The Shema (2)

And you shall love YHWH your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might.  Deuteronomy 6:5 Love – The first action of the Shema is to listen-respond.  The second is to love.  The second verb (ahav) begins the series of demands.  YHWH demands that we love Him.  The…

The Shema (1)

Hear, Israel, YHWH is our God, YHWH is one. Deuteronomy 6:4 Hear – The Hebrew verb shama means both “to hear” and “to obey, respond.”  Moses does not call the people to listen to his words.  He calls the people to do what the words say.  In Hebrew, I do not hear unless I respond. …

Faith Of Our Fathers

The heavens declare the glory of the Lord Psalm 19:1 Declare – “Prior to faith are premises or prerequisites of faith, such as a sense of wonder, radical amazement, reverence, a sense of the mystery of all being.”[1] David must have read Abraham Heschel.  Or maybe it was the other way around. David says, “The…

Derailed

Consider my affliction and my travail; and forgive all my sins. Psalm 25:18 Consider – David isn’t like me.  At least he’s not like me in his wholehearted cry to the Lord.  We may share other things.  His faults maybe my faults, but God Himself recognized that David continued in faithful direction even if he…

THE RESULTS ARE IN!

Recently we asked for some feedback to help us understand your needs and desires. 328 readers responded to our survey. You might be pleased (and perhaps surprised) at the results. Here are some of the things we discovered. 1. More than 50% of readers have been getting Today’s Word for 1-3 years. Another 25% have…

Promises Kept

Nor is it with you only that I make this sworn covenant, but with him who is not here with us this day as well as with him who stands here with us this day before the Lord our God Deuteronomy 29:14-15 Is Not Here – Who isn’t there?  Moses delivers an everlasting covenant commitment…