The words of Jeremiah the son of Hilkiah, of the priests who were in Anathoth in the land of Benjamin, 2 to whom the word of the Lord came in the days of Josiah . . . Jeremiah 1:1-2a NASB Came – How do you read the Bible? Obviously I am not asking about the…
I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest. Psalm 55:6 NASB Fly away – Sometimes it’s just too much. Sometimes I get so tired of fighting, struggling, working and being overwhelmed that I just want to fly away. Be a bird. Take off. Of course,…
“Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited us and accomplished redemption for His people,” Luke 1:68 NASB Visited us – When John the Baptist is named, Zacharias regains his ability to speak. According to the text, Zacharias was “filled with the holy spirit” and prophesied. We know the Sunday School story,…
Ransom me from human oppression, that I may observe Your statutes. Psalm 119:134 (Robert Alter translation) Human Oppression – What is human oppression? The Hebrew is ‘oseq ‘adam. We easily recognize the second common noun, ‘adam, but what about the first, ‘oseq? Don’t spiritualize this. The word is “concerned with acts of abuse of power…
Even to your old age I will be the same, and even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you. Isaiah 46:4 NASB Bear – Who carries your bags? The Hebrew sabal is the verb “to bear,…
Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord, and whom You teach out of Your law; Psalm 94:12 NASB Chasten – “Spiritual stress is a major source of unhappiness.”[1] If you haven’t encountered this truth about life, perhaps you missed a growth experience. Far too often we wish for a life of ease, thinking…
The LORD does not let the appetite of the righteous go unsatisfied, but what the wicked crave he thrusts aside. Proverbs 10:3 (Bruce Waltke translation) Appetite – What really moves you? What are the most important motivators in your life? What drives you to keep going? What inspires you to new heights? In Hebrew, all…
For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:2 NASB Law of sin and death – What is “the law of sin and death”? If you follow Martin Luther (and others), you might assume that Paul’s use of nomos…
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Romans 8:1 NASB No condemnation – Celebrate! The judgment has been cancelled! That sounds great, doesn’t it? You and I are freed from the verdict that hung over us. The penalty that we deserved has been lifted. Joy should flood our lives….
Then David said to him, “How is it you were not afraid to stretch out your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” 2 Samuel 1:14 NASB How is it – Allocution is a formal speech of advice or warning. But if you watch “Law and Order,” the television crime series, then you know that allocution…
