The phrase “he makes me lie down in green pastures” comes from Psalm 23:2, which reads in full: “He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” This beloved psalm describes God as a shepherd caring for his sheep. The metaphor of God as a shepherd and believers as sheep is found throughout Scripture (e.g. John 10:11, Hebrews 13:20, 1 Peter 2:25). Let’s explore the meaning and significance of this particular verse. 1. The Lord provides rest To “lie down” conveys the idea of resting, being still, ceasing work. Sheep naturally lie down when they…
Author: Emma Price
In John 4:10, Jesus has an encounter with a Samaritan woman at a well. He asks her for a drink, and she is surprised that a Jewish man would speak to a Samaritan woman. Jesus responds to her surprise by saying, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.” There are a few key things to understand about this verse: 1. The gift of God refers to eternal life through Jesus Throughout John’s gospel, he…
The Platinum Rule is an expansion of the Golden Rule that most people are familiar with. The Golden Rule states that we should treat others the way we would want to be treated. The Platinum Rule takes this a step further and says we should treat others the way they would want to be treated. This requires empathy, perspective-taking, and understanding of others’ preferences that goes beyond the Golden Rule. The concept of the Platinum Rule originated in Dr. Tony Alessandra’s book The Platinum Rule: Discover the Four Basic Business Personalities and How They Can Lead You to Success. In…
The phrase “windows of heaven” appears in Genesis 7:11 in reference to the great flood during the time of Noah. This verse states that “the windows of the heavens were opened” when the flood began. The mention of “windows of heaven” is a symbolic or metaphorical way of describing the event, not a literal statement about actual windows in the sky. Here is an explanation of what this phrase means in context: 1. It refers to the opening up of the heavenly waters above the earth. In the ancient Near Eastern worldview, the heavens were seen as a huge vault…
The verse in Proverbs 3:6 states “In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” This is a promise from God that when we acknowledge Him and seek His will in all areas of our life, He will guide us and direct our paths in life. Here are some key things to understand about what it means that God will make our paths straight: 1. God guides those who seek Him This verse is not implying that if we acknowledge God, our lives will be without troubles or difficulties. However, it is saying that when we…
The Bible does not give a detailed account of where Jesus was and what he was doing during the three days between his death and resurrection. However, based on the scriptural evidence, we can piece together a general timeline and some key events that took place during this important period. Jesus’ Death Jesus was crucified on the day of Preparation, just before the Sabbath (Mark 15:42). He died around the ninth hour, or 3 PM (Matthew 27:45-50). After his death, a man named Joseph of Arimathea boldly went to Pilate to request Jesus’ body for burial. Joseph, along with Nicodemus,…
The topic of whether angels sing is an interesting one that the Bible does shed some light on. While the Bible does not explicitly state that angels sing, there are verses that indicate they do praise God vocally. Let’s take a look at what the Bible has to say about this topic. Descriptions of angelic praise There are several passages in the Bible that describe angels praising God, often vocally. For example, in Luke 2:13-14 when Jesus was born, the angels appeared to the shepherds saying “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom…
