“The Jews therefore were marveling, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”” John 7:15 Learned . . Educated – You can’t understand the critical astonishment of the Jews unless you know something about Jewish education. The complaint against Jesus is not about what he said but about the source of his…
“The Jews therefore were marveling, saying, “How has this man become learned, having never been educated?”” John 7:15 Marveling – Jesus came out of left field. He just didn’t fit the mold. He acted differently, talked differently, thought differently. Try as they might, the audience couldn’t categorize him. All they could do was be astonished….
“yet so that man will not find out the work which God has done from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 Will not find out – There is a road block on the purpose driven life. It’s called “Horizon”. You and I cannot see what God is doing behind the scenes of our lives….
“Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” Numbers 23:12 Puts – Yesterday we learned that shamar describes a Garden of Eden story. God tells Adam and Eve to “watch over” His creation. Now we discover that there is another connection between the Garden and the words that I…
“Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD puts in my mouth?” Numbers 23:12 Be Careful – Shamar is a word that take a wide range of “protection” ideas. It can mean to keep, to preserve, to guard, to watch over, and to be careful. But the essence of shamar can be seen…
What shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16:26 Exchange – On every street of Sosua in the Dominican Republic you will find tiny shops that sell money. Technically they exchange your money for the Dominican peso, but, of course, there is always a little markup. The shopkeepers are in the money…
“Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say?” Luke 6:46 Lord – Jesus constantly recalls Old Testament images. He is the perfection of God’s Old Testament revelation. To see him is to see the Word of God made flesh. So we should expect that Jesus will teach us the…
“You shall fear only the LORD your God; and you shall worship Him and swear by His name.” Deuteronomy 6:13 Worship – Would it surprise you to know that the word translated “worship” in this verse comes from the language of slaves? The word avadh is associated with compulsory labor and work, typically by slaves….
“that no one might burn his son or his daughter as an offering to Molech.” 2 Kings 23:10 Burn – Do you think that the practice of infanticide in the ancient world was hideous? Are you revolted by the thought of putting children in the fire to burn them to death as sacrifices to the…
“and the Lord opened her heart to respond” Acts 16:14 Opened – What comes to mind when I say, “It was opened”? Most of us probably think of a door or window. The first mental image that we have is the routine one. We open and close things all day long. So we think that…
