Wash me thoroughly from my guilt and cleanse me from my sin. Psalm 51:2 NASB Guilt/ sin – “This time I will praise the Lord.” So said Leah (Genesis 29:35) on the birth of Judah. But “praise” isn’t the only derivative of this Hebrew word, yādâ. It can also mean “confess, give thanks.” It is the…
Fear of the Lord will add days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened. Proverbs 10:27 Chabad Fear – The fundamental insight of biblical wisdom is fear of the Lord. That might sound harsh. We’re used to the Western Christian idea of the love of God. Fear seems like something ominous, foreboding,…
For man is born for trouble, as sparks fly upward. Job 5:7 NASB Born for trouble – Surprise, surprise! We often imagine that it is Job who utters these familiar words, but it isn’t. It’s Eliphaz. That makes a difference. Even if we resonate with his aphorism about the human condition, his comment is couched within…
Listen to instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Proverbs 8:33 NASB Listen – “The strength of the yetzer ha-ra is precisely in convincing us that we do not need these words or instruction because we are above believing in such simple notions as reward and punishment.”[1] How’s your spiritual IQ? Pretty good, right? …
One who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will lodge in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who rescues you from the net of the trapper and from the deadly plague. Psalm 91:1-3 NASB Plague – The Black Plague killed between…
yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations.” Exodus 34:7b NASB Inflicting – I like the NASB. I use it as my standard English Bible text. But in this verse, the translation couldn’t be worse! There is simply no…
I am bent over and greatly bowed down; I go in mourning all day long. For my sides are filled with burning, and there is no healthy part in my flesh. I feel faint and badly crushed; I groan because of the agitation of my heart. Psalm 38:6-8 NASB No healthy part – Despite the fact that the idea is theologically untenable, the…
So that He sets on high those who are lowly, and those who mourn are lifted to safety. Job 5:11 NASB Sets on high – Eliphaz the Temanite offers Job an answer to his plight. It’s not what you want to hear, and certainly not the explanation Job desires, but it’s a pretty common argument when…
Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished, but the descendants of the righteous will be rescued. Proverbs 11:21 NASB Will be rescued – If you’re like me you might remember the song, Quando, quando, quando. Perhaps you never heard the original Italian version (here it is). Of course, it’s an Italian love song. …
Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished, but the descendants of the righteous will be rescued. Proverbs 11:21 NASB Be assured – You remember the old hymn, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.” Fanny Crosby clearly didn’t get the idea from this Hebrew verse. Why? Well, the…
