I am a stranger on earth. Hide not your commandments from me. Psalm 119:19 (Abraham Heschel translation) Hide – Where are you going? Ah, the second most important question of life. The angel of the Lord asked Hagar precisely this, and she could not answer him. Can you? Do you really know where you are…
“You neglected the Rock who begot you, and forgot the God who gave you birth.” Deuteronomy 32:18 NASB Gave you birth – It’s pretty difficult to ignore the obvious female characteristic God employs in this self-description. Only women give birth. Does that mean God is female? Of course not; not any more than the descriptions…
For I will take you from the nations, gather you from all the lands and bring you into your own land. Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart…
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…
