An Army of One

“I love You, O Lord, my strength.” Psalm 18:1 (English version) NASB  Strength – The Hebrew word, hezqa, means “strength.” There is no argument about this nor is it unusual. But David often does something with words that make them different, and in this verse, he uses the root hezeq, the only place in Scripture…

The Last 24

Then the Lord passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; Exodus 34:6 NASB Compassionate – Consider the last twenty-four hours. Oh, not the ones that have just gone by, although after the coming investigation you might want…

Merit Badges

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11 NASB Grace and glory – Ah, what we so desperately want! Joy. Joy of life. Joy of relationships. Joy that satisfies our deepest longings for acceptance, recognition,…

First, Get a Lawyer

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  Ephesians 4:1 NASB Entreat – What’s the first thing Paul says when it comes to walking in a way that honors the Lord?  Get a lawyer!  At least that’s how we…

Under His Wings

But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.  Genesis 6:8 NASB Found favor – Now this is important, so pay close attention.  We have examined the Hebrew word hesed, discovering that it isn’t accurately portrayed by the single idea of “lovingkindness” or “mercy.”  That’s because hesed presupposes obligation established by mutual relationship.  Hesed,…

What Lies Beneath (2)

and proclaimed, “YHWH, YHWH God, compassionate, gracious, long-suffering and great in goodness  Exodus 34:6 Long-Suffering – Every word matters.  That’s the approach taken by the rabbis, and it’s the same approach that we must take if we want to truly mine the Scriptures.  That’s why it just isn’t adequate to stick with an English translation. …

Super-Superlative

and proclaimed, “YHWH, YHWH God, compassionate, gracious, long-suffering and great in goodness  Exodus 34:6 YHWH, YHWH – Do you remember doubled giving (nathan used twice – March 12)?  Did you know that Isaiah uses shalom shalom to speak of “perfect” peace?  In Hebrew, doubling the word calls attention to the superlative form.  So, what happens…

Gracious

2  “Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”  Exodus 34:6 A few days ago we looked at another form of this word (chanan).  Have you been gathering chicks under your Hebrew wings?  Today we…

Compassionate

“Then the LORD passed by in front of him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth;”  Exodus 34:6 It is customary at social gatherings to be asked the question, “What do you do?”  You have probably heard it hundreds of times.  But what…