“But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does” James 1:25 Effectual doer – James helps us see the practical side of our religious convictions. What good is…
O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, and chasten me not in Your burning anger.” Psalm 38:1 Burning anger – Can you identify with David’s emotional state or are you so far away from a God who is enraged at sin that you can’t even imagine what it would be like to fear the…
O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, and chasten me not in Your burning anger.” Psalm 38:1 Rebuke – “Rebuke me not”. Yakah. To convict. To judge. To reprove. Perhaps the translation does not give us the fullest appreciation of David’s plea. Literally, “Yahweh, not to me in your wrath convict.” Don’t bring the…
O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, and chasten me not in Your burning anger.” Psalm 38:1 Wrath – “in Your wrath do not rebuke me” we read in English. But the Hebrew is more dramatic. The first word is the prefix “Not”. David has fixed the emphasis on what is most desperately needed. …
“O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, and chasten me not in Your burning anger.” Psalm 38:1 O LORD – The Hebrew text does not use the word “Lord” but rather the personal name of God, a name that is never spoken among the Jews. Worshippers were careful to substitute the word “Lord” whenever…
“O LORD, rebuke me not in Your wrath, and chasten me not in Your burning anger.” Psalm 38:1 To bring to remembrance – Have you ever prayed a pray 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 you have become arrogant, and have not mourned instead” 1 Corinthians 5:2 Arrogant – We have no trouble identifying arrogance. That overblown pride, that sense of superiority, that inflated ego. We recognize it immediately – in others. But just as Proverbs says that the fool seems right in his own eyes, we have an…
“The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.” Proverbs 12:15 In his own eyes – If you wanted to subvert the truth but you did not want to create confrontation, what strategy would you choose? If you were really clever, you would…
“I will make them like split-open figs that cannot be eaten due to rottenness.” Jeremiah 29:17 Split-open – You forgot about that fruit in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. It was pushed way to the back so you didn’t see that it was getting soft. You didn’t notice when the mold started growing. But…
“But Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself” Daniel 1:8 Defile – What defiles? We don’t think in terms of ritual purity these days. We don’t observe hand washing or abstain from certain kinds of food. Our Jewish orthodox brothers and sisters do so they understand immediately why Daniel put his…
