Who is like You among the gods, Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?Exodus 15:11 NASB Among the gods – Walter F. Otto’s seminal work, Dionysus: Myth and Cult, offers important insights into the religious structure of ancient civilizations. In particular, it challenges our modern re-interpretation of these ancient systems because it…
Who is like You among the gods, Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?Exodus 15:11 NASB Among the gods – Because we live in a post-Christian world, we often forget that ancient civilizations were typically not monotheistic. Hosts of gods filled the divine realm. Israel stood alone in its commitment to a…
Today I am in Sorrento, Italy. Here’s what the crypt looks like under the cathedral.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:16 NASB So loved – Perhaps Job needed to have a conversation with John rather than with Eliphaz and Zophar. Maybe we do too. We’ve been plowing the ground of justice. Like…
And the LORD answered Job from the whirlwind and He said: Who is this who darkens counsel in words without knowledge?” Job 38:1 Robert Alter Darkens counsel – Robert Alter notes that this poetic response is a “manifestation of God’s transcendent power and also an image-for-image response to the death-wish poem that frames Job’s entire…
For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for prosperity and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 NASB Prosperity – “I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.” Really it should be something like, “I know…
Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath, and do not punish me in Your burning anger. Psalm 38:1 NASB Do not rebuke – Have you ever prayed a prayer like this? Have you reached the point, long after the Lord has redeemed you, long after you recognize your sinful condition and your desperate need for…
And man wears away like rot, like a garment eaten by moths. Man born of woman, scant of days and sated with trouble, like a blossom he comes forth and withers, and flees like a shadow—he will not stay. Job 13:28-14:2 Robert Alter Wears away – Maybe you have to live a long time to…
He shall surely dispute with you if in secret you are partial. Job 12:10 Robert Alter Partial – The story of Job can be quite personal. Yes, there are academic issues involved. Who was the author? When was it written? What is the theological implication? Those are all important questions, but if they become the…
