Seven times a day I praise You because of Your righteous judgments. Psalm 119:164 NASB Seven times a day – Travel nearly anywhere in the region once the home of the psalmist and you will hear the call of the minaret. Five times a day the wailing of the muezzin emanates from those tall towers dotting…
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, intoxicating the whole earth; the nations have drunk her wine, therefore the nations are going mad. Jeremiah 51:7 Robert Alter Mad – The elixir of the gods is power. It is the aphrodisiac of self-sovereignty. And it is deadly. Jeremiah proclaimed that the…
Those who trust in their wealth and boast in the abundance of their riches? Psalm 49:6 NASB Boast – If you read this verse in Hebrew, you’ll discover that “boast” is the last word in the text. You’ll also discover that “those who trust” is the first word. The verse creates a kind of verbal envelope. First these people trust in wealth, then in the abundance…
My enemies have taunted me all day long; those who deride me have used my name as a curse. Psalm 102:8 NASB Deride – The psalmist finally gets down to the real reason for his complaint. It took a while. All those verses about how he feels—abandoned, anxious, abused, avoided, alone—come down to this: “My enemies taunt me and…
Babylon has been a golden cup in the hand of the Lord, intoxicating the whole earth; the nations have drunk her wine, therefore the nations are going mad. Jeremiah 51:7 NASB Mad – The elixir of the gods is power. It is the aphrodisiac of self-sovereignty. And it is deadly. Jeremiah proclaimed that the world of…
“but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things,” declares the Lord. Jeremiah 9:24 NASB Boast – Go ahead! Brag a little! Let the works of your hands and the thoughts…
Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse. Psalm 150:1 NASB Praise – One of the consistent themes of pagan worship is the worship of the sun. In fact, the Christian idea of Sunday worship is actually derived from this pagan practice, not, as most preachers suggest, from the…
“Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “I do not do this for your sake, O house of Israel, but for My holy name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went.” Ezekiel 36:22 NKJV Profaned – Have you read Ezekiel recently? Have you been arrested by…
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised, In the city of our God, His holy mountain. Psalm 48:1 (English Bible) NASB To be praised – You’re probably quite familiar with this Hebrew word. It is found in the expression “Hallelujah!” Literally, this expression means, “Praise for Yah.” The verb is halal, used more than…
But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped. Psalm 73:2-3 ESV Almost stumbled – Asaph proclaims that God is good to Israel and all who are Israel are known by their “clean heart” actions. But he quickly realizes that his steps court disaster. As much as he wants clean…
