For You—whom You struck they pursued, and they recounted the pain of Your victims. Psalm 69:27 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Whom You struck – When did God strike you? The verb is nākâ, used some 500 times in the Tanakh, often for physical injury or even death. But that’s not the way it’s used here. …
Let not those who hope for You be shamed through me. Master, O LORD of Armies. Let those who seek You be not disgraced through me, God of Israel. Psalm 69:7 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Through me – As we discovered yesterday, David’s concern is not about his own vindication. It is about the impact…
In You, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. Psalm 71:1 NASB Put to shame – It isn’t surprising to find out that social media is one of the sources of psychological distress in young people. A recent study confirms the negative effects on teenagers,[1] but I suspect that we adults…
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. …
He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. I will satisfy him with a long life, and show him My salvation. Psalm 91:15-16 NASB Rescue/ Honor – “The poet is a mortal, claimed by the gods to reveal them in words; poetry is…
Will You perform wonders for the dead? Or will the departed spirits rise and praise You? Selah Psalm 88:10 NASB Rise and praise – The Purpose Driven Life. Remember that? Rick Warren captured the spiritual need for meaning in a book that swept Christianity. We all have a purpose—but it’s not about us. It’s not about your good, your…
Our Father, our King, we have no King but You. Our Father, our King, act [benevolently] with us for the sake of Your Name. Avinu Malkeinu For the sake – According to Gordon Tucker’s comment in Abraham Heschel’s work, Heavenly Torah, these first two lines of the prayer Avinu Malkeinu are attributed to Rabbi Akiva. …
So the nations will fear the name of the Lord, and all the kings of the earth, Your glory. Psalm 102:15 NASB So – When we use the English word “so” as a conjunction, we assume that the statement is the consequence of a previous thought. This is the way Paul uses the Greek gar in Romans. …
“Have I sinned? What have I done to You, O watcher of men? Why have You set me as Your target, so that I am a burden to myself? Job 7:20 NASB Done to You– In the grand scheme of things, in the cosmic order, do you think that your little sins really make any difference? You are…
Let those who rejoice at my calamity be ashamed and brought to confusion; let those who magnify themselves against me be clothed with shame and dishonor. Psalm 35:26 Brought To Confusion – What is the worst kind of punishment imaginable in the Hebrew worldview? We have to shift our thinking considerably to recognize it. In…
