They who sow in tears in glad song will reap. Psalm 126:5 Robert Alter In tears – Don’t take this verse out of context. Read the whole psalm. David clearly writes about the historical circumstances of Israel. The nation has suffered. For centuries it has been afflicted by others. Now he summarizes Israel’s perspective. Suffering…
And he said, “Surely I will go down to Sheol in mourning for my son.” So his father wept for him. Genesis 37:35b NASB Mourning – What happened to Jacob when he thought his son Joseph was dead? By carefully examining this narrative in Genesis we discover a lot about psychological trauma, family dynamics, and unconscious…
Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, Psalm 146:5 NASB Hope – When is it necessary to hope? That’s an odd question, wouldn’t you say? We don’t think about a particular time to hope. Hope is almost like a constant companion. We hope the weather will be…
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, Titus 1:1-2 NASB Hope of eternal life – “CHRISTIANITY is mainly wishful thinking. Even the part about Judgment and…
Paul, a bond-servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the faith of those chosen of God and the knowledge of the truth which is according to godliness, in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago, Titus 1:1-2 NASB For – Paul’s letter to Titus about qualifications for leadership. Easy to read, often skipped until…
If I but trust to see the LORD’s goodness, in the land of the living—Hope for the LORD! Let your heart be firm and bold, and hope for the LORD. Psalm 27:13-14 Robert Alter Hope for – “We live in an age of despair, and those who despair would seem justified, considering the compounding crises…
How long, O Lord, shall I cry out, and yet You do not listen? I scream “outrage” to You, and You do not rescue! Habakkuk 1:2 Robert Alter Outrage – Taken directly from the Psalms, the prophet Habakkuk applies David’s words to his circumstances. We might do exactly the same. “How long?” That’s the real…
For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? Romans 8:24 NASB Is not hope – Suppose I asked you, “What is the opposite of facts?” You might answer, “Fiction.” You would be thinking, “Facts are true. Fiction is not true. Therefore, fiction is the…
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope Romans 8:20 NASB Not willingly – You know, the whole human race is in deep trouble. We don’t think about this too often, but the truth is that we live on the cusp of extinction, both physically and spiritually. A pandemic…
Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. Genesis 1:3 NASB Let there be– Unfortunately, translating this text usually ignores the Egyptian background of the intended audience. What I mean is this: the Genesis stories aren’t written in some kind of pre-modern proto-scientific vernacular, as if God were describing how He kicked the universe…
