Lamedh

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

Forever, O Lord, Your word stands firm in the heavens.  Psalm 119:89  Chabad לְעוֹלָ֥ם יְהֹוָ֑ה דְּ֜בָֽרְךָ֗ נִצָּ֥ב בַּשָּׁמָֽיִם לְדֹ֣ר וָ֖דֹר אֱמֽוּנָתֶ֑ךָ כּוֹנַ֥נְתָּ אֶ֜֗רֶץ וַֽתַּֽעֲמֹֽד לְמִשְׁפָּטֶיךָ עָֽמְד֣וּ הַיּ֑וֹם כִּ֖י הַכֹּ֣ל עֲבָדֶֽיךָ לוּלֵ֣י תוֹרָֽתְךָ֣ שַֽׁעֲשֻׁעָ֑י אָ֖ז אָבַ֣דְתִּי בְעָנְיִֽי לְעוֹלָם לֹא־אֶשְׁכַּ֣ח פִּקּוּדֶ֑יךָ כִּי־בָ֜֗ם חִיִּיתָֽנִי לְֽךָ־אֲ֖נִי הוֹשִׁיעֵ֑נִי כִּ֖י פִקּוּדֶ֣יךָ דָרָֽשְׁתִּי לִ֚י קִוּ֣וּ רְשָׁעִ֣ים לְאַבְּדֵ֑נִי עֵֽ֜דֹתֶ֗יךָ אֶתְבּוֹנָֽן לְכָל תִּ֖כְלָה רָאִ֣יתִי…

The Great Timeline

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever.  Psalm 121:8  NASB And forever – We reach the end of this short poem.  The end is “forever,” an appropriate place to close our thoughts about God’s care.  According to the poet, God is constantly watching over us (the metaphor…

A Space for Time

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.  Psalm 111:9  NASB Forever – How long is forever?  Ah, that might seem like a strange question, but the term lʿôlām doesn’t always mean what we think of as forever.  Note two explanations: Forever does not always mean…

God in the Dark

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

“It shall be established forever like the moon, and the witness in the sky is faithful.”  Psalm 89:37  NASB Like the moon – Read this one at night, outside, with the moon overhead.  God promises David something that speaks directly to us, but you won’t see the sign of the guarantee in the light of…

Mrs. Malaprop

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever; the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. Psalm 19:9 (Hebrew World translation) Clean – The comic figure, Mrs. Malaprop, from the play, The Rivals, has become a shorthand expression for the misuse of words.  “She might reprehend the true meaning of what…

Rereading

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

Depart from evil and do good, so you will abide forever. Psalm 37:27 Abide Forever – If we read this verse from an evangelical perspective, we will be quite happy with the translation “abide forever.”  That translation fits our conception of eternal life.  But the Tanakh has almost nothing to say about a life of…

What Time Is It?

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

O give thanks to YHWH, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. Psalm 107:1 Is Everlasting – How long will God’s hesed last?  The psalmist answers, ki le-olam hasdo (for the very long time his lovingkindness).  But olam is quite an unusual word.  It doesn’t always mean a long time in the future. …

The Chameleon Christ

BySkip Moen, Ph.D.

Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever  Hebrews 13:8 Same – How many times have you heard someone mention this verse or something similar as a defense for the unchanging teaching of the Word and the unchanging character of our Lord?  Christians are quite fond of telling the world that Jesus never changes.  Most…