Tag Archives: Bible Study

I am most familiar with the King James Version of the Bible. Growing up, it was the “official” Bible for our church use. The old English is comforting to me but sometimes I can become so familiar with a text that I miss some of the application. I ran across a newer translation of Isaiah 62:4 quoted in a Biblical fiction novel. The text struck me with its meaning.

The King James as I am familiar with it:

Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken;
neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate:
but thou shalt be called Hephzibah,
and thy land Beulah:
for the Lord delighteth in thee,
and thy land shall be married.
(KJV)

The NIV, which translates similiarly:

No longer will they call you Deserted,
or name your land Desolate.
But you will be called Hephzibah,
and your land Beulah;
for the Lord will take delight in you,
and your land will be married.
(NIV)

And the newer translation that touched me so much:

It will no longer be said to you, “Forsaken,”
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, “Desolate”;
But you will be called, “My delight is in her,”
And your land, “Married”;
For the Lord delights in you,
And to Him your land will be married.
(NASB)

The text is speaking of Israel after the nation had wandered away from God. I wonder if it can be personally applied to me.

Could it be understood like this?

“Cassandra, it will no longer be said to you, ‘forsaken.’
Nor to your land will it any longer be said, ‘desolate’;
But you will be called, “Cassandra, My delight is in her,’
And your land, ‘Married”;
For the Lord delights in you, Cassandra,
And to Him your land will be married.”

Is it possible the Lord delights in me? Fallen, often melancholy, sometimes judgmental, me? He delights in me?

I believe He does.

The LORD your God is in your midst, A victorious warrior.
He will exult over you with joy,
He will be quiet in His love,
He will rejoice over you with shouts of joy.
Zephaniah 3:17, NASB

What a wonderous God we serve!

I’m not going to add any commentary for my selection of this week’s memory verse. It’s just a personal reminder. Here it is:

It is better to dwell in a corner of the housetop,
than with a brawling woman in a wide house
Proverbs 21:9.

Amen.

I’ve been feeling rather inadequate lately. I seem to go through phases where I wonder if I’m enough for God. If I offer Him enough to make Him want to love me.

I know this feeling, this attitude isn’t Biblical. I know that God loves me. But sometimes I feel like I’m not enough. This week I want to memorize a promise that relates to how I’ve been feeling lately. Maybe it will pull me out of this slump.

I love those who love me,
and those who seek me find me
Proverbs 8:17.

O Lord, our Lord,
How excellent is Your name in all the earth,
Who have set Your glory above the heavens!

Psalm 8:1

It has been awhile (April) since I last picked a text to memorize. This week I decided to go with a praise. I aim to repeat this text every day as part of my morning worship and Bible reading. It is good to praise God because it helps me focus on what is important and everlasting – my heavenly Father. He is good!

He who walks righteously and speaks uprightly,
He who despises the gain of oppressions,
Who gestures with his hands, refusing bribes,
Who stops his ears from hearing of bloodshed,
And shuts his eyes from seeing evil:
He will dwell on high;
His place of defense will be the fortress of rocks;
Bread will be given him,
His water will be sure
Isaiah 33:15-16

I love this promise. There are so many beautiful promises in the Bible if we take the time to listen and read. It’s a long passage but I’m going to try to memorize it in one week. My other memory texts are going well.

When you memorize a text, do you test yourself by giving the passage location and seeing if you can recite the text from memory? That is my biggest challenge. Using this week’s passage as an example, if I ask myself: “What is Isaiah 33:15-16?” I draw a blank. But if I ask myself to finish the following passage: “He who walks righteously…” then I can recite the text. I can usually remember the book and chapter in which it’s found and possibly the verses. If I know the passage itself, I can usually find it in the Bible without much difficulty but have issues reciting a passage when given its location.

What is your favorite Bible promise?

As I read through the Old Testament, I am finding more and more promises that would be wonderful to memorize. When I find a text, I jot it down in my notes and then each week I pick one. This week, I’m memorizing a promise I read just this morning!

The Lord your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing
Zephaniah 3:17.

It’s such a beautiful promise. The Lord is in our midst! He is here, not distant. And He will save.

Amen! Praise the Lord!

Lamentations is another book I never thought I’d be memorizing texts from. However, when I read this passage, it really spoke to me.

Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed,
Because His compassions fail not.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness
Lamentations 3:22-23

The Lord’s mercies are new every morning. What a relief! I fall short of His glory every day and have to ask for forgiveness. This text promises that He will give new mercies every morning.

Praise the Lord!