i’m reading Leviticus right now, with frequent excursions into almost every other part of the bible. i’m seeing so many new things that i can hardly get my mind wrapped around them. i’ve decided to read Hebrews after i get through Deuteronomy.
now i’m off on a little bunny trail to read Romans 9 and 10
i’m ok with Koine Greek, but i don’t read Hebrew at all. so Charles Van Der Pool’s interlinear Apostolic Bible is a real joy to me. it has a “literal” English translation underneath the Greek text for both the old and new testaments. the old testament text is from the Septuagint, translated about 250 years before Christ.
when the old testament is quoted by new testament authors, they generally quoted from the Septuagint (a.k.a.: “LXX”) version. you can tell which they used because the LXX often varies a bit from the Hebrew in ways unlikely to occur if they were translating Hebrew on the fly. because of this scholars think that normal people during Jesus lifetime read and studied the Greek translation more than Hebrew original.
so it’s called the Apostolic Bible for good reason. it has the same texts that the apostles could have read in their day – though it’s unlikely the gospels and epistles were collected in one place until quite a while later.
the biggest benefit to me – besides having the old and new testament Greek texts together in one place – is the concordance. finally it’s easy to consider the meaning of a word by seeing all the times it was used in both sections of the bible.
one that had me excited this morning is in Acts 2:2. the NIV says:
Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting
in the Greek, “violent wind” is “pnoes biaias” (πνοῆς βιαίας). “biaias” is the adjective translated “violent”, but i wasn’t familiar with the word translated “wind”. it’s similar to pneuma (πνεῦμά) – translated wind, breath, or spirit – but is a little different word.
so off i went to the concordance. and it turned out there was a reason for my unfamiliarity. it is only used twice in the new testament, the other use also in Acts at 17:25 where it’s translated “breath”.
so maybe, i thought, it was more like the sound of a “strong breath”. the thought that came to my mind was a 40-year old blowing out the candles on his birthday cake.
but it was the old testament that helped me out most. our word is used a number of times, but the first one is enough.
The LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. – Genesis 2:7
“Breath of life” (pnoen zoes – πνοὴν ζωῆς) uses the same word as the Acts 2 passage. and it makes perfectly clear what happened in the upper room. when God created Adam he imparted life to lifeless clay by breathing on him. in Acts he did the same thing to 120 people.
by Viktor Vasnetsov, courtesy wikimedia
i spend a couple hours last evening reading and watching political and economic news. in the US, the news is mostly bad, and some worse. it seems a majority of our politicians are disingenuous – selling out our country for the price of campaign contributions and political pressure.
my assumption is that the bible is true and that the horrors of the last days will be beyond what i care to think about. we can fight, and it’s our responsibility to, but we won’t get final victory until a guy shows up on a white horse.
then this morning i found myself in the last chapter of Isaiah:
For behold, the LORD will come in fire And His chariots like the whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. For the LORD will execute judgment by fire And by His sword on all flesh, And those slain by the LORD will be many. “Those who sanctify and purify themselves to go to the gardens, Following one in the center, Who eat swine’s flesh, detestable things and mice, Will come to an end altogether,” declares the LORD. “For I know their works and their thoughts; the time is coming to gather all nations and tongues. And they shall come and see My glory. “I will set a sign among them and will send survivors from them to the nations: Tarshish, Put, Lud, Meshech, Tubal and Javan, to the distant coastlands that have neither heard My fame nor seen My glory. And they will declare My glory among the nations. “Then they shall bring all your brethren from all the nations as a grain offering to the LORD, on horses, in chariots, in litters, on mules and on camels, to My holy mountain Jerusalem,” says the LORD, “just as the sons of Israel bring their grain offering in a clean vessel to the house of the LORD. “I will also take some of them for priests and for Levites,” says the LORD. – Isaiah 66:15-21 (NASB)
So the good news is, there will be survivors.
the guys Jesus was hardest on were also the ones who dedicated their lives to reading, studying, memorizing, and teaching the bible.
don’t ever think that’s what it’s about. rather, it’s about knowing God, loving him, and serving him. it’s 100% relationship.
things psalm 1 doesn’t say:
rather, his delight is meditating on the things God has said – like i would a letter from the one i love. to know God, to begin to grasp his ways and the things that are important to him, so i can live pleasing to him.
i have a number of issues with english bible translations, most going back to the latin vulgate, by way of the bishops bible and geneva bible translations of the 16th century. bible translation mistakes are insidious because, almost inevitablly, somone will stand up in front of a church, or radio microphone, or tv camera and build a teaching on the peculiar reading the translator picked. after that, said preacher will fight to the death any “correction” to that translation.
