Forever Certain

For His kindness has overwhelmed us, and the truth of the Lord is eternal. Hallelujah!  Psalm 117:2  (Chabad) Overwhelmed – When was the last time you felt overwhelmed by God’s graciousness?  Have you given any thought to the amazing blessing of being alive today?  Does a tune of thankfulness hum in the background of your…

Verbs and Paradigms

Now the hand of the Lord was on me there, and He said to me, “Get up, go out to the plain, and there I will speak to you.”  Ezekiel 3:22  NASB He said – According to some researchers, the phrase “God said” or its equivalent is used 1900 times in the Bible.  When you think about it,…

Creed or Conditions

“And it shall be, if you truly heed the voice of the LORD your God to keep to do all His commands that I charge you today, the LORD your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth.”  Deuteronomy 28:1  Robert Alter All His commands – Keep them all!  That’s the…

Text and Transmission

From the openings of the righteous ones is heard her voice; and from the congregation of the pious ones her song.  Psalm 154:12  DSS The righteous ones – Go ahead.  Look this psalm up in your Bible.  Ah, wait a minute.  It isn’t there.  In the Masoretic text there are only 150 psalms.  But the…

A Question Is Always True

Look.  Wisdom calls out, and Discernment lifts her voice.  Proverbs 8:1  Robert Alter Calls out – Since the discovery of significant archeological artifacts in the late 19th Century, biblical scholars have had to face the question, “How does archeological evidence impact biblical faith?”  The answers have not been easy.  As Haggai Misgav points out, “The…

Not Exactly

Make sure that your character is free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, “I will never desert you, nor will I ever abandon you,”  Hebrews 13:5  NASB Desert/ Abandon – The author of the letter to the Hebrews does what so many ancient writers of sacred texts tended to…

An Uncertain Faith

So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to [a]desire and to work for His good pleasure.  Philippians 2:12-13  NASB Work out – Recently I conducted a month-long study…

Text and Transmission

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16  NASB Inspired – Paul’s choice of the Greek word for “inspired” leaves us hanging.  Why?  Because the word isn’t used anywhere else in the apostolic writings.  Theópneustos literally means “God breathed,” but that leaves a lot…

Why There?

Then Joshua set up twelve stones in the middle of the Jordan at the place where the feet of the priests who carried the ark of the covenant were standing, and they are there to this day.  Joshua 4:9  NASB In the middle – The story of Israel crossing the Jordan leaves us with a lot…

Which Bible?

All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness;  2 Timothy 3:16  NASB Inspired – Please don’t get me wrong.  I’m not trying to poke holes in your favorite English Bible translation.  But I do want to point out that there might be a great many…