“Surely YHWH was in this place, and I did not know it.” Genesis 28:16 This – Jacob learned something very important on the night that he used a rock for a pillow. He discovered that Yahweh was in the place he least expected to find Him. Jacob was on the run. Fleeing from his brother…
“And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by means of the Mammon of unrighteousness; that when it fails, they may receive you into the eternal dwellings.” Luke 16:9 By Means Of – What Jesus says is so confusing that we often skip this verse. We think that engagement in the ways of wealth…
“And thus the last shall be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16 Last/ First – “Jesus’ concept of the righteousness of God, therefore, is incommensurable with reason. Man cannot measure it, but he can grasp it.” So said David Flusser in The Sage from Galilee. Read his comment carefully. How you understand what Flusser…
“Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and the harlots will get into the kingdom of God before you.” Matthew 21:31 Tax Collectors/ Harlots – It’s quite likely that you are not first in line for the Kingdom. Not unless you qualify as a tax collector or a prostitute. These days we don’t…
For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses. Matthew 6:14-15 Neither – How easily we gloss over and diminish the harsh reality of Jesus’ teaching! You won’t hear much about this condition of…
For there must be factions among you in order that those who are approved may become evident among you. 1 Corinthians 11:19 Factions – You better sit down for this one. Something happened in the early centuries of the history of the church that altered the way we read what Paul says here. The vocabulary…
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, Judges 6:1 Evil – How many times does it take to learn the lesson? That seems to be the theme of the history of Israel in the book of Judges. This verse expresses the common occurrence of Israel’s apostasy; all the more amazing…
For I am the Lord your God, who upholds your right hand, Who says “Do not fear, I will help you”. Isaiah 41: 13 Help – It takes a long time to get to the place where we ask for help. In a culture where self-sufficiency is the measure of personal worth, we often know…
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faith, meekness, self control Galatians 5:22-23 Fruit – My dear friend John Samuel unravels one of the great paradoxes of Scripture when he talks about the Greek word karpos (fruit). John points out that the only entity that does not benefit from…
See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life. Psalm 119:40 Longed For – How do you know what God wants you to do? Sure, some choices are obvious. The commandments, for example, spell out correct choices. But what about the hundreds of life choices that aren’t mentioned in some biblical…
