#edah

Gonna build this gross son of a bitch. I had a Wort the Raidmother back in the day but that was primarily an excuse for RG spellslinger ( I had a beginners beef against blue that caused me to design entirely around it). This sucker is going to be straight goblins and green goodstuff. Having access to things like cryptolyth rite, overwhelming stampede and shamanic revelations is going to turn goblins from an aggro or die deck to something maybe more midrange. Plus he’s not as obvious of a target as Krenko- he’s really there to turn goblin tokens into 2/2’s. Hordeling outburst turns into 6/6 PT combined, 9 with hardened scales. I’m hoping to surprise kill people with like 5-6 goblins out of nowhere

#DailyDevotion When We Wait On The LORD, We Don't Do Nothing Psalm 119 161Princes pursue me without a reason; before Your word (dabar) I stand in awe. 162I am delighted with Your word (imrah) like one finding much spoil. 163I hate lying and am disgusted with it, but I love Your teaching (torah). 164Seven times a day I praise You for Your righteous decrees (mishpat). 165Those who love Your teaching (torah) are very happy, and nothing can make them fall. 166I wait for You to save me, O LORD, and I do what You order (mitsvah). 167I keep the truths (edah) You wrote and love them very much. 168I keep Your regulations (piqqud) and the truths (edah) You wrote because all my ways are before You. Well the reason princes i.e. people who worship power pursue you is you stand in awe of the LORD's word. Their power, prestige, influence, wealth etc don't impress you. You are captive to the word of God and they can't stand that. When you give more than mere lip service to the word of God, this fallen world and all that is fallen cannot exist in the same space as you. You are a threat to their power and existence. It is interesting in this psalm dabar and imrah, both words for "word," the first being word in general and the second being spoken word are often used in close proximity. So in worship we do have the written word but it is spoken and when it is spoken the Spirit carries it into the ears of those listening. Having the word of God is like finding much spoil—at least it should be for us. We should sacrifice everything to have the word preached to us and taught to us. There is nothing greater in the world than that. For it teaches us to hate lies and love the teaching of the LORD. His teaching is life. It causes us to be disgusted with everything that is a lie. A lie may not be much, I mean it may not be too far from the truth. But when you shoot a bullet and it's off by just a millimeter, at a 100 yards, it's going to miss the mark. Straying from God's word just a little bit eventually has us separated from the by zillions of light years if we do let His word make a correction so we can get back on target with the truth of His teaching. Based on verse 164 the monks used to pray seven times a day. In my hymnal 3 of those survive: matins, vespers and compline. The other four were 6 and 9 am and 12 and 3 pm. I suggest you at least begin the day with God and end the day with Him. If you can remember and give thanks at lunch, that's not a bad way to break up the day. Psalm 55:17 has evening, morning and noon as prayer times. The psalmist here uses seven times a day to praise the LORD for His mishpat/righteous decrees. If you are not fighting the LORD and what He wants you to do and how He wants you to live, but trust Him that He knows what He is talking about AND you love what He teaches (you will need to be born from above to do this) you will be happy. You will be living a productive life that doesn't cause misery for those around you and yourself. He waits for the LORD to save him and does what the LORD orders. I think there are two distinct things going on here. One is waiting on the LORD. That means he is going out trying to control the situation that is bothering him. He's given that control to God. While he waits, he doesn't do nothing. There is plenty to occupy our time with doing what God has revealed for us to do in His word that has nothing to do with our situation we've given to Him. He confesses he loves the LORD's truths and keeps them. This is the same sort of keeping Jesus says to do to His teaching in the end of Matthew and in John. It's not so much doing them as keeping them pure. Keeping in 168 is more like doing being related to piqqud. So we keep God's word pure (unlike Eve in Gen. 3) and then we go about doing them. Thanks be to God, the LORD Jesus kept all the teaching in word and deed in our place for us. Heavenly Father, grant us Your Spirit, so we may love, keep, and observe Your word while we wait for You to save us. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.  Read the full article

