And the LORD said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh, saying, “Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old.” Genesis 18:13 NASB I am so old – Don’t be too quick to read this text! Take a step backwards and read what Sarah actually said. Then ask yourself, “Why did God leave…
“Take My yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart; and you shall find rest for your souls.” Mathew 11:29 NASB Yoke – Yeshua quotes Jeremiah 6:16 in this famous passage. The context of the Jeremiah citation should help us understand the key words here. Those words are…
Let your way of life be free from the love of money, being content with what you have, for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,” Hebrews 13:5 NASB Being content – What is enough? The Bible answers: what you have been given. That’s a particularly uncomfortable…
“Therefore, bring forth fruits worthy of repentance.” Matthew 3:8 NASB Worthy – John the Baptizer cut no slack. He spoke like a prophet right out of the Tanakh. His message to the scribes and religious leaders was something they recognized. Measure for measure. Put your actions on the balance scales and see if they are…
“If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way, first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” Matthew 5:23-24 NASB And then come – In a few…
And you shall love YHWH your Elohim with all your heart and with all your nephesh and with all your might Deuteronomy 6:5 (my adjusted translation) All your heart – be-kol levavcha. Try saying it. “With all your heart.” YHWH wants – and expects – your whole heart commitment to Him. How will I know…
“I will not carry out my fierce anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim; for I am God and not mortal; in your midst (is) the Holy One. And I will not come in wrath.” Hosea 11:9 (translation J. Dearman) For I am God – It’s possible that you’ve heard this verse expounded in its…
“Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, “Israel is My son, My firstborn.” Exodus 4:22 NASB My son – We have a tendency to believe that God often spoke of Israel as His son, but this isn’t the case. In fact, there are only two places in the Tanakh where God refers…
Their heart is faithless; Now they must bear their guilt. The LORD will break down their altars and destroy their sacred pillars. Hosea 10:2 NASB Faithless – “Faithless” is a nice abstract noun. What exactly does it mean? The NIV gloss “deceitful” isn’t much better. Both attempts are really paraphrases of the Hebrew word halaq. …
Israel is a luxuriant vine; He produces fruit for himself. The more his fruit, the more altars he made; the richer his land, the better he made the sacred pillars. Hosea 10:1 NASB More/ better – According to Hosea, affluence produces an increase in religion. There is no better example than America. American Christianity has…
