Thought Police (rewind)

You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You understand my thought from afar.  Psalm 139:2  NASB Thought – God knows it all, right?  He knows every thought you have, every fleeting desire, every inclination, every unvoiced declaration.  We all agree.  God knows us—perhaps better than we know ourselves.  After all, He is the omniscient external…

Getting Saved

The one who loves his life loses it, and the one who hates his life in this world will keep it to eternal life.  John 12:25 NASB Keep it – Want to know how to get saved?  Yeshua gives you the simple answer: hate your life in this world.  What?  How can the one who embraced…

The Mother Syndrome

May Your compassion come to me so that I may live, for Your Law is my delight.  Psalm 119:77  NASB Compassion – “Go for it!”  Yes, that’s the sense of the “May come to me Your compassion.”  You’ll notice I rearranged the syntax to match the Hebrew which begins with yebō’ûnî (from the verb bôʾ.  Of course,…

Knowing Why

“For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”  John 18:37b  ESV This purpose – “When a person can’t find a deep sense of meaning, they distract themselves with pleasure.” – Victor E. Frankl. With Frankl’s citation…

The Reason Why (plus)

Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  John 18:37 NASB Purpose – [I wrote this just a few…

The Reason Why

Therefore Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say correctly that I am a king. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”  John 18:37 NASB Purpose – Well, this word, “purpose,” isn’t actually…

Ontologically Fragile

Leave off from man, who has breath in his nostrils.  For of what account is he?  Isaiah 2:22  Robert Alter Of what – כִּֽי־בַמֶּ֥ה ki-va me(h).  Stringing together ki (for, but, thus, because, when, . . .), ba (in, at, with, away from, among, upon . . .), and me(h) (what, which, that, how), the…

Number 8659

Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.  John 21:25 NIV Would not have room – This is number 8659.  Eight thousand six hundred fifty-nine posts about biblical words.  That’s…

Gift of the Giver (5)

I know that there is nothing better for them than to rejoice and to do good in one’s lifetime;  moreover, that every person who eats and drinks sees good in all his labor—this is the gift of God.  Ecclesiastes 3:12-13  NASB Gift of God – Just one last thing to add—fulfillment.  Qohelet (the Teacher) is the ultimate…

Due Diligence—Ten Years After

Watch the path of your feet and all your ways will be established.  Proverbs 4:26 NASB Will be established – This investigation is now ten years old.  I wonder if these last ten years have really made a difference.  Let’s find out. It’s almost time for the world’s celebration of the pagan New Year.  That…