How to Read the Bible (1)

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will achieve success.  Joshua 1:8  NASB Mouth/ meditate/ careful…

The Name Game

Then David comforted his wife Bathsheba, and he went to her and made love to her. She gave birth to a son, and they named him Solomon. The Lord loved him  and because the Lord loved him, he sent word through Nathan the prophet to name him Jedidiah.  2 Samuel 12:24-25 NIV They – I’ve got a great idea.  Let’s translate…

John’s Jewish Greek

“The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.”  John 3:36  NASB Believes in – You want eternal life, right?  You want to avoid Hell, enjoy Heaven, live in eternal bliss, and put all your…

Serving with Your Heart

And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.  Deuteronomy 6:5  NASB Strength – If I asked you where this statement is found in the Bible, you would probably direct me to Matthew 22:37 where Yeshua cites this verse in response to the question about the…

Confident Assurance

Leave me, all you who practice injustice, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping.  The Lord has heard my pleading, the Lord receives my prayer.  Psalm 6:8-9  NASB Receives – Does God really care?  Perhaps just asking the question seems monstrously irreverent, but I’m pretty sure that at least a hint of this has crossed your mind once…

The God Father

Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may achieve success wherever you go.  Joshua 1:7  NASB From it – Moses is dead.  Moses, the clear leader for more…

Fooled Me

I need a break.  My head is hurting from all these investigations into the complex differences between how I think and how Moses thought. So, here’s just some visual reminders that God is still the same even if I can’t figure it all out.

A History of Spiritual Abuse

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. A prayer of a righteous person, when it is brought about, can accomplish much.  James 5:16  NASB Confess – to one another– Was James the first Twelve-Step sponsor?  It certainly seems as if he exhorts the assembly to reveal sins…

Benjamin Lee Whorf

So Moses wrote down this song on the same day, and taught it to the sons of Israel.  Deuteronomy 31:22  NASB Moses wrote – I want to look at something about the linguistic cultural reflection in Hebrew verb-gender combinations.  I think it’s fascinating, but it’s technical, at least to begin with.  So I’m a bit…

Food Poisoning

“A lion roars.  Who does not fear?  The Master, the LORD, speaks.  Who cannot prophesy?”  Amos 3:8  Robert Alter translation Prophesy – Does this two-line poem seem odd to you?  What does the roar of a lion have to do with giving divine predictions?  Before we can draw conclusions about Amos’ intention, we need to…