Category Archives: bible

Psalm 87

Posted on February 6, 2016 by ehurst

This is a terse prophetic song. The Hebrew is difficult to grasp if you read it literally, and you would be in good company. Toward the end before Babylon laid siege to the city, a great many shallow minds and … Continue reading →

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Proverbs 28

Posted on February 3, 2016 by ehurst

What you believe you see and experience is just shadow; ultimate reality is the moral truth behind it all. This chapter is full of short epigrams all getting at the same basic idea. They are not doctrinaire assertions of wishful … Continue reading →

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Psalm 86

Posted on January 30, 2016 by ehurst

Don’t go looking for the precise spot David occupied when he composed this sweet hymn. We have no idea what human historical context goes with this impassioned plea, and precious few humans can even begin to share the moral place … Continue reading →

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Psalm 85

Posted on January 23, 2016 by ehurst

Another of the Korahite works, Western scholars are all over the place on this psalm. We would miss the point if we tried to shove this down into some particular historical reference. As with most prophetic Hebrew writing, the message … Continue reading →

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Proverbs 27

Posted on January 20, 2016 by ehurst

Only a fool takes himself too seriously. Your personal sense of identity and integrity should not rest on total control of outcomes. Self-cynicism is not the same as self-doubt; you can still forge ahead in your calling while keeping a … Continue reading →

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Psalm 84

Posted on January 16, 2016 by ehurst

This is a Pilgrim Psalm, a celebration of marching to Zion for any number of annual feasts and festivals. The imagery is rich with symbolism. The psalmist begins with a common figure of speech heard among pilgrims meeting to share … Continue reading →

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Psalm 83

Posted on January 9, 2016 by ehurst

There are numerous historical and geographical references, but this Psalm does not refer to a literal historical event. Rather, it’s similar in purpose to John’s Armageddon: a parable indicating a moral condition that never changes. In a series of Hebrew … Continue reading →

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Psalm 82

Posted on January 2, 2016 by ehurst

Always: Context is everything in Hebrew. People have made much of God (Elohim) referring to other figures in this psalm as gods (elohim). But it takes only a quick review of the Books of Moses to see that the term … Continue reading →

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Proverbs 26

Posted on December 29, 2015 by ehurst

The advice to nobility continues, with an emphasis to watch out for certain kinds of people. We remind ourselves that “fool” and “folly” refer to a failure to subject the mind to the supremacy of the heart. Thus, it is … Continue reading →

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Psalm 81

Posted on December 26, 2015 by ehurst

While this sounds somewhat like the call to the Feast of Tabernacles, the whole seventh month (Tishri) is consumed in various celebrations following the olive harvest: Trumpets (1st), the Day of Atonement (10th) and then Tabernacles (15th). The psalmist mentions … Continue reading →

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