I YHWH and none else, forming light and creating darkness; making peace and creating evil – I YHWH do all these things. Isaiah 45:6-7 (translation: M. Buber) Creating – Where did evil come from? Such a simple question. Such an enormously difficult answer, if there even is an answer. One of the greatest impediments to…
With the kind You show Yourself kind; with the perfect one You show Yourself perfect; with the clean You show Yourself clean; and with the crooked You show Yourself twisted. Psalm 18:25-26 (translation: M. Buber) You Show Yourself – The psalmist knew the secret to seeing the Lord. Behavior determines vision. What I do is…
And the lord of the vineyard said, “What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.” Luke 20:13 (Darby) Respect – A proper translation requires understanding a word within the cultural setting. It isn’t sufficient to simply choose a word that represents the same meaning unless the meaning includes…
There is no soundness in my flesh because of your anger; nor is there any rest in my bones because of my sin. Psalm 38:3 Soundness – Modern life compartmentalizes. A box for work, another for play, one for family, one for social relationships, one for church, one for other things. The name of the…
And the salvation of the righteous is of YHWH; He is their strength in the time of trouble. Psalm 37:39 Of YHWH – Who owns your salvation? Not you! Salvation is me-YHWH. Many English translations render this “from the LORD,” as if the deliverance is ours but HE is the source. But the Hebrew expression…
And the salvation of the righteous is of YHWH; He is their strength in the time of trouble. Psalm 37:39 Salvation – What time is it in your life? Is it a time of trouble? If it is, then the psalmist has a perfect word for you: teshu’ah – deliverance! Let’s slow down for a…
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace. Psalm 37:37 End – “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.” So says the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession. In order to align this with David’s insight, we must recognize that glorifying God…
The great day of YHWH is near; it is near and rushing greatly, the sound of the day of YHWH. Zephaniah 1:14 (J. P. Green, literal translation) Day Of YHWH – Did you see the movie “2012”? A typical disaster flick, it works off the supposed end of the world predicted by the Mayan calendar. …
Every year I receive comments about the same controversy – Christmas. In spite of all the tradition associated with the “birth of Jesus,” Christmas was originally a very pagan holiday. The Romans celebrated it as Saturnalia, a week of lawless disorder in efforts to appease the gods, culminating in the death of an innocent victim. …
Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true. Acts 17:11 (NIV) To See If – Are you Berean? Are you willing to examine the Scriptures every day to see if…
