Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country, and from your relatives and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you; Genesis 12:1 NASB Go – lĕk-lekā’. As you can clearly see in the highlighted text below, this imperative is made up of several combined words. It’s not simply “Go.” The grammar…
Not that I have already grasped it all or have already become perfect, but I press on if I may also take hold of that for which I was even taken hold of by Christ Jesus. Brothers and sisters, I do not regard myself as having taken hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, Philippians 3:12-13…
Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold firm your integrity? Curse God and die!” Job 2:9 NASB Integrity – Does the Bible portray the righteous as sinless? Were Adam and the woman created perfect? Are we considered sinless after repentance? Perhaps we can look at Job to find some answers. In Hebrew,…
My eyes fail with longing for Your salvation, and for Your righteous word. Psalm 119:123 NASB Longing for – Yesterday we discovered that the psalmist wants a guarantee about life. He asks God to act as his bond, to ensure he will not fall victim to his enemies. It sounds so good to hear that God cares enough to…
They almost destroyed me on earth, but as for me, I did not abandon Your precepts. Psalm 119:87 NASB Destroyed – What will be the final line in your obituary? “A good husband?” “A loving wife?” “A cherished father/mother?” “A provider?” “A friend?” How about “committed to God?” Or “a Torah-keeper?” Would you think to add…
Blessed are those whose way is [a]blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord. Psalm 119:1 NASB Blameless – The Hebraic world knows no systematic theology. That’s a Greek invention. What it knows is the lived reality of God’s interaction in the everyday world of men and women. The Hebraic world doesn’t have creeds or hard-and-fast doctrines…
As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him. Psalm 18:30 NIV Perfect – Perfection is one of God’s attributes listed by Thomas Aquinas. The list also includes omniscience, omnipotence, eternal, immutable, etc. I’m sure you’re familiar with the ideas even if you don’t know the theological…
Now Jacob came safely to the city of Shechem, which is in the land of Canaan, when he came from Paddan-aram, and camped before the city. Genesis 33:18 NASB Safely – In Hebrew there are really only two verb tenses; complete actions and incomplete actions. That’s because Hebrew sees the world with a completely different framework than…
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.1 John 4:18 NASB Is not perfected– teleióō. That’s the Greek term here. The verb is a perfect passive. ESV translates it as “has not been perfected.” The NASB translation could give us the…
“Now, therefore, fear the Lord and serve Him in sincerity and truth; and put away the gods which your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. Joshua 24:14 NASB Sincerity – Are you sincere? Ah, your answer could depend on your heritage. The meaning of “sincere” seems to vary even in contemporary cultures. Trilling notes: “In…
