Building on the Foundation

It's been a hot minute since I visited the Psalms, but other projects have consumed my time and attention, from the three-part study on the clean and unclean laws to my upcoming history and study of feminism and communism. There's only so much time to study and write, so some projects get more attention than others. I'm quite excited about the upcoming post about feminism, and I learned a lot while doing the research for it and writing it, so I think it will at least be thought-provoking and hopefully educational. Stay tuned for that one. Without further ado, here are my thoughts on Psalm 6! Slash! The blood gushed out of the gaping gash in the neck of the massive bull and gurgled as it splashed sparkling red into the golden bowl. The giant bull's head slumped to the ground and the priest rose to his feet. He turned toward the door of the tent, took a deep breath, and prepared to enter, a thick rope dragging along behind him.  Atonement for sin used to be quite a compl...

 Matthew 19:24, Mark 10:25, and Luke 18:25 contain the following statement from Yeshua/Jesus: “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Though the meaning is clear, the analogy is somewhat puzzling. The meaning is straightforward enough: it's very difficult for a wealthy man to enter the Kingdom of God. Prizing one's physical possessions may distract us from following God, and may even give us the illusion that we don't need God. For this reason, we find the following prayer in the Book of Proverbs: "Two things I request of You (deprive me not before I die): Remove falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches— feed me with the food allotted to me; lest I be full and deny You, and say, 'Who is the LORD?' Or lest I be poor and steal, and profane the name of my God" (Prov. 30:7-9). Why a camel passing through the eye of a needle, though? Some have suggested that "th...