Famously Mistaken

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.  Psalm 23:1 NASB Shepherd – This is perhaps the second or third most well-known verse in the Bible.  It comes somewhere in the group including Genesis 1:1 and Matthew 7:12.  The only problem is that we have very little comprehension of its original meaning.  It has been thoroughly converted into a…

The Deaf God

Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. 1 Samuel 8:21 NASB Lord’s hearing – Do you suppose that God didn’t know what the people said so that it was necessary for Samuel to repeat their words? No, of course not! Then why does the…

A Curious Case of Coronation

and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.” 1 Samuel 8:5 NASB Appoint – First, a bit of technical stuff. The Hebrew text is the word sima(h)-la’nu, from the verb sym…

No Surprise Translation

Woe to you, O land, whose king is a lad and whose princes feast in the morning. Blessed are you, O land, whose king is of nobility and whose princes eat at the appropriate time—for strength and not for drunkenness.  Ecclesiastes 10:16-17  NASB Lad/nobility – The genre of wisdom literature in Scripture often includes observations…

Pay Attention

I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who testified the good confession before Pontius Pilate;  1 Timothy 6:13  NASB Good confession – Paul gives orders to Timothy.  Those orders still govern us because we are volunteers committed to the same way of life Paul…

The Men’s Group Trinity

Then King David said, “Call to me Zadok the priest, Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada.” And they came into the king’s presence.  1 Kings 1:32  NASB Prophet, Priest, King – There are only a few verses in the Bible that include all three words “prophet,” priest,” and “king.”  In fact, more…

Hidden in Plain Sight

And the inscription of the charge against Him read, “THE KING OF THE JEWS.”  Mark 15:26  NASB King – The conversation between Yeshua and Pilate is about being king.  The charge against Yeshua is about being king.  The crime is sedition, incitement to rebel against a king.  The crowds that want Him crucified proclaim Caesar…

The Ultimate Testimony

For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear witness to the truth.  John 18:37  NASB To bear witness – Why did Yeshua come?  What was His purpose?  What did He accomplish?  Far too often we jump to ready-made answers rather than even listening to His own…

Guarding The Gates

“Watch and pray that you do not enter into temptation”  Matthew 26:41 Watch – Jesus knows that we are weak, but willing.  We want to serve and be of service, but we struggle mightily with disciplining the body.  We are often our own worst enemies, relinquishing ground to those appetites that we so enthusiastically fed…