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Category Archives: bible
Sermon on the Mount 2
Salt and Light: Matthew 5:13-16 Once more, take a moment to consider that there were two primary points of focus in the Sermon on the Mount: the Covenant and the Messiah. Jesus is teaching how to restore the Covenant and … Continue reading
Posted in bible
Tagged Jesus Christ, Matthew's Gospel, salt and light
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Sermon on the Mount 1
We have no good way of extrapolating backward from Matthew’s Greek Gospel to the Aramaic words Jesus spoke. Thus, we have to rely on Matthew’s choice of terminology and his knowledge of Greek. He was a cousin of Jesus who … Continue reading
Posted in bible
Tagged heart-mind, Hebrew Mysticism, Matthew's Gospel, Messiah
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Psalm 150
This is the end of the Hallelujah Hymns and the end of the whole book. It serves honorably to hold that place as the capstone of worship. Hallelujah! At the very least we should come to the Temple and praise … Continue reading
Psalm 149
The fourth of the final Hallelujah Hymns in Psalms, this one draws the image of a distinct historical event, though we cannot pin it down which one. We do know that during the Period of Restoration after Exile, the returnees … Continue reading
Posted in bible
Tagged Bible History, Israel, Psalms, Restoration, worship
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Psalm 148
This third of five Hallelujah Hymns stands out as a unique call for praise from the whole of Creation. Its structure is rather like a responsive song, a long verse with a short response, then another such pair. This is … Continue reading
Psalm 147
This is the second of the Hallelujah Psalms. It is obvious that we have three stanzas woven together here; in some ancient manuscripts the third is a separate psalm. We note in passing that at least one contemporary worship song … Continue reading
Psalm 146
These last five songs are called the Hallelujah Psalms, each marked with the Hebrew word hallelujah at the beginning and end. They were composed for daily worship in synagogues, which of course tells us they were written after the Return … Continue reading
Psalm 145
This is one of those acrostic Hebrew poems of David, each verse beginning with a different Hebrew letter in alphabetic order. It is also likely a victory song, fitting neatly behind the previous psalm, which is a battle hymn. Not … Continue reading
Psalms 144
This is one of David’s battle hymns with quotations from several other psalms. It draws the image of someone fully confident in a God who has already shown His great power against enemies of the Covenant. David never forgets that … Continue reading
Psalm 143
The last of the four songs of distress, this one is also considered a penitent psalm. David has no quarrel with dying here; it’s not a question of what he deserves, but his faith demands he not simply give up. … Continue reading