Then they said to Moses, “Is it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you dealt with us in this way, bringing us out of Egypt?” Exodus 14:11 NASB To die in the wilderness – I wish I’d never started. It was so…
And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you in the wilderness these forty years, in order to humble you, putting you to the test, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. Deuteronomy 8:2 NASB The test – In the NASB 95, this phrase is…
I resemble a pelican of the wilderness; I have become like an owl of the ruins. Psalm 102:6 NASB Pelican/ owl – Why pelican? Why owl? First, let’s address the Christian mythology about the pelican. It starts with Thomas Aquinas. During the breeding season, the Dalmatian pelican’s pouch turns blood red, and the birds often press…
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. John 10:10 NASB Have life – Abundantly, that’s what we want, right? Actually, it’s even more than that, as I am sure some preacher told you. The Greek is perissōn, from the verb perisseúō, meaning “superabundant” or “beyond…
“The Almighty—we cannot find Him;” Job 37:23a NASB Cannot – “Only those who have gone through days on which words were of no avail, on which the most brilliant theories jarred the ear like mere slang; only those who have experienced ultimate not-knowing, the voicelessness of a soul struck by wonder, total muteness, are able…
And He had to pass through Samaria. John 4:4 NASB Pass through– In this brief interlude between teaching passages, John recounts that Yeshua left Judea when things became difficult. During the journey, he encountered the woman at the well. I’m sure he didn’t plan to encounter her, but when he did, the opportunity for some truly fascinating discussion…
A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God. Isaiah 40:3 NASB Voice– Exodus is a book about the wilderness. It begins with God’s miraculous demonstration of redemption, the removal of His chosen people from bondage in Egypt. It doesn’t take a theological degree to see…
“Thus says the LORD, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Found– The Hebrew verb māṣāʾ is used for finding just about anything. The Israelites found grace, but that wasn’t what they were looking for. They were looking for a way of escape. They were fleeing from their pain. Just like…
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Grace– At the edge of the Sahara, the sand moves as if it were alive. It writhes, glittering scales of shifting silicon. The serpent of the desert is there, slithering its way across the dunes, powered by the…
“Thus says the LORD, ‘The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness.’” Jeremiah 31:2 NASB Wilderness– Not everyone finds grace in the wilderness. God says that His people, the ones who have survived the sword, the ones He calls Israel, find something unexpected in the desolate wasteland. They find grace. Imagine the…
