A psalm of thanksgiving. Shout joyfully to YHWH, all the land. Psalm 100:1 (Hebrew text numbering) Thanksgiving – This is a praise song (the meaning to the Greek word psalmoi) of todah (the Hebrew word for thanksgiving). In English translations, this introductory comment is relegated to tiny type and generally ignored, but in Hebrew it…
And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He also did to us;” Acts 15:8 Knows The Heart – Luke was a Greek physician. Therefore, many students of Scripture assume that Luke wrote to Greeks in Greek with Greek thought patterns. But the language Luke uses…
“Now set your heart and your soul to seek the LORD your God; arise, therefore, and build the sanctuary of the LORD God,” 1 Chronicles 22:19 Arise – How do you know if someone is truly seeking God? If your worldview is Hebraic, the answer is obvious. Look at what they do! While only God…
When a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall repay five cattle for an ox and four of a flock animal for a sheep. Exodus 21:37 Repay – The biblical principle of justice is straightforward and simple. Perpetrators repay victims. You will notice as you read the…
for He says, “At the acceptable time I listened to you, and on the day of salvation I helped you”; behold, now is “the acceptable time,” behold, now is “the day of salvation”; 2 Corinthians 6:2 The – Is it once upon a time or is it as an appropriate time? If you read the…
“You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him, and you shall swear by His name.” Deuteronomy 10:20 Cling – The marriage covenant is consistently portrayed as an example and a symbol of God’s covenant with His children. From Deuteronomy to Hosea, the Old Testament uses the relationship of…
Then a shoot will spring from the stem of Jesse, and a branch from his roots will bear fruit. Isaiah 11:1 Branch – You may not appreciate the message in this verse unless you live in Long Branch, New Jersey or North Branch, Minnesota or Olive Branch, Mississippi or West Branch, Iowa. Why? Because there…
“For in every city from ancient generations Moses has those proclaiming him, having been read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” Acts 15:21 Proclaiming – Peter delivered the final word on salvation. It is God’s work alone. No man can add to God’s grace formula. Now James endorses Peter’s statement, but he amplifies the thought…
“Now therefore why do you put God to the test by placing upon the neck of the disciples a yoke which neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” Acts 15:10 The Test – This translation softens the language. That’s not so unusual. Many translators remove the punch in texts in order to…
Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, Luke 24:45 Opened Their Minds – Luke expresses the thought in a truly Greek way. “Opened their minds” is the Greek phrase dienoizen auton ton noun. Literally, it is “he opened up the mind of them.” That’s interesting, isn’t it? The pronoun (auton) is plural but…
