The fool has said in his heart, “There is no God.” Psalm 14:1 Fool – Answer this question: Since the Hebrew worldview is about proper action, not proper thinking, what does the word nabal (fool) mean? Those who have a Greek metaphysics will think of the fool as someone who is intellectually diminished. In politically…
The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, Judges 6:1 Evil – How many times does it take to learn the lesson? That seems to be the theme of the history of Israel in the book of Judges. This verse expresses the common occurrence of Israel’s apostasy; all the more amazing…
See, I have longed for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life. Psalm 119:40 Longed For – How do you know what God wants you to do? Sure, some choices are obvious. The commandments, for example, spell out correct choices. But what about the hundreds of life choices that aren’t mentioned in some biblical…
He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36 Obey – Even in translation this verse demands that we see the connection between “believe” and “obey.” But when we realize that John’s thought…
“Blessed are those doing His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates of the city.” Revelation 22:14 Doing His Commandments – We have a problem. You see, there is an alternative reading for this verse in the Greek text. Instead of “washing their robes,”…
“Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates of the city.” Revelation 22:14 NASB Wash Their Robes – Is God really interested in laundry day? Do we really have to clean our clothes before we can enter into His…
So says Yahweh, the God of Israel, “Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt” Jeremiah 11:3 Cursed – What comes to mind when you think of “cursed?” If you’ve been the…
we request and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us instruction as to how you ought to walk and please God 1 Thessalonians 4:1 Request – Does God request your obedience? Does He send an RSVP, asking you to consider whether or not you will decide to conform your life…
The one who says he abides in Him ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked. 1 John 2:6 In The Same Manner – Here’s an interesting phrase: kathos ekeinos. Literally, it means “according to the same.” It comes before the verb “walk” in the Greek text. This places the emphasis on…
Therefore, be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love Ephesians 5:1-2 Imitators – You would recognize this Greek word immediately. It is mimetes, from which we get “mimic.” What you probably wouldn’t recognize is how utterly different this word is from our Greek-based worldview. Mimic is not what it appears to be….
