pride

  • That Pride Thing

    You rebuke the arrogant, the cursed, who wander from Your commandment. Psalm 119:21  NASB Arrogant – We have a contemporary proverb, based on an ancient one (Proverbs 16:18-19).  It goes something like this: pride comes before a fall.  If we wanted to say it in Hebrew, we’d most likely use the word zēd.  Here it is plural encompassing…

  • The Decline of the West

    he said, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”  Daniel 4:30  NIV I have built – Nebuchadnezzar lacked the humility of recognizing that God is the true builder—and destroyer.  Thinking that he was the author and finisher of his…

  • February 7 Extra

     “Now this was the sin of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy.  They were haughty and did detestable things before me. Therefore I did away with them as you have seen.”  Ezekiel 16:49-50  NIV Sod-Foot and Ball-morrah The cheapest Super Bowl LV ticket available on StubHub on Thursday cost $5,975. The highest price on…

  • Ego, Again

    My enemies have taunted me all day long; those who deride me have used my name as a curse.  Psalm 102:8  NASB Deride – The psalmist finally gets down to the real reason for his complaint.  It took a while.  All those verses about how he feels—abandoned, anxious, abused, avoided, alone—come down to this: “My enemies taunt me and…

  • Nothing to Wear

    Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes.  Ephesians 6:11  NIV Full armor – Body armor.  Every civilization has some form of personal physical protection.  Paul uses a term that was quite familiar to his audience.  After all, they observed the Roman legionnaire’s equipment daily.  The…

  • What Time Is It?

    They do not plead the cause, the cause of the orphan, that they may prosper; and they do not defend the rights of the poor. Jeremiah 5:28b  NASB Poor – Hebrew makes several distinctions when it comes to the poor.  “ʾebyôn emphasizes ‘need’ and thus is to be distinguished from ʿonî ‘afflicted,’ dal ‘poor,’ and rāš…

  • Opposites

    “Behold, as for the proud one, his soul is not right within him; but the righteous will live by his faith.” Habakkuk 2:4 NASB Proud one – The NASB translation attempts to capture the idiomatic meaning of a phrase that literally says, “behold, swollen not straight his nephesh (person).” “Not straight” is the Hebrew lo…

  • What I Can’t Do

    And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 2 Corinthians 12:9 NASB Weakness – We live in a world of power. Anyone who demonstrates weakness…

  • Can We Be Saved?

    He said to me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” And I answered, “O Lord God, You know.” Ezekiel 37:3 NASB You know – yadaetta. “You know.” Implication? I don’t know! In fact, no one except You, Lord, knows. No point in speculating. No guessimating. No wishful thinking. No theological pontificating either. “Only You…

  • Rare but Potent

    For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,  2 Timothy 3:2 NASB Boastful – Not exactly! The NASB translation of alazon doesn’t quite capture the idea Paul has in mind. That’s because in the Tanakh and the LXX, alazon points us to yahir, a Hebrew…