“for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior,” Luke 2:11 Savior – What is the role of a savior, a soter in Greek culture? It’s quite a bit more than we realize today. If we want to really see what God did that night, we need to look…
“You shall not go about as a slanderer among your people, and you are not to act against the life of your neighbor, I am the LORD.” Leviticus 19:16 Slanderer – The trial of Jesus was a trial of slander. The conspirators attempted to do Jesus more than physical harm. They attempted to permanently damage…
AN INVITATION for 2005 Many subscribers to At God’s Table have written to me over this last year asking that I examine a verse that is special to them. As I look forward to the third year of Today’s Word, I invite you to send me a verse that you would like to see included…
“There is no umpire between us, who may lay his hand on both of us.” Job 9:33 Umpire – Job was a righteous man. God even said so. Yet so many bad things happened to Job that it just didn’t seem fair. So one of Job’s friends encourages Job to take his case before God. …
“and in the greatness of his folly he will go astray” Proverbs 5:23 Go astray – You probably don’t need to be reminded about yesterday’s word (Proverbs 5:19)? It would be hard to forget. Saga is the word used for “drunken” love. But here’s a little pun, hidden in Hebrew. The same word, used in…
“Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all time; and be thou ravished always with her love.” Proverbs 5:19 (NIV) Ravished – Punch-drunk love! That’s the way the Bible describes the kind of sexual experience that marriage should produce. In fact, the word saga actually carries…
“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.” Psalm 33:20 Our soul – You are probably familiar with the word nephesh by now. It means “breath” but it is not just about breathing. It encompasses the entire being, whether human or animal. It is the life force. It covers the…
“Our soul waits for the LORD; He is our help and our shield.” Psalm 33:20 Waits – Ready. Set. But don’t GO yet. Excuse the grammar but unless you know something about the form of this verb, you can’t appreciate what is means. The word is hakah but the verb form is one that expresses…
“Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper.” Psalm 30:10 Helper – “God, help me!” These words are the summary of the Gospel. Reflect just a moment on what they really say. I admit I am in trouble I recognize that some other person must come to my aid I…
“Hear, O Lord, and be gracious to me; O Lord, be my helper.” Psalm 30:10 Gracious – Back to Exodus. God’s self-definition uses a form of this same word, but the word in Exodus 34:6 is never applied to anyone but God. “I am the Lord, compassionate and gracious”. David would never be so bold…
