“And it shall be when your son asks you in time to come, saying “What is this?” then you shall say to him, ‘With a powerful hand the LORD brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.’” Exodus 13:14 Say – Too often we are influenced by factors in the culture that are…
But I in Your kindness do trust, my heart exults in Your rescue. Psalm 13:6 (Hebrew text translation by Robert Alter) Rescue – If you read this verse in most English translations, you might see the word “salvation” here instead of “rescue.” Don’t worry; the Hebrew word can be translated both ways. What’s important, however,…
But I in Your kindness do trust, my heart exults in Your rescue. Psalm 13:6 (Hebrew text translation by Robert Alter) Kindness – What does your résumé say about you? My guess is that it contains a lot of the things that you have done. It’s a summary of your accomplishments, but it doesn’t say…
And He said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you, from now on you will see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.” John 1:51 On – Jesus knew Jacob. He also knew that the preposition “on” in Hebrew can mean “because of.” That’s something…
“Surely YHWH was in this place, and I did not know it.” Genesis 28:16 This – Jacob learned something very important on the night that he used a rock for a pillow. He discovered that Yahweh was in the place he least expected to find Him. Jacob was on the run. Fleeing from his brother…
“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the Mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9 By Means Of – What Jesus says is so confusing that we often skip this verse. We think that engagement in the ways of wealth…
“And thus the last shall be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16 Last/ First – “Jesus’ concept of the righteousness of God, therefore, is incommensurable with reason. Man cannot measure it, but he can grasp it.” So said David Flusser in The Sage from Galilee. Read his comment carefully. How you understand what Flusser…
“Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and the harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21:31 Tax Collectors/ Harlots – It’s quite likely that you are not first in line for the Kingdom. Not unless you qualify as a tax collector or a prostitute. These days we don’t…
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 Neither – How easily we gloss over and diminish the harsh reality of Jesus’ teaching! You won’t hear much about this condition of…
For there must be factions among you in order that those who are approved may become evident among you. 1 Corinthians 11:19 Factions – You better sit down for this one. Something happened in the early centuries of the history of the church that altered the way we read what Paul says here. The vocabulary…
