Tiny Devotional for RED Friday, 08-13-2021

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Remember Everyone Deployed.

From the fruit of a person’s mouth he enjoys (eats) good,
But the desire (soul) of the treacherous is violence.
Proverbs 13:2, NASB


Normally, I write about the clear meaning of the chosen verse. The clear meaning of this verse isn’t instantly apparent to me; which leads me to talk about TRUST. 

 The New American Standard Bible is the most literal of all translations; the translators took a word-for-word approach, rather than meaning-for-meaning. Where that includes idioms not familiar to the modern reader, they substitute an equivalent, but always include (in a footnote) the literal translation. 
Thus, in today’s verse, they substitute “enjoys” and “desire,” but reference the literal “eats” and “soul.” 

I believe this verse means a good person’s words produce good things, but the treacherous are hungry for conflict. 

The NASB version of the verse fits the STRUCTURE (on one hand, on the other hand), and the MEANING (righteous is good, evil is bad) of the rest of the book of Proverbs.
This is an example of why I trust the NASB.  I’m NOT saying that it’s the only trustworthy translation! Alternative readings exist, but they are just variations on the theme; none of them suggests that violence is the goal of the righteous, or that the treacherous produce peace.

I trust the NASB enough, that if I can’t find a teaching supported within it’s pages, then I don’t trust that teaching. And ‘support’ isn’t pulling a verse, or 1000 verses, out of context. That’s distortion.

Does some teaching distort scripture today? You betcha! 

So: prove all things; hold fast to that which is true.

Peace be on your household.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tiny Devotional for Tuesday, 05-23-2023

Image
 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, cold brew coffee with chocolate Boost. My son, if your heart is wise, My own heart also will be glad; And my inmost being will rejoice When your lips speak what is right. Proverbs 23:15-16, NASB Proud I’m not sure if it’s possible for a son to know how much he can bless his father, until he becomes a father himself. And since those are the only two roles I have played, I have zero idea about the mother & daughter interaction; it IS the same with father/daughter, though. Confession: had I read this passage as a teen, and possibly as a young adult, my response would likely have been: “I don’t CARE if your heart is glad. In fact, I hope your heart ISN’T glad.” Clearly, I had MAJOR issues I needed to address; and clearly, so did those who stood in the place of the father figure in my earlier life. But this is NOT an attempt to lay blame; instead, I speak to the core of thi
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Wednesday, 06-21-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, the Fairmount Pattersons are Papa-sitting this morning! It is better to live in a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman. Proverbs 21:9, NASB Today is the 21st of the month; so, Proverbs 21. I have written about verses 1-8;  it’s verse 9’s turn. Thus, my selection of this verse has NOTHING to do with my wife, mother, sisters, or daughters! All of them are intelligent, confident, and assertive; they are NOT contentious. ‘Contentious’ does NOT mean ‘has a different opinion’!  A man who has lived with a contentious woman gives the definition by example: I was 20 years old, and stupid (those might be the same thing).  I thought our marriage would work because she was beautiful, and I was, too. It didn’t take long before I realized I was wrong about that. Most of the time, it didn’t matter what I did; I couldn’t please her. We were married for 3 years,
Read more

Tiny Devotional for Sunday, 08-20-2023

Image
A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, Piper doesn’t like her food. Differing weights and differing measures, Both of them are abominable to the Lord. Proverbs 20:10, NASB If this verse weren’t so important, I’d skip it, because I discovered it in a painful time. Others were involved, and their stories are not mine to tell. So, you get a parable: Stockman Bubba ran a cattle station, in partnership with his horse, Nancy. They worked hard together, and although they were not rich, they had achieved a degree of success. One day, a platypus stung Bubba, incapacitating him. Bubba tried to continue running the station, but after two years had passed, he realized it was time to retire. Nancy couldn’t adjust to this, and she left for life on her own. Three years later, Bubba realized Nancy was never coming back, and considered getting another horse. However, he was concerned that the other station owners would think bad
Read more