“Cry loudly, do not hold back; Raise your voice like a trumpet, and declare to My people their wrongdoing, and to the house of Jacob their sins.” Isaiah 58:1 NASB Wrongdoing – What do you really want? What is so important that everything else pales by comparison? What is the one thing you absolutely must have…
So they ate and were well filled, and He satisfied their longing. Yet before they had abandoned their longing, while their food was in their mouths, the anger of God rose against them and killed some of their strongest ones, and subdued the choice men of Israel. Psalm 78:29-31 NASB Killed – Verses like these make liberal theologians…
Yet they still continued to sin against Him, to rebel against the Most High in the desert. And in their heart they put God to the test Psalm 78:17-18a NASB Sin/ rebel – Hebrew has several words for our general idea of “sin.” Knowing how they differ is important. The two words in this verse are ḥāṭāʾ…
“Deliver me from all my transgressions; make me not the reproach of the foolish.” Psalm 39:8 NASB Reproach – David’s song reaches a crescendo. It starts with silence, then proceeds to murmur, explodes in what appears to be judgment, but swiftly turns into an indictment of humanity and a personal disclosure. The audience is kept off guard, reeling…
Say to God, “How awesome are Your works! Because of the greatness of Your power Your enemies will give feigned obedience to You.” Psalm 66:3 NASB Feigned obedience – Why do you obey the laws of the land? Specifically, why do you pay taxes? Why obey speed limits (sometimes)? Why don’t you steal from the grocery…
Listen, O heavens, and hear, O earth; For the LORD speaks, “Sons I have reared and brought up, but they have revolted against Me.” Isaiah 1:2 NASB Revolted – God speaks to Israel and Judah, but His words have the same condemning impact on us. “They have revolted” is the Hebrew pashoo. The truth is…
“Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, each according to his conduct,” declares the Lord GOD. “Repent and turn away from all your transgressions, so that iniquity may not become a stumbling block to you.” Ezekiel 18:30 (T. Hegg translation) Stumbling Block – We might think we know this word since the same…
“Therefore thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I am about to remove you from the face of the earth. This year you are going to die, because you have counseled rebellion against the LORD.’” Jeremiah 28:16 Rebellion – I woke up today with Jeremiah 28 on my mind. That seemed very odd, so I determined to…
Of David, a contemplation. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Psalm 32:1 Transgression/Sin – What is the opposite of rebellion? If you’re thinking in Greek, you might suggest “peace.” The Greek thought of peace as the absence of war. War was the natural state of existence, but once in awhile,…
Of David, a contemplation. Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Psalm 32:1 Transgression/ Sin – Hebrew poetry rhymes ideas, not sounds. One Hebrew technique is parallel construction. In this technique, the first idea is matched with a second parallel idea and one idea elaborates the thought of the other. In…
