I have inherited Your testimonies forever, for they are the joy of my heart. Psalm 119:111 NASB Inherited – Two or three words matter here. The first is nāḥal (to inherit), the second is the familiar ʿēdût (testimony), and the third is joy (śāśôn). First, nāḥal. “The verb nāḥal basically signifies giving or receiving property which is…
I know, Lord, that Your judgments are righteous, and that You have afflicted me in faithfulness. Psalm 119:75 NASB You have afflicted me – So you want to be a witness for the Lord. You want people to see you and recognize a person whose life reflects the Creator. You want your actions to speak louder than your…
Incline my heart to Your testimonies, and not to dishonest gain. Psalm 119:36 NASB Dishonest gain – What is the strategy that prevents humanity from seeking profit by unrighteous means? Ah, the answer is simple. History! Incline your heart to God’s testimonies. What are those? You’ll recall that “testimonies” is the plural of ʿēdût, a word that…
I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, as much as in all riches. Psalm 119:14 Testimonies – The bet section of this extended acrostic gives us four terms for God’s instructions in addition to the general category torah. They are: ḥōq (statute), mišpāṭ (ordinance), miṣwâ (commandment), and ʿēdût (testimony). The root of “testimony) is…
For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers that they were to teach them to their children, so that the generation to come would know, the children yet to be born, that they would arise and tell them to their children, Psalm 78:5-6 NASB Testimony/ law – Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young. Remember? Teach your children…
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:16 NASB Spirit Himself – I thought we’d resolved this. When we examined verse 12, we came to the conclusion that the Greek pneúma should be read as “vital force.” The apparent conflict about who does what to whom was over. It is…
All the LORD’s paths are kindness and truth for the keepers of His pact and His precepts. Psalm 25:10 Robert Alter translation Keepers – Think of the covenant like a trust fund with conditions. All of God’s kindness and truth is available as a result of the trust He established. But the benefits aren’t for…
The law of the LORD is perfect, restoring the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. Psalm 19:7 Testimony – The Hebrew word ‘eduth means “testimony, precept or warning.” It comes from a word that means “witness,” that is, someone who gives evidence. And that word comes from a primitive…
Recently I spoke to some readers in Adelaide (and some new friends too). I gave a brief account of my journey so far. I haven’t done this in a long time, so I thought those of you who do not know the story might be interested. [audio:https://skipmoen.com/audio/testimony-adelaide.mp3] (To listen, hit the Play button above, or…
