“. . . but now our appetite is gone. There is nothing at all to look at except this manna.” Numbers 11:6 NASB Nothing at all– Does gratitude have a dark side? Does your thankfulness for what you have elicit a concomitant desire for what you don’t have? When you express appreciation, is there a tiny hint of resentment…
And He said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” Matthew 22:37 NASB You shall love– This is a commandment. It was stated first in the Torah (Deuteronomy 6:5). Yeshua only reiterates what every observant Jew already knew. The great commandment had been…
So Jacob went in to Rachel also, and he loved Rachel more than Leah, and served Laban for another seven years. Genesis 29:30 ESV More than– Why does Jacob love Rachel more than Leah? Leah is devoted to Jacob. Leah gives Jacob many sons so obviously he didn’t maintain sexual distance from her. Leah pleads for his…
You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar. Psalm 139:2 NASB Thought– God knows it all, right? He knows every thought you have, every fleeting desire, every inclination, every unvoiced declaration. We all agree. God knows us—perhaps better than we know ourselves. After all, He is the omniscient external observer in…
Praise the LORD! How blessed is the man who fears the LORD, who greatly delights in His commandments. Psalm 112:1 NASB Blessed – Congratulations! You who follow God’s instructions are blessed. Of course, that doesn’t mean you have all the measures of success in this world. The psalmist might go on to say that those…
that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit, Ephesians 4:22 NASB Lusts of deceit – The odd translation of the NASB is revised by the ESV to read “deceitful desires.” The NASB simply tries to more literally…
But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. James 1:14-15 NASB Tempted – The Greek peirao needs some explanation. Today we often think that “tempted” is virtually the…
If Your law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget Your precepts, for by them You have revived me. Psalm 119:92-93 NASB Affliction – Does this verse as it is translated make any sense? How can delight in Torah rescue someone from death due to…
As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, 1 Peter 1:14 Lusts – OK, so let’s tone this down a bit. The Greek word is epithymia. Yes, it can mean “lust” but if we read it like this, we are likely to dismiss Peter’s comment as…
“They say to God, ‘Depart from us! We do not even desire the knowledge of Your ways. Who is the Almighty, that we should serve Him, and what would we gain if we entreat Him?’” Job 21:14-15 NASB Do not even desire – Job suffers. So do you. If God is so good, why should…
