My voice to God—let me cry out. My voice to God—and hearken to me. In the day of my straits I sought the Master. My eye flows at night, it will not stop. I refused to be consoled. Psalm 77:2-3 (Hebrew Bible) Robert Alter Refused – “You’ll feel better in the morning.” “This too will…
Utter futility!—said Kohelet—utter futility! All is futile! Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 JPS Utter futility – bavel bavalim. Literally, “vapor of vapors.” “Utter senselessness” translates Michael Fox in the JPS commentary. “Ecclesiastes is a strange and disquieting book. It gives voice to an experience not usually thought of as religious: the pain and frustration engendered by an unblinking…
Happy the man whom Yah chastises, and whom from His teaching He instructs, to make him quiet in evil days until a pit is dug for the wicked. Psalm 94:12-13 Robert Alter Chastises – Are you happy? Maybe today, but what about the days when nothing goes right? What about those days when you truly…
Through all this Job did not sin nor did he blame God. Job 1:22 NASB 1995 Nor did he blame – But the Hebrew isn’t quite what we think of when we read these words in English. We think of “blame” as assigning responsibility or finding fault. So, in our Western theology, if God is…
She weeps on through the night, and her tears are on her cheek. Lamentations 1:2 Robert Alter Weeps on – “If faith is to become real, catastrophe must be acknowledged and fully spoken.”[1] Perhaps you need to read that Zornberg statement again. Slowly. If you want a real faith, faith that matters, that has grit,…
For Your arrows have sunk deep into me, and Your hand has pressed down on me. There is no healthy part in my flesh because of Your indignation; there is no health in my bones because of my sin. Psalm 38:2-3 NASB Your indignation – Look who’s responsible! If God runs the universe, then He must be the one behind…
Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Ezekiel…
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. Romans 8:18 NASB Are not worthy to be compared – Paul suffered. The disciples suffered. Yeshua suffered. In fact, most of the great religious leaders, prophets, and teachers suffered. It really…
So they went on their way from the presence of the Council, rejoicing that they had been considered worthy to suffer shame for His name. Acts 5:41 NASB Rejoicing– When the disciples were beaten and instructed no longer to proclaim Yeshua as Messiah, they reacted in a way that is not easily understood. They rejoiced. This seems particularly strange given…
Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God, 2 Timothy 1:8 NASB Prisoner– Imagine the life of a prisoner in the Roman Empire. Don’t import modern ideas about the horrible prisons we see around the world today. “Roman Law…
