I had the privilege of strolling through Hobby Lobby over the weekend. In full disclosure, I rarely go to the store. My wife, on the other hand, is a frequent flyer.
The various scriptural signs for sale got my brain humming! There was no shortage of signs plastered with I Corinthians 13 or Jeremiah 29:11. I began to wonder what would happen if a seminary student took a part-time job at Hobby Lobby in the quality control business.
True students of the bible CRINGE when scriptures are taken out of context which seems to happen often. However, most often it’s positive scriptures promising something in error.
Here is my best effort to do the same thing with odd or brutal scriptures. I am kind of kidding but not kidding.
Imagine, if you will, some of these scriptures on a sign for sale in Hobby Lobby. Maybe I have a warped sense of humor. I find the situation a bit funny.
Hobby Lobby Rejection Set #1 — Oopsie Daisy
John 14:15 If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
Psalm 81:15 Those who hate the Lord would pretend obedience to Him,
and their time of punishment would be forever.
Obedience is a big deal to God.
I Corinthians 6:9-10 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Psalm 44:22 But for Your sake we are killed all day long; We are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.
Zephaniah 1:17 I will bring distress on men So that they will walk like the blind because they have sinned against the Lord, And their blood will be poured out like dust And their flesh like dung.
Hobby Lobby Rejection Set #2 — Your Mother Is A Hamster
Psalm 10:8 He sits in the lurking places of the villages; In the hiding places he kills the innocent; His eyes stealthily watch for the unfortunate.
Titus 3:3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.
Isaiah 57:3 But come here, you sons of a sorceress, offspring of an adulterer and a prostitute.
Psalm 58:6 O God, shatter their teeth in their mouth; Break out the fangs of the young lions, O Lord.
Job 31:10 May my wife grind for another, and let others kneel down over her.
Hobby Lobby Rejection Set #3 — The Wrath of God
Ephesians 5:6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.
Genesis 6:17 Behold, I, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.
I Kings 22:38 They washed the chariot by the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood (now the harlots bathed themselves there), according to the word of the Lord which He spoke.
II Corinthians 11:23 Are they servants of Christ?—I speak as if insane—I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death.
Numbers 22:23 When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way with his drawn sword in his hand, the donkey turned off from the way and went into the field; but Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back into the way.
Apostle Paul
II Corinthians 11:24-25 Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep.
Matthew 23:31 So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets.
Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts, and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.
Deuteronomy 32:42 I will make My arrows drunk with blood, And My sword will devour flesh, With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired leaders of the enemy.
Job 18:13 His skin is devoured by disease, The firstborn of death devours his limbs.
What Does the Bible Say About Witchcraft
I Corinthians 6:9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
Jeremiah 16:4 They will die of deadly diseases, they will not be lamented or buried; they will be as dung on the surface of the ground and come to an end by sword and famine, and their carcasses will become food for the birds of the sky and for the beasts of the earth.
I Samuel 15:23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He also has rejected you from being king.
II Chronicles 21:14-15 Behold, the Lord is going to strike your people, your sons, your wives and all your possessions with a great calamity; and you will suffer severe sickness, a disease of your bowels until your bowels come out because of the sickness, day by day.
Revelation 21:8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.
Persecution
Hebrews 11:13 All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but having seen them and having welcomed them from a distance, and having confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.
Psalm 106:15 So He gave them their request but sent a wasting disease among them.
Lamentations 4:9 Better are those slain with the sword than those slain with hunger; For they pine away, being stricken for lack of the fruits of the field.
Revelation 6:8 I looked, and behold, an ashen horse; and he who sat on it had the name Death, and Hades was following with him. Authority was given to them over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by the wild beasts of the earth.
Hebrews 11:37-38 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were put to death with the sword; they went about in sheepskins, in goatskins, being destitute, afflicted, ill-treated (men of whom the world was not worthy), wandering in deserts and mountains and caves and holes in the ground.
Stoned to the Bone
Joshua 7:25 And Joshua said, “Why have you troubled us? The Lord will trouble you this day.” So all of Israel stoned him with stones, and they burned them with fire after they had stoned them with stones.
Acts 7:59 And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.”
Numbers 16:31-32 Now it came to pass, as he finished speaking all these words, that the ground split apart under them, and the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the men with Korah, with all their goods.
Acts 12:2 Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword.
Acts 12:23 Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.
Graven Images
Hosea 4:2 There is swearing, deception, murder, stealing, and adultery. They employ violence, so that bloodshed follows bloodshed.
Acts 20:24 But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.
Revelation 14:20 And the winepress was trodden outside the city, and blood came out from the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for a distance of two hundred miles.
I John 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols.
Revelation 20:15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
Romans 5
In all seriousness having our name written in the Book of Life is imperative. How does one get their name put in that Book?
It’s not from being good. We can’t be good enough. Most of us have tried and we fail time after time.
How then?
We accept the work that Christ did on our behalf. Jesus came to earth as truly God and truly man. Our sin is putrid and requires punishment. Jesus took that punishment for us. The price is paid.
Romans 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.
We cannot save ourselves. Jesus paid the price for the penalty of our sin. We, by faith, accept His free gift of salvation.
Oh, one more thing that you probably won’t hear too often. He is our King and we must give Him 100% of our life. We’re not our own we are bought with a price.
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.