Not only is God revealed as “teacher” in Psalm 119:113-120, but God is also the protector in v. 114. The psalmist uses two concrete images for God’s protections: First, God is “my refuge” — the place where the psalmist hides. Second, God is “my shield” — the place where one is protected from attack. Third, it appears that his refuge and his shield are found in God’s Word (114b). Fourth, therefore, since God is protecting him, the psalmist exhorts his... Read more
In chapter six of Adam and the Genome Scot McKnight starts by outlining the ancient Near Eastern context of the biblical creation narratives, including those in Genesis 1-3. Several texts have come to light a few in a variety of forms. Scot considers Enuma Elish, Gilgamesh, Atrahasis, and the Sumerian version of the Atrahasis creation story. There are others that could be brought into the discussion as well. The point is not that the biblical authors copied the narratives of... Read more
The Torah, the Bible for the psalmist, was God’s communication with Israel in order to inform Israel of God’s ways — and its intent was to guide the whole of an Israelite — heart, soul, and strength. Here the psalmist utters one of the few lines of this psalm — from the nun section (119:105-112) — that many have memorized: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path” (v. 105). The “word” (devar) is... Read more
I was raised complementarian. More importantly, I was raised in something of a theological echo chamber where my complementarian convictions went undisputed. Read more
Psalm 119:97-104, the section labeled mem because every sentence begins with this letter, is about Bible study, or more accurately, Torah devotion. Today we look at v 97 and v 104. O how I love your Torah! It is my study (or musing) all day long (97). I ponder your precepts (piqud), or judgment-decisions-mandates. The psalmist “loves” the teachings of God — and he devotes himself all day long to thinking about them. And he ponders in the sense of... Read more
Keep, O Lord, your household the Church in your steadfast faith and love, that through your grace we may proclaim your truth with boldness, and minister your justice with compassion; for the sake of our Savior Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen. BCP Read more
By John Frye, The Commentary Niche Pastors usually have commentaries of various types. The Story of God Bible Commentary series aims to fill a niche that seeks to understand and live particular texts within the greater Story of God that the Bible presents. Let’s consider three commentaries I possess on the Book of 1 Peter. A Critical Commentary. I have a dated commentary (first edition 1946) by Edward Gordon Selwyn titled The First Epistle of St. Peter: The Greek Text... Read more
We now turn to the “Lamed” section of Psalm 119 — verses 89-96. The first word of this section, le-olam, “unto forever,” sets the whole tone and opens the window on what the psalmist urges us to see. God is a forever-God. Time has its own way of confusing us, for if God created time, time is creation. If God is outside of time, then God is not bound by time. Our participation in time is participation in God’s own... Read more
Source: Jimmy Carter is on my plane to DC from ATL and just shook every hand of every passenger. He’s smiling the whole time he greets each person and shake each hand—and somehow that’s not hard to imagine at all. If you are whirling with positive jealousy, you can actually meet President Carter on any given Sunday during his weekly Sunday School class in Plains, Georgia at the Marantha Church. He has been known to take a photo with anyone who attends the class and would like stay after to... Read more
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