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…
When God saw their deeds, that they turned from their evil way, then God relented of the disaster which He had declared He would bring on them. So He did not do it. Jonah 3:10 NASB They turned – “The repentance of the Ninevites, from a psychological standpoint, is less plausible than the physical possibility of the miracles…
“Should I not also have compassion on Nineveh, the great city in which there are more than 120,000 people, who do not know the difference between their right hand and their left, as well as many animals?” Jonah 4:11 NASB The great city – Uriel Simon makes an amazing point in his introduction of the JPS commentary on the book of Jonah. “Ninevah merits its Creator’s…
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…
Make them pay, God; have them fall by their own schemes! Scatter them in the multitude of their wrongdoings, for they are rebellious against You. Psalm 5:10 NASB Make them pay, God – With all the corruption and hatred in the world, I want the psalmist’s imperative to come true today. “Make them pay, God!” Yes,…
For You are not a God who takes pleasure in wickedness; no evil can dwell with You. Psalm 5:4 NASB No evil – Mercy is important. In fact, mercy is essential. Without it, we would all be ruined. Why? Because there’s another side of the mercy coin. That other side of the coin is wrath, judgment,…
Call now, is there anyone who will answer you? And to which of the holy ones will you turn? Job 5:1 NASB The holy ones – “Silent Night.” A great Christmas carol . . . but what if it’s not just a song about tranquility in December? What if “silent night” is the kind of response…
Great are Your mercies, Lord; revive me according to Your judgments. Psalm 119:156 NASB Mercies – The first thing you need to know about God is His compassion. The second thing you need to know is that you can’t completely understand His compassion unless you’re a mother. Why? Because the Hebrew term raḥămîm isn’t just about…
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. Matthew 7:7 NASB Will be given – Rabbi Shraga Freedman makes an astounding claim in his book Living Kiddush Hashem. “If Hashem were to answer the tefillos of people who do not follow His ordinances, it would…
