Bearing Up

For I have heard the slander of many, terror is on every side; while they took counsel together against me, they schemed to take away my life.  Psalm 31:13 NASB Slander– Perhaps a pun will help us remember the seriousness of slander. The Hebrew word, dibbâ, seems to be derived from the verb dābab (to move gently or glide over). But from…

Bearing the Consequences

Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2 NASB Bear – Can you really bear the burden of another? Ah, you’ll probably answer, “Yes, of course.” But what if the burden is something uncomfortable? What if it’s not the usual financial, medical, social kind of needs that we so often…

Prophetic Calling

“And you, lie down on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel on it.  The number of the days that you shall lie down on it, you shall bear their iniquity.” Ezekiel 4:4  (translation:  A. Heschel) Bear – Who will respond to the call of the Lord?  “Here I am,”…

How To Read Isaiah

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, and our sorrows He carried; yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God and afflicted. Isaiah 53:4 Bore – We love to read Isaiah as if it were written for us, that is, for Christians who believe “Jesus” is the Son of God who came to forgive people…

The Suffering Servant

And he shall bear their iniquities Isaiah 53:11 Bear – Messianic believers read this entire passage as a prophecy about Yeshua.  But it is more than that.  It is also a description of the role of God’s elect.  “The servant is at once Israel and an individual, who both represents the whole community and carries…