God in the Dark

“It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful.”  Psalm 89:37  NASB Like the moon – Read this one at night, outside, with the moon overhead.  God promises David something that speaks directly to us, but you won’t see the sign of the guarantee in the light of…

Boaz Michael

Boaz Michael (First Fruits of Zion) is in Pretoria, South Africa, teaching about the Jewish-Messianic perspective.  I hear that he is feeling quite ill.  Please pray for him.  He is undoubtedly facing both physical and spiritual warfare.

Jacob’s Rest

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes, and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.”  Genesis 49:10 Shiloh – Tim Hegg (Studies in Torah: Genesis) points out that the crucial element in interpreting the meaning of this verse is understanding the word…

Empty-nesters

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;  Matthew 28:19-20a  NASB Go – Yesterday we discovered that this verse is really about conformity to the ways of God.  It describes…

Going, Going, Gone

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you;  Matthew 28:19-20a  NASB Go – Most of us know that this opening word, “Go,” is not an imperative.  It is not a…

Politics as Usual?

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Philippians 3:20  NASB Citizenship –  When you read this verse, doesn’t anything seem odd to you?  It doesn’t matter if you read it in the NIV (“but our citizenship is in heaven.”)  Both English translations say…

This Side of the Grave

For such is God, our God forever and ever; He will guide us until death. Psalm 48:14  NASB Guide – Do you notice the paradox in this verse?  First it proclaims that God is our God olam va’ed (forever and ever).  Then it declares that He will guide us al-moot (to death).  Did you notice…

Whose Are These?

The princes of the people have assembled themselves as the people of the God of Abraham, for the shields of the earth belong to God; He is highly exalted. Psalm 47:9  NASB Princes/ People – Who have assembled themselves?  And why have they done so?  Those are the two questions David wants us to ask. …

The Sound of One Hand Clapping

He subdues peoples under us and nations under our feet. Psalm 47:3  NASB Subdues – You wouldn’t notice it in English, but there are a lot of unusual things about this song of praise.  The first oddity is David’s choice of amim for “peoples.”  Since David describes the triumph of God’s chosen over the other…