Now it will come about that in the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord will be established as the chief of the mountains, and will be raised above the hills; and all the nations will stream to it. Isaiah 2:2 NASB In the last days – Oh how the “end times” people love verses like…
This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the Lord: Psalm 102:18 NASB To come – The psalms were written thousands of years ago. They reflect a political kingdom culture, a Semitic people, a nomadic cult; in a word, a world totally unlike ours. Yet we read them today…
Then the Lord said, “There is a place near me where you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back; but my face must not…
You have enclosed me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. Psalm 139:5 NASB Behind and before– What does it feel like to have God’s hand heavy upon you? Does it feel comfortable? Gracious? Or do you feel as if you can’t move? Pressed? Coerced? Curbed? In this verse, the emphasis comes first, and in this…
Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen. Exodus 33:23 NASB My back – By now you realize that this translation must be incorrect. God is spirit. He is not corporeal. He does not have a “back.” This is a case where the…
I saw that there is nothing better for man than to enjoy his possessions, since that is his portion. For who can enable him to see what will happen afterward? Ecclesiastes 3:22 JPS Afterward – Qohelet is a rationalist. That means he chooses to see life only on the basis of what he can observe…
But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9:62 NASB Looking back – What do you think Yeshua is saying when He gives this warning? Most of us read the verse as if it were Greek. Therefore, we…
Till I came to the sanctuaries of God, understood what would be their end. Psalm 73:17 (Robert Alter translation) End – The amazingly insightful Hebrew word aharit commonly refers to what comes after, later or behind. We have noted Wolff’s description of the “backwards” nature of its temporal connection. We think of the future “ahead”…
