"Praise the comely for the upright" (Ps. 33:1). Two old English words which sound alike present a real study in contrast: homely and comely. Homely, unfortunately, has in our day taken on the meaning of "unattractive, dowdy, lacking in beauty." Originally, however,...

"Your teeth are life a flock of shorn sheep Which have come up from the washing..." (Song of Solomon 4:2 NKJ). "Sheep which have come up from the washing." What a beautiful picture of the Christian Church. Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. We are the sheep who follow...

"Jesus answered, 'A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean...'" (John 13:10 NIV). During the time I was growing up, my family attended a church that could be called "the guilt center." The unconscious thinking seemed to be,...

"Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you; He shall never permit the righteous to be moved" (Ps. 55:22 NKJ). This verse has a lot to say to us about personal challenge and encouragement. Its three main power words are: 1) cast 2) burden 3) sustain...

"The rain is over and gone…The time of singing has come..." (Song of Solomon 2:11-12 NKJ). The original King James Version reads: "...the time of the singing of birds has come.... The phrase "of birds" is italicized to indicate that these words were not in...

"Be my strong habitation, To which I may resort continually..." (Psalm 71:3 NKJ). This word resort is an interesting one. Embodied in it is the idea of a place where we can get away from the daily hassle of life. One translation of this verse says: "You are a great...

"Jesus therefore when he saw her weeping, and the Jews who were with her weeping, he groaned in spirit, and troubled himself" (John 11:33 IGENT). Jesus...troubled himself. The force of this word appears to be that the Lord related humanly as well as divinely to the...

"So the Spirit lifted me up and took me away, and I went in bitterness, in the heat of my spirit; but the hand of the Lord was strong upon me" (Ezek. 3:14 NKJ). This verse is an unusual blend of divine action and human response. Ezekiel was in captivity with the...

"My soul followeth hard after thee..." (Ps. 63:8). The Septuagint Greek Old Testament renders this verse: "My soul has been glued to you..." The verb in this sentence is a word which has to do with adhesive qualities. When we say we are going to "stick" with...

"Your gentleness has made me great" (Ps. 18:35 NKJ). Part Two There are two main words for great in the Old Testament. One has to do with greatness in the eyes of man. The other speaks of greatness in the eyes of the Lord. One indicates an undesirable motive of...