#DailyDevotion The LORD Is Righteous & His Word Is Life Psalm 119 137You are righteous, O LORD, and right when You judge (misphat). 138When You gave Your truth (edah), it was fair and completely dependable. 139My zeal consumes me because my enemies forget Your word (dabar). 140Your word (imrah) is very pure, and Your servant loves it. 141I am unimportant and despised, but I don't forget how You want me to live (piqqud). 142Your righteousness is everlasting, and Your word (torah) is the truth. 143I have suffered trouble and anguish, but I delight in Your commandments (mitsvah). 144The truths (edah) You wrote are always right; make me understand them that I might live. Our translation makes a verb out of misphat. A more literal translation would be, "Your judgments are right." Make of that what you will. The first two verses set up the LORD as the righteous One who does what is right in all His ways. We often think the LORD is unfair in how He treats us. We don't understand what He is working on in our lives. Here it is good to remember He is righteous and everything He does is righteous. When He gives His truth, that truth is fair and dependable. He does it in all faithfulness. It would be good for us to submit to that. As our trust is in Him, He is working all things for our good, this includes all our suffering. His enemies who forget the LORD's word, the words He has spoken cause the psalmist zeal to consume him. These enemies must be fellow Israelites who know the word of the LORD. We probably can probably relate to fellow Christians not living up to the standard the LORD has given us and it probably angers us. Of course, some other Christians may be looking at us and thinking the same thing. Nevertheless, our zeal is still for the word of the LORD even if we ourselves are not perfect in performing it. Dabar is word as a whole and imrah has more of a connotation of a spoken word. What Jesus has spoken to us is certainly tried and true. We love when we hear His teachings in the Gospels in particular. Some may go too far with this and become "red letter Christians." These are people who put an over emphasis on the spoken words of Jesus in the Gospels over and against His word through the prophets and the Apostles. We don't want to do that. We love all His word to us. We have a little humility here as he confesses he is unimportant and despised. That state of being will not keep us from forgetting how the LORD wants us to live. Everyone seems to make their own choices in whatever state they are in. Whether good or bad times, it would be best for us not to forget His teachings and to do them. Verse 142 revives the righteousness theme from the earlier verses. Our translation had been using teaching for torah earlier but now it turns it to word. Either is still probably better than law which is much narrower. The LORD's righteousness is eternal and related to that His word/teaching is true. A righteous God has true teachings. We would do well to listen, believe and do them. Despite the humble situation above, now we deal with troubles and anguish. What choice are we going to make? Turn from God's commandments or shall we turn to them as our delight. We will have a better mindset to take delight in them when we are not feeling well. We continue with the righteousness theme (Hebrew zedek, like Zedekiah). His truths are righteous forever. They do not change with the times. True, some of the Torah, the Law of Moses, were only for the Israelites as a nation in their territory. The truth behind those stipulations is still true for us and we see them fulfilled in Christ Jesus. We should look to see how we may best fulfill them under the Gospel in our day and time. For this, like the psalmist, we pray for understanding that we might live. Jesus tells us in John 5, "24I tell you the truth, if you listen to what I say and believe Him Who sent Me, you have everlasting life, and you will not be judged, but you have come from death to life." Heavenly Father, give us a right understanding of Your righteous Word, so we may delight in it, believe it and have eternal life in it. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

