I was tranquil—he shook me to pieces, seized my nape and broke me apart, set me up as a target from Him. Job 16:12 Robert Alter Shook me to pieces – If you’re reading Job, remember this: don’t look for answers, listen to the feelings! If you read with the expectation that you will tease…
yet for love’s sake I rather appeal to you—since I am such a person as Paul, the aged, and now also a prisoner of Christ Jesus Philemon 1:9 NASB Appeal – You know this Greek word. You just don’t know it in this context. The word is parakaléō, usually associated with the Christian idea of the Holy Spirit. What it really…
Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7 NASB He cares – Peter writes to those who are anxious, suffering, and confused. They believe. They live according to their beliefs. The Messiah is…
Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. Genesis 32:24 NASB A man – Perhaps you’ve read Crossing.[1] If you haven’t, then you should. It’s a book about Jacob’s struggle for self-identity, and, of course, it’s in Scripture because it isn’t just about Jacob. It’s about Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—and you…
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, Philippians 2:1 NASB Compassion – Sympathy comes last. Oiktirmoi is the Greek term for “sympathy.” Translating it “compassion” might be stylistically acceptable, but it obscures the fact…
I am the man who has seen affliction because of the rod of His wrath. He has driven me and made me walk in darkness and not in light. Lamentations 3:1-2 NASB I am the man – Jeremiah was a righteous man. He was obedient to YHWH’s will. He accepted the consequences of his divine…
