“Name her Lo-ruhamah, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel, that I would ever forgive them. . . And the Lord said, “Name him Lo-ammi, for you are not My people and I am not your God.” Hosea 1:6, 9 NASB I am not your God – Hosea is a tragic book. It is…
“Who is like You among the gods, O Lord? Who is like You, majestic in holiness, awesome in praises, working wonders?” Exodus 15:11 NASB Who is like You – I’m sure you noticed that Moses’ question implies multiple gods. “Who is like You among the gods?” isn’t the way we would ask. We live in a “one God” universe. …
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Wilderness– Not everyone finds grace in the wilderness. God says that His people, the ones who have survived the sword, the ones He calls Israel, find something unexpected in the desolate wasteland. They find grace. Imagine the…
For the day of the Lord draws near on all nations, as you have done it will be done to you. Obadiah 15 NASB Draws near – The word here is not a verb but an adjective. The word is qarob. It is used to indicate something that is close at hand or about to…
O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise. Psalm 51:15 NASB That – So what is David really saying? Is he saying that he is unable to praise YHVH because YHVH has not opened his lips? Or is he saying that if YHVH opens his lips, then he will praise Him?…
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. 2 Corinthians 5:10 NASB All – What do you suppose Paul meant when he said “we must all appear”? Do you…
Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, Philippians 2:1 NASB Compassion – Sympathy comes last. Oiktirmoi is the Greek term for “sympathy.” Translating it “compassion” might be stylistically acceptable, but it obscures the fact…
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 NASB Revealed – The Greek verb translated “is revealed” is apokaluptetai. This is present tense – an on-going process. Notice that “is revealed” implies something new. This is…
Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me, for in you my soul takes refuge; in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge, till the storms of destruction pass by. Psalm 57:1 ESV (57:2 in Hebrew text). Be merciful – David is in a hole in the ground (that context is…
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. James 3:17 NASB Full of mercy – The Greek word mestos means “completely full, replete.” It is not a term that allows qualification. All or not all. Those are the choices. When James says…
