For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering. Psalm 51:16 NASB Do not delight – How often we’ve heard the claim that the sacrificial system no longer applies. After all, David himself tells us that God doesn’t take any pleasure is the religious ritual of slaughtering animals for…
Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness. Psalm 51:14 NASB Guilt of Bloodshed – Notice how Chabad translates this Hebrew verse: Save me from blood, O God, the God of my salvation; let my tongue sing praises of Your charity. Chabad There is a…
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit. Psalm 51:12 NASB Willing – If I asked you, “What kind of spirit would you like to keep you going?” would you answer, “Oh, one that is under obligation, restricted, limited.” No, of course not. You’d want an animating force that was…
Though I have become like a wineskin in the smoke, I do not forget Your statutes. Psalm 119:83 NASB In the smoke – What is a wineskin in the smoke? If we don’t understand this metaphor, we won’t understand why the psalmist connects it with obedience. So, in order to comprehend his phrase, we need to know…
So it came about in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground. Abel, on his part also brought an offering, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering; Genesis 4:3-4 NASB Offering – Why does God accept Abel’s…
Let me praise God’s name in song, and let me extol Him in thanksgiving. And let it be better to the LORD than oxen, than a horned bull with it hooves. Psalm 69:31-32 [Hebrew Bible] Robert Alter Than oxen – There’s no problem with the translation here, or in most English Bibles. The Hebrew is…
The Lord spoke To Moses, saying: Speak to the Israelite people thus: When a person unwittingly incurs guilt in regard to any of the Lord’s commandments about things not to be done and does one of them– Leviticus 4:1-2 JPS Unwittingly incurs guilt – “But I didn’t know!” We’d like to believe that this justification…
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…
Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Luke 10:3 NASB Like lambs – It’s hard to miss his point. Sacrifice! That’s what happens to lambs among wolves. Yeshua sends out the seventy without resources and, apparently, without protection. So why would anyone go? If I came to you and…
For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Hebrews 10:4 NASB Impossible – If it’s impossible for the sacrificial system to take away sins, then why did God give such elaborate instructions about the process? Why did the early followers of Yeshua continue to offer sacrifices at the…
