So I will bless You as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. Psalm 63:4 NASB Bless You – You probably grew up in the ethos of the omnipotent, immutable God. You know, the God who can do everything and doesn’t really need anything. That is the philosophical epitome of a…
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:9 NASB Curse – Job’s wife has only a few words to say, but, according to David Penchansky, what she says summarizes the entire story of this suffering, righteous man. She speaks sarcastically, telling Job, “Curse God…
His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:2 NASB Upright – What does it mean to be upright? In biblical terms, this is not an inherited condition. It’s not about having a conscience. It’s learned behavior. God grants man the ability to learn the Torah, but He does…
Bless the Lord, all you works of His, in all places of His dominion; bless the Lord, O my soul! Psalm 103:22 NASB You works – In the final address of the psalm, David moves from personal self-reflection to the widest possible view, the whole cosmos. “All you works” is the Hebrew kal-ma’asay. It means…
“And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12:3 NASB Bless/curse – On my last trip to Israel, I was delighted to meet Roi Ziv, a native Israelite who lives near Nof Ginnosar…
Jabez called upon the God of Israel saying, “Oh that you would bless me . . .” 1 Chronicles 4:10 ESV Bless – This word is barak. Examining it as a noun, we find that receiving a blessing in the Old Testament means getting something favorable from someone greater. The paradigm case is the transmission…
