and I saw every work of God, I concluded that man cannot discover the work which has been done under the sun. Even though man should seek laboriously, he will not discover; and though the wise man should say, “I know,” he cannot discover. Ecclesiastes 8:17 NASB Cannot discover– “No longer one simple, consequential story, history divides into the age…
Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you;”Genesis 12:1 NASB Go forth– We who travel this path toward God need to remember how it began. It began with a man called to an unknown destination. It began with instructions to go…
And see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:24 NASB Hurtful way– What is the purpose of inviting God to search my inner thoughts? David spells it out. David isn’t going to God for an annual well-being check up. He’s going to God the surgeon. He’s asking for a specific…
Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts;Psalm 139:23 NASB Search me– Don’t forget the context. We have a tendency to pull this verse from its context in the psalm and concentrate on the emotional appeal for God to look deeply into our hearts to purify us. In…
I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies. Psalm 139:22 NASB Utmost– So you hate what God hates? If you’re with David on this, then you hate those people who malign God’s reputation. You want nothing to do with them. You avoid them at all costs. In fact, you hate them perfectly. …
Do I not hate those who hate You, O Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? Psalm 139:21 NASB Hate– When is hate a virtue? You might reply, “When we hate sin.” But typically we add, “but love the sinner.” Ah, if it were only that simple. You see, the verb used here, śānēʾ, doesn’t make such…
For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain. Psalm 139:20 NASB Wickedly– What does it mean to speak against God wickedly? Hebrew poetry often employs parallelism in order to provide elaboration of one idea with another. In this verse, mezimmâ (from zāmam, “to plan, devise, consider”) is equated to taking YHVH’s name in vain. …
O that You would slay the wicked, O God; depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. Psalm 139:19 NASB Would slay– When you woke up this morning, did you think to yourself, “Oh, my, God has been so faithful to draw my life out of the past and return it to me today.” Perhaps you began with: Modeh ah-nee…
If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. Psalm 139:18 NASB Still– Yesterday we noticed a shift in the emotional direction of this poem. David’s initial concerns about the constraint of divine knowing have changed to praise for God’s revelation. We discovered that David considers God’s purpose intrinsically valuable. He…
How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! Psalm 139:17 NASB Vast– David is the poet who looked up to the heavens and declared, “What is man that You take thought of him, and the son of man that You care for him?” Nevertheless, David insists that God created Man…
