May Your favor also come to me, Lord, Your salvation according to Your [o]word; Psalm 119:41 NASB Also come to me – Here’s the vav section of our acrostic. Notice the first word of the first line – וִֽיבֹאֻ֣נִי. You’ll see the vav but you might not know how it works. Let me explain. Vav has two functions. As…
and the Lord had given the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they let them have their request. Therefore they plundered the Egyptians. Exodus 12:36 NASB Let them have – Imagine you’re an Egyptian. You’ve just had your crops ruined, your water made undrinkable, your livestock destroyed, and your sons killed. And it’s all…
Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you who serve Him, doing His will. Psalm 103:21 NASB Will – What does it mean to do God’s will? We often think it must mean fulfilling His commandments and ordinances or listening to the guidance of the Spirit or acting in righteous ways. But I’m not so…
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 – Day 10. We have taken time to examine ourselves. We put aside some of our theological constrictions in order to feel the heart of…
But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. Genesis 6:8 NASB Favor – It comes as no surprise that the Hebrew noun translated “favor” is hen. Usually understood as grace, the word is crucial for recognizing that God’s actions toward men are not motivated by Man’s essential goodness but rather by the nature…
Yet I was always with You, You grasped my right hand. Psalm 73:23 (Robert Alter translation) Grasped – Does Asaph reach out and grab hold of God? No, he doesn’t. When you and I are in the midst of herd mentality, when we are caught in group-think, when we act by addictive instinct, we can’t…
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,…
But the LORD was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. Genesis 39:21 NASB Gave him favor – Did you know that the Old Testament also contains language about Law and Grace? We often think that this issue began with Paul. We think it…
