In the morning, O Lord, You will hear my voice; in the morning I will order my prayer to You and eagerly watch. Psalm 5:3 NASB Order my prayer – First, a modest correction. “My prayer” is not found in the text. It might be that the context is correct, but the verse reads, “I will order toward you.” Once we remove the…
I will sing of the lovingkindness of the Lord forever; to all generations I will make known Your faithfulness with my mouth. Psalm 89:1 NASB Faithfulness – The message and story of the Bible can be summarized in one word—‘emunah—faithfulness. You might be inclined to say, “Yes, of course. It’s all about God’s faithfulness.” But…
The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Genesis 2:23 NASB 1995 Now – The verse that just doesn’t quit! We have come back to it over and over, discovering more depth each time. We already…
I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live, Deuteronomy 30:19 ESV Choose – What are you choosing when you decide to follow the Torah of YHVH? Did you think you were…
True instruction was in his mouth and unrighteousness was not found on his lips; he walked with Me in peace and uprightness, and he turned many back from iniquity. Malachi 2:6 NASB True instruction – It doesn’t take much to discover that “true instruction” is really torat ‘emet, the Torah of trustworthiness. It also doesn’t…
The LORD’s counsel is for those who fear Him, and His pact He makes known to them. Psalm 25:14 Robert Alter translation Makes known – God keeps secrets. He just doesn’t keep them from those He calls His own. The counsel of YHWH is the Hebrew word sod. You will recognize it as the last…
For the sake of Your name, O LORD, may You forgive my crime, which is great. Psalm 25:11 Robert Alter translation For the sake of – Why does God forgive? What benefit accrues to Him for this act? He has nothing to gain by forgiving those who despise and resist Him. There is no guarantee…
All the LORD’s paths are kindness and truth for the keepers of His pact and His precepts. Psalm 25:10 Robert Alter translation Keepers – Think of the covenant like a trust fund with conditions. All of God’s kindness and truth is available as a result of the trust He established. But the benefits aren’t for…
“So I will establish my covenant with you, and you will know that I am the Lord. Then, when I make atonement for you for all you have done, you will remember and be ashamed and never again open your mouth because of your humiliation, declares the Sovereign Lord.” Ezekiel 16:62-63 NIV Then – When did…
Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky . . .” Genesis 1:26 NASB Likeness – If tselem provides the vital connection between God’s actions and our existence as humans, then why…
