Monthly Archives: July 2024

Politics; July 20, 2024


Isaiah 47:6 I was angry with my people    and desecrated my inheritance;I gave them into your hand,    and you showed them no mercy.Even on the aged    you laid a very heavy yoke. This verse is obviously why this passage came up in readings on … Continue reading

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Attitude; July 19, 2024


Proverbs 28:9 If anyone turns a deaf ear to my instruction,    even their prayers are detestable. This verse kind of hit me between the eyes! It doesn’t matter how pious we might seem, if our hearts aren’t committed to obedience, then … Continue reading

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Pride; July 18, 2024


Proverbs 21:4 Haughty eyes and a proud heart—    the unplowed field of the wicked—produce sin. In reading this verse this morning I felt I was to write on it, but then I checked other translations, and was shocked! The ESV and the … Continue reading

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Marriage; July 17, 2024


Proverbs 18:22 He who finds a wife finds what is good    and receives favor from the Lord. With the high rate of divorce, there are some who would dispute this verse. However, I am convinced that comes from a misunderstanding of marriage … Continue reading

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Humility Before God; July 16, 2024


Psalm 143:8 Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love,    for I have put my trust in you.Show me the way I should go,    for to you I entrust my life. Many of David’s Psalms seem to have been written as … Continue reading

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Yielding Our Way to God; July 15, 2024


Psalm 142:3 When my spirit grows faint within me,    it is you who watch over my way. The attribution of this Psalm says it was written when David was “in the cave,” that is, fleeing from Saul. That was indeed a very … Continue reading

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Covering; July 14, 2024


Psalm 140:7 Sovereign Lord, my strong deliverer,    you shield my head in the day of battle. This is linguistically a very interesting verse. Different translations render it differently. Most English translations say something about “day of battle,” or something similar, but the Japanese … Continue reading

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Forgiveness; July 13, 2024


Psalm 130:3-4 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins,    Lord, who could stand?But with you there is forgiveness,    so that we can, with reverence, serve you. The Japanese here includes something that I think is an interpolation, but it’s not unreasonable. It … Continue reading

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Respect; July 12, 2024


Psalm 123:3 Have mercy on us, Lord, have mercy on us,    for we have endured no end of contempt. This is an interesting, brief Psalm. It rather goes against the little rhyme most English-speakers learn as children: “Sticks and stones may break … Continue reading

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The Depth of the Word; July 11, 2024


Psalm 119:130 The unfolding of your words gives light;    it gives understanding to the simple. Different translations render the image in the first part of this verse differently, with “unfolding” common in English translations, but the Japanese says “when the door … Continue reading

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