“Do not fear them, for they can do no harm, nor can they do any good.” Jeremiah 10:5 The World of Threat and Reward Harm . . Good – When Jeremiah delivers God’s message of impending judgment, he captures both sides of our dilemma. Fearing the threats of this world is no less sinful than…
“Do not learn the ways of the nations” Jeremiah 10:2 The Politics of Heaven Do Not Learn – Jeremiah was a prophet of doom. Most of the time, we ignore his message. We love the verse in chapter 29 about “plans to prosper and not to harm you”, but by and large, we don’t read…
“You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again and will bring me up from the depths of the earth.” Psalm 71:20 Stand! Will Bring Me Up – In general, the Hebrew word ‘alah means simply to ascend, to lift or to go up. But there is one particular context where…
“You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again and will bring me up from the depths of the earth.” Psalm 71:20 What God Promises Revive – Hayah! That’s what God promises. To keep me alive. To rescue me from danger. To preserve my life. To revive me. The same God…
“You who have shown me many troubles and distresses will revive me again and will bring me up from the depths of the earth.” Psalm 71:20 O God, Who is like You? Shown – “But where is God in all this mess?” Have you heard yourself utter that question? You are struck down with calamity. …
“and to Him was given dominion, glory and a kingdom, that all the peoples, nations and men of every language might serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion which will not pass away;” Daniel 7:14 Master and Commander Dominion – The Aramaic word sholtana is found only in the book of Daniel. It is…
“Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17 Head vs. Heart Do not know – You won’t see the difference in English, but Greek makes it clear. This kind…
“Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.” Revelation 3:17 Blinding Knowledge Do Not Know – What you see it what you get. So the saying goes. In our world, we…
“Thus says the LORD, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness – Israel, when it went to find its rest.” Jeremiah 31:2 The Context of “Rest” Rest – Did Israel go into the wilderness to find rest? Or did the people go into the wilderness to find fleeting endurance? Unfortunately, the…
“Thus says the LORD, “The people who survived the sword found grace in the wilderness” Jeremiah 31:2 What Was I Looking For? Found – The Hebrew verb masha is used for finding just about anything. The Israelites found grace, but that wasn’t what they were looking for. They were looking for a way of escape. …
