Come and pray. . . The Jerusalem Talmud, Berakhot 4:4 (8b) Pray – The Jerusalem Talmud, the shorter of the two great collections of rabbinic material, includes the following instruction: “One who is called upon to lead services is not told, ‘Come and pray,’ but ‘Come and kerav – offer our sacrifices, seek out our…
So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses. Exodus 1:11 NASB Taskmasters – Charlton Heston. That’s the image I have of Moses. Forget Ridley Scott. My Moses is the rugged hero, the man who stood up against oppression and carried forth…
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 material I wish to review is used in the United Kingdom educational system. The study guide unit for students is titled “Unit 4: Religious Philosophy and the Ultimate Questions,” from ZigZag Education (2010). After reviewing the statements in these lessons for children, I thought it would be helpful to add some sanity (and critique)….
Come, O children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord. Psalm 34:11 ESV Teach – lamad, the Hebrew verb translated “teach” or “learn,” includes the idea of training, not merely verbal or written transfer of information. In Hebrew, the action implicit in the instruction is just as important as the…
“Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:11 NASB Daily – The Greek word epiousion is one of the most unusual words in the entire Bible. It occurs only in the Lord’s Prayer. In order to understand the meaning of most Biblical expressions, scholars often look to other uses either in the Bible or…
Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy Jude 24 NASB Blameless – The English translation comes from a combined Greek word (amomous) meaning without spot or blemish. There are connections between this word and non-Christian sacrificial…
“How blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust” Psalm 40:4NASB Trust – The word batach means the sense of well-being and security that result from having something or someone in whom to place confidence. It is translated in the LXX as “hope,” not “belief.” It stresses the feeling of being safe…
It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.” Luke 11:1 NASB Teach – “A person may believe he or she has planned for life, but ultimately knowing what to…
I think this statement from Abraham Heschel, written sixty-one years ago, is perhaps the most accurate assessment of the state of our world today. The conscience of the world was destroyed by those who were wont to blame others rather than themselves. Let us remember. We revered the instincts but distrusted the prophets. We…