#DailyDevotion When We Begin To Tire of Doing Good Psalm 119 121I have done what is just (misphat) and right; don't leave me to those who oppress me. 122Guarantee Your servant's welfare don't let proud people oppress me. 123My eyes are strained as I look for You to save me and for the righteousness You promised (imrah). 124Deal with Your servant according to Your kindness, and teach me Your laws (choq). 125I am Your servant—0 help me understand and know the truths You wrote (edah). 126O LORD, it is time to act — they have violated Your teaching (torah). 127But I love Your commandments (mitsvah) more than gold or even fine gold. 128I agree with all Your regulations (piqqud), and hate all deception. True to life, when we have done out best to do what is good and right, there are those who oppose us and want to cause us trouble. They will often look to others as the ones that are good and try to cast us as the bad guy. We should not give up doing good but appeal to the LORD to take care of us. The psalmist asks for the LORD to guarantee his welfare and to not let the proud oppress him. We have His promise, "28We know that God works all things out for good for those who love God, who are called according to His plan."(Rom. 8) I do think we get of waiting to see this at times. Let us not give up in doing good in the meantime. His and our eyes at times are strained as we look to the LORD to save us from our situation. We tire of fighting against the sin of our own flesh as we wait for the righteousness promised us in Christ Jesus. It is the LORD's kindness that He continues to teach us His laws. He does not give them to us to oppress us but rather it checks our sinful flesh which rebels against the LORD and keeps us from harming ourselves and others. If we are patient, we will see how our obedience to His words benefits us and does not keep any good thing from us. Nevertheless, we, now in the present, need the LORD Jesus to understand the truths He has written down for us through the Apostles and prophets. Because of our sinful flesh, we may realize the wisdom or the truth of what He has told us. Therefore we pray His Holy Spirit gives us understanding as we keep what He has told us. We appeal to the LORD's steadfast love (chesed and agape) in how He deals with us. It does seem at times we appeal to the LORD as if He didn't know what was going on. We certainly feel like He doesn't know what is going on with us. Perhaps He is just waiting for us to ask. He wants us to be participants in His actions against the wicked through our prayers. So he tells the LORD, "Hey, it's time to act. They've violated Your teachings!" So on the one hand we deal with those who are evil towards us with love as Jesus has commanded us. On the other hand, we turn them over to God to deal appropriately with them. Perhaps our love towards them and the LORD's actions will turn them into our friends. If we have the Holy Spirit as Jesus has promised, then we will love all that He has instructed us and commanded us. Hopefully, we understand the limitations the LORD has given us, unlike children who always want to know why they can't do one thing and have to do another thing. We love these commands because we understand they are what is best for us and for our neighbor. Because we at least understand they are what is best for us, they are worth more than gold. Living in the way of the LORD leads to the rewards of eternal righteousness. So we will agree every way of life He has taught us is good and we will hate the deception that God is keeping good things from us. We know He is not. He wants us to get those good things in a manner of keeping with His ways which are best for us and for our neighbor. Heavenly Father, give us understanding of all Your commandments, all Your instructions, and all Your ways, so we may persevere in doing good and see the results of all Your actions toward us in Your steadfast love. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

#DailyDevotion Only The LORD's Promises Keep & Strengthen Us Psalm 119 113I hate two-faced people, but I love Your teaching (torah). 114You are my Hiding Place and my Shield —I wait for Your promise (dabar). 115Go away from me, wicked men – I want to do what my God orders (mitsvah). 116Help me as You promised (imrah) so that I may live, and don't let me be disappointed in my hope. 117Strengthen me so I may be saved, and I will always respect Your laws (choq). 118You reject all who leave Your laws (edah) to go wrong with a lie they deceive themselves. 119You get rid of all the wicked on earth like dross, but I love the truths (edah) You wrote. 