Super Happy Fun Words

I'm currently in the throes of dissertation writing, but as time permits, I'll be blogging on what I'm learning from Mark's gospel account. I'm excited about this as my overall knowledge of the Bible is in increasing (as well as my appreciation for the triune God), particularly in the areas of exegesis and hermeneutics. NT scholar Gordon Fee has been walking me through the process of executing sound exegesis through his book NT Exegesis. First things first, one must read the text in question in its entirety and in different versions or translations before any exegetical or analytic work is done. Seeing as how I don't know Koine Greek, I will have to suffice with reading different American English versions. In my personal library, I have hard copies of the NIV (1984 and 2011), TNIV, KJV, ESV and NLT; four thought-for-thought translations versus two word-for-word. So far I have read through Mark in one sitting in every version except for the NLT (with the reaso...

Gloating Over Your Enemy's Downfall Proverbs 24:17-18 says, "Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when he stumbles, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove and turn his wrath away from him." Our enemy's are the one's who have wronged us in some shape or form. In another way, we sometimes create enemies in our minds because of certain prejudices or wounds we hold from the past (think of Hitler and his sentiment toward the Jews). If we are breathing on this earth, we all have enemies, whether they are real or imagined. The day that we see our wrong-doer caught in a dire or destitute circumstance, we tend to inwardly rejoice. As people made in the image of God, we all have a sense of justice. So sometimes, we exult in the downfall of our enemy because we feel as though justice has been satisfied. This is the sentiment that Proverbs 11:10 captures: "When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are...

The Proverbs can be pretty blunt sometimes. For instance look at Prov 12:21: "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but he who hates correction is stupid." It's almost comical in its bluntness but also painfully true at times. I find that the times when I make the dumbest decisions are when I fail to heed correction. By and large I tend to be too proud to listen or ask for help. I thought to myself recently, what is the root of my groundless and injurious pride? Proverbs seems to shed some light on this. We see the phrase 'the fool' used alongside 'the wise' quite a bit in the Proverbs. We usually think of a fool as one who is stubborn or has a lack of common sense or knowledge. Surely the root of the problem for most people who can't seem to stay out of trouble is their lack of knowledge, their own obstinacy or a dearth of guidance from others. But the Bible puts a little bit of a different spin on the concept of foolishness. If you look at t...

Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom... Proverbs 9:10 says, "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding." What exactly does it mean to fear the LORD and how is this help us to gain wisdom and understanding about anything? After a little research, I have come to the conclusion that the phrase 'fear of the LORD' has two prongs to it. First, let me explain my prior sentiments of fearing the LORD. I used to think that this fear solely had to do with a sort of terror that was felt when I realized how sinful I was before a holy and perfectly righteous God. It's similar to the fear that the Israelites had when they encountered God on mount Sinai after the exodus (Ex 20:18, 19) or the fear that Isaiah felt when he realized his sin before God (Isaiah 6:5). It's a true biblical fact that our sin deserves to be punished by God; he has every right to do so because he is the just judge of the universe. Th...

The Importance of Wisdom Proverbs is probably the book I have the most trouble sitting down to read. There are so many great gems of insight contained in it; I listed some verses that caught my eye below. But it seems that whenever I read the proverbs I am convicted of what I am not doing right , smh. I tend to over-spiritualize life, thinking that my spiritual salvation in Christ is all that is necessary for a full life in God. But Proverbs is filled with hard, practical truths that force us to face our physical reality; they remind us that we live in a world where understanding of it is necessary for success. While the Proverbs are sometimes painful and challenging to read, it is good medicine for us. They train us out of the foolish and ultimately harmful patterns of life that we held to before meeting Christ. They teach us how to deal with people, the dangers of temptation and how to conduct ourselves in a manner that is pleasing to God. I hope that we will read these with a hum...

The Glory of Israel Glory of the LORD filling the temple Today's passage depicts what is undoubtedly the epoch or high point of the kingdom of Israel. The temple era seemed to usher in a sort of spiritual revival. At Mount Sinai, after the exodus from Egypt, the Israelites were terrified of God's presence as he descended on the mountain. After that time, though they had the law, the Israelites were stiff-necked. Many of the them perished in the desert due to their rebellion and unbelief. They had great conquests under the leadership of Joshua, but shortly after that, in the times of the judges, spiritual waywardness ensued. Samuel brought a brief revival as he was seemingly one of the few faithful prophets in Israel. Then under Saul, the people were partly by fear as he was not fully obedient to the Lord in his kingship. Next David ruled and became known as a man after God's own heart. He was loved by the people and ruled wisely. Then he raised up Solomon and prepare...

The Splendor of the Temple   From the description of the Temple of the LORD given in today's reading, I'd have to conclude that it was perhaps the most beautiful structure built at that time. The intricate designs, the walls and doors overlaid with gold and the symbolism of all of the furnishings leave me stunned at the artistry and creativity of God. In a world marred by sin, what better way to enter into human history than by providing a housing for the LORD such as this? But more important than the physical appearance of the temple was the purpose of it. Each day, sacrifices were to be provided for the forgiveness of Israel's sins. The temple presents a clear juxtaposition. On the one hand, the Israelites and especially priests would have approached the temple sensing God's majesty and holiness because of the shear magnificence and immaculate appearance of the temple itself.  On the other hand, though God is so different from man in his holiness and splendor, his ...