as a bunny-trail diversion down the “i said it so it must be right” path: to this point in my life, 100% of people i’ve bumped into who are adamantly, actively pro-choice have either had an abortion or counseled someone to have an abortion. after that, it’s more guilt than any of us can handle to say: “i killed my baby” or “i counseled my friend/daughter/girlfriend to kill her baby”. so the person becomes “pro-choice”.
i have no doubt i’ll eventually find a “pro-choice” person for whom this isn’t true, but i’m convinced they’re the minority.
so, back to the bible (i can picture my friend Kathy Johnson doing that airplane-circling-the-tower gesture and mouthing “the point. what is the point? get back to the point”).
the greek word ἐπιθυμια (epithumia) is translated as both desire and lust in the most new testament translations. same word in the original text, two different words in our english translations. here are a couple examples of each, all from the 1995 New American Standard translation:
and He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” – Luke 22:15
For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. – Matthew 13:17
and
…but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart. – Matthew 5:28
Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. – 2 Timothy 2:22
what this does, in my always-humble opinion, is give the appearance that the bible counts desire and lust as distinct categories. it fits our western culture perfectly. we believe it’s ok to desire physical gratification, an extravagent lifestyle and adulterous relationships; as long as we don’t “let it slip over to the area of lust”. “she is so hot!” “oh, me? i wound never be unfaithful to my wife”
what the translators should have done
they should have consistently translated ἐπιθυμια as desire. is this harder to handle spiritually? you betcha! but it is what the bible writers actually wrote. try swapping out desire where it says lust in the two examples i gave earlier. or, try this on for size:
For all that is in the world, the desire of the flesh and the desire of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world. The world is passing away, and also its desires; but the one who does the will of God lives forever. – 1 John 2:16-17
John isn’t saying there is some special class of desire called lust that belongs to this world and is going to come to an end. he’s saying that IT ALL is.
just as an obtw: the septuagint (the greek translation of the hebrew old testament – the bible that was commonly in use when Jesus was on the earth and that he most often quoted from) uses the same word, ἐπιθυμια, in the 10th commandment in exodus 20:17 and deuteronomy 5:21:
‘You shall not covet [desire] your neighbor’s wife, and you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, his field or his male servant or his female servant, his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.’
image borrowed from nobodyasked.com
inevitably, we’re guilty. guilty of going through life with our eyes on the things in front of us, or possibly behind us, but forgetting the things beside and inside us.
fasting has a way of changing that. not so much the prefixed-fasts, doing without something you like, but tradition fasting with only water to keep your body from shutting down.
it broadens one’s perspective because it reminds us of that voice talking to us – the little voice of desire. since before out birth that voice has been directing us toward comfort and security and away from the opposites.
it’s the voice identified in the bible as the flesh and day to day it easily blurs into the background noise. marketers know that we’re mostly aware our motivations for buying and they advertise accordingly. our complicated modern lives surround us with millions of opportunities to follow that voice.
that’s why fasting is so beneficial. it takes that ambient voice and gives it a microphone. instead of whispering it’s screaming. it moves the voice from out subconscious to front and center where we can see it for what it is.
and most importantly, it’s and act of domination. it says clearly: “flesh, you are not in charge!” “my spirit is submitted to the Spirit of God, and you, noisy little trouble-maker, are submitted to me!”
i’m wondering about the prodigal son in Jesus’ parable (Luke 15:11 and following). suppose the son chose a different course of action once he realized the foolishness of his ways.
i know that my father loves me and wants the best for me. my stomach may feel hungry, but by faith i’m living in a mansion, prospering and well fed. and i rebuke you pigs and command you to get away from me.
the eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that he may strongly support those whose heart is completely his – 2 Chronicles 16:9
this was one of the first “wow – cool!” verses i found when i began serving God and started reading the Bible. but the context is important. not, “God is gonna bless you real good because your heart was completely his” but “God was really looking forward to blessing you, but you wouldn’t let him“
king Asa had followed God earlier in his life, but a situation came up and he said “i can handle this“. he was threatened by an enemy and went to rent-an-army rather than calling on God. when the prophet came to warn him, Asa had him jailed rather than listening and repenting.
so, reminder to self: trust God. all the way. every situation. i’m not big enough, smart enough, good looking enough [understatement], i don’t know enough of the “right people” to get through this thing on my own. my only hope is a total, child-like dependence on God who created this whole thing.
image borrowed from: http://flickr.com/photos/sokabs
when you’re listening to a singer and suddenly you hear a really loud, high-pitched screech from the speakers, either you’re at a screamo concert or you just heard feedback.
