I will keep Your statutes; do not utterly abandon me! Psalm 119:8 NASB Utterly abandon – The Hebrew text isn’t exactly like this English translation. The syntax in Hebrew is “not forsake me even with power.” “Utterly abandon” might capture the emotion but what’s interesting is the implication that God would deliberately, and with strength, leave…
The Lord God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for on the day that you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:16-17 NASB The man – I’ve put “the man” in bold to call your…
Be to me a rock of dwelling to which I may continually come; You have given the commandment to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. Psalm 71:3 NASB The commandment – What do you think the poet means when he says that God has given the commandment to save him? Do you think he…
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 1 Timothy 1:3-4 NIV Command – Sometimes Paul is more like a…
Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Luke 10:3 NASB Like lambs – It’s hard to miss his point. Sacrifice! That’s what happens to lambs among wolves. Yeshua sends out the seventy without resources and, apparently, without protection. So why would anyone go? If I came to you and…
Therefore, although in Christ I could be bold and order you to do what you ought to do, yet I prefer to appeal to you on the basis of love.Philemon 1:8-9a NIV Order you– The letter to Philemon is the shortest of the Pauline material in Scripture. That’s why it comes last in Paul’s work. It is also unique…
As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.1 Timothy 1:3-4 NASB Instruct– Let’s suppose that you are designated a teacher of others…
“Call to me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things which you do not know.” Jeremiah 33:3 NASB Call – Today’s post-modern culture ignores the most important part of education. Once God is removed from the system, education takes on a completely different objective. The goal is no…
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our savior, and of Christ Jesus, who is our hope; 1 Timothy 1:1 NASB According to the commandment of – In the Greek text, this phrase is the translation of kat’ epitagen. It means a bit more than something God wants. The preposition…
“Who is there who speaks and it comes to pass unless the Lord has commanded it?” Lamentations 3:37 NASB Command – This Hebrew word (tsiva) has an important place in our thinking about God. Here it is found in a book that most of us don’t know very well. Lamentations is made up of five…