120My flesh shudders in fear of You; I stand in awe of Your judgments (misphat). Two-face, some translations are half-hearted or double-minded. Such are people who say they worship the LORD but they really put their trust in other things or people for every good. Hate is a pretty strong word. Are we supposed to hate? St. Paul tells us to stay away from people who call themselves Christians but who live unrepentant lives. We can't avoid unbelievers though without leaving the world. (1 Cor. 5:11ff, Rom. 16:17) We on the other hand should love the LORD's teaching. We see His teachings in the Gospels and the letters of the Apostles. The LORD Jesus Christ is our Hiding Place and Shield. We turn to Him from protection against all evil thoughts and actions. We are called to wait for His promise. Peter tells us in his second epistle, "4Thus He has given us His precious and very great promises, so that after you have escaped the corruption that lust brought into the world, you might by these promises share in the divine nature." Bad company corrupts good character so it is right for the psalmist to expel wicked men from his midst. It's tough enough dealing with our own flesh in wanting to do what God had commanded us. We don't need to hang around false Christians who tempt us into do evil. A promise we can look to is from Isaiah 45, "22Turn to Me to be saved, all you most distant parts of the world, because I am God, and there is no other." We need to remind the LORD of His promises not because He forgets but because we do. Sometimes it seems long in coming but He will and does fulfill all His promises. His petition to be strengthened so he may be saved reminds us that we need to continually be strengthened by the LORD to remain faithful and be saved. He has given baptism, the Supper, absolution and the preaching and teaching of His Word to keep His promise of preserving us in the faith unto life everlasting. By His strengthening we keep all that He tells us. Verses 118 and 119 should be terrifying to those who pick and choose what parts of God's Word they are going to keep and not keep. True, many of the particulars of the Mosaic Law are no longer in force. They were for Israel as a nation state. Jesus has fulfilled it all for us. Yet, there remains in the New Testament His moral law which we keep by the Gospel. We should not dismiss the holiness Jesus has called us to through His holy apostles. We should not be like those who abuse God's grace in Christ Jesus in order to sin. They will not remain with the LORD. He will get rid of them all in the Lake of Fire on the Last Day. We love all truths the LORD has given us through the apostles and prophets. Our flesh should indeed shudder at the LORD's commands. It never keeps them. It will be purified by fire and a new glorified body will be given us at the resurrection. We indeed should stand in awe of all the LORD has given us. In them we find the power, wisdom, might, grace, mercy and peace of the LORD our God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Merciful Father, grant us Your grace through Word and Sacrament to uphold all You have given us so we may shun those who reject Your teaching but call themselves Your people and live according to Your will. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

Psalm 119 73Your hands made me and formed me-help me understand, and I will learn Your commandments (mitsvah). 74Those who fear You will see me and be glad because I trust Your promise (dabar). 75O LORD, I know Your judgments (misphat) are just, and You were faithful when You made me suffer. 76May Your kindness comfort me as You promised (imrah) Your servant, 77and Your mercies come to me so that I may live because I delight in Your teaching (torah). 78May proud men come to shame because they wronged me with lies, but I'll think of how You want me to live (piqqud). 79Those who fear You should turn to me and learn the truths You wrote (edah). 80May my heart be blameless in Your laws (choq) that I might not come to shame. Verse 73 already shows a great amount of understanding when he confesses the LORD made and formed him. It is also great understanding to realize that by his own power and strength, he will need the LORD to give him understanding of His commandments. The LORD made us and knows what is best for us. This is a reason He gave the commandments—if we live by them willingly, we will be happier and so will those around us. When we understand the commandments we are more willing to do them. From understanding the LORD's commandments we go on to trusting in His promises. All of God's promises are gospel and are yes in Christ Jesus. Trusting in the LORD's promises exhibits a heart that fears, loves and trusts in God above all things. Those who also fear the LORD are glad when we see others putting their trust in the LORD as well. It's like when the angels in heaven rejoice over one person who repents. In verse 75 we return to a theme given in the previous section: the LORD causing the psalmist to suffer. He admits the LORD was correct in His judgments and just when He made him suffer. What good do we deserve in life if we don't trust in the LORD and do what He commands from a pure and willing heart? Yet, the suffering the LORD brings to us is His kindness. It directs us away from our immoral hearts to the mercy and kindness of our God. If we pay attention to our suffering then we will turn from our selfish and self-centered will and turn to the LORD. When we turn from the world to the LORD then the LORD's mercies will give us life, eternal life in Christ Jesus. This eternal life aligns us to God's will and has us delight in all the LORD Jesus Christ teaches us. He addresses those proud men who oppose him again. Instead of focusing on their lies about him, the psalmist will focus on how the LORD wants him to live. What does Jesus say, 44“But I tell you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. 