“O house of Israel, am I not able to do to you as did this potter?” declares YHWH.” Jeremiah 18:6 Potter – God sends Jeremiah to the potter’s house. Jeremiah witnesses the potter making a vessel from clay. But something happens. The vessel is ruined. What does the potter do? He starts again with the…
And now, Lord, look upon their threats, and give Your slaves to speak Your word with all boldness Acts 4:29 Boldness – “It that a threat?” Of course it is. The disciples could hardly have mistaken the potential harm promised them. But notice they do not ask to have the threat removed. They don’t back…
But when the multitudes saw this, they were filled with awe, and glorified God, who had given such authority to men. Matthew 9:8 Filled With Awe – Matthew is fond of expressions of amazement, but his fondness is not simply a literary device. Long before Abraham Heschel mentioned it, Matthew recognized that the first step…
The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it. Proverbs 6:32 Lacking Sense – The perennial excuse for adultery is an appeal to the heart. “I was carried away by my heart.” “I had this great need for a heart companion.” “I just followed my heart.” …
The one who commits adultery with a woman is lacking sense; he who would destroy himself does it. Proverbs 6:32 Destroy – Hebrew poetry rhymes ideas. The first thought is elaborated in the second thought. In this verse, both phrases are about the same action – adultery. The proverb teaches us that adultery is stupid…
Bring us back, our Father, to Your Torah, and bring us near, our King, to Your service, and influence us to return in perfect repentance before You. Shemoneh Esrei hashivanu Influence – You aren’t going to find this verse in the Bible. It’s from the Amidah, the Shemoneh Esrei, the morning prayer of the Jews. …
In labor there is profit, but mere talk leads only to poverty. Proverbs 14:23 Mere Talk – In Hebrew, nothing is real. Okay, that’s a bit confusing. What I mean is that the concept of “nothing” also has a certain reality. Nothing isn’t no-thing. It’s not the kind of empty, non-existent thing that we associate…
And God said, “Let luminaries be in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and for years. And let them be for luminaries in the expanse of the heavens, to give light on the earth. And it…
But He said this to test him, for He knew what He was about to do. John 6:6 Test – Let’s see. I’m not to test God. That’s an insult to His sovereignty. But God can test me. He did so with Abraham. Here Yeshua tests Philip. The Greek is peirazo, a verb that means…
“For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My word?” John 5:46-47 His Writings – What is the plain sense of Yeshua’s statement? If you believe what Moses wrote, you would believe what I am saying, but…
