I. 1. God Laughs: Divine Laughter in Scripture God laughing appears primarily in the Old Testament and often carries deep theological meaning. The Hebrew word often translated as “laugh” is צָחַק (tzachaq). Key passages: * Psalm 2:4 – “He who sits in the heavens laughs; the Lord holds them
I. 1. Psalm 88:9a: “My eye grows dim through sorrow; every day I call upon you, O LORD.” Hebrew: * (ʿênî) = my eye (singular) * Not עֵינַי my eyes (plural) This is not a grammatical accident. Biblical Hebrew is perfectly comfortable using the plural for physical eyes—and does
I. 1. Psalm 38:13–14 “But I am like a deaf man; I do not hear, like a mute man who does not open his mouth. I have become like a man who does not hear, and in whose mouth are no rebukes.” (ESV) Key features: * Deliberate silence * Refusal
I. 1. Psalm 38:21 — The Cry of Felt Abandonment “Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, be not far from me!” Mental posture: Experiential distress Key feature: God’s absence is felt, not doctrinally affirmed. Psalm 38 is penitential and embodied. David is overwhelmed—by sin, enemies,
While listening to a segment of the Joe Rogan podcast, I heard him and his guest reflect on what the exposure of names in the Epstein files has brought to light. His guest drops the following Latin and it got me thinking: Mundus vult decipi, ergo decipiatur “The world wants
I. 1. Memory in Scripture Is Never Neutral Biblically, remembering is not mental recall alone. It is relational, moral, and directional. To remember God is to live oriented toward Him To forget God is to live as though He were absent. This is why Scripture so often pairs remembering with
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I. The Texts Acts 3:19 (ESV) “Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” Leviticus 10:2 (NIV) “So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they
I. 🛐 What Are “Gates” in the Biblical World? In ancient Near Eastern cities, gates were more than entrances/exits — they were: * Centers of justice (where elders judged cases), * Seats of governance (royal and civic functions), * Symbols of access (to the city’s life, protection, and presence). In Zion/Jerusalem, this
I. 1. God Chooses What Humanity Rejects (1 Peter 2:4–7) Peter is drawing straight from Psalm 118 and Isaiah when he says: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus is rejected precisely because He does not match human criteria: * No political dominance * No spectacle of
I. 1. Who Origen Was (The Unavoidable Facts) Origen is the long shadow of Alexandria—brilliant, devoted, dangerous, indispensable. If Apollos shows Alexandria at its best under apostolic correction, Origen shows Alexandria at its limits once that tether loosens. Name: Origen of Alexandria Dates: c. AD 185–253 Location: Alexandria
I. 1. Basic Profile from Scripture (The Hard Data) Name: Apollōs (Ἀπολλῶς) Ethnicity: Jew Place of Birth: Alexandria, Egypt Primary Texts: * Acts 18:24–28 * 1 Corinthians 1–4 * Titus 3:13 Luke gives us a rare character sketch, not just a cameo—already a signal that Apollos mattered. “Now
I. 1. Desire Without Preparation: A Biblical Pattern Proverbs 24:27 “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house.” In wisdom literature, order matters. Wanting the “house” (relationship) before cultivating the “field” (character, discipline, self-control) leads to collapse. 🍎 Scripture repeatedly