Burning indignation has seized me because of the wicked, who abandon Your Law. Psalm 119:53 NASB Burning indignation – Once more the poet finds a rarely used word to arrest our attention. zalʿāpâ shows up only here and in Lamentations 5:10. It’s about heat, lots of heat. In Lamentations it describes the results of famine. Here it…
He will turn back against them their wickedness, through their evil He will destroy them, the LORD our God will destroy them. Psalm 94:23 Robert Alter Turn back against them – What is the opposite of turning toward God? Before you answer, consider that the Hebrew verb which means “to return” to God is šûb…
having cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7 NASB Cares – If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a hundred times: the fundamental message of the Bible is “God cares.” I believe it, but don’t ask me why. Don’t ask because I feel what the prophets discovered. “History…
Be assured, the evil person will not go unpunished, but the descendants of the righteous will be rescued. Proverbs 11:21 NASB Be assured – You remember the old hymn, “Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine. Oh, what a foretaste of glory divine.” Fanny Crosby clearly didn’t get the idea from this Hebrew verse. Why? Well, the…
Righteous are You, O Lord. When I dispute with You, my brief will speak against You. Why does the way of the wickedprosper, all who deal treacherously rest tranquil? Jeremiah 12:1 Robert Alter The way of the wicked – Do you remember “The Twilight Zone”? If you do, you must remember the episode where a…
Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you accursed people, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; Matthew 25:41 NASB Eternal fire – Matthew 25 is essentially a collection of parables about the Kingdom. The foolish virgins, money given to servants, and the separation…
Leave me, all you who practice injustice, for the Lord has heard the sound of my weeping. The Lord has heard my pleading, the Lord receives my prayer. Psalm 6:8-9 NASB Receives – Does God really care? Perhaps just asking the question seems monstrously irreverent, but I’m pretty sure that at least a hint of this has crossed your mind once…
Do not fret because of evildoers, be not envious toward wrongdoers. For they will wither quickly like the grass and fade like the green herb. Psalm 37:1-2 NASB Wither quickly – Stop! Before you read my homily on Psalm 37:1-2, read the entire psalm. It will only take a minute or so. I’ll wait. Ready? What was your…
I said, “I will guard my ways that I may not sin with my tongue; I will guard my mouth as with a muzzle while the wicked are in my presence.” Psalm 39:1 NASB In my presence – Listen! We’re surrounded by wickedness. Pick up any newspaper. Turn on any news channel. Listen to the gossip and rumors. …
O love the Lord, all you His godly ones! The Lord preserves the faithful and fully recompenses the proud doer. Psalm 31:23 NASB Proud doer– There’s a problem here. The Hebrew ‘ose(h) gaʾăwâ can be translated as “proud doer” (NASB) or as “the one who acts in pride” (ESV). The NIV reorders the words as “the proud he pays back in full.” …
