He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our guilty deeds. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him. Psalm 103:10-11 NASB According to – The preposition that changes everything. In this case, a single letter (כְּ) prefixed to the noun “sins.” The preposition kă does the…
Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” Exodus 5:22-23 NIV You brought trouble – How we might wish that the…
But Jonah got up to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. So he went down to Joppa, found a ship that was going to Tarshish, paid the fare, and boarded it to go with them to Tarshish away from the presence of the Lord. Jonah 1:3 NASB To flee – Apparently Jonah hadn’t taken courses in theology, especially not in the…
Lord, do not rebuke me in Your anger, Nor discipline me in Your wrath. Psalm 6:1 NASB In Your Anger – Quite often Hebrew syntax is radically different than the translations provided in English. We shouldn’t be surprised. The arrangement of words according to linguistic rules differs from one language to another, even in languages with…
This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3 NIV Rescue – Rescue: “to save someone or something from a dangerous or distressing…
This is what the Lord says: Do what is just and right. Rescue from the hand of the oppressor the one who has been robbed. Do no wrong or violence to the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place. Jeremiah 22:3 NIV Just and right – mišpāṭ and ṣĕdāqâ. We know both these concepts. The first, mišpāṭ, isn’t just about…
“But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and there will be no escape for them; and their hope is to breathe their last.” Job 11:20 NASB To breathe their last – Take a guess. וְ֜תִקְוָתָ֗ם מַֽפַּח־נָֽפֶשׁ (transliterated: ve-tikvatam mapach-nephish). You’ll recognize the word translated “breath” (nephesh), remembering that its umbrella includes “soul, creature, person, appetite” and “mind.”…
By the breath of God they perish, and by the [e]blast of His anger they come to an end. Job 4:9 NASB They come to an end – Does God destroy the wicked? The Hebrew term, kālâ, used in this context means “to consume, finish, end.” Eliphaz’ conclusion is that God will not, and does not, tolerate the…
I have done justice and righteousness; do not leave me to my oppressors. Psalm 119:121 NASB Ayin 121 I have done justice and righteousness; Do not leave me to my oppressors. עָשִׂיתִי מִשְׁפָּ֣ט וָצֶ֑דֶק בַּל־תַּ֜נִּיחֵ֗נִי לְעֹֽשְׁקָֽי 122 Be a guarantor for Your servant for good; Do not let the arrogant oppress me. עֲרֹ֣ב עַבְדְּךָ֣ לְט֑וֹב אַל־יַֽעַשְׁקֻ֥נִי זֵדִֽים 123 My eyes…
How many are the days of Your servant? When will You execute judgment on those who persecute me? Psalm 119:84 NASB When – The great question of theology isn’t “Why is there evil?” Yes, that’s a big one, but it’s resolution doesn’t really change our circumstances. We live in a broken world no matter what. The real…
