No man can by any means redeem his brother or give to God a ransom for him— Psalm 49:7 NASB Redeem – Context, context, context. Without the context, this verse seems to oppose the very idea that Yeshua acts as a substitute sacrifice for sinners. Of course, the idea of substitutionary atonement is a Reformation…
that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Genesis 6:2 NASB Took wives – So much has been written about this very odd story. We have commentators who view the text as a description of angelic beings, or powerful men, or…
When they say to you, “Consult the mediums and the spiritists who whisper and mutter,” should not a people consult their God? Should they consult the dead on behalf of the living? Isaiah 8:19 NASB Consult – John Oswalt’s book, The Bible Among the Myths, contains some interesting insights into the essential characteristics of myths…
Also the daughter of any priest, if she profanes herself by harlotry, she profanes her father; she shall be burned with fire. Leviticus 21:9 NASB Burned with fire – This is the anniversary of a despicable event in the Church. October 27, 1553. John Calvin, the religious head of Geneva, had the scholar Michael Servetus…
When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, for she had covered her face. Genesis 38:15 NASB Harlot – Don’t read the Bible as if it were written with the cultural morals that you have! If you do, you will make a lot of mistakes trying to explain away the behavior of its…
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NASB Delight – Now we know that this verse is not about getting what you want, at least not until what you want has been transformed by what God wants. But that still leaves us with a question….
Delight yourself in the Lord; and He will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4 NASB Desires – Does God want you to have what you want? By translating the feminine noun mishalot as “desires,” we are inclined to believe that one of God’s purposes is to be the genie who grants us…
The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. 2 Corinthians 13:14 NASB Grace – “What is grace? The presence of the soul. A person had grace when the throbbing of his heart is audible in his voice; when the longings…
Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 NASB In the name – Do you know what “in the name of” means in Hebrew vernacular? Be careful. We are likely to think that “in the name of”…
I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. Psalm 89:1 NASB Faithfulness – The message and story of the Bible can be summarized in one word—‘emunah—faithfulness. You might be inclined to say, “Yes, of course. It’s all about God’s faithfulness.” But…
