The Eternal Mystery

“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….

Garden Theology

“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…

See What You Say

“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…

Exchange Rate

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…

Master or Owner?

“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…

Verbs of the Covenant

“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….

Life Priorities

“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…

Never Before

“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…

Lines on my face

“Will they not go astray who devise evil?” Proverbs 14:22 Devise – The Hebrews were a people of the land. Their imagery and metaphors come from this deep connection to the earth. Their language is mixed with dirt, fields, trees, rocks, planting and harvests. We, on the other hand, are a culture of the mind….

Rising to the Top

“Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD” Proverbs 16:5 Proud – The Biblical image for pride is quite physical. Gevah is literally about what is high. A high mountain, a high tower, a high wall. From this very physical context, the meaning of gebah is transferred to human beings. Pride…