“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 5:16 NASB Good Works – It seems reasonable to suggest that Yeshua anticipated the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple. It’s hard to read his teaching in Matthew 24 and…
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. Romans 12:6 NIV Gifts – While the Greek heritage provides a rich texture for understanding the idea of gifting as the expression of joyful celebration, an even deeper context can be seen in the Hebrew thought patterns that lie behind Paul’s vocabulary. Charis is typically…
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, Psalm 103:17 NASB To children’s children – What’s the connection? Hesed operates between related parties. It isn’t like grace (hen). Hesed presupposes some already-existing connection. Once in place, hesed governs the continuing relationship…
But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him, and His righteousness to children’s children, Psalm 103:17 NASB From everlasting to everlasting – “How far is it?” The nine-year-old in the backseat asked this question about every ten minutes until we arrived at the butterfly garden. But as…
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…
O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting. 1 Chronicles 16:34 NASB Good – Let’s read this verse in its literal Hebrew order. Hodu laYHVH ki tov ki leolam hasdo. Literally, “Thanks to YHVH for good for forever hesed his” (the pronoun is attached to the word). You…
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24 NASB Spirit and truth – If you are familiar with the words of the Tanakh, you might hear this phrase differently. The combination of “truth” with another crucial Hebrew word is so common in the Hebrew Scriptures that you…
This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. John 3:19 NASB Darkness – So you claim to walk in the light? You know the witness of the Spirit, the testimony of the Word, the truth of the…
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, Philippians 2:1 NASB Compassion – Sympathy comes last. Oiktirmoi is the Greek term for “sympathy.” Translating it “compassion” might be stylistically acceptable, but it obscures the fact…
And the Lord said, “The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave.” Genesis 18:20 NASB Sin – What is sin? According to the Hebrew word, hatta’h, sin means “to commit an offense against someone with whom one stands in an institutionalized community relationship.”[1] Notice that sin assumes a set…
