Christians have always been taught to avoid sin. That’s a given. But sometimes I think we trip ourselves up by not really understanding what the Bible calls “sin.” We assume that we know what we aren’t supposed to do. Murder, steal, lie, covet (that one is kind of vague but it’s on the list), use…
And said YHWH Elohim, “It is not good being of the man alone; I will make for him an ‘ezer corresponding to him.” Genesis 2:18 (as literal as I can get) ‘ezer – This is going to take some time, so digest slowly. A great deal of misinformation has been foisted upon the believing community…
Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Your name; Psalm 79:9 Help Us – I’m just guessing but I suspect that each of us has vocalized a prayer just like this one. No matter what your circumstances in life, there will always be a time when you ask for God’s help. …
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself; I am the LORD. Leviticus 19:18 Neighbor – Only one time in the entire Old Testament. That’s right, the command to love your neighbor as yourself occurs only once, in this verse. …
And Hamor spoke with them, saying, “My son Shechem’s soul is bound to your daughter. Please give her to him for a wife.” Genesis 34:8 Bound – You get married with davaq (sticky covenant). You fall in love with hashaq. Don’t confuse the two. If you do, you’re likely to repeat the lesson of Shechem….
Therefore, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. Genesis 2:24 Cleave – You’ve probably heard this verse at least one hundred times. Every wedding, every sermon about marriage, every book and video from a Christian perspective ends up with this verse…
You shall fear YHWH your God, you shall serve Him; and you shall cleave to Him; and you shall swear by His name. Deuteronomy 10:20 Cleave – Do you know where we first encounter this verb? It’s in Genesis 2:24, the quintessential verse about marriage. “For this reason, a man shall forsake . . ….
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1 Et – Do you remember the un-translated et that precedes the words for heavens and earth? It is a particle (the smallest part of a language structure) that indicates that the next word is the direct object of the verb. It is never…
O YHWH, You have heard the longing of the oppressed; You will make firm their heart. Your ear will give heed, to judge the orphan and the crushed. Psalm 10:17-18 Give Heed – “Now pay close attention!” That’s the idea behind this Hebrew verb, qashav. YHWH hears the cry of the oppressed. He hears it…
“Only fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things He has done for you.” 1 Samuel 12:24 In Truth – Read it carefully. You are likely to understand this little phrase as though it were an adjective, not a preposition. Do you think that it says,…
