“for the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone.” Exodus 18:18 Alone – Moses is acknowledged as Israel’s greatest leader, but the way that he led the people flies in the face of a lot of today’s leadership advice. The encounter with Jethro is a prime example of powerless leadership –…
Rise Lord! Rescue me, my God Psalm 3:8 (translation: Robert Alter) Rescue Me – “ho.shi e.ni.” Say it again, out loud! This one is worth remembering. The Hebrew root is yasha, “to bring help to those in trouble.” The pronoun “me” is attached directly to the verb. That’s what I want – direct connection to…
And when we had heard this, we as well as the local residents began begging him not to go up to Jerusalem. Acts 21:12 Began Begging – Leadership doesn’t always mean that others will follow. In fact, in some cases, the leader must blaze a trail alone, even when all the good advice suggests retreat. …
24 You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. Deuteronomy 4:2 Add / Take Away – Do you think that God is serious when He says we are not to add…
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Deuteronomy 5:21 Covet / Desire – Heart surgery is a really bloody operation. No matter how well prepared…
You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Deuteronomy 5:21 Covet / Desire – The seat of action is the attitude of the heart. So, it’s…
Now therefore, O kings, show discernment; take warning, O judges of the earth. Psalm 2:10 Discernment / Warning – The first rule of proper interpretation of Scripture is the rule of historical context. If I don’t know what the words would have meant to the audience that first heard them, then I don’t know what…
You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor Deuteronomy 5:20 False – It’s court language, but it’s not limited to trials. The word picture recalls the witness stand. “Do you swear to tell the truth?” The answer better be “Yes.” In front of the judge and jury, we want true testimony. So does God. …
You shall not steal Deuteronomy 5:19 Steal – My interactions with young men in the jail always revealed the cultural destruction of morality. The many times I heard the excuse, “But I gave some of what I stole to people who needed it,” only served to highlight our Robin Hood syndrome. Stealing is justifiable if…
Going, then, disciple all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 Disciple – You probably know the translation of this verse as “make disciples of all nations.” But have you thought about the implications of adding “make” to the Greek verb matheteuo and changing…
