Author: Skip Moen, Ph.D.

  • History Lessons (1)

    Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.  James 1:27  NASB Religion– A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away—we investigated thrēskeía, the Greek term James uses in this verse translated “religion.” The translation obscures some of the…

  • Getting Satisfaction

    Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, Philippians 2:14-15 NASB Blameless / innocent – There’s little doubt that we live in a “crooked and perverse generation.”  I really…

  • Keeping It Quiet

     Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, Philippians 2:14-15  NASB Grumbling / disputing– “You know, I don’t like to say this, but . . .”  “Did you…

  • A Technical Problem? (3)

    Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”  Genesis 17:17 NASB Laughed– Now we have looked at Genesis 17:17; 18:12; 28:16 and 32:26.  In each case we have suggested that…

  • A Technical Problem? (2)

    Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”  Genesis 17:17 NASB Laughed– Yesterday we looked at this verse in comparison with Genesis 18:12.  We noticed that God does not correct…

  • A Technical Problem? (1)

    Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?”  Genesis 17:17 NASB Laughed– Before Isaac was born, God made a promise to Abraham.  But when Abraham heard the promise, he couldn’t…

  • Parched for God

    O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1  NASB Thirsts– The Hebrew word ṣāmēʾ doesn’t take much scholarly explanation.  We all know what it means.  Water is life and when you don’t have it…

  • Just Think About It

    O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, In a dry and weary land where there is no water. Psalm 63:1  NASB Seek You earnestly– If you’re going to understand what it means to seek God earnestly, you’ll have to know something about the Piel stem. …

  • Who is God?

    O God, You are my God; I shall seek You earnestly; My soul thirsts for You, my flesh yearns for You, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.  Psalm 63:1  NASB God/my God– David’s opening two words in Hebrew are ʾĕlōhîm ʾēli.  You might think that he is addressing only the one true God…