For He looked down from His holy height; from heaven the Lord looked upon the earth, to hear the groaning of the prisoner, to set free those who were doomed to death, Psalm 102:19-20 NASB Heaven – Early Hebrew thought says almost nothing about heaven or hell. The ideas of eternal bliss in some celestial realm and eternal punishment in a…
So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts 5:41 NASB Rejoicing– When the disciples were beaten and instructed no longer to proclaim Yeshua as Messiah, they reacted in a way that is not easily understood. They rejoiced. This seems particularly strange given…
“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10 NASB Encircled– What good is a fence in the wilderness if it isn’t closed around the camp! Just so, if God doesn’t surround…
“He found him in a desert land, and in the howling waste of a wilderness; He encircled him, He cared for him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye.” Deuteronomy 32:10 NASB Desert – Life in the house of God is not what the world imagines. Heaven on earth has very little to do…
“It is all one; therefore I say, ‘He destroys the guiltless and the wicked.’” Job 9:22 NASB Guiltless– You and I will be rewarded. We are followers of the King. We believe. Therefore, He will protect us. Right? All those terrible consequences that are destined to befall the wicked will not scratch us. We will emerge whole, perfected, saved. Right? …
By the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.Genesis 3:19 NASB Return to the ground– suveka el ha’adamah says the text. We recognize the verb and the noun, šûb andʾădāmâ (“to turn/return” and “ground/earth”). But do…
From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” Matthew 4:17 NASB Kingdom of heaven – Of course Matthew uses “kingdom of heaven.” As an orthodox Jew he would never say “kingdom of God.” If he were a contemporary, he might write “kingdom of G_d,”…
This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. John 17:3 NASB Eternal life – Let’s not get wrapped up in the Trinitarian implications here. Just remember that Yeshua says (or at least John says that he says) that eternal life is about knowing…
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. Psalm 103:11 NASB Lovingkindness – hesed, of course. What else could David enlist that would cause YHVH to remain faithfully connected to such a sinner? Hesed has been thoroughly investigated by scholars. In fact, hundreds…
He said, “Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from and where are you going?” And she said, “I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.” Genesis 16:8 NASB Where – So, where are you going? Perhaps this is the most important question anyone will ever ask of you, if you understand the…
