Thursday, November 21, 2024

Let All Together Praise Our God

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389 Let All Together Praise Our God 1 Let all together praise our God    Upon his lofty throne,    For he uncloses heaven today    And give...
Wednesday, November 20, 2024

A gloss does not a meaning make

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Now, having arrived at a second plausible gloss, we are no closer to the meaning of the Niphal, because a workable gloss should not be confu...

Ought to, you should—or You will know?

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Israel’s judiciary system, like that throughout the ANE, was based on the wisdom of the judges, not on legislation. It involved a dynamic in...

Away in a Manger

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384 Away in a Manger 1 Away in a manger, no crib for a bed,    the little Lord Jesus laid down His sweet head;    the stars in the heavens ...
Tuesday, November 19, 2024

It ain't the law, kids

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The term Torah is universally acknowledged to refer to instruction. In fact, there is no Hebrew word for “law” (= legislation), and now it ...

Tozer for Tuesday

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Whatever makes God less important or less wonderful or less glorious or less mighty is not of God. The whole purpose of God in redemption an...

All My Heart This Night Rejoices

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379 All My Heart This Night Rejoices 1. All my heart this night rejoices,    As I hear, far and near, sweetest angel voices;    Christ is b...
Monday, November 18, 2024

Really, I'm a good king! And here's proof…

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The relief at the top of the stele of Hammurabi depicts the king standing before the god Shamash, the deity responsible for order and justic...

God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen

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378 God Rest You Merry, Gentlemen 1 God rest you merry, gentlemen,    let nothing you dismay,    remember Christ our Savior    was born on ...
Saturday, November 16, 2024

Book of Books, Our People's Strength

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370 Book of Books, Our People's Strength 1. Book of books, our people’s strength    Statesman’s, teacher’s, hero’s treasure,    Bringin...
Friday, November 15, 2024

What? Another list?!

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In raw form the lists are pedagogical. When embedded between prologue and epilogue as in Hammurabi’s stele, they serve as an accountability ...

Father of Mercies, in Thy Word

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367 Father of Mercies, in Thy Word 1 Father of mercies, in Thy word,    What endless glory shines!    Forever be Thy name adored    For the...
Thursday, November 14, 2024

They will know it when they see it…

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Our modern case law describes precedent that sets limits on what kinds of rulings the lawyers and the judges are allowed to make. Ancient le...

Wake, awake, for night is flying

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366 Wake, awake, for night is flying 1 Wake, awake, for night is flying,    the watchmen on the heights are crying;    awake, Jerusalem, at...
Wednesday, November 13, 2024

Popularity isn't everything

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For all the popularity of Hammurabi’s collection, it is never cited in a court document as providing the basis for the judge’s decision. In ...

The heavens declare thy glory, Lord

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365 The heavens declare thy glory, Lord 1 The heavens declare thy glory, Lord    In every star thy wisdom shines;    But, in the volume of ...
Tuesday, November 12, 2024

Descriptive—or Prescriptive?

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Specifically, we began to treat the Torah as if it were prescriptive, codified legislation, though that concept did not exist in the ancient w...

Tozer for Tuesday

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Whatever makes God less important or less wonderful or less glorious or less mighty is not of God. The whole purpose of God in redemption an...

The People That in Darkness Sat

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361 The People That in Darkness Sat 1 The people that in darkness sat    A glorious light have seen;    The light has shined on them who lo...
Monday, November 11, 2024

Read the text!

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We can begin to understand the claims of the text as an ancient document first of all by paying close attention to what the text says and doe...