Do not trust in noblemen, in mortal man, in whom there is no salvation. His spirit departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Psalm 146:3-4 NASB Nobleman – The world is continuously more and more interconnected. Two years of pandemic disruption could hardly be better evidence. Our lives are intertwined with many, many others, most of…
Then David said to Gad, “I am in great distress. Let us now fall into the hand of the Lord, for His mercies are great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 2 Samuel 24:14 NASB Fall into the hand of the Lord – Are you in great distress? Oh, maybe not now, but have you…
For You are my hope; Lord God, You are my confidence from my youth. Psalm 71:5 NASB My confidence – The NASB translation of Hebrew 11:1 is “ Now faith is the certainty of things [a]hoped for, a [b]proof of things not seen” (online version), but in the 1995 edition, the verse reads “ Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” You…
The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. Proverbs 31:11 NASB Trusts – What does it mean to “trust” your wife? How will that turn out to be prosperous for the husband? In the past we examined the Hebrew word bāṭaḥ in the context of the ‘ezer…
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, Psalm 146:5 NASB Hope – When is it necessary to hope? That’s an odd question, wouldn’t you say? We don’t think about a particular time to hope. Hope is almost like a constant companion. We hope the weather will be…
Having confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say. Philemon 1:21 NASB Confidence – If we pay attention of the use of this Greek term (pépoitha) in the LXX, we discover that it often translates the Hebrew root bṭḥ (baṭaḥ). Paul could…
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, Titus 1:1-2 NASB Hope of eternal life – “CHRISTIANITY is mainly wishful thinking. Even the part about Judgment and…
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches? Psalm 49:6 NASB Boast – If you read this verse in Hebrew, you’ll discover that “boast” is the last word in the text. You’ll also discover that “those who trust” is the first word. The verse creates a kind of verbal envelope. First these people trust in wealth, then in the abundance…
No verse today. Just some personal reflections. For many years now, you and I have been exploring the origins of our faith. That means investigating the history of the ideas that we once accepted as part of our religious beliefs. What I’ve learned, and perhaps what you have also learned, is that most of my…
Blessed be the man who trusts in the Lord, and the Lord becomes his trust. Jeremiah 17:7 Robert Alter Trusts/ trust – The NASB translates Jeremiah’s words from YHVH with pretty much the same idea, but notice that the syntax (the word order) changes. “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord and whose trust is…
