The Straight and Narrow

I will give thanks to You with uprightness of heart, when I learn Your righteous judgments.  Psalm 119:7   NASB Uprightness – It’s not a familiar English word although we have no trouble reading it.  But what exactly does “uprightness” mean?  Alter translates yōšer as “honest.”  That’s better if we understand the literal meaning of the term….

The Protagonist

There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job; and that man was blameless, upright, fearing God and turning away from evil.  Job 1:1  NASB Upright – Now that we have discovered several oddities about the narrator’s introduction of Job, we should be much more sensitive when we read the words describing Job’s character.  We found…

Straight Ahead

His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Psalm 112:2 NASB Upright – What does it mean to be upright? In biblical terms, this is not an inherited condition. It’s not about having a conscience. It’s learned behavior. God grants man the ability to learn the Torah, but He does…

The Self-Help Bible

For the LORD is a sun and a shield, the LORD bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. Psalm 84:11 ESV Walk Uprightly – The Bible is the world’s only guaranteed self-help book. There are lots of competitors, of course. Just browse any bookstore online or in…

The Ghost of Luther

May uprightness, wholeness, preserve me, for in You do I hope.  Psalm 25:21  Robert Alter translation Uprightness – “Two problems of ot theology concern the verb tāmam: self-righteousness and perfectionism. Illustrating the former, David expresses the resolve, ‘I will walk within my house with a perfect (tōm) heart’ (Ps 101:2b KJV, ASV margin and RSV…

Contagious

Good and upright is the LORD.  Therefore He guides offenders on the way.  Psalm 25:8  Robert Alter translation Therefore – When you think of God as good, what comes to mind?  Do you think of His moral character—blameless, holy, perfect?  Do you think of His blessings—prosperity, happiness, health?  How is God’s goodness connected to the…