feedback (are you listening, aspiring vocalists?) happens when sound coming out of the speakers goes back in to the microphone. a loop is created. the sound going back into the microphone is amplified and sent back out the speakers and – again – back into the microphone. feedback in a live-audio situation is considered a back thing because you quickly learn the maximum volume level the sound system is capable of – at the cost of your ear drums.
there are a lot of situations though, where feedback is a good thing. our five senses, for example, give us feedback on how our actions are affecting the world around us. people who lose feeling in their fingers get burns and cuts and abrasions because they can’t tell they’re touching something hot or sharp or rough.
psychologists and behaviorists have found that biofeedback – giving people direct information about their physical condition – can allow them to vary normally-involuntary things like heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature. hyperactive children have even been treated, simply by providing conscious feedback about their level of activity.
i believe that just like god designed us with senses to get feedback from our world, he also built in a mechanism to answer the question “how’m i doing?” that mechanism is each other.
some of this life-feedback is formalized. a teacher will fail you in a class if you don’t do the assignments or a judge may put you in prison if you steal things. feedback is positive too of course; getting an “a” in the class or a trophy for being the fastest swimmer.
every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the lord weighs the hearts. – proverbs 21:2
but most facets of life require a finer brush. should i choose this or that career? am i talking too much? do i really “get” this, or just think i do? and for all those questions he has placed each of us in a context of other people. parents and family members at first then friends and a spouse. i think most of us who are married would agree that we’re most likely to hear corrective feedback, and hopefully reinforcing words as well, from the one we’re married to. often the feedback we need the most comes from someone it’s hard to listen to – a brother or sister (maybe that persnickety one that drove you crazy growing up), dad or mom, or someone we’re envious of. someone who knows us just a little better than we’d like to admit. it is never pleasant or easy to hear: “i think you’re wrong”. but sometimes we certainly need to.
he who separates himself seeks his own desire, he quarrels against all sound wisdom. – proverbs 18:1
the problem with god’s feedback system is that sometimes we’d rather not know. we turn it off by refusing to listen to good advice from people who know and care about us. that old foe, pride, says “i know what i’m doing” or “i can handle this myself”. battles are fought, lives are lost, pain is brought on, when we shut down the communication channels – or refuse to develop them to begin with.
where there is no guidance the people fall, but in abundance of counselors there is victory. - proverbs 11:14
none of us, especially in the body of christ, should be making decisions in a vacuum about our family, relationships, career, or finances. the pride in our flesh says “i’ll share this with someone once i get my life a little more in order”. but the proposition is backwards.
it’s always easy to find someone who will agree with us – someone who will tell us we are right and the other guy is wrong. that person is what the bible calls a fool.
the kind of friend most valuable to each of us is one who will spend time with us, listen, pray, and give godly counsel. a person who will say the things we need to hear, even when they’re not what we want to hear, even when they’re had to say and hard for us to hear. there isn’t room in a life for dozens of people like that, but each of us needs one or two.
stolen from capitalawning.com
i’m kind of a 24/7 person. i sleep maybe 5 or 6 hours a night, but they’re on a sliding schedule. sometimes i’m up till dawn. sometimes i catch a little nap in the evening and i’m up before midnight. some nights i don’t sleep at all. i’ve heard that it isn’t healthy to live like this, but i haven’t figured out another way.
so, since i was a teenager, i’ve spent lots of late nights and early mornings at coffee shops.
several years ago i had a friend named Bill who was the night shift cook at the rockwall waffle house. Bill was single and kind of old and was a friendly sort of lonely. he smoked a couple packs of marlboros a day and had a system that (he tried hard to convince me) helped him beat the odds and win more than he put in to the pick-3 lotto. besides being a waffle house cook, bill was an occasional photographer and shot weddings and such. and, the thing that helped cement our friendship, bill rode motorcycles.
i had a nice honda at the time and we’d go out riding in the morning after he got off work and before he went home to sleep. then i’d come in a few nights later and he’d tell me all about his lotto system or we’d talk about motorcycles or cameras.
then Bill died. there was some kind of suspicious circumstance about it. he had a storage building where he worked on his bike and apparently they found him dead. i heard about it about a week later. if Bill had any family or friends, other than the folks he worked with, i hadn’t heard about them. he might have mentioned a daughter once.
today would have been Bill’s birthday. what makes me especially said is this. i talked with him about all the churchy things i was doing and was always very open about my faith. but i never actually shared that faith with him or invited him in. he wasn’t anti-god, but i couldn’t tell that he had any relationship with god either. i thought a lot about it when we hung out and was just waiting for the right time.
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