Tiny Devotional for Saturday, 07-08-2023

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family members who have dropped by, bring your own.

This is Wisdom speaking:
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil;
Pride and arrogance and the evil way
And the perverted mouth, I hate.
Proverbs 8:13, NASB


I hope to kiss a duck if ‘perverted’ is the best translation for this verse. I don’t know if it’s an improvement on King James, where it’s translated as ‘froward.’ At least, I’ve encountered the word ‘perverted before; however, that’s been in contexts that imply sexual deviance, and that’s NOT what the verse addresses.

The Hebrew word is  תַּהְפֻּכוֹת, (tahpuḵôṯ), and it’s rare enough that I had to go to multiple sources, which makes me grumpy. At least, that MIGHT be why I’m grumpy. Or, I might be grumpy because the word appears to mean ‘speaking with the intent of causing problems.’ 

Ever been around a person who speaks with the intent of causing problems? It will make you grumpy. 

Not every falsehood is made with intent of causing problems. Go to a class of kindergarteners, and ask if anyone has gone to the moon; half of them raise their hands. Lots of people exaggerate for attention, or simply to amuse. For THIS person, the job isn’t done until someone is close to tears (or worse).

It’s not always falsehoods, either. This person will put into public things learned in private, for no reason other than to embarrass. In a meeting, they will ask questions intended to punish, not to get answers:

  “When will those upgrades we were supposed to get be ready?”

Call them froward; call them perverted; it doesn’t matter. They are doing something God hates.

Peace be on your household.

Comments

  1. On Christ the Solid Rock I StandJuly 12, 2023 at 3:30 AM

    Yes my Brother Pat, perverted or froward it's the same. Our God dislikes it and hate it.

    ReplyDelete

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