119: Ayin

The Hebrew letter Ayin [ע] means “eye” and signifies not just functional vision but spiritual understanding. The words “eyes” and “understanding” appear six and ten times, respectively, in Psalm 119, so we are not surprised to find both in the first few verses of today’s reading, not least because the importance of seeking understanding from God through his word is the major theme of the psalm.

Occasional verses that address others interrupt some sections of the psalmist’s prayer; however, today’s stanza focuses entirely on God.

How Not to Crash and Burn (26)

If you’ve ever been part of a conversational Bible study, you’ll probably relate to this statement: One person’s initial take on a proverb may be vastly different from another’s.

Years ago in a small mid-week study, we went around the room over a number of verses in Proverbs sharing what we thought they meant. Now, differences of opinion are to be expected in situations where there exists no real context from which to more accurately pin down Solomon’s intended meaning. But as I digested the various subjective impressions about the text laid out for us, there were times I was convinced we weren’t all reading from the same book.

And of course if you really want to examine an entire range of possible interpretations to seek out the best one, ask a woman what she thinks.