Not Exactly

Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will be obedient.”  Exodus 24:7  ESV Be Obedient – The translation “be obedient” makes sense.  It’s pretty much repeated in the other English translations.  But it…

Conversing with God?

Hear my prayer, Lord!  And let my cry for help come to You.  Psalm 102:1  NASB Hear – Moses and David.  The great Shema and the lesser Shema.  “Hear, O Israel” and “YHVH, hear my prayer.”  Both from the same root and the same consciousness.  Both dependent on relationship.  And both with multiple Semitic meanings. “šāmaʿ has…

If a Tree Falls

Hear my prayer, Lord!  And let my cry for help come to You.  Psalm 102:1  NASB Hear – If a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear, does it make a sound?  An interesting existential question.  What is the relationship between a physical event and the perception of the event?  If God…

Beyond Power

Come and hear, all who fear God, and I will tell of what He has done for my soul.  Psalm 66:16  NASB Who fear God – Although you won’t see it in the English translation, this phrase (“who fear God”) does not contain God’s name.  It uses the word ʾĕlōhîm, the general classification of “god.”  Perhaps that’s not…

Re-education

Hear, my son, your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching; indeed, they are a graceful wreath to your head and ornaments about your neck. Proverbs 1:8-9  NASB Hear– “Over time, early and necessary (and sometimes life-saving) defensive maneuvers and coping strategies evolve into ‘patterns’ of thinking, feeling, and behaving. These patterns come to operate like ‘organizing…

The Messiah’s Shema

My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; John 10:27 NASB Hear – How do you know if you hear the voice of the Messiah? The answer is simple, but the implications are profound. If you hear the voice of the Messiah, you follow him. Of course, speaking Hebrew, Yeshua would have…

What Did He Hear?

So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” 1 Kings 3:9 NASB Understanding – Solomon asks for a heart that hears. He wants to know what God knows. So do we (might I add, unfortunately) because we…

Who’s the Audience?

The voice of the Lord will call to the city—And it is sound wisdom to fear Your name: “Hear, O tribe. Who has appointed its time?” Micah 6:9 NASB Hear – There is a lot of translator liberty in this verse. You have read the NASB. Here’s the NIV: Listen! The Lord is calling to…

God’s Obligation?

 Out of the depths I have cried to You, O Lord.  Lord, hear my voice.  Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.  Psalm 130:1-2  NASB Hear – “Out of my deepest despair, out of my total helplessness in the face of the darkness of my heart, Lord, YHWH, shim’ah.”  The cry…

Empty Hand Faith

So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.  Romans 10:17  NASB Hearing – When we first examined this verse (August 17, 2011), we noted that this is Paul’s shema.  Although written in Greek, Paul clearly has the Hebrew verb shama in mind.  And as we know, shama means both “to hear”…