God’s Investment Strategy

If you buy a Hebrew servant, six years he shall serve; and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing.  Exodus 21:2  Hebrew World Six years – Apparently God is not interested in profit; at least not in the same way that we are.  Imagine the ridiculous consequences of this Torah commandment.  Someone…

Support Appeal

But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction.  1 Thessalonians 5:12  NASB Appreciate – Why would Paul need to tell his own brothers to appreciate his efforts and the efforts of those like him?  It seems…

State of Play

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy.  James 3:17  NASB Peaceable –  James writes in Greek, but he isn’t thinking in Greek.  The Greek word he uses is eirenikos.  The root is eirene, and in the Greek world this is a…

A Life of Shalom

“Do you wish to be well?”  John 5:6  NASB To be well – Yeshua is making his way through the crowd at the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem.  To do so he has to pass by a pool.  Today, just like every day, it is surrounded by those who cling to life by a thread of…

The Slippery Slope

But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled; my steps had nearly slipped.  Psalm 73:2-3  ESV Almost stumbled – Asaph proclaims that God is good to Israel and all who are Israel are known by their “clean heart” actions.  But he quickly realizes that his steps court disaster.  As much as he wants clean…

Conflict Resolution

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you”  John 14:27  KJV (Cambridge Edition) Peace – The Greek word for “peace” is eirene.  In Classic Greek it meant, “the absence of war.”  By implication, it came to mean “health, well-being and prosperity.”  But the Greek meaning placed the word in a context of…

Biblical Antonyms

I YHWH and none else, forming light and creating darkness; making peace and creating evil – I YHWH do all these things. Isaiah 45:6-7 Peace – What is an antonym?  Answer: the opposite.  The antonym of black is white.  The antonym of fast is slow.  The antonym of leader is follower.  But when it comes…

What Lies Behind

Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace. Psalm 37:37 End –  “Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.”  So says the Shorter Catechism of the Westminster Confession.  In order to align this with David’s insight, we must recognize that glorifying God…

Saludando a Dios

“…Y esta es la ley del sacrificio de paz que se ofrecerá a JEHOVÁ…” Levítico 7:11 Ofrendas de Paz: ¿Le confunden las ofrendas levíticas?  ¿Le parecen extrañas, antiguas y (quizás) irrelevantes? Algo de esta incomodidad puede deberse a faltas en la traducción. Cuando Damos una mirada más cercana, encontramos que las instrucciones de Dios incluyen…

Greeting God

“Now this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings which shall be presented to the LORD.” Leviticus 7:11 Peace Offerings – Do the Levitical offerings confuse you?  Do they seem strange, ancient and (perhaps) irrelevant?  Some of that discomfort might be the fault of the translation.  When we take a closer look, we…