Musings From A Rolling Eyed Turtle

Did you have a heartthrob at some point in your life? A heartthrob, by the way, is someone who is considered to be an object of romantic desire. The word is also often used in the phrase “ teen heartthrob” , referring to a young person, especially a musician or actor, who is the object of teenagers’ romantic affection. Even the Old Testament seems to have a precursor to that!   Really?   Take a look at what Isaiah said in chapter 60:   “your heart will throb.” So was this referencing an OT version of a hunky young Jewish man being the heartthrob for all the young Jewish women?   Definitely not, especially as you consider that the term heartthrob can be used to simply describe a rapid heartbeat. It can also be used figuratively to refer to a passionate emotion.  And there definitely should have been a passionate emotional response to what Isaiah was saying. “Your heart will throb” is part of verse 5 of chapter 60 which reads as follows:  “Then y...

Over the centuries, the words have brought great comfort and encouragement.   The words are often used as a benediction or a blessing:   The Lord bless you and keep you: The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious to you: The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace.   (Num 6:24-26)   What in the world is a countenance?  By definition, it is a person's face or facial expression. So if the Lord’s face shines upon us and if He lifts up His countenance upon us, what does all that mean? It means that He is giving us His attention.  But even more so, His face shining upon us gives us t he picture of a beaming face like that of a parent for their beloved child.  And the reference to Him lifting up His countenance points to God extending divine favor and peace to us. Sometimes we can appreciate things more by seeing opposites.  The opposite of a lifted face is a face that has fallen, perhaps because of sham...

We like a good love story where the couple is swept up in love. We don’t like a tragic story where someone is swept out to sea. We like a story of enlightenment where ignorance is swept away by knowledge. We don’t like a story of deception where truth is swept apart by lies. We like a heroic battle where good prevails and evil is swept up in defeat. We don’t like a story of injustice where wrongdoings are swept under the rug. We like a rags to riches story where poverty is swept away by prosperity. We don’t like a story of despair where hope is swept aside by loss. How would you like a story where loss could be swept away by redemption? Here’s the deal.  We’ve all brought loss upon ourselves because of the wrongs we’ve committed.  These wrongs are called offenses and they hang over us like a thick cloud.  Yet in the midst of that thick cloud, redemption is possible!  How? Here’s how:   “I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins ...