When God started creating, He chose to abdicate control. Genesis 1:1 Skip Moen paraphrase When – “Bereshit, ‘in the beginning,’ describes not the clarities of origin and cause, but the potentialities of purpose.”[1] So writes Avivah Zornberg, reflecting on Rashi’s comment on creation. Potentialities demand alternatives. Things might not work out as we expect, and…
Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” Genesis 1:6 NASB Separate – “In the act of creation, there is perhaps inevitable sadness, as the work works itself loose from the vision.”[1] The Egyptians believed in unity, that is, the absolute unity…
and when all the people had finished crossing, then the ark of the Lord and the priests crossed in front of the people. Joshua 4:11 NASB Crossed – Yesterday we reflected on the paradigm commitment to miracles, noting that reconciling apparently conflicting texts sometimes leads to some fairly irrational conclusions. Today we’ll focus on a much more pedestrian item. …
“Command the priests who carry the ark of the testimony that they come up from the Jordan.” Joshua 4:16 NASB Come up – God is pretty great, right? How great? Well, greater than we can even imagine. So great, in fact, that He does things we think are beyond doing. We call them “miracles” because they…
Then God said, “Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” So God created man in His own image, in the…
Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day. Joshua 4:9 NASB In the middle – The story of Israel crossing the Jordan leaves us with a lot…
I am the God of Bethel, where you anointed a memorial stone, where you made a vow to Me; now arise, leave this land, and return to the land of your birth.’” Genesis 31:13 NASB Return – The story is familiar. Jacob is attempting to convince his wives to leave with him and return to Canaan. The wives hesitate. What…
Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. 1 Peter 2:13-14 NASB Every human institution – Look, Peter is obviously wrong! If we did what he says,…
As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God 1 Peter 4:10 NASB Employ it – I’ve written a lot of linguistic studies. More than 8000 and counting. But today I just don’t feel like it. I feel spent, lonely, anxious. I’m feeling worn…
