And it shall come to pass, if you carefully listen to my commandments which I command you today, . . . Deuteronomy 11:13 Carefully Listen To – We have discovered that even Jewish rabbis recognized the priority of grace. The false dichotomy between law and grace was an invention of Augustine. His influence spread through…
And it shall come to pass, if you carefully listen to my commandments which I command you today, . . . Deuteronomy 11:13 Carefully Listen To – Rabbi Joshua ben Karha said, “Why does the section, Hear, O Israel (Deut 6:4-9) precede the [section] and it shall come to pass if ye shall harken [diligently…
I will give thanks to You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; . . Psalm 139:14 Wonderfully – Believers love this verse. It’s so majestic. It lifts the human being to such elevated heights. We are almost like angels. We are special. God made us. But there’s a little problem. The words ki nora’ot…
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing; my strength fails because of my iniquity, and my bones waste away. Psalm 31:11 Fails – Sin contains its own consequences. There is no separation between the act and the result. Unlike our system of justice, the Hebrew view does not think of…
and they shall become one flesh Genesis 2:24 Flesh – Sex is a meaningful deed. So says Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz. What he means is that sex is not like other deeds. Sex is “one of those things that make a complete world.” It is a drive that has meaning in itself, not derived from its…
Yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18 Exult – Better read the context before you start the celebration. Habakkuk has just recounted the circumstances of disaster. The trees do not bear fruit. The vines fail. The fields have no crops. The flocks are scattered. …
O LORD, why do You cause us to stray from Your ways and harden our heart from fearing You? Isaiah 63:17 Cause – How difficult it is to think that God causes us to stray! How can it be possible? How can Isaiah, the inspired prophet, tell us that God stands behind our disobedient wanderings? …
“O Ephraim, what shall I do to you? O Judah, what shall I do to you? For your goodness is like the morning cloud, and it goes away like the early dew.” Hosea 6:4 What Shall I Do? – “The question of man’s position before God is the question of existence. Everything else depends on…
and when you seek for me you will find me, when you search for me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13 Seek/Search – How many times have you heard this verse given as motivation for seeking God? It seems to be a favorite when we need exhortation and encouragement. But how many of us know…
Pull me out of the net that they have laid secretly for me; for you are my stronghold. Psalm 31:5 (Hebrew text) Net – If you read this too quickly, you will miss the crucial implication. The psalmist is already caught! “Pull me out” implies that he is already in. He has been trapped by…
