“It will come about at that time that I will search Jerusalem with lamps, and I will punish the men who are stagnant in spirit, who say in their hearts, ‘The Lord will not do good or evil!’” Zephaniah 1:12 NASB Stagnant in spirit – It is a serious, and sometimes fatal, mistake to pretend…
“Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that are ruining the vineyards, while our vineyards are in blossom.” Song of Songs 2:15 NASB Catch the foxes – No book of the Bible, except perhaps Revelation, has been the subject of more theological speculation than the Song of Songs. Through the ages both Jewish and…
Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation. Habakkuk 3:18 NASB Yet – Perhaps the most important word in this verse is the tiny consonant vav attached to ani (“I”). The NASB translates this single letter as “yet,” but the vav plays a mighty role in Hebrew….
Concerning evil, both hands do it well. Micah 7:3 NASB Both hands – In Semitic nomadic cultures, you eat with the right hand. The left hand never picks up food. It is used for other purposes. Until the invention of eating utensils, a hard and fast distinction between the hands was absolutely necessary. When the…
a minister in the sanctuary and in the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, not man. Hebrews 8:2 NASB Tabernacle – “The man of the archaic societies tends to live as much as possible in the sacred or in close proximity to consecrated objects. The tendency is perfectly understandable, because . . . the sacred…
When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He *said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” John 5:6 NASB Do you wish to get well? – What a stupid question! The paralytic had been at the pool for decades waiting for a…
These things indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of no value against the indulgence of the flesh. Colossians 2:23 NKJV Wisdom – “Knowledge is power.” That’s what they say. But the biblical view is different. The accumulation of knowledge is a dangerous thing. …
Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. Colossians 3:5 NASB Idolatry – Don’t skip through the collective arrangement. In other words, don’t treat each of these sins as if they are individual unrelated behaviors. Notice that Paul collects them under…
How blessed is the man who fears always, but he who hardens his heart will fall into calamity. Proverbs 28:14 NASB Fear always – How can a man be blessed if he is always afraid? This just doesn’t seem to make any sense. If perfect love casts out fear, and we are exhorted to enter…
Rebekah was listening while Isaac spoke to his son Esau. Genesis 27:5 In the next few weeks I will publish a book on the story of Jacob. This is an excerpt from one of the chapters. Isaac’s life is one of spiritual weakness. In the face of God, Isaac wilts. He is powerless. He doesn’t…
