I ahve to say, your baby is a lucky one to have been cared for by Dr. Mary. She is *dedicated* to those little babies in a big way. I had the privilage of caring for a few of “her” babies when we were in Ethiopia.

Jesus makes it clear that the Scriptures are the very Words of God, from the first Word of the Bible to the Last Word, and that He is the fulfillment of those Words.

Jesus spoke in parables to the Jews to fulfill Scripture but explained the meaning to the disciples, which was recorded for our knowledge as well.

If any are in doubt, please ask God to give you wisdom and understanding; to open up your hearts, eyes & hears and pick up your Bible and read what God really said and what really has happened in history.

“And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” 2 Timothy 3:16

“And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you;

As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.

Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own stedfastness.” 2Peter 3:15-17

Love in Christ,
Christine

“His ways are not our ways”
and
“Now we see through a mirror dimly…”

I wonder that our interpretation of blessed isn’t somewhat different than God’s. I’m not entirely sure america is a blessed nation or that she is anymore or better blessed that Ethiopia and other nations. Differently blessed, maybe. American’s suffer from a hardness and a blindness that I don’t think I’ve seen as much of in other nations. I wonder if that isn’t the burden that Americans carry and when God sees us He sees us no different than the widow and the orphan.

No real answer for children begging bread- I’m sure David didn’t and maybe that vs. was meant to apply to David’s time literally.

But the righteous forsaken, I don’t believe God “forsakes” the righteous. He holds them nearer and has a plan we can make no sense of. That is the knowledge I try to keep very fresh at hand on hard days. I’m very thankful things aren’t according to my plan but God’s.
7:04 PM”

Of course, the Bible is alive, and every word of it applies to every one of us every minute of our lives, whether we can see it or not.

IMO, King David did not speak literally of “bread” because we all know of plenty of people who have to beg for food (mostly in other countries.)

The point A Moore makes so beautifully in her answer is that the REAL poverty (of spirit) is found more in America than on any country on earth.

So I’m back after a full day, and and article that refuses to be written even though the deadline fast approaches. I love these comments.

First rule of Biblical Exegesis, even before context is….genre, genre, genre. You don’t say things the same way in poetry as you do in an a research paper on WWI right. If you write a poem about WWI but say for example that it rained bullets, no one would expect that the clouds themselves poured down bullets upon the earth now would they? But would the poem be false, simply because you have used a metaphor instead of plain literal language? Would anyone say, no, it didn’t happen exactly like that, that poem isn’t true?

Well, the Psalms are poems, not histories, or economic manifestos. That right there pretty much solves the problem for me because I don’t read it as a literal promise for the material future of all those who trust God. It isn’t meant to say that. It’s a superlative statement.

First of all, the Psalm is an acrostic. Each stanza begins with the next letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s primarily a literary endeavour.

If you read the entire Psalm, you may notice that the rest of it looks forward to some day when God will deal with the wicked. “the Lord laughs at the wicked for he knows that their day is coming.”vs. 13 TNIV

This verse falls in between several verses that essentially say, “Someday the wicked are gonna get theirs, so don’t fret, obey, and someday you will inherit the land forever.” Don’t you love my clever paraphrasing?

As a statement of truth I think the Psalm looks forward to the day when this is true, including the verse in question. It’s a description of the way things ought to be, of what the kingdom of God will look like. Does that make it less true if it’s not what we see happening all around us? Is God’s plan for his kingdom, his people, made less good by the fact that the wicked continue to fight against it?

“The kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”

The way I understand most of the Bible it’s the story of the ongoing battle between God establishing His kingdom through people who choose to obey and work toward the promise of a kingdom that lives in men’s hearts and minds, and those who are evil and give into evil and selfishness and oppose it. And through out echoing over and over again is that promise that all will come right in the end. This falls into the promise category for me.

Aunt KT