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Showing posts from November, 2009

Tolstoy, after Rousseau, on Knowledge and Wisdom

“Real wisdom is not the knowledge of everything, but the knowledge of which things in life are necessary, which are less necessary, and which are completely unnecessary to know. Among the most necessary knowledge is the knowledge of how to live well, that is, how to produce the least possible evil and the greatest goodness in one’s life. At present, people study useless sciences, but forget to study this, the most important knowledge.”

Eid-Al-Adha

كما توجد مبادئ (نواميس) طبيعيّة تسيطر على العالم المادّي، كذلك توجد مبادئ روحيّة تسيطر على علاقتك بالله. المبدأ الأوّل إنّ الله يحبّك ولديه خطّة مدهشة لحياتك. محبّة الله "الله محبّة ومن يثبت في المحبّة يثبت في الله والله فيه". (1 يوحنا 4: 16) خطّه الله قال يسوع: "أتيت لتكون لهم حياة وليكون لهم أفضل" (حياة ممتلئة وذات هدف) (يوحنا 10:10) لماذا لا يختبر معظم الناس هذه الحياة الفضلى؟

Look Higher

"Jacob lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold, Esau came, and with him four hundred men" (Gen. 33:1) Do not lift up your eyes and look for Esau’s. Those who look for troubles will not be long without finding trouble to look at. Lift them higher—to Him from whom our help cometh. Then you will be able to meet your troubles with an unperturbed spirit. Those who have seen the face of God need not fear the face of man that shall die. To have power with God is to have power over all the evils that threaten us. (F. B. Meyer)

Republic Proclamation Day (Brazil)

O AMOR DE DEUS " Pois Deus tanto amou o mundo que deu o seu Filho unigênito para que todo o que nele crer não pereça, mas tenha a vida eterna." (João 3:16) O PLANO DE DEUS Cristo afirma: "Eu vim para que tenham vida, e a tenham plenamente" (uma vida abundante e com propósito). (João 10:10) Por que a maioria das pessoas não está experimentando essa " vida abundante "?

Legendary Lost Persian Army Found in Sahara - Archaeology | Egyptology | Archeology - FOXNews.com

Legendary Lost Persian Army Found in Sahara - Archaeology Egyptology Archeology - FOXNews.com Posted using ShareThis

Reading and Understanding Wisdom Psalms (part 1)

“In church, question marks straighten out into exclamation points, the baffling day-by-day complexity of things becomes simple . . . ” (Robert & Helen Lynd, researchers of religion in America) Wisdom Psalms provide a look into the thoughts of someone who has deeply contemplated the perplexities of life. In a previous post we noted how Wisdom Psalms could be defined as a guide for living, advice on how to live in the way God has intended for us to live, in righteousness. ORIENTATION to a God-pleasing life. Through wisdom psalms we can learn about life as seen in their strong "lifestyle" elements (some are practical, while others are technical), emphasizing the behavior of one in right relationship with God. Wisdom Psalms could be subdivided into two categories: 1. Proverbial Wisdom, which consist of short, “pithy” sayings that state rules for personal happiness and welfare. Consider Psalm 34:13-14: " Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit. Dep

Real estate (11/6/2009)

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Reading and Understanding the Psalms (part 4)

A Note Concerning Poetic Language in the Psalms One feature that Hebrew poetry shares with Western poetry is the use of archaic words, or forms of words. This is a literary device used for effect. While emphasis is placed on words or phrases by means of structure, an additional emphasis can be made through the choice of words through the inspired writer. Understanding when these words occur takes a little bit of detective work, but the effort will be rewarding. One other feature about archaic words to consider: during the time of King James (1611) "prevent" did not have the same meaning it does today, so the wrong understanding of meaning even in English can be disasterous. Compare Psalm 21:3, 59:10 and 79:8 in various versions, starting with King James. Once we are able to identify the kind of parallelism (if any, see previous post), we will appreciate the need for synonymns and/or archaic language in the text. One simply cannot use just "ordinary" language in poet

Reading and Understanding the Psalms (part 3)

Elements of Hebrew Poetry We understand the book of Psalms to be "wisdom literature" and think of the collection as poetry, but have you noticed that no lines rhyme? This is where we get to think Hebrew, and not like a Westerner. The Hebrew language DOES have repetition and alliteration, but if there is rhyme in English, it is accidental--unless you are reading an old English Psalter, where all the psalms were re-written to be sung in rhyme. The poetic language of Hebrew is loaded with "learning helps" as it is meant for the hearer (remember that most early audiences were illiterate). We will not see this in English, but in Psalm 23, the Hebrew word for "shepherd" and "evil" sound very similar ("ro-e", "ra-a") and to the untrained eye, look nearly identical. The English misses the implication of the poetry, which is this: while the LORD is my shepherd, fear is not. A word about Old Testament poetry: it is not confined t

Reading and Understanding the Psalms (part 2)

Special Concerns of Psalms Most Psalms are identified by what is called the "superscript," a fancy word for the “above writings” that help identify the psalm. For example, take a look at Psalm 3, just above verse 1 where it should read, " A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absolom his son ." This is not the editor’s title, but is actually part of the psalm itself, giving information about the psalm. The superscript gives us certain information, such as who wrote the psalms, who the psalm belongs to or why the psalm was written (see Psalm 18, for example). We may also find what kind of psalm this is, such as Psalm 142. There may also be some sort of musical instruction found in the superscript, such as Psalm 54. Some argue the superscript is not part of the inspired text. There is proof that some superscripts were placed during or after the exile (Ezra); nevertheless, it is noteworthy that the Hebrew Bible actually counts what we call the "superscript" as

Reading and Understanding the Psalms (part 1)

Noticing patterns is one important aspect to understand the psalms. As poetry, words and phrases intertwine to communicate in ways that prose cannot. While a general overview of the psalter may seem a dry excercise, if we keep "patterns" in mind, we may discover how this favored book of the Bible draws the reader study and is very much alive! Interestingly, some of the same patterns we find in the Psalter also surface in other places in scripture, such as the Prophets and in other poetic passages, so studying the Psalms can inform our study of other passages as well. The name "Psalms" comes from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Hebrew scripture), as "psalmoi" and suggests the idea of "songs." The Hebrew name for the book, tehillim , connotes the idea of "praises" or "songs of praises." The Psalter as a whole is a collection of 5 books and the editor of your Bible may have already noted these collections: Book 1: Psalm