New Mexico Balloon Festival
I’m here for the next few days
Just Give Me Money
The Law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:72 NASB Is better – We missed it! If you read this verse in Hebrew you would immediately notice that the same word we found in the previous verse (ṭôb- lî, “good for me”) is the opening word in this…
The Best Things in Life
It is good for me that I was afflicted, so that I may learn Your statutes. Psalm 119:71 NASB Good for me – Read it again. Slowly. Pause on the first phrase. Do you really believe what the poet writes? Is it goodto be humbled, oppressed, forced into submission, punished? Before you let your theological better…
Fat Faith
Their heart is insensitive, like fat, but I delight in Your Law. Psalm 119:70 NASB Insensitive – Every so often as I walk the streets in Italy a man or woman will approach me begging for money. I guess I still look too much like a tourist so I appear to be susceptible to the request. I am…
Feather Pillows
The arrogant [z]have forged a lie against me; with all my heart I will comply with Your precepts. Psalm 119:69 NASB Forged – I’m not sure why the NASB translators decided to use the English verb “forge.” The Hebrew is ṭāpal, “to smear, to plaster over.” It’s only used three times (the other two are in Job 13:4; 14:17). Those…
A = B
You are good and You do good; teach me Your statutes. Psalm 119:68 NASB Are/ do – In order to see what’s happening in this verse, we need to look at the Hebrew. טוֹב אַתָּ֥ה וּמֵטִ֗יב לַמְּדֵ֥נִי חֻקֶּֽיךָ Let’s transliterate and follow the Hebrew syntax: “Good You and doing (causing) good; teach me statutes Yours.” You will…
Before Before
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I keep Your word. Psalm 119:67 NASB Before – Well, before we look at “before,” let’s review what we learned about this verse before. Here are the previous three investigations: April 25, 2005 the word “afflicted” April 26, 2005 the word “astray” April 27, 2005 the…
An Acquired Taste
Teach me good [y]discernment and knowledge, for I believe in Your commandments. Psalm 119:66 NASB Discernment – Do you like broccoli rabe? How about onion ice cream? Maybe something a bit more palatable like lambrusco? Everyone’s tastes differ. A lot of the time what we like is acquired through family recipes, traditions, cultural exposure, and just…
Teth – Keep Your Eyes Open
You have treated Your servant well, Lord, according to Your word. Psalm 119:65 NASB טוֹב עָשִׂ֣יתָ עִם־עַבְדְּךָ֑ יְ֜הֹוָ֗ה כִּדְבָרֶֽךָ ט֚וּב טַ֣עַם וָדַ֣עַת לַמְּדֵ֑נִי כִּ֖י בְמִצְוֹתֶ֣יךָ הֶֽאֱמָֽנְתִּי טֶ֣רֶם אֶֽ֖עֱנֶה אֲנִ֣י שֹׁגֵ֑ג וְ֜עַתָּ֗ה אִמְרָֽתְךָ֥ שָׁמָֽרְתִּי טוֹב אַתָּ֥ה וּמֵטִ֗יב לַמְּדֵ֥נִי חֻקֶּֽיךָ טָֽפְל֚וּ עָלַ֣י שֶׁ֣קֶר זֵדִ֑ים אֲ֜נִ֗י בְּכָל־לֵ֚ב | אֶצֹּ֬ר פִּקּוּדֶֽיךָ טָפַ֣שׁ כַּחֵ֣לֶב לִבָּ֑ם אֲ֜נִ֗י תּוֹרָֽתְךָ֥ שִֽׁעֲשָֽׁעְתִּי טֽוֹב־לִ֥י כִֽי־עֻנֵּ֑יתִי…
Name that Place
Then Joshua, and all Israel with him, took Achan the son of Zerah, the silver, the robe, the bar of gold, his sons, his daughters, his [a]oxen, his donkeys, his sheep, his tent, and all that belonged to him; and they brought them up to the Valley of [b]Achor. Joshua 7:24 NASB Achor – Perhaps you’ve noticed a…
