thoughts

August 3, 2017

Daniel explains to the king his dream (Dan 2:29-2:30)

“‘To you!

O king!

As you lay in bed,

Thoughts came

Of what would be

Hereafter.

The revealer

Of the mysteries

Disclosed to you

What is to be.

But as for me,

This mystery

Has not been revealed

To me,

Because of any wisdom

That I have

More than any other living being.

But rather

That the interpretation

May be made known

To the king.

Thus,

You may understand

The thoughts

Of your mind.’”

Daniel addressed the king directly. As the king was laying in his bed, these thoughts from the revealer of all mysteries were disclosed to him. Now Daniel was not any wiser than anyone else, but God had revealed to him this mystery. Thus, the interpretation of the king’s dreams might be made known to him. The king then could understand his own thoughts.

October 10, 2016

The gathering in Jerusalem (Isa 66:18-66:18)

“I know their works.

I know their thoughts.

I am coming to gather all the nations.

I will gather all tongues.

They shall come.

They shall see my glory.”

There will be one great reunion at Jerusalem. Yahweh was going to gather all their works and thoughts from all the nations, no matter what language they spoke. They all would come to see the glory of Yahweh.

September 24, 2016

A call to repent (Isa 55:6-55:7)

“Seek Yahweh

While he may be found!

Call upon him

While he is near!

Let the wicked forsake their ways!

Let the unrighteous forsake their thoughts!

Let them return to Yahweh!

Thus he may have mercy on them.

Let them return to our God!

Thus he will abundantly pardon them.”

Second Isaiah wants people to seek and call upon the Lord, Yahweh, because he is still near and can be found. The wicked and the unrighteous should give up their evil ways and thoughts. They should return to the Lord because he is merciful and pardons abundantly.

June 3, 2016

The repayment of the Lord (Sir 35:22-35:26)

“The Lord will not delay.

Like a warrior,

He will not be patient.

He will crush

The loins of the unmerciful.

He repays vengeance

On the nations.

He will destroy

The multitude of the insolent.

He breaks

The scepters of the unrighteous.

He will repay mortals

According to their deeds.

He will repay the works of all

According to their thoughts.

He will judge

The case of his people.

He will make them rejoice

In his mercy.

His mercy is as welcome

In time of distress,

As clouds of rain

In time of drought.”

According to Sirach, the Lord will not delay in bringing about justice. He will be like a warrior without patience. He will crush the backs of the unmerciful ones. He will take vengeance on the various countries. He will destroy the multitude of insolent people as he will break the scepters of the unrighteous. He will repay mortals according to their deeds and thoughts. He will judge his people so that they will rejoice in his mercy that is like a cloud of rain during a drought. The vengeance of God will come upon the earth.

March 3, 2016

Be careful about what you say (Eccl 10:18-10:20)

“Through negligent sloth

The roof sinks in.

Through negligent indolence

The house leaks.

Feasts are made for laughter.

Wine gladdens life.

Money meets every need.

Do not curse the king,

Even in your thoughts.

Do not curse the rich,

Even in your bedchamber.

A bird of the air

May carry your voice.

Some winged creature tells the matter.”

Qoheleth reminds us that if we negligent and lazy, the roof will sink in and our house will leak. In an interesting comment on life, he says that feasts were made for laughter. Wine adds gladness to our lives, just as money meets every need, or more or less solves all problems. Then he reminded people to be careful about their words and thoughts. Do not even think about cursing the king. Don’t say anything about the rich even in your bedroom. The reason is that a little bird may carry you voice to someone who might not like what you are thinking or saying. The same is true for some winged creature who might reveal what you were saying and thinking.

January 20, 2016

The righteous (Prov 12:5-12:11)

“The thoughts of the righteous are just.

But the advice of the wicked is treacherous.

The words of the wicked are a deadly ambush.

But the speech of the upright delivers them.

The wicked are overthrown.

They are no more.

But the house of the righteous will stand.

One is commended for good sense.

But a perverse mind is despised.           

Better to be a common despised man,

Who works for himself,

Than to be self important,

But lack food.

The righteous know the need of their animals.

But the mercy of the wicked is cruel.

Those who till their land will have plenty of food.

But those who follow worthless pursuits have no sense.”

