Double Wanderers

And not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not prepare its heart and whose spirit was not faithful to God.  Psalm 78:8  NASB Not prepare/ not faithful – Erica Brown makes a damning point about the ex-slaves in the wilderness: “The circuitousness of the journey is attributed to the moral and faith…

And While We’re Thinking About It

Now it came about when all the kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan to the west, and all the kings of the Canaanites who were by the sea, heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Jordan before the sons of Israel until [a]they had crossed, that their hearts melted, and there was no spirit in them any…

Mystical Explanations

You will bring them and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,  Exodus 15:17a  NASB You will bring them – What do you do with a text that has grammatical oddities?  Well, you could chalk it up to transmission error.  Copyists make mistakes and mistakes are handed on as if they were part of the original. …

Six Feet Under

“Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.”  Psalm 23:4  Woman’s Day Death – After that rant about Deuteronomy 31:8 you’re probably wondering why I would ever decide to pick another “out of…

What Context?

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.”  Deuteronomy 31:8  NIV Woman’s Day Leave you nor forsake you – Feeling discouraged today?  Some persistent problems?  Some new stress? The usual ups and downs of life?  I…

Significance

Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness;”  Genesis 1:26a  NASB Our likeness – First, let’s look at the Hebrew: וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹהִים, נַעֲשֶׂה אָדָם בְּצַלְמֵנוּ כִּדְמוּתֵנוּ Now the transliteration: Va•yo•mer Elohim na•a•se a•dam be•tzal•me•noo kid•moo•te•noo And lastly, the translation: And said God let us make man in representation (copy) ours and…

Malaki Update

My son, Michael, writes: Yesterday Malaki turned one month old, and it feels like he is turning the corner. Thank you to everyone who kept him, my wife and I in your prayers! We believe he will make a full recovery in time, God is good. Here are some photos:

The Scales of Justice

So that He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety.  Job 5:11  NASB Sets on high – Eliphaz the Temanite offers Job an answer to his plight.  It’s not what you want to hear, and certainly not the explanation Job desires, but it’s a pretty common argument when…

Kissing cousins (3)

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4  NASB Death – What do we do to blunt the reality of dying?  The answer isn’t quite so straightforward as you might imagine.  Since death…

Kissing cousins (2)

and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.  Revelation 21:4  NASB Death – Inevitability!  The quip “death and taxes” isn’t always true, but “all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and “the…