45In this way you will show you are sons of your Father in heaven...46If you love those who love you, what's your reward? Don't tax collectors do that, too? 47If you treat only your brothers kindly, are you doing anything extraordinary? Don't the people of the world do that, too? 48 So be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5) The psalmist, having received the understanding that he asked for in the beginning verses then calls for those who fear the LORD to turn to him to learn the truths taught to him. This is followed by his petition to be faithful to the LORD's laws so he would not come to shame. We do not want the LORD's name to be blasphemed among unbelievers because of our sinful actions. Instead, we want unbelievers to praise the name of the LORD when they see our good works. Heavenly Father, in Your great mercy and kindness, always turn us to You and Your word, laws, will and grant us understanding, that with circumcised hearts we may do Your will to the glory of the name of Your Son, Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

Psalm 119 57O LORD, You are my portion; I promise to do what you say (dabar). 58With all my heart I want you to be friendly to me; be kind to me as You promised (imrah). 59I have thought about my life, and so I have come back to the truths You wrote (edah). 60I hurry without a delay to do what you ordered (mitsvah). 61The wicked put the ropes of their traps around me, but I don't forget Your teaching (torah). 62I get up at midnight to thank You for judging what is right (misphat). 63I'm a friend to all who fear You and follow the way You want them to live (piqqud). 64The earth is full of Your kindness, O LORD. Teach me Your laws (choq). There are many things that the LORD God promises us. The greatest thing He gives us though is Himself. I think it was St. Augustine who said, "My soul finds no rest until it rests in Thee." The psalmist knows this as he confesses, "O LORD, You are my portion." Because the LORD has given Himself to us, the result of that is we seek to do what He tells us. Like the previous section, the first two verses go from the broad "dabar," which includes writings to a narrower "imrah," which is a narrower something that is spoken. Verse 59 is translated interestingly here. It's a bit idiomatic here I think. Literally it like, "I entreat Your face with whole heart." To come before someone's face is for them to be friendly towards us. With our whole heart is to say everything within me is captured by You. The psalmist and we then petition the LORD Jesus Christ to be gracious and kind according to the gracious and kind words He has given us. In vs. 51, he says he didn't turn from His teaching. In vs. 59, having contemplated how he lives, perhaps he was not as faithful as he thought he was. He turns (shuvs), i.e. repents back to the testimonies/truths, those things the LORD contracted between Himself and Israel. When we examine our lives we also should repent of our selfish, self-centered ways and turn to the ways of our LORD Jesus Christ. Having examined oneself and repented of our ways, we without delay hurry to do what our LORD has ordered. We don't go, "Oh I'll change tomorrow." Now is the proper time. Now is the time of salvation. We are not promised more time later. We only have the moment. The wicked, those who do not know the LORD Jesus Christ lay the ropes, i.e. traps of wickedness around us. They want to see if we will be faithful to the LORD or not. I we are not faithful, it excuses their own unfaithfulness. They want us to join them in their bondage to evil. To not fall for their traps, it is necessary to not forget the teachings of the LORD. If we remember our LORD's teachings we will guard and do them. Are you up in the middle of the night? This is a perfect time to praise the LORD Jesus Christ for all His righteous judgments. We can read all the righteous things the LORD has pronounced to us. His judgments are right, pure and just. Instead of falling into the traps of the wicked, we befriend those who fear the LORD, who seek to live in accordance with details of life the LORD has given us. We do not find His ways burdensome