The Sixth Sense

After the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of a gentle blowing. 1 Kings 19:12 NASB Not – Where is YHVH? Perhaps the better question is: Where is YHVH when everything seems like it is falling apart? We know where He is when things…

Finished

He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. Psalm 103:10 NASB Has not dealt – The first thing to notice is that the subject/verb is not in the primary position in the text. What comes first is “not” (lo). This is crucial. There are two words…

The Hebrew Negative

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. Romans 8:1-2 NASB No condemnation – Paul is pretty intense. He opens the sentence with ouden. It means, “not…

Nearing the End (3)

Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:10-12 NASB Cast me away – Broken…

Fun With Hieroglyphics

“You shall have no other gods before me.”  Exodus 20:3  ESV You shall have no – When I visited the British Museum years ago, I bought a game about Egyptian hieroglyphics.  It included many rubber stamps of hieroglyphs and an inkpad and provided instructions about constructing sentences by using these markings.  Many years later when…

Rebels’ Reward

But the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you have not believed Me, to treat Me as holy in the sight of the sons of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this assembly into the land which I have given them.” Numbers 20:12 NASB Not believed Me – It seems like such a trifling…

The Pursuit of Power (1)

She did not listen to the voice; she did not take correction; she did not trust in YHWH; she did not draw near to her God. Zephaniah 3:2 Did Not – Zephaniah speaks out against the oppressing city.  His words are harsh, convicting, condemning.  They are less a call to repentance than they are a…

Merit Badge

And because he put his trust in YHWH, He reckoned it to his merit. Genesis 15:6 (JPS translation) To – Yesterday we looked at the passage in Deuteronomy that suggests our meritorious deeds matter.  We discovered that tsedaqah (righteousness) is a very old expression of God’s accounting.  But one further point must be made.  In…