Tiny Devotional for Sunday, 05-28-2023

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, DON’T eat the pizza on the table!

I'm walking in integrity here!

Better is the poor who walks in his integrity
Than he who is crooked though he be rich.
Proverbs 28:6, NASB

Today, I have to dive into the world of translations and word meanings. If the dive is trivial, you won’t see this, because that will likely only be of interest to me. 

Reading this verse, we see that one thing is good; the other thing is bad. Right? But WHY?

First, let’s dump the (ancient, Gnostic) heresy that poverty is good, and wealth is bad: 

  1. In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says the blessing the poor will receive is a permanent relief of that condition.
  2. Luke 8:3 mentions by name some wealthy supporters of Jesus’ ministry; and, although Paul is misquoted as saying money is the root of all evil, what he actually wrote is that it is the LOVE of money.
  3. Achievement ‘Dump Heresy’: UNLOCKED.

That leaves us with ‘integrity’ as the good thing, and ‘crooked’ as the bad thing, and never in my life have I contrasted those two terms.  But then, I speak English. Sigh.

In Hebrew, the root word translated as ‘integrity’ is תֹּם ('tom'); it can also be rendered as perfect, pure, complete. 

The root word translated as ‘crooked’ is עָקַשׁ  ('aqash') rendered as twisted, distorted, perverse.  


Here’s an example of an alternate translation:

“...if I say, I am perfect (tom), it (his mouth)  shall also prove me perverse (aqash).” 
Job 9:20, KJV

After hours of intense, deeply intellectual research, my conclusion is:

...the proverb is telling us to devote ourselves to God.

Duh.

Peace be on your household.



Comments

  1. charlesMay 28, 2023 at 1:46 PM

    Duh is right, but why is people who do not operate with integrity a thorn in my side.
    Well I have looked dee into this and realized it's something from my childhood which I thought I'd come to grips with.
    But you just enlighten me that's its a constant reminder of the choices He wants me to make as I love my brother as my self ..what? Yes forgive and forgive again as I have been forgiven.
    Thanks Pat

    ReplyDelete

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