Here we have a description of the righteous person. The thoughts of the righteous are just. On the other hand, the advice and the words of the wicked are treacherous and set an ambush. The upright speech of the righteous will help them to escape. Even though the wicked will be overthrown, the house of the righteous will continue to stand because they have good sense. The wicked are despised. It is better to work for yourself than pretend to be self important without any good. The righteous take good care of their animals. Even the mercy of the wicked is cruel. If you till the land, you will have plenty of food. However, if you pursuit worthless things, you are senseless.

December 26, 2015

My time in the womb (Ps 139:13-139:18)

“You formed my inward parts.

You knit me together in my mother’s womb.

I praise you!

I am fearfully made.

I am wonderfully made.

Wonderful are your works!

I know them very well.

My frame was not hidden from you.

I was being made in secret.

I was intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.

In your book were written

All the days that was formed for me,

When none of them as yet existed.

How weighty to me are your thoughts!

O God!

How vast is the sum of them!

If I would count them,

They are more than the sand.

I come to the end.

I am still with you.”

In beautiful colorful language, David, the psalmist, describes his life in the womb, and how he came to be. He was knit together in the womb of his mother by Yahweh. Thus pregnancy is time of knitting. He was made in secret as Yahweh intricately wove him in the depths of the womb. Earth was like the womb. He praised Yahweh for the wonderful work he had become, even as an unformed substance in the womb of his mother. Yahweh had this book of life where he kept track of his future days here on earth. The thoughts of Yahweh are so vast and deep that they cannot be counted because they are like the sands of the seashore. Even now, that his life is now ending, he still was with Yahweh. This is a masterful section about the womb as a place where Yahweh was knitting and weaving the human before his birth. What a powerful argument against abortion.

November 17, 2015

The great works of Yahweh (Ps 92:5-92:9)

“How great are your works!

Yahweh!

Your thoughts are very deep!

The dullard cannot know this.

The stupid cannot understand this.

The wicked sprout like grass.

All evildoers flourish.

They are doomed to destruction forever.

But you are on high forever!

Yahweh!

Your enemies!

Yahweh!

Your enemies shall perish.

All evildoers shall be scattered.”

The works of Yahweh are great. His thoughts are very deep. The dullards and stupid people do not know and understand this. The wicked and the evildoers are flourishing like grass. However, they are doomed to eternal destruction. Yahweh is on high forever and thus his enemies will perish. All the evildoers will be scattered.

August 9, 2015

Morning prayer (Ps 5:1-5:3)

“To the choirmaster leader for the flutes, a psalm of David.

Give ear to my words!

Yahweh!

Give heed to my sighing!

Listen to the sound of my cry!

My King and my God!

To you do I pray!

Yahweh!

In the morning

You hear my voice.

I plead my case to you.

I watch in the morning.”

Once again this Psalm 5 is a psalm of David with a choirmaster leader. However, this time it is for flutes, not stringed instruments. This is a morning prayer as opposed to the preceding psalm that was an evening prayer. David once again asked to be heard, not only his voice but his sighing thoughts. Yahweh is clearly king and God. David prayed to him. He pleaded his case as if in some liturgical ceremony. He was watchful as the morning began.

July 10, 2015

Job attacks his friends (Job 13:1-13:12)

“Look!

M eye has seen all this.

My ear has heard and understood it.

What you know,

I also know.

I am not inferior to you.

But I would speak to the Almighty Shaddai.

I desire to argue my case with God.

As for you,

You whitewash with lies.

All of you are worthless physicians.

If you would only keep silent,

That would be your wisdom!

Hear now my reasoning!

Listen to the pleadings of my lips!

Will you speak falsely for God?

Will you speak deceitfully for him?

Will you show partiality toward him?

Will you plead the case for God?

Will it be well with you when he searches you out?

Can you deceive God?

As one person deceives another?

God will surely rebuke you,

If in secret you show partiality.

Will not his majesty terrify you?

Will the dread of him fall upon you?

Your maxims are proverbs of ashes.

Your defenses are defenses of clay.”

Once again, Job made a strong defense of himself. He had eyes and ears. He was not inferior to his friends as they had made him out to be. He wanted to argue his case before the almighty Shaddai, but all he had were his friends. He turned on them saying that they were liars and worthless physicians. They would have shown their wisdom by keeping silent. He wanted them to listen to him. Why did they speak falsely and deceitfully for God? Did they think that they could deceive God like any other person? Are they not afraid of this majesty? Their thoughts are like proverbs of ashes and clay. Job had finally turned on them in earnest.