Behold, I was brought forth in guilt, and in sin my mother conceived me. Psalm 51:5 NASB Brought forth – There is hardly any verse in the Bible that has created more suffering and despair than this one. Why? Because coupled with Genesis 3, this verse is the proof that everyone, you and I, are born…
May those who [af]fear You turn to me, and those who know Your testimonies. Psalm 119:79 NASB Turn to me – šûb. 1050 times this verb is used in the Tanakh. We most often think of it in terms of repentance, that is, returning to God’s ways. “The Bible is rich in idioms describing man’s responsibility…
May those who [ab]fear You see me and be glad, because I [ac]wait for Your word. Psalm 119:74 NASB See me – Doctrinal discussions. Statements of faith. Creeds. Tracts. Testimonies. You’ve heard them all. Perhaps too many times. Lots and lots of words. Did they really make a difference? Were you compelled to pursue God because of any…
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. Psalm 119:14 Testimonies – The bet section of this extended acrostic gives us four terms for God’s instructions in addition to the general category torah. They are: ḥōq (statute), mišpāṭ (ordinance), miṣwâ (commandment), and ʿēdût (testimony). The root of “testimony) is…
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 NASB Go – I am sure you are aware that even in the Greek text, this is not a command. There’s a footnote to this in the NASB that reads, “Or Having gone (Gr…
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 NASB Make disciples – You hand out “Four Spiritual Laws” tracts at the beach. You give a Gospel stories in comic book fashion to some kids at day camp. You volunteer for…
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 NASB Go – Mount up! Take off! Sail away! Just make sure that you get the message out to everyone. God doesn’t want anyone to be lost. He has a wonderful plan…
And many peoples will come and say, “Come, let’s go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; so that He may teach us about His ways, and that we may walk in His paths.” For the law will go out from Zion and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem. Isaiah…
and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written: “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” Romans 11:26 NASB Will be saved – Theresa Newell’s doctoral paper entitled “Preparing the Church to Evangelize Jewish People” is, unfortunately, a typical example of the Christian Church’s “manifest destiny” narrative…
For Ezra had set his heart to seek the law of YHWH, and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and ordinances Ezra 7:10 JPS 1917 To Seek – More than a decade has passed since I wrote this initial study of Ezra 7:10. When I read Gordon Tucker’s footnote about this verse…
