The Great Timeline

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

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

“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

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

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?

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

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…