Experience Matters

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the lord your God is giving you.  Exodus 20:12  ESV Experience Matters by Michael Moen My son, Michael, wrote this on his birthday nine years ago.  I think it’s time to read it again. Honor – The word kābēd…

Poetic License

He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him.  I will satisfy him with a long life, and show him My salvation. Psalm 91:15-16  NASB Rescue/ Honor – “The poet is a mortal, claimed by the gods to reveal them in words; poetry is…

Double Dependency

Our Father, our King, we have no King but You. Our Father, our King, act [benevolently] with us for the sake of Your Name.  Avinu Malkeinu For the sake – According to Gordon Tucker’s comment in Abraham Heschel’s work, Heavenly Torah, these first two lines of the prayer Avinu Malkeinu are attributed to Rabbi Akiva. …

Merit Badges

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord gives grace and glory; no good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11 NASB Grace and glory – Ah, what we so desperately want! Joy. Joy of life. Joy of relationships. Joy that satisfies our deepest longings for acceptance, recognition,…

The Gospel for the Gentiles (2)

 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.  Romans 1:21  ESV Did not honor – Paul delineates two critical failures of those whom God consigns to futility.  The first is that even though…

Experience Matters

Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the lord your God is giving you.  Exodus 20:12  ESV by Michael Moen Honor – The word kabbed is found 376 times in the Hebrew Bible. It is used over half the time as a reference to a “weighty”…

High Blood Pressure

And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations; knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint . . .  Romans 5:3-5  NASB Tribulations – Can you think upside-down?  Putting on the “new man” requires more than a change of clothes.  It…

Only in Hebrew

Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hands of the Egyptians . . . Exodus 14:30  NASB Saved – If you’ve never asked yourself why God chose Hebrew as the language of His personal revelation, this verse should raise the question.  Oh, it seems so straightforward on the surface, but that’s because we…

The Royal Invitation

Prepare to meet your God, O Israel Amos 4:12 To Meet – When you read this verse, what do you think about?  Do you see the man with the placard walking the streets proclaiming the day of doom?  Do you hear the preacher asking where you would be if you died tonight?  Do you see…

The Back-handed Compliment

But I say to you, do not resist him who is evil; but whoever slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.  Matthew 5:39 Right Cheek – Stand in front of a friend.  Go through the motion of slapping him on the right cheek.  What did you discover?  If you are…