A Way of Life

Blessed are those whose way is [a]blameless, who walk in the Law of the Lord.    Psalm 119:1  NASB Walk – It really doesn’t matter what you think.  It’s what you do that counts.  In the Hebrew worldview, it’s not necessary to understand why you should do the things you are asked to do.  It’s nice when they…

God’s Subpoena

“Come now, and let us reason together,” says the Lord,  Isaiah 1:18a  NJKV Come now – You probably remember this verse in its King James version suggesting that God wants you to enter into a rational discussion with Him (“reason together”).  I’ve often heard this phrase cited in classical apologetics, and, of course, the rest of the…

The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Babylon (4)

He has told you, mortal one, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?  Micah 6:8  NASB What is good – The simple truth.  Three things God asks of us.  Do justice, love kindness, walk in His ways.  That’s it.  No lofty theoretical propositions….

Posture Perfect

How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!  Psalm 1:1  NASB Walk/stand/sit – Undoubtedly Watchman Nee’s influential Christian book Sit, Walk, Stand found its genesis in a verse like this.  Perhaps you, like me, read it when…

The Hebrew Edition

They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, Genesis 3:8 NASB Walking – Walking presupposes feet. That assumption changes the picture of this verse. We imagine that God, in some physical form, is doing what we do when we walk, that is, moving on feet….

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…

Singing Jesus

I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.  Ephesians 4:1-2  ESV Walk – Can there be any doubt about Paul’s use of peripateo as a Greek…

Steady as She Goes

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called,  Ephesians 4:1  NASB To walk – There is little doubt about Paul’s Hebrew idiom behind this Greek word, peripatesai (from the verb paripateo).  “To walk” is the common metaphor for “living…

Let’s Take a Walk

They set their mouths against the heavens, and their tongue struts through the earth.  Psalm 73:9 ESV Struts – Yes, we know it’s poetry, but does that explain why it sounds so odd?  Do we just dismiss the improper grammar and the misplaced imagery simply because we give Asaph poetic license?  And how would you…

The Will to Believe

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. Romans 6:4  NASB Walk – I got an email.  “It is certainly not your responsibility to help me but…