but freeing when our heart is right with Him. Living a Christian life is easier when those we associate with also desire from the heart to live the way the LORD has called us to, who find it a way of freedom instead of limiting. We can therefore find kind the LORD fills the earth with His kindness, His steadfast love. We can see how the LORD turns what is evil to what is best for us as is promised in Rom. 8:28. Having seen the LORD's goodness and kindness, we petition the LORD to teach us His covenant in Jer. 31:31 and Matt. 26:26-29. There we see He forgives us sins, declares us His people and He our God. He promises to put His instruction in our hearts, e.g. He gives us the promised Holy Spirit. Merciful and gracious Father, in Your great kindness, turn us to Your word, promises, and ways so we may praise You and live according to Your will revealed to us in Christ Jesus, in whose name we pray. Amen. Read the full article

#DailyDevotion The Holy Spirit Moves, Guides, Teaches & Wills Us To The Father's Way Psalm 119 33O LORD, teach me the way You prescribe (choq), and I will keep it to the end. 34Give me understanding, and I will keep what You teach (torah) and do it with all my heart. 35Lead me in the path of Your commandments (mitsvah)—I am delighted with it. 36Make me interested in the truths (edah) You wrote and not in greedy profit. 37Turn my eyes away from watching worthless things. Give me a new life in Your way. 38Do what You promised (imrah) Your servant, that I may respect You. 39Take away the scorn I dread, because Your decrees (misphat) are good. 40I long for Your guiding principles (piqqud); by Your righteousness give me life. There are a couple of words used for "to teach" in Hebrew. One has the sense of goad like in Deut. 4:10, 14. The other has the sense of pointing out, which is the one used here. Well who likes to be goaded into doing something? Of course, if we allow ourselves to be taught, we wouldn't need to be goaded. If we are to keep (read treasure, guard) it to the end and ultimately do it, it is the LORD who must be behind that teaching. The Holy Spirit must give me understanding if I am to keep and do all He teaches me. Of my own power and strength I cannot and will not do it. Paul writes however in Gal. 2, "20I was crucified with Christ, and I don't live anymore, but Christ lives in me." In Eph. 2 he writes, "10He has made us what we are, creating us in Christ Jesus to do good works, in which God long ago planned for us to live." Finally he writes in Phil. 2, "13...it is God Who continues to work in you, both to desire as well as to do what is pleasing to Him." Certainly he is speaking of the believer when he writes, "Lead me in the path of Your commandments (mitsvah)—I am delighted with it." Who else can be delighted in the commandments of God but a believer in Jesus Christ who believes for Christ's sake, these commandments condemn and curse him no more. We have a way in Christianity. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Path. Through faith in Him we desire and are delighted in doing His will which is revealed in the commandment. The LORD's eduth/testimonies/truths, He must make us interested in His written truths rather than the lust of our eyes. He needs to turn our eyes from the things of the world to His way and His word. In His ways are life and truth: Jesus is the Way, the Life and the Truth. It is quite a big order for the LORD to turn us to Him but nothing is impossible with God. The psalmist asks the LORD to do what He promised. This was some spoken promise probably from a prophet. When the LORD fulfills His promises it brings us to properly fear, i.e. worship Him. He has fulfilled all that was spoken and written in the Law, the Prophets and the Writings concerning Jesus Christ. Therefore, we worship Him. The decrees of God are good. We are not. We need Him to remove the scorn we dread because we have not kept them. That scorn is rightfully ours. On the cross, Jesus Christ and His righteousness gave us life because He took our scorn upon Himself. He has given us His righteousness in baptism and buried our sin in the tomb from which He was raised. Since He has given us such a great salvation, providing us His light and life, we desire His guiding principles. We want to live according to His will. We pour through the Scriptures looking for His ways so we may walk lives that are pleasing to Him. Merciful God and Father, continually give us Your Holy Spirit, so we may have hearts that desire and do all You have taught us in Your Word. May You, through the Spirit will and do in us all that is pleasing in Your sight so we may properly worship You. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Read the full article