“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Grace– At the edge of the Sahara, the sand moves as if it were alive. It writhes, glittering scales of shifting silicon. The serpent of the desert is there, slithering its way across the dunes, powered by the…
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Wilderness– Not everyone finds grace in the wilderness. God says that His people, the ones who have survived the sword, the ones He calls Israel, find something unexpected in the desolate wasteland. They find grace. Imagine the…
“Then they spoke against God; they said, ‘Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?’” Psalm 78:19 NASB Wilderness– Can He? Can God prepare a table? Life as it comes to us says, “No! God isn’t able to provide in the midst of our empty places.” And we go on wandering. Looking for the answer…
“They wandered in the wilderness in a desert region” Psalm 107:4 NASB Desert Region– For most of us, the idea of wilderness recalls pictures of the Arizona desert or the Sahara or the Northern Territories. We think of wilderness as a place where men cannot live. But what we really mean is that men cannot…
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6 NASB Acknowledge– I’m not sure this particular rendition of yādaʿ really captures what we need to know (ah, a pun). yādaʿ is the verb translated “acknowledge,” but “acknowledge” seems too weak. After all,…
Then Job answered the Lord and said, “I know that You can do all things, and that no purpose of Yours can be thwarted. ‘Who is this that hides counsel without knowledge?’ Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.” ‘Hear, now, and I will speak; I will ask You,…
“Though he piles up silver like dust and prepares garments as plentiful as the clay, He may prepare it, but the just will wear it and the innocent will divide the silver. Job 27:16-17 NASB Though – It’s a simple conjunction, ʾim—“if, not, whether, since.” It’s used hundreds of times. Context has to determine the meaning. But no matter which one…
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.Genesis 2:25 NASB Not ashamed– We like to think that before the Fall the world was perfect. There was no sin. Human beings (only two of them) lived in the Garden of delight. Everything was wonderful. In fact, we think if we could just get…
On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty. 1 Corinthians 12:22-23 ESV Unpresentable parts– Paul’s body analogy contains some rather embarrassing implications. First, Paul…
Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.” James 4:15 NASB If the Lord wills – If the Lord wills, from now on you will find us at: Borgo Regale, 1 Parma 43121 Italy A new chapter begins. All donations sent by check should still be mailed to:…
