Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with Him.
     
     Psalm 127
     Unless the Lord builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat- for He grants sleep to the ones that He loves.
     Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from Him. Like arrows in the hands of a warrior are sons born in one's youth. Blessed is the man whose quiver is full of them. They will not be put to shame when they contend with their enemies in the gate.
     
     I highlighted the entirety of Psalm 139, my favorite Bible passage. Since I don't want to type the entire twenty-four verse chapter in this post, here is a link to it in the NKJV, the translation in which I committed it to memory.
     
     Note: I am only sharing some of the more significant or less known Proverbs which I highlighted, because there were too many to share in a blog post. (Yes, you are allowed to argue that it is still too many, but trust me... I cut a lot.)

     Proverbs 4:13
     Hold onto instruction, do not let it go; guard it well, for it is your life.
     
     Proverbs 14:22
     Do not those who plot evil go astray? But those who plan what is good find love and faithfulness.
     
     Proverbs 17:28
     Even a fool is thought wise if he keeps silent, and discerning if he holds his tongue.
     
     Proverbs 18:2
     A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions.
               
     Proverbs 18:13
     He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame.

     Proverbs 19:2
     It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way.
     
     Proverbs 19:14
     Houses and wealth are inherited from parents, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.
     
     Proverbs 19:17
     He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done.
     
     Proverbs 19:21
     Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. 
     
     Proverbs 22:1
     A good name is more desirable than great riches, to be esteemed better than silver or gold.
     
     Proverbs 26:2
     Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow, an undeserved curse will not come to rest.
     
     Proverbs 26:18-19
     Like a madman shooting firebrands or deadly arrows is a man who deceives his neighbor and says, "I was only joking!"
     
     Proverbs 26: 20
     Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down.
     
     Proverbs 27:1
     Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth.
     
     Proverbs 27:2
     Let another praise you, and not your own mouth; someone else, and not your own lips.
     
     Proverbs 28:2
     The wicked man flees though no one pursues, but the righteous are as bold as a lion.
     
     Proverbs 28:13
     He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy.
     
     Proverbs 28:23
     He who rebukes a man will in the end gain more favor than he who has a flattering tongue.
     
     Proverbs 29:11
     A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control.
     
     Proverbs 29:15
     The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.
     
     Proverbs 30:5-6
     Every word of God is pure. It is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to his word lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.
          
     Ecclesiastes 3:11
     He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end.
     
     Isaiah 43:1-2
     But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
     
     Joel 2:12-13
     “Even now,” declares the Lord, “return to me with all your heart, with fasting and weeping and mourning.”  Rend your heart and not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and he relents from sending calamity.

    That's a neat final verse to have highlighted in the Old Testament, giving a picture of the redemption that was to come!
     (Part Two)

No comments:

Post a Comment