Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Thessalonians 5:23 NASB Without blame – How is this possible? Paul might pray that his followers be found blameless, but we all know…
Then she called the name of the Lord who spoke to her, “You are a God who sees”; for she said, “Have I even remained alive here after seeing Him?” Genesis 16:13 NASB Who sees – “I see you.” How rare it is to find someone who can actually be seen. Most of the time…
Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13 NASB Hope – What does Paul mean by the term “God of hope?” Does God hope? Does He wish things would turn out better?…
If a lion could talk, we could not understand him. Ludwig Wittgenstein, Philosophical Investigations Understand – You won’t find this sentence in the Bible, so don’t bother to look. But you will find the idea behind Wittgenstein’s insight.[1] The idea is that the meaning of words cannot be fully explained with other words. What is…
If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me. Psalm 119:92-93 NASB Affliction – Does this verse as it is translated make any sense? How can delight in Torah rescue someone from death due to…
“He felt compassion for her, and said to her, “Do not weep.” Luke 7:13 NASB Compassion – Nain. The village named “pleasant” or “beautiful.” But on this day the Hebrew name does not fit the mood at all. Today is the day of a funeral. Today is a mother’s worst nightmare – death invades life….
Let them be as a snail which melts away as it goes along, like the miscarriages of a woman which never see the sun. Psalm 58:8 NASB Miscarriages – I’m angry. Are you? I’m angry that the wicked prevail. I’m angry that I have to struggle while they seem to have lives of ease. I’m…
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: Exodus 1:1 NASB Names – The Bible is not a timeless guidebook. It is a story of the history of men and God. It is a recollection of what happened, not a…
“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust” Psalm 40:4NASB Trust – The word batach means the sense of well-being and security that results from having something or someone in whom to place confidence. It is translated in the Greek LXX as “hope,” not “belief.” It stresses the feeling of being…
How long, O Lord, will I call for help, and You will not hear? I cry out to You, “Violence!” Yet You do not save. Habakkuk 1:2 ANSB Violence! – You know the aphorism. “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” It seems that two thousand seven hundred years haven’t made much…
