Bible in Rhyme

The Dusty Old Book

by Belinda van Rensburg

A dusty, musty Book lies there
On the bookshelf by my chair;
Long forgotten and untouched
(certainly not cared for much)
For years unopened and unread;
God's Living Word; our Daily Bread.

I dust it off and turn the cover,
Inside is writ 'With love from Mother'.
Intrigued I turn page after page
And read about a long-lost age;
A time before the world began
When angels fought and fell and sang.

Then the Great Creator made
All that exists: the man and maid.
Their sin doomed those who were born after;
Sweat and tears instead of laughter.
Evicted from their fruitful home;
Satan left loose to rule and roam.

People turned away from God -
As a result they felt His rod;
Repenting just to sin again
Returning every now and then;
But though they were twelve faithless clans
God loved them 'cause of Abraham.

A promise made; foretold of old,
A covenant kept; the Savior sold
For silver with a traitor's kiss
And Blood that flowed because of this.
The veil was torn; men are reborn
Earning on Earth the lost souls' scorn.

The Lamb of God enthroned on High
Will one day meet men in the sky
To take them to a better place
Where they will see Him face to Face;
Then comes the dreaded Judgment Day
Of those who lost the Only Way.

The Book teaches all this, and more;
What is, will be and came before.
Don't do what I did; it was wrong
Please read your Bible; don't wait long -
The message of God's Word's profound:
Search for Him while He may be found.
© 2008

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The Book

by Belinda van Rensburg

You'll do well to take a look
Within the pages of The Book
To find out where you're coming from;
To learn about God and His Son.

Inspired by the Holy Ghost
Guarded by the hallowed host;
Penned by men in bygone ages -
Prophets, poets, scribes and sages.

A record of God's awesome deeds,
Of human weaknesses and greed;
Of promises I Am has kept;
Of tears our Lord and Savior wept.

Helping souls to grow; mature
Whilst making our election sure.
Teaching us what not to do -
What is false and what is true.

The blueprint of God's glorious plan
For the heavens and for man.
Giving a glimpse into Christ's mind,
Restoring sight to souls born blind.

A Light unto God's children's feet
Each word illuminated; sweet,
Filling men with love and hope;
Helping those who read it cope.

The Word of God will guide us on
Until the final song's been sung;
Until the end of man and beast;
Until all life on Earth has ceased.

© 2010

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The following poem is based on Genesis 5

They Walked With God

by Belinda van Rensburg

Enoch, the seventh from Adam;
A descendant of his third son Seth;
The first-born son of Jared
Never tasted decay and death.

He was blameless, humble and upright
And pleased God in all his ways;
He walked with God and he talked with God
Nigh a hundred thousand days.

When he reached the age of sixty-five
He begat Methuselah;
The oldest man who ever did live
And granddaddy to Noah.

Enoch stayed close to his Maker
Then by faith He was taken away;
He walked with God then he was no more -
Never tasting death and decay.

Noah followed in his footsteps;
He obeyed God night and day,
Pleasing the Lord with his blameless life
And teaching his sons to pray.

Throughout the years and the ages
Mighty men listened to You
As You shared Your thoughts and Your secrets
With those who were upright and true.

Father, it is our desire
To walk with You as they did;
Of Your precepts we will never tire -
Please help us to do as we're bid.
© 2008

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The following poem is based on Genesis 28

A Certain Place
by Belinda van Rensburg

A patriarch of old (Jacob was his name)
Fled from sin and angry twin when at day's end he came
Upon a certain place where he took a rest;
With head pillowed on a stone the patriarch was blessed.

Behold, he dreamed a dream – a ladder reaching high
Resting on the earth; shooting through the sky,
Reaching heav'n itself; touching God above
Looking down at him with tenderness and love.

Angels moving up and down the ladder's rungs
(No doubt they were conversing in angelic tongues).
Then he heard the Voice of God once again affirm;
The Promise made to Abraham in that dream confirmed.

“Behold, I'm always with you; wherever you may go
The Promised Land I will upon you and your seed bestow;
Never will I leave you; My Covenant will stand
Until you and your children have inherited this Land.”

Now sinner, here's a lesson of great value to be learned,
Deeds of darkness must be left behind and spurned;
Come unto that Certain Place where you will find rest -
Place yourself upon the Rock and you will be blessed.

Heaven within reach as you search His Face
Believing His Promise made in that certain place.
Christ is the rung; the stepping stone; He is the only Way
Leading to the Promised Land you could call Home one day.
© 2009

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The following poem is based on Exodus 32

Who is for the Lord?

by Belinda van Rensburg

He stood at the entrance leaning on his staff
His anger; sorrow far too much to bear;
The Israelites have made themselves a golden calf;
They're prone to evil; blind and unaware.

