saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.” Luke 22:42 NASB But – Sitting in the restaurant bar waiting for a table. Enjoying the conversation with another couple. Suddenly the man gets up, goes to the wall and adjusts a picture that isn’t perfectly…
When Jacob finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet into the bed and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people. Genesis 49:33 NASB Gathered to his people – I stand in the window of the second floor apartment in Glenview, looking at the snow. Suddenly I begin to cry. To shake. My whole life…
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 NIV Serpent – Some years ago I shared a lecture session with Michael Heiser, author of The Unseen Realm: Recovering…
Then Moses went up with Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel; and under His feet there appeared to be a pavement of sapphire, as clear as the sky itself. Exodus 24:9-10 NASB Saw – There’s just one little problem. “‘But,’ he said, ‘you cannot see my face,…
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB Teaching/ rebuke/ correction/ training – Paul tells us the purpose of “inspired Scripture.” He’s quite deliberate about it, but did you notice what is strikingly absent? Let’s see. Scripture is useful for “teaching.” Didaskalía, that…
All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB Inspired – Paul’s choice of the Greek word for “inspired” leaves us hanging. Why? Because the word isn’t used anywhere else in the apostolic writings. Theópneustos literally means “God breathed,” but that leaves a lot…
For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have come into the world John 18:37b NASB Purpose – Wouldn’t it be nice to know why you are here? If we knew our destinies, maybe we could handle the distractions in a better way. Maybe we could tolerate all the exasperation, suffering, angst, and anguish…
As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 1 Timothy 1:3-4 NIV Command – Sometimes Paul is more like a…
Let a righteous man strike me—that is a kindness; let him rebuke me—that is oil on my head. Psalm 141:5 NIV That is a kindness – The basis for most English translations is the Masoretic text (MT). However, occasionally the MT just doesn’t make any sense. It might have been slavishly copied from older documents,…
Search me, God, and know my heart; put me to the test and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there is any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way. Psalm 139:23-24 NASB Any hurtful way – ‘im-derek-ʿāṣab. אִם־דֶּֽרֶךְ־עֹ֥צֶב One word all smashed together (typically Hebrew). So, let’s take it apart. אִם (ʾim) if, not, whether,…
