Walk in Wisdom
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These daily devotionals are written to help you remain rooted and grounded in God's Word each day. We have one devotional for each weekday, and one for the weekend.
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Latest Devotional
A Bit More Context
Exodus 21:2
“When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.”
No one in their right mind would ever call slavery a good thing any more than they would call war a good thing, because slavery and war both extend from man’s exertion of power over his brother, but it’s important to understand that the enterprise of slavery was in certain times and places in the ancient world a necessary socio-economic affair, sometimes even a mercy when the ulterior was genocide. Think of it like this. What if Assyrians stormed through your city, burned down all the buildings, and seized you and your children. What would you do? Your entire livelihood has been obliterated; your community is in a heap; thousands of your strongest men lie dead around you; weeping widows and screaming children are running frantically through the streets. What will you eat? How will you get protection from future attacks? How will you rebuild the walls of your vanquished life? You won’t. Instead, you’ll do the human thing. You’ll get down on your knees and beg for the most precious thing you’ve got—your life—in exchange for your fealty.
What did freedom mean to Hagar when Sarah sent her and Ishmael packing? It was a death knell, and she wept rather than rejoiced. So at least it’s helpful to realize that not all forms of captivity in the ancient world were ethical nightmares. Even pagans like Potiphar clearly treated Joseph with respect, placing him in charge over his entire household. And both Darius and Nebuchadnezzar, for all their dark sides, gave Daniel and his exiled friends prominent positions in the palace. So there was hope for slaves in the old world. There was a chance they could rise from their low position to greater heights. It was far from ideal, a far cry from Zion’s glory, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom either.
That gives us a little insight into why many of these hard-hearted Hebrews will constantly gripe at Moses for taking them out of their own captivity in Egypt. But which do you think is a sadder sight? To see a slave who yearns for freedom but can’t get out? Or to see a free man who yearns for slavery but can’t get back? -
Laws on Slavery (An Introduction)
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The Art of Worship
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A Deep Light
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A Word on Honor
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Blessed Rest
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What’s in a Name?
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The Law in Essence
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Further In
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Lead Me to Calvary
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The Gospel Call
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Supreme Court Justice
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An Intervention
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The Tie that Binds
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Coming Around
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Pitching In
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Strong as a Rock
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How Long, O Lord?!
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Treasures in the Dust
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Mark My Word
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Heaven Sent
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In Between
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Meaning, as a Rule
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Fight or Flight
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If the Bones are Good
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Sabbath Psalm 34
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The Power of His Word
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A Song is Rising
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A Wake-Up Call
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Genesis, First-Hand
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Do or Die
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Sabbath Psalm 33
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Face Off
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Not on Auto-Pilot
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Oh the Radiance!
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Unbreakable Bonds
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God is Strong—for Starters
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Sabbath Psalm 32
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Indigenous Saints
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A Traveling Band
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A Blood Bath
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Reserved Seating
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Shadow and Substance
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Sabbath Psalm 31
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Another Genesis
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Wonderful News
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Post Traumatic Sacrifice Disorder
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A Great Glimpse
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Some through the Fire
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Sabbath Psalm 30
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Let There be Light
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A Painful Plea
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Sour Words
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From the Mouths of Babies
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Mustard Seeds
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Sabbath Psalm 29
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At the Heart of the Story
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The Hardened Heart Problem—Continued
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Mid-Life Crisis
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The Fuss—no Feast—of Faith
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Defining Lines
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Sabbath Psalm 28
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Absent-Minded Professors
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Temporary Relief
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So Close
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The Emperor’s New Trick
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Another Lying Serpent
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Sabbath Psalm 27
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Roads Not Taken
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Deep, Deep Waters
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Recharge
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Lost in Translation
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Feeling the Weight
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Sabbath Psalm 26
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Today: A New Testament
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Slipping Up
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Beating on an Open Door
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Says Who?
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Growing Pains
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Sabbath Psalm 25
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Holiness Hurts
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Mountain Climbers
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Playing Dumb
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Shepherding Made Easy?
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A Name to Bear
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Sabbath Psalm 24
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The Reluctant Hero
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The Art of Becoming
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Home at Last
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God Only Knows
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Over the Hill
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Sabbath Psalm 23
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Missing Pieces
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Anti-Hero
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Sealed with a Tear
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Like Father Like Daughter
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Motherhood: an Exhibition
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Sabbath Psalm 22
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An Ode to the Small
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Ignorance or Arrogance?