Getting to know the Heart and Mind of Jesus Christ from Psalm 119
In several places throughout Psalm 119, Jesus expresses His heart as He cries out to His Father when facing the slander and malice of those despise Him—even though He had done nothing wrong. Here are a few places where he does that and I hope you find these to be a comfort and an encouragement […]
What does it mean when someone “gives you a charge” to carry out some responsibility? For example, a police commissioner might say to a new policeman at his commissioning ceremony, “In the name of good law and order, I charge you to defend the innocent.” Or when a famous scholar is delivering a speech to […]
It has been several months since my last blog entry. In case you were wondering where I have been, I am still fully engaged in memorizing Psalm 119 which also implies learning the Hebrew language. At the moment, I am up to verse 30 (only 146 more verses to go, and I am still intending to finish […]
There are two Hebrew words that commonly get translated into English as “word”. These two words are: דבר (“dabar” or also pronounced “davar”) – Definition: “word” with focus on the meaning behind the word; the essence of the communication; reason; similar to the Greek word λόγος (logos) אמר (“emmer” or also pronounced “ammar”) – Definition: utterance; spoken word; “saying” with […]
This is the second blog post on verse 1 of this prayer of our Lord Jesus Christ to His Father. In the Hebrew, verse 1 is: אשרי תמימי דרך ההלכים בתורת יהוה Transliteration: Ah-shuh-ray tah-mee-may duh-rekh Hah-hah-low-keem bee-tor-aht YHWH Translation: Blessed is the complete way [life/manner of living] Those who walk in the instruction of YHWH. This is the first verse of this […]
This is an unusually long blog post—but for most of my readers, I think they will find it worth the time to read it. It has been about a month since my last post. I have been working on something that is speculative. So, in years to come, it is not inconceivable that what you are […]
Verse 19: Hebrew: גר אנכי באךץ אל תסתר ממני מצותיך . Transliteration: Gar ahn-oh-kee buh-aretz ahl tahss-tair muh-men-ee mitz-woe-tee-chah Translation: I am a stranger in the land (on the earth), oh do not hide your commandments from me. It can be very disorienting, being in a strange place. When we are in a strange place, we reach for a guide, a map, directions—something or someone to show us […]
Verse 20 in the Hebrew: גרסה נפשי לתאבה אל משפטיך בכל עת Transliteration: Gar-uh-saw nahp-shee luh-tah-ahb-aw el mish-paw-tay-chah buh-kawl ayt Translation: My soul is crushed with longing for your wise judgments at all times (or “in all circumstances”). Jesus didn’t just value the wise judgments of YHWH, He didn’t just long for the wise judgments of YHWH, he didn’t just yearn for the wise […]
In Psalm 119:17, Jesus implies an assertion which is mind-blowing, and disagrees vehemently with the desire of our natural (Fallen-Nature) heart. Here is Psalm 119:17 גמל על עבדך אחיה ואשמרה דברךHebrew: Transliteration: Geh-mohl ahl ahbuh-duh-chah wuh-esh-mohr-ah duh-bah-reh-chah Literal translation: Deal bountifully with your servant/slave so I will live and keep Your word. The Hebrew syntax (structure) of this verse suggests […]
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving Day, so I wish for you and yours a most joyful Thanksgiving! Some families have a tradition that, during the Thanksgiving meal, each person around the table takes a turn talking about something they are thankful for. I thought it might be interesting to think about how Jesus might answer this question. […]