Carolyn E. Jacobs

In Psalm 23, David calls Yahweh his Roeh, his shepherd. Yahweh is my Roeh.     I am never in need.         He makes me lie down in green pastures.         He leads me beside peaceful waters.         He renews my soul.         He guides me along the paths of righteousness             for the sake of his name. – Psalm 23:1-3, Names of God version Why did Yahweh make himself known to David as a shepherd? David was a shepherd. He knew what it took to be a good shepherd. He knew it didn’t involve lying in the grass, blowing the parachutes off dandelions all day. David replied to Saul, “I…

I hope this AI generated image makes you chuckle. It did me. Move over, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. Here’s Simon, the Rock, Peter. The name we’re studying this week is Yahweh Tsuri, The Lord is my Rock. Tsur means rock, cliff, boulder – a place of refuge and strength. And Jesus decided to give Simon, Andrew’s brother and John’s business partner, a new name. Peter.  (Cephas in Greek.) Rock. Jesus nicknamed Peter, often the Keystone Kop of the disciples, a Rock. Chuck Missler used to say Peter’s M. O. was, “Ready, fire, aim.” Throughout the Gospels, we chuckle or cringe as Peter lurches between bravado and bumbling. I relate to…

We’re looking at Yahweh Tsur, The Lord is My Rock, this week. A whole host of images and references have been tumbling around in my brain. Tsur means cliff, boulder, big rock – a place of shelter, refuge. But what other rock or stone references do we see in the Bible? Today we’re looking at some uncomfortable ones. Did you know our phrase “stumbling block” originated with the Bible? It’s up there with “handwriting on the wall” or “casting pearls before swine” or “fly in the ointment” – phrases you’re familiar with but may not realize they’re in the Bible. You shall not curse a person who is deaf, nor put a stumbling block before a person who…

The name Yahweh Tsur, The Lord is My Rock, is first used in Psalm 144. Thank Yahweh, my Tsur, who trained my hands to fight and my fingers to do battle. Psalm 144:1, Names of God version David knows he can rely on Yahweh, his Rock In the Bible we find lots of words translated rock or stone or boulder. Tsur, H6697, is a boulder or rocky wall or cliff. Not something you throw, but something you take refuge in. Moses used tsur for the first time to describe the rock at Horeb. “Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb; and you shall strike the…

Elisha answered, “Don’t be afraid. We have more forces on our side than they have on theirs.” 2 Kings 6:16 The name this week is Yahweh Tsebeaoth, the Lord of Hosts. Does Martin Luther’s hymn come to mind? You ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is he; Lord Sabaoth his name, from age to age the same; and he must win the battle. – from A Mighty Fortress is our God Other images from the hymn are mighty fortress and bulwark. Those make me think of David’s descriptions – strong tower, refuge. Or this proverb – The name of Yahweh is Migdal-Oz. (strong tower) A righteous person runs to it and…