" The gatekeepers are thus attempting to protect the fortress by expressing to those who attempt to tear at it that He who dwells inside will have none of it.) The purpose of this action, as the next verse tells us, is to bring down a "person of prominence." Prominence is thus granted to that individual from without, through his trust in God. But the word "prominence" is also etymologically linked

Exegesis of Psalm 142 Is complaint against God a valid form of prayer? This seems to be a valid reading of Psalm 142. Bernhard W. Anderson classifies Psalm 142 as one of the Psalms of "individual lament" (223). This distinguishes it from those psalms which express collective lament, a sense of communal complaint to God on the part of the Jews. But in Psalm 142, the lament is by one man

Exegesis on Job SERMON/EXEGESIS ON JOB "There's always someone playing Job." Archibald Macleish wrote back in the 1950s. "There must be thousands...millions and millions of mankind Burned, crushed, broken, mutilated, slaughtered, and for what?" This is a sentiment we can all identify with today. This last month the world was rocked by a serious of disasters. There are almost 40,000 people dead from the killer tsunami, and many of these we can be

A parable: an earthly story with a heavenly meaning Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for parabol? (Blue Letter Bible. "Dictionary and Word Search for parabol? ) Stacy reports that in the pseudepigraphical document known as the Book of Enoch that the following story, conspicuous parallel to the parable in Luke occurs, which may predate Jesus' account. Woe unto you who gain silver and gold by unjust means; you will then

They are curious. Philip is a bit unsure of himself, so he consults with Andrew, and together they lead the Greeks to Jesus. 5 Jesus spoke to his disciples, not minding the others, and this was a critical announcement of his final hour. There have been inferences before, but this passage is very clear cut about the final hour. He uses the lesson of the grain of wheat dying in the grouind, so

The term conversion would be etymologically closer (Blenkinsopp 84) By the charge of acting without principle (verses 25 and 29), the Israelites accused God of punishing the innocent along with the guilty. Implicit in his rejection of the charge is Ezekiel's belief that all deserved the punishment that had come upon the nation. The opportunity for each generation to live or die according to its own behavior is now extended