Hog-tied

The snares of the wicked have surrounded me, but I have not forgotten Your Law.  Psalm 119:61  NASB Not forgotten – Do you want to experience God’s rescue when evil men seek to harm you?  I’m guessing you would answer, “Yes.”  Well then, the first thing to understand is this: What are the “snares” of the wicked?  If…

Unbreakable

But the king will rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him will glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped.  Psalm 63:11 NASB Swears – If you want to tie someone down, what is the most powerful restraint you can use?  Certainly not rope.  Maybe steel shackles?  Titanium?  Nope, none of these will…

Unbound

For it had seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon into the desert.   Luke 8:29  NASB Seized – What if the story of the demoniac isn’t about demon possession?  What if it’s about an ancient…

Don’t Say a Word

I was mute—in silence. I kept still, deprived of good, and my pain was grievous. Psalm 39:2 (Robert Alter translation) Mute – You’re pummeled by the world. Your friends insult you. You are misunderstood. What do you do? Keep quiet, of course! No one likes a complainer! Don’t you know that it’s not nice to…

The Other Side of the Coin

to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples, to bind their kings with fetters, their nobles with shackles of iron, Psalm 149:7-8 NIV To bind – We discovered that naqam, the Hebrew word for “vengeance,” is an essential element in the holiness of God. We realized that this idea, even if it seems…

Blessed Be The Tie

Therefore, I, the prisoner of the Lord, exhort you to walk worthily of the calling in which you were called, with all humility and meekness, with long-suffering, bearing with one another in love; being eager to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. Ephesians 4:1 Bond – Let’s see. How does…