He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods, Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.” Exodus 32:4 NIV They said – The agony of the Golden Calf. After God demonstrates His complete and…
but you shall fully open your hand to him, and generously lend him enough for his need in whatever he lacks. Deuteronomy 15:8 NASB Fully open – Today is Yom Kippur, a day to reflect on God’s forgiveness. It’s easy to recall our obvious faults, those behaviors that pulled us away from God in this last year, but…
Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. Numbers 21:6 NASB Sent – The Hebrew verb šālaḥ has three different linguistic domains. The first is the way we typically read a verb like “send,” i.e., compelling or transmitting someone or something from one place to another. …
And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. John 16:23 NASB On that day – I read Oswald Chamber’s My Utmost for His Highest daily for many years. My copy is thread worn…
The Azure Window, Gozo, Malta – collapsed The famous waterfall near Irazu volcano, Costa Rica, destroyed in earthquake On the way up, before it was finished. The Freedom Tower, NYC I am lucky to have taken these, to have been in the right place at the right time. But isn’t that the secret to life?
For all of you who prayed so diligently about my latest grandson, here’s his smiling face at 2 months. Thank you again. He is doing fine. The big test will be at 6 months when they stop the seizure medication.
Lord, how my enemies have increased! Many are rising up against me. Psalm 3:1 NASB Enemies – Have you noticed how often the psalms speak about enemies? This verse from the third psalm is just one example. Psalms 4 and 5 contain the same idea, and, of course, so do many, many others. These psalms are…
Rosanne and I recently completed a Mediterranean cruise with Seabourn. I was the guest lecturer (good thing, as otherwise we could never afford this). I took a lot of photos, as usual. Here are some from Elba and Portovenere, places we had never been. I didn’t expect to see a church like this on Elba….
“And I—I appointed My king on Zion, My holy mountain.” Let me tell as is due of the LORD. He said to me: “You are My son. I Myself today did beget you.” Psalm 2:6-7 Robert Alter Beget – Perhaps the first thing we need to read about this verse is Alter’s comment: “Despite Christological…
A good name is better than good oil, and the day of one’s death is better than the day of one’s birth. Ecclesiastes 7:1 NASB Day of one’s death – Qohelet (Koheleth, “the Teacher”) is an empirical pessimist. That alone made the decision to place this work within the canon quite controversial. It’s virtually impossible that the material was written by…
