transgressions

June 24, 2017

No more idol worship (Ezek 37:23-37:23)

“They shall never again

Defile themselves

With their idols,

With their detestable things,

Or with any

Of their transgressions.

But I will save them

From all the apostasies

Into which they have fallen.

I will cleanse them.

They shall be

My people.

I will be their God.”

Yahweh, via Ezekiel, laid down the law. There was to be no more idol worship. They were never again to defile themselves with all these detestable things. There would be no more transgressions. Yahweh was going to save them from the various evil ways or apostasies that they had fallen into. Yahweh was going to cleanse them. Thus, they might be truly his people. Yahweh was going to be their God. There would not be any questions about this.

September 26, 2016

The wicked ones (Isa 57:3-57:4)

“But as for you!

Come here!

You children of a sorceress!

You offspring of an adulterer!

You offspring of a whore!

Whom are you mocking?

Against whom

Do you open your mouth wide?

Against whom

Do you stick out your tongue?

Are you not

The children of transgression?

Are you not

The offspring of deceit?”

Now Third Isaiah has a tirade against the wicked Israelites. They are the children of sorceress, adulterers, and whores. What can you expect from them? They mock others. They open their mouths wide. They stick out their tongues. They are the children of transgressions and deceit. These are the illegitimate children of Israel, the apostates, those who do not follow the law, the wicked ones.

September 23, 2016

The servant of Yahweh suffers for us (Isa 53:4-53:6)

“Surely he has borne our infirmities.

He has carried our diseases.

Yet we accounted him stricken.

He was struck down by God.

He was afflicted.

But he was wounded for our transgressions.

He was crushed for our iniquities.

Upon him

Was the punishment

That made us whole.

By his bruises

We are healed.

All of us

Like sheep

Have gone astray.

We have turned

To our own way.

Yahweh has laid on him

The iniquity of us all.”

According to Second Isaiah, this suffering servant has become a scapegoat for all of us, at least the Israelites. He bears their infirmities and diseases. He suffers their illness for them. God has stricken and afflicted him. He was wounded for their transgressions and crushed for their sins. His punishment made them whole. His bruises healed them. They were like sheep that had gone astray. He carries the iniquity of all of them. Who is this servant? How can it be Israel saving Israel? You can see why the early Christian writers applied these same ideas about this suffering servant in Second Isaiah to Jesus Christ in a more universal appeal.

April 13, 2016

The punishment for the unrighteous (Wis 14:30-14:31)

“But just penalties

Will overtake them on two counts.

They thought wrongly

About God,

In devoting themselves to idols.

In deceit,

They swore unrighteously

Through contempt for holiness.

It is not the power of the things

By which people swear,

But the just penalty

For those who sin,

That always pursues the transgression

Of the unrighteous.”

These idol worshipers will be penalized for doing two evil things. First, they thought wrongly about God (περὶ Θεοῦ) in devoting themselves to idols (προσχόντες εἰδώλοις). Second, they swore unrighteously (ἀδίκως ὤμοσαν ἐν δόλῳ) in contempt of holy things. They will receive a just penalty for their sins, as these are the transgressions of the unrighteous (ἀδίκων).

February 17, 2016

Difficult people (Prov 29:21-29:24)

“A slave pampered from childhood,

Will come to a bad end.

One given to anger

Stirs up strife.

The hot head

Causes much transgression.

A person’s pride will bring humiliation.

Whoever is lowly in spirit

Will obtain honor.

To be a partner of a thief

Is to hate one’s own life.

One hears the victim’s curse,

But discloses nothing.”

Do not pamper a slave or servant from childhood, because there will not be a good ending. The angry hot head stirs up strife and causes a lot of transgressions. Pride will bring humiliation, while the humble will be honored. If you are involved with a thief, you must hate your own life. If you hear a victim cry and do nothing, you are as bad as the thief.

February 17, 2016

Discipline children (Prov 29:15-29:17)

“The rod and reproof give wisdom.

But a mother is disgraced by a neglected child.

When the wicked are in authority,

Transgressions increase.

But the righteous will look upon their downfall.

Discipline your children.

They will give you rest.

They will give delight to your heart.”

The children who get beat with the rod and rebuked will get wisdom. A mother will be in disgrace because of a neglected child. When the wicked are in charge, transgressions increase. However, the righteous wait for their downfall. If you discipline your children, they will give rest and delight to your heart. Discipline those kids!

January 30, 2016

The senseless (Prov 17:18-17:20)

“It is senseless

To give a pledge.

It is senseless

To becomes surety for a neighbor.

Whoever loves transgression

Loves strife.

Whoever builds a high threshold

Invites broken bones.

The crooked of mind do not prosper.

The perverse of tongue fall into calamity.”

Do not give a pledge for your neighbor. If you love transgressions, then get ready to love strife. If you build a high threshold, you are inviting danger because some tall strong people might come into your house to hurt you. This might also be a sign that you are showing pride. The crooked and the perverse do not prosper, but fall into calamity or danger.

January 20, 2016

Manual labor (Prov 12:12-12:14)

“The wicked covet the proceeds of wickedness.

But the root of the righteous bears fruit.

The evil are ensnared by the transgressions of their lips.

But the righteous escape from trouble.

From the fruit of the mouth

One is filled with good things.

Manual labor has its reward.”

Whatever the wicked covet, they will receive this wickedness. However, the righteous bear fruit because of their good roots. The evil ones get caught in their own verbal transgressions. The righteous escape from trouble, while the wicked seem to be caught up in it. You will be judged by the fruit of your mouth, what comes out.   Good things come out of the righteous mouth as opposed to the wicked mouth. Manual labor has its own reward.

November 27, 2015

Yahweh’s mercy (Ps 103:6-103:14)

“Yahweh works vindication.

Yahweh works justice

For all who are oppressed.

He made known

His ways to Moses.

He made known

His acts to the people of Israel.

Yahweh is merciful.

Yahweh is gracious.

Yahweh is slow to anger.

Yahweh abounds in steadfast love.

He will not always accuse.

He will not keep his anger forever.

He does not deal with us

According to our sins.

He does not repay us

According to our iniquities.

As the heavens are high above the earth,

So great is his steadfast love

Toward those who fear him.

As far as the east is from the west,

So far he removes our transgressions from us.

As a father has compassion

For his children,

So Yahweh has compassion

For those who fear him.

He knows how we were made.

He remembers that we are dust.”

David points out the mercy of Yahweh. Yahweh wants justice for the oppressed. He has shown his ways to Moses and Israel. He is merciful and gracious. He is slow to anger. He does not always accuse. He does not keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins and iniquities. His steadfast love is greater than the heavens above for those who fear him. He has removed our transgressions from the whole length of the earth. He is like a father who has compassion for his children. He knows that we were made from dust so that all that we have to do is fear him.

October 12, 2015

The wicked want to get David (Ps 59:3-59:4)

“Even now

They lie in wait for my life.

The mighty stir up strife against me.

There is no transgression!

There is no sin of mine!

Yahweh!

There is no fault of mine!

Yet they run.

They make ready.”

The evildoers or wicked ones were laying in wait to kill David. They wanted to stir up strife against him. However, David had no transgressions. He had not sinned. There was no fault in him. Nevertheless, they were running and getting ready for him.