Prayer
He has been good to me; may I never forget. May I trust in him to bring me through this never-ending wilderness….
“I love the Lord because he heard my plea for mercy, and listened to me. As long as I live, I will call to him when I need help. The Lord is merciful and fair; our God is compassionate. The Lord protects the untrained; I was in serious trouble and he delivered me. How can I repay the Lord for all his acts of kindness to me? I will celebrate my deliverance, and call on the name of the Lord.”
Psalms 116:1-2, 5-6, 12-13 NET
Exodus Dust
God spoke creation into existence, then from Dust, with his hands (not his voice), God made us - animated earth…
To Dust we will return. We are limited.
The Serpent is cursed to eat Dust.
Dust became a plague of gnats.
Ash (the Dust of forced labor) became a plague of boils.
Moses and Aaron wielded the serpent (onto the ground/Dust) - God
... See moreJanuary 11, 2026 Epiphany • Day 6
At Jesus’ baptism the moment is cross-shaped: horizontally, in Jesus humanity is reconciled to one another as the Jordan becomes a bridge to the nations; vertically, in Jesus humanity is reconciled to God as heaven opens and Father, Son, and Spirit are revealed.
—
Excerpted from Exodus90 Program:
Jesus stands in the
... See moreJanuary 10, 2026 Epiphany • Day 5
Opportunities and tests from God refine faith.
Temptations from the serpent distort desire.
God’s way is presence.
The serpent’s way is control.
God washes/wrings the Pharaoh out of Moses..
Moses is eighty.
Forty years in Pharaoh’s house.
Forty years in Midian.
Evil is not punished arbitrarily. It collapses under its
... See moreJanuary 8, 2026 Epiphany • Day 3
God’s redemptive economy runs on relinquishment, not leverage.
The proud monk is healed by a saint who bleeds first.
Hagar is rescued though wronged.
Ishmael is blessed but not enthroned.
Isaac is given only after Abraham loosens his grip.
Worship happens not after moral success, but after failed control.
Letting-go →
... See more2026.01.07
God does not exclude people
He excludes postures.
Violence, rivalry, and domination cannot remain, but they can be shed. When they are, even kings stream toward the dawn.
God consistently sides with those who resist it, protect life, and lay power down.
There is an inward bend of the human will toward self-preservation, domination, and
... See more2026.01.05 Christmas • Day 12
Genesis
God brings order out of chaos
tohu va-bohu → habitation, meaning, fruitfulness (Gen 1:2)
Humans created as divine image-bearers ṣelem (image) + demût (likeness) royal language, vice-regents
Mandate “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth” → not population growth only, but expansion of God’s character into the world
Go
... See moreHuman Vocation Reframed
You are not made primarily to:
Produce
Accumulate
Build kingdoms
You are made to:
Dwell with God
Image God’s restful reign
Extend sacred order into the world.
Summary Sentence
Creation does not aim at work; work aims at rest.
The seventh day is the throne room of Genesis.
Everything else is just the road that leads there.
Genesis 1:1 –
... See moreJanuary 3, 2026
Christmas • Day 10
INVITATION — Psalm 100:1-2
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."
QUIET
BIBLE SONG — Psalm 2:1-6, 10-12
Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against... See more
Christmas • Day 10
INVITATION — Psalm 100:1-2
"Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."
QUIET
BIBLE SONG — Psalm 2:1-6, 10-12
Why do the nations conspire
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth rise up
and the rulers band together
against the Lord and against... See more
You either rage in vain or take refuge in Him.
Psalm 2:1–6, 10–12
Literary & Historical Setting
Royal/enthronement psalm used in coronation contexts in ancient Israel.
Later read messianically by Second Temple Jews and early Christians (Acts 4; Heb 1).
Key Hebrew Terms (Left-to-Right)
רָגְשׁוּ — rageshû “conspire / rage together” Conveys agitated crowd-noise, not just planning but emotional upheaval.
יֶהְגּוּ־רִיק — yehgû-rîq “plot in vain” hāgâ = murmur / mutter / meditate → irony: they “meditate” emptiness.
מָשִׁיחַ — māšîaḥ “anointed” Title for Israel’s king → seedbed for later “Messiah / Christ” theology.
יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק — yôšēb baššāmayim yiśḥāq “The One enthroned in heaven laughs” Divine laughter = sovereign mockery, not humor.
נַשְּׁקוּ־בַר — naššĕqû-bar “Kiss the Son” nāšaq = pay homage; act of covenant loyalty, not affection.
אַשְׁרֵי כָּל־חוֹסֵי בוֹ — ’ašrê kol-ḥôsê bô “Blessed are all who take refuge in him” ḥāsâ = flee for shelter → same verb used in psalms of asylum.
Titus 2:11–14
Literary Context
Pastoral epistle addressing public credibility of Christian life in pagan society.
Grace is not only pardon but pedagogy.
Key Greek Terms
Ἐπεφάνη — epephanē “has appeared” Root of epiphany → grace invades history.
παιδεύουσα — paideuousa “training / disciplining us” Grace functions like parental formation, not permission.
ἀρνησάμενοι — arnēsamenoi “saying ‘No’ / denying” Same root used of Peter’s denial → decisive renunciation.
σωφρόνως, δικαίως, εὐσεβῶς — sōphronōs, dikaiōs, eusebōs
“self-controlled, upright, godly” Internal restraint, external justice, God-oriented devotion.περιούσιον — periousion “a people for his own possession”
Echo of Exodus 19:5 → covenant ownership language.
Thematic Synthesis
Psalm 2
Titus 2
Earthly rulers resist the Lord’s kingship
Believers are reshaped by grace into loyal citizens of Christ’s kingdom
Nations plot autonomy
Grace trains submission
Kings are warned to “kiss the Son”
God forms a people “eager to do what is good”
Know / Be / Feel / Do / Ask
KNOW
God’s kingdom does not compete; it prevails.
Human rebellion is noisy but empty.
BE
A periousion person: not self-owned, not culture-owned, but Christ-claimed/possessed.
FEEL
Both sobriety (Psalm 2’s warning) and hope (Titus 2’s appearing grace).
DO
Practice daily arnēsis: explicitly name one worldly passion you are denying today.
ASK
“Where am I still negotiating with Your kingship instead of kissing the Son?”
Closing Reflection
Psalm 2 unmasks power-fantasy;
Titus 2 reframes grace as apprenticeship under a King who already reigns.
Together they leave no neutral ground: you either rage in vain or take refuge in Him.