Behold, I long for Your precepts; revive me through Your righteousness. Psalm 119:40 NASB Long – Well, it’s not exactly a hapax legomenon, but it might as well be. tāʾeb, translated “long for,” is used only twice; once here and once in verse 174 (which we will eventually examine). Since it is only found in this…
Then he believed in the Lord; and He [a]credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 NASB Credited – You see that little footnote before the word “credited’? In the margin of the NASB you’ll find “or imputed.” Now that’s a problem. Why? Because the word “imputed,” like the word “credited,” strongly suggests some sort of divine accounting,…
Then he believed in the Lord; and He [a]credited it to him as righteousness. Genesis 15:6 NASB Believed – As you know, Paul cites this verse from Genesis to justify his claim that Abraham was not considered righteous due to his own efforts but rather by the free act of God. He uses this citation in Romans…
Then the Lord said, “Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations on earth will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is…
For Your righteousness, God, reaches to the heavens, You who have done great things; God, who is like You? Psalm 71:19 NASB Who is like You? – Pagan religions don’t need human history. Astrological signs, natural phenomenon, legends, numbers, the cosmic order—they’re enough. Human history is an anecdote to the divine plot. So, when the poet writes, “Who is like…
In Your righteousness rescue me and save me; extend Your ear to me and help me. Psalm 71:2 NASB Righteousness – Conformity is almost a dirty word in the modern world. As we discovered yesterday, self-identity and self-concern were pregnant in the idea of the individual, born into a new sense of Man in the…
Clouds and thick darkness surround Him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne. Psalm 97:2 NASB Righteousness and justice – Do you know the mystery of righteousness and justice? Oh, we’re familiar with the Hebrew words, no doubt. ṣĕdāqâ (righteousness) and mišpāṭ (justice—but a lot more than our idea) are words we have…
