Prayer Request

From Jim in Scotland: Skip, if you think it appropriate could you pass this request on to the community. My friend Francis a tough old North Sea fisherman now in his 70’s has adrenal problems, ischaemic heart disease, cancer of the bladder. Five months ago he and his wife Liz had their first grandchild, born…

Deeper Still

Fear YHWH, His holy ones, for they who fear Him lack nothing. Psalm 34:10 (Hebrew text) Lack Nothing – The Hebrew particle ayin is used hundreds of times in Scripture to negate some action.  You’ll find it in Isaiah 40:17 as a comparative (“it is as nothing”) and in Psalm 32:9 to describe something lacking…

The Meaning Of “Is”

Taste and see that the Lord is good, happy the man who shelters in Him. Psalm 34:9  (R. Altar translation) Is – Much to the dismay of all moral people, Bill Clinton traded personal ethics for sophistry on meaning of the word “is.”  Had he been a follower of the Hebrew God, he would have…

Passive To Active

Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. Romans 15:2 Please – Negotiating for one’s own good.  That’s the idea behind the classical Greek use of aresko.  It is essentially a passive act, that is, an action that reflects back on the subject.  It isn’t passive in the sense that…

A Parable

Our friend, Rodney, from Australia, is a regular contributor to the blog.  He wrote a short article and has offered it to us.  So, here it is: There was a certain king who had two adopted sons. They were the children of servants who had been tragically killed in the king’s service, so he had…

Hebrew Metaphor

And He answered and said to them, “I tell you, if these become silent, the stones will cry out!” Luke 19:40 Will Cry Out – We know what a metaphor is.  It’s a figure of speech in which a word normally associated with some other category is applied to an object or action.  Hearts do…

Folk Lore

But He answered and said “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.’” Matthew 16:2 Red – “Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning.”  Yes, centuries after Yeshua mentioned this already common bit of folk lore, we still use the same expression.   Of course, Yeshua’s point…

Gloriously Hidden

Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, YHWH appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am God Almighty, walk before Me, and be blameless.” Genesis 17:1 Walk – Oswald Chambers knew the Lord.  His insights continue to challenge believers decades after his death.  One of his great concerns was the call to humility.  As…

Factually Correct

This was a great evil to Jonah, and he was angry. Jonah 4:1 Evil To – The Hebrew expression, va-yera’ ‘el never occurs anywhere else in the Bible.  It suggests an intense emotional reaction.  As far as Jonah was concerned, God’s reluctance to exact justice on Nineveh and His merciful forgiveness of the sins of…