Cubix’s Rube

“However, there shall be a distance between you and it of about two thousand cubits by measurement. Do not come near it, so that you may know the way by which you shall go, for you have not passed this way before.” Joshua 3:4  NASB About two thousand cubits – Think about this!  God instructs…

Spiritual Direction

because I hear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints;  Philemon 1:5  NASB Toward – prós is a complicated Greek preposition.  Its meaning changes with the case.  If it expresses possession, it is a genitive and generally means “before.”  If it is a dative,…

Coming and Going

Let my prayer come before You; Incline Your ear to my cry!  Psalm 88:2  NASB Let . . . come before You – The first thing you should notice is the change in syntax.  In Hebrew the verb comes first.  So, it reads, “Let come before You my prayer.”  The action is the important thing.  What…

To Believe

And they remembered that God was their rock, and the Most High God their Redeemer. But they flattered Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue.  For their heart was not steadfast toward Him, nor were they faithful with His covenant.  Psalm 78:35-37  NASB Remembered – “To believe is to remember,” wrote Abraham Heschel.  Asaph might not…

End of the Line

Let the one who does wrong, still do wrong; and the one who is filthy, still be filthy; and let the one who is righteous, still practice righteousness; and the one who is holy, still keep himself holy. Revelation 22:11 NASB Still – Just keep going in the same direction and you will arrive at…

Press the NAV Button

Your ways, O LORD, inform me, your paths, instruct me.  Psalm 25:4  Robert Alter translation Ways/paths – GPS is such a blessing. Just put in the address, press the NAV button, and both map and voice direct me to my destination.  Now I only get lost when the guidance map is out of date.  Amazingly,…

The Cure (3)

Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil,  Isaiah 1:16  ESV Remove – How can I remove my evil deeds?  Once done, aren’t they a permanent part of my own history?  How is it possible to extract them from who I am?  Isaiah offers…

Street Signs

And do not lead us into temptation  Matthew 6:13 Lead Us – How are we supposed to understand this strange phrase?  God doesn’t tempt anyone.  The Bible is clear about that.  God is holy.  All that He does is holy.  There is no possibility that He would ever entice anyone to sin.  So, what can…

Meaningful Directions

Jesus walks along the rode with his disciples.  They come across a blind man.  There was no greater calamity in the ancient world than blindness.  In this case, the man was well known for the disciples recognize him as a man who was born blind.  This is especially cruel.  Only terrible evil could case such…