Ezekiel 16:6,8, “When I passed by you and saw you wallowing in your blood, I said to you in your blood, ‘Live!’”…When I passed by you again…I spread the corner of my garment over you and covered your nakedness; I made my vow to you and entered into covenant with you, declares YHWH […]
Ezekiel 3:12, ‘Blessed be the glory of YHWH from His place!’ These are the words declared by the four Cherubim who stand by the glittering wheels of the divine throne. Now, what does it mean to declare the glory of YHWH blessed from its place? The ‘from’ is expressed by the Greek εκ, and
Exodus 17:7, ‘…they tested YHWH by saying, ‘is YHWH among us (ἐν ἡμῖν) or not?’’ This is the final verse in the account of Moses striking the rock so that water might be given to the people in the wilderness. Just as a little background: The people are grumbling and demanding water, so Moses cries
Habakkuk 2:14, ‘…the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the glory of YHWH as the waters cover the sea’. Habakkuk does not say that the earth ‘may’ be, or ‘could’ be filled with the knowledge of the glory of YHWH, he—and so the Spirit of God through him—says that it *shall be.* Whatever
Exodus 3:2, ‘And the angel of YHWH appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush.’ The Hebrew word used for ‘bush’ here (סְנֶה) derives from a root that means ‘to prick’, and so it is thought to indicate some sort of thorn bush. It would seem, then, that
Genesis 11:4, “…let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” Here are the roots of Babylon—the “world-spirit” that will oppose YHWH and His people until the end of history. Notice what is at the heart of the spirit of Babel: a desire to put
Isaiah 50:4-6, “YHWH God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary…He awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught…and I was not rebellious; I turned not backward. I gave my back to those who strike,
Psalm 22:23-24, ‘…stand in awe of Him…FOR He has not despised or abhorred the affliction of the afflicted, and He has not hidden His face from him, but has heard when he cried to Him.’ Verse 24 (starting with “For He…”) gives the reason that YHWH is to be praised, glorified, and stood in awe
Isaiah 57:15, “For thus says the One who is high and lifted up… ‘I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite.’” The Hebrew translated “contrite” is דכא,
Isaiah 52:15, “Kings shall shut their mouths because of him, for that which has not been told them they see, and that which they have not heard they understand.” Isaiah anticipates a day when the kings of the nations will come to understand something that had previously been unknown to them and that—upon understanding it—they
Isaiah 50:10-11, “Let him who walks in darkness and has no light trust in the name of YHWH and rely on his God. Behold, all you who kindle a fire, who equip yourselves with burning torches! Walk by the light of your fire, and by the torches you have kindled!” Are we in darkness?
Isaiah 6:6, “…one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.” Isaiah sees the Lord “high and lifted up” on the throne of His glory (6:1), and at this sight he—rightly—assumes that his life is forfeit…he is a sinful man
Job 28:12, “But where shall wisdom be found? And where is the place of understanding?” The first 11 verses of chapter 28 employ the imagery of a mine with deep shafts and searching tunnels as an example of humanity’s ability to find the “thing that is hidden” and bring it “out to the light.”
Revelation 4:5, “And from the throne came flashes of lightning and rumblings and peals of thunder, and before the throne were burning seven torches of fire, which are the seven Spirits of God.” Much to say here…perhaps I’ll eventually have a whole dissertation in which to say it. Let me just touch on some
Rev. 5:6, “…I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain…” I’m not even going to try to delve into the richness of John’s Lamb imagery in such a short post (I’ll get into that during the live Q&A tomorrow). Rather, I’m just going to take a few moments to explain why
1 John 5:1: “Everyone believing that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God…” Here John says that everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God. Notice that verse 4 of this chapter explains that everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. Therefore, we can
2 Chronicles 5:13, “…when the song was raised…‘For He is good, for His steadfast love endures forever,’ the house—the house of YHWH—was filled with a cloud…” YHWH’s goodness and steadfast love (covenant faithfulness) are on full display in this passage. What is the Lord’s goodness but His giving of Himself to His people? And
1 John 4:14-15, “And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him and he in God.” John is here saying the same thing in two complimentary ways. To confess Jesus
Isaiah 6:3, “And one called to another and said, ‘Holy, holy, holy is YHWH of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!’” In Scripture, holiness is often associated with otherness and separateness (a holy vessel is separate from common vessels etc.), so we might assume that the perfect (threefold) holiness of YHWH
John 8:12, “I am the light of life, the one following me does by no means walk in the darkness, but has the light of life.” Jesus says that the one who follows Him will have the “light of life.” I’m taking that to mean “the reality-illuminating revelation of who God is, whom to know
