Remember the word to Your servant, in which You have made me hope. Psalm 119:49 NASB Remember – the Zayin section: זְכָר־דָּבָ֥ר לְעַבְדֶּ֑ךָ עַ֜֗ל אֲשֶׁ֣ר יִֽחַלְתָּֽנִי זֹ֣את נֶחָֽמָתִ֣י בְעָנְיִ֑י כִּ֖י אִמְרָֽתְךָ֣ חִיָּֽתְנִי זֵדִים הֱלִיצֻ֣נִי עַד־מְאֹ֑ד מִ֜תּוֹרָֽתְךָ֗ לֹ֣א נָטִֽיתִי זָ֘כַ֚רְתִּי מִשְׁפָּטֶ֖יךָ מֵֽעוֹלָ֥ם | יְהֹוָ֗ה וָֽאֶתְנֶחָֽם זַלְעָפָ֣ה אֲחָזַתְנִי מֵֽרְשָׁעִ֑ים עֹֽ֜זְבֵ֗י תּֽוֹרָתֶֽךָ זְמִרוֹת הָֽיוּ־לִ֥י חֻקֶּ֗יךָ בְּבֵ֣ית מְגוּרָֽי זָ֘כַ֚רְתִּי…
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, Romans 9:6-7a NASB Not all Israel – In theological history, Paul’s statement about Israel has been one of the most divisive remarks ever made. The Church has used this and…
Heaven and earth shall praise Him, the seas and everything that moves in them. For God will save Zion and build the cities of Judah, so that they may live there and possess it. The descendants of His servants will inherit it, and those who love His name will live in it. Psalm 69:34-36 NASB Live there and possess it –…
And I will make mere boys their leaders, and mischievous children will rule over them, and the people will be oppressed, each one by another, and each one by his neighbor; the youth will assault the elder, and the contemptible person will assault the one honored. Isaiah 3:4-5 NASB Youth/ contemptible – These two verses in Isaiah could have been the inspiration for…
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; nor are they all children because they are Abraham’s descendants, but: “through Isaac your descendants shall be named.” Romans 9:6-7 NASB Not all Israel – Daniel Boyarin’s study of the invention of heresy as a way to establish religious…
The men of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh crossed over, ready for battle, in front of the Israelites, as Moses had directed them. Joshua 4:12 NIV Crossed over – The auspicious day has arrived. The tribes are about to conquer the Promised Land. God has given them territories to occupy. Soon the nation of Israel will…
In 2021 Bob Gorelik and I will join Yoav Bruck for a tour of Israel. It will be a wonderful reunion. Thinking about it reminded me of something I wrote some years ago on my first trip to the Holy Land Thoughts about being a naturalized citizen of the Kingdom Today Israel simmers in…
The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever. Psalm 121:8 NASB And forever – We reach the end of this short poem. The end is “forever,” an appropriate place to close our thoughts about God’s care. According to the poet, God is constantly watching over us (the metaphor…
Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. Psalm 121:4 NASB Keeps Israel – God watches over Israel. That’s basically the story of the Bible. The Bible is “God’s anthropology” (Heschel) where God’s dealing with anthropos (men) is narrated from the perspective of God’s interaction with Israel. That includes outreach to the nations,…
Now these are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob; they came each one with his household: Exodus 1:1 NASB Came to Egypt – What does the history of Jacob’s family mean to you? Is it a story of a tribe from the ancient past that eventually became the Jewish…
