Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. Ephesians 6:11 NIV Full armor – Body armor. Every civilization has some form of personal physical protection. Paul uses a term that was quite familiar to his audience. After all, they observed the Roman legionnaire’s equipment daily. The…
In the beginning . . . let him go up! Genesis 1:1a – 2 Chronicles 36:23c NASB In the beginning/ go up – These are the first and the last words of the Tanakh: be-rēʾ šît; yāâl. In the beginning God assents to descend, voluntarily creating a universe with agents who are capable of resisting…
To see the world. Ah, that’s the thing. So I wait and hope soon to be off again.
But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him will glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped. Psalm 63:11 NASB Swears – If you want to tie someone down, what is the most powerful restraint you can use? Certainly not rope. Maybe steel shackles? Titanium? Nope, none of these will…
They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; they will be a prey for foxes. Psalm 63:10 NASB Delivered over – The Hebrew verb here is nāgar. It literally means “to pour down,” like spilling water on the ground. According to TWOT, it is a word of mourning and judgment, occurring only ten times in…
But those who seek my [f]life to destroy it, will go into the [g]depths of the earth. Psalm 63:9 NASB Life/depths – Did you notice the two footnotes in this verse from the NASB? The tiny (f) and (g) indicate that the translators want the reader to notice something about the Hebrew words. But if you looked at…
My soul clings [e]to You; Your right hand upholds me. Psalm 63:8 NASB Clings – You know this verb. It’s used in the famous marriage verse, Genesis 2:24. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.” Of course, the NASB translation changes…
For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I sing for joy. Psalm 63:7 NASB Help – Psalm 63 seems to be filled with emotional contradictions. It begins with an agonizing plea. God is absent. The psalmist is in deep distress. We expect the lines to continue with yearning for connection, perhaps…
I recently listened to an excellent lecture by Elaine Ruffolo, an art historian, who spoke about Michelangelo’s women (the title of the lecture available on YouTube). In it she points out that the center of the paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is not God’s creation of Adam (perhaps the most famous of the Sistine…
When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches, Psalm 63:6 NASB Remember/meditate – “Now I lay me down to sleep,” but it rarely happens so easily. Nursery rhymes are wishful fables. Sleep is far more difficult. The room is dark. The noise of the day is finished, but there are…
