The Rationale for Suffering (1)

Happy the man whom Yah chastises, and whom from His teaching He instructs, to make him quiet in evil days until a pit is dug for the wicked.  Psalm 94:12-13  Robert Alter Chastises – Are you happy?  Maybe today, but what about the days when nothing goes right?  What about those days when you truly…

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…

Predestination

Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; and in Your book were all written the days that were ordained for me, when as yet there was not one of them. Psalm 139:16  NASB Ordained– Does God know everything you will do before you are born, before you make a single choice?  Does He know all men’s choices from eternity past?  And…

Woodshed Workshop

Blessed is the man whom You chasten, O Lord, and whom You teach out of Your law; Psalm 94:12 NASB Chasten – “Spiritual stress is a major source of unhappiness.”[1] If you haven’t encountered this truth about life, perhaps you missed a growth experience. Far too often we wish for a life of ease, thinking…

Get Out of Jail Free

The Lord has disciplined me severely, but He has not given me over to death. Psalm 118:18 NASB Disciplined me severely – Salvation isn’t free. Oh, yes, we Christians know all about this. God’s son paid the price so we could be forgiven. Really? Is that it? God delivered His “Get Out of Jail Free”…