-
A Heaping up of Individual Requests
… asking for something, occurs only peripherally in the Psalms, if at all. Almost always petitions of the Psalms are concerned with deliverance from acute trouble. We never meet what is so common and entirely natural in our modern prayers: a heaping up of individual requests. Claus Westermann, Psalms (Chapter 1, “The Community Psalm of…
-
God is Neither a Rescue Machine …
God is neither a rescue machine nor a supernatural force. God is a person, and one can ask him for help only when that personhood is taken seriously. Claus Westermann on the Community Psalm of Lament, Psalms (Chapter 1, “The Community Psalm of Lament”) Related – Check out some of my other Psalms posts from…
-
Psalm 1.4 – A Video Illustration of Chaff
Psalm 1.4 But not the wicked! They are like chaff driven by the wind. (NAB) Have you ever wondered what chaff being driven by the wind looks like? Of course, modern Africa is not Ancient Israel, but I doubt chaff being driven by the wind has changed much. Here is a video that shows chaff…
-
Isaiah 41 – An Interesting Translation Issue
I was reading the lectionary passage this morning from Isaiah 41 and came across an interesting translation issue in verse 14. The issue revolves around the translation of the word mªtey (sorry couldn’t find a superscript “e” in my special characters). So, I checked out the text in parallel versions. Isaiah 41.14 in Parallel Versions…
-
Psalm 103 & Prosperity Thought
I was reading Psalm 103 from the lectionary and was particularly struck today by verse three. It contains a pretty big, bold sounding statement that without looking I’m sure has probably been seized upon by prosperity preachers. Now, I would be the first to tell you that I think health-wealth and prosperity preaching is a…
-
Brueggemann on Metanarrative
This will be the last installment of me posting excerpts from An Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible. Overall it was a good read (as well as a quick one), though I enjoyed the first part of the book more than the latter. I think his analysis of YHWH as a partner in…
-
Brueggemann Quote on the Wisdom Traditions
I am still reading through Brueggeman’s An Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible. I will probably finish tomorrow, but I’ve been posting some quotes from the book I have thought noteworthy along the way (see HERE and HERE). I may post a more substantial review if I have the time (doubtful with thesis…
-
Brueggemann on the Canonizing Process
Have continued reading Brueggeman’s An Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible this afternoon. Since I didn’t get a great deal of Brueggemann in seminary I didn’t realize how quotable he is. Some of this may be old hat to some of my readers, but I liked this little gem from chapter 2 (sorry,…
-
Another Excellent Post on Ancient Hebrew by John Hobbins
John Hobbins has written another excellent post on Ancient Hebrew entitled “Biblical Terms for the Language of the Land of Judah.” Many people refer to the language of the Hebrew Bible in a variety of ways; however, this post looks at how the language is referred to in the Biblical texts themselves. He then takes…
-
Brueggemann on the Defining Category for Faith in the Old Testament
I started reading Walter Brueggemann’s An Unsettling God: The Heart of the Hebrew Bible this afternoon. And, I thought this line from the Preface worthy of quotation: This suggests that the defining category for faith in the Old Testament is dialogue, whereby all parties-including God- are engaged in a dialogic exchange that is potentially transformative…