''Whoever's for the Lord come unto me!''
His voice fell like a knife upon their ears
The Levites rallied close; from evil they did flee
Repenting of their sins and turning from their fears.

No other gods are we to worship; follow
Nothing in all creation idolize -
All those useless 'gods' such as Odin and Apollo
Should be outright rejected and despised.

There is only one King in all creation
(One not made of flesh or carved from stone)
He alone is worthy of our love and adoration:
The Lamb of God who sits upon the throne.
© 2008

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The following poem is based on Ezekiel 28

Fallen

by Belinda van Rensburg

Most beautiful creature in all creation;
Model of perfection; blameless and wise
Craved the most exalted Station;
God's Throne he wanted as prize.

Adorned in jasper, onyx and gold
Chrysolite and sapphire;
Iniquity made him proud and bold;
Godhood his consuming desire.

Driven from heaven in total disgrace
Expelled from the Light above,
No more would he dwell in God's Holy Place
Nor feel His presence and love.

A spectacle before rulers and kings
Fallen creatures his unholy court;
Abysmal angels with stings and black wings;
Demons; lost souls his support.

He hates God's creatures: the sons of men
His passion fuels fires in hell,
Concocting their doom in his infernal den;
Spinning his sinister spell.

He roams the earth like a roaring lion
His mission to maim and to kill;
Waging his war 'gainst the children of Zion
Attempting to thwart the Lord's Will.

How he despises the day Christ came
And freed many from his hold;
Nothing will ever again be the same
Since God's flock is now safe in His fold.

But still he roams and seeks to destroy
And to keep men from finding the Way;
Many a lie and slick trick he employs
To get us to fall and to stray.

Satan knows his fate has forever been sealed;
He knows what's awaiting him -
His destruction has long since been revealed
By the prophets of Heaven's own King.

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The following poem is based on Revelation 4

An Audience with The King

by Belinda van Rensburg

Dressed in torn and filthy rags I wait outside a door,
Unmoving and in silence I stare down at the floor;
Then it is my turn to have an audience with the King
And I step into the Hall made glorious by Him.

Immediately I'm overcome with holy fear and awe
As I behold such beauty; perfection without flaw;
Reflected in a crystal sea are seven lamps ablaze -
These are the seven spirits of the Ancient of Days.

In the center of the room God sits upon His throne
And I notice that the Great I Am is not alone;
At His Right Hand sits the Lamb of God Who's overcome -
Judah's Lion triumphant; God's beloved Son!

Encircling the throne is an emerald-colored bow
And four-and-twenty elders are bowed down very low;
Lightning flashes; thunder peals whilst creatures with six wings
Never stop to worship God as day and night they sing.

I reach the throne and cannot help but fall down on my face
Joining angels as they worship in His Holy place,
Then His voice commands me to stand upon my feet;
The moment is upon me and my Maker I must meet.

''I cannot look upon your sins; they're far too black and foul;
There is no place in heaven for such a fallen soul.
What have you to say in your own defense?
Give account of all your deeds and every dark offense.''

The evil one enters the room; his eyes are full of hate;
He points a finger at my heart and says my sins are great -
Naming each and every one he tells the Father what I've done;
Accusing me and claiming that I now to him belong.

The Lamb that has been slain stands up and speaks for me
''Behold My Blood that I have shed upon the cross for thee''
He removes my dirty rags and hands me a clean gown;
Upon my head he places a shiny golden crown.

''There is none who dare condemn you since you are in Me;
I have set my seal upon you as a guarantee.
Heaven's kept no record of the wrong you've done;
Your slate is clean and empty; all your sins are gone.''

In my hand I clutch my new name writ upon a stone
And with grateful heart I praise the One upon the throne:
''Worthy is God's perfect Lamb who has been sacrificed;
Nothing in creation but Himself would have sufficed''.

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The following poem is based on Rev. 9

The Abyss

by Belinda van Rensburg

There is a cursed place known as the Abyss -
Many don't know that it even exists;
It's a bottomless pit with smoke-filled air;
Abode of dark angels; the old dragon's lair.
Miserable creatures; banished and chained
As spoils of rebellion - a prison they gained.

They've waited long for the turn of the key;
For a short while they'll all be set free;
It's written that they will torture the doomed
Before they themselves are forever consumed.
Eternal damnation for them and the snake;
Together they'll burn in the Fiery Lake.

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