What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26 Exchange – On every street of Sosua in the Dominican Republic you will find tiny shops that sell money. Technically they exchange your money for the Dominican peso, but, of course, there is always a little markup. The shopkeepers are in the money…
“Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46 Lord – Jesus constantly recalls Old Testament images. He is the perfection of God’s Old Testament revelation. To see him is to see the Word of God made flesh. So we should expect that Jesus will teach us the…
“You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.” Deuteronomy 6:13 Worship – Would it surprise you to know that the word translated “worship” in this verse comes from the language of slaves? The word avadh is associated with compulsory labor and work, typically by slaves….
“that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.” 2 Kings 23:10 Burn – Do you think that the practice of infanticide in the ancient world was hideous? Are you revolted by the thought of putting children in the fire to burn them to death as sacrifices to the…
“and the Lord opened her heart to respond” Acts 16:14 Opened – What comes to mind when I say, “It was opened”? Most of us probably think of a door or window. The first mental image that we have is the routine one. We open and close things all day long. So we think that…
“Will they not go astray who devise evil?” Proverbs 14:22 Devise – The Hebrews were a people of the land. Their imagery and metaphors come from this deep connection to the earth. Their language is mixed with dirt, fields, trees, rocks, planting and harvests. We, on the other hand, are a culture of the mind….
“Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD” Proverbs 16:5 Proud – The Biblical image for pride is quite physical. Gevah is literally about what is high. A high mountain, a high tower, a high wall. From this very physical context, the meaning of gebah is transferred to human beings. Pride…
“Commit your works to the LORD and your plans will be established.” Proverbs 16:3 Commit – Wouldn’t it be nice to have a guaranteed plan for success? Just think how easy life would be if you knew the absolutely sure way to accomplish anything you set out to do. That’s the promise of dozens of…
“The LORD has made everything for its own purpose, even the wicked for the day of evil.” Proverbs 16:4 For its own purpose – Do we really believe that God made everything for a reason? Actually, the literal translation suggests that God made everything for his (or its) answer (Hebrew: ma’aneh). The idea is that…
“And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations;” Romans 5:3 Exult – In order to appreciate the paradox in this verse, we have to realize that the word for “tribulations” (thlipsis) is not about inconveniences. It’s not about daily annoying struggles or problems. This is a very strong word that means “crushing…
