Tiny Devotional for Tuesday, 04-30-2024

 A great good morning to all my friends and neighbors in Internet Land! And to family who might drop by, Boost is an acceptable substitute for sour milk.

The eye that mocks a father
And scorns a mother,
The ravens of the valley will pick it out,
And the young eagles will eat it.
Proverbs 30:17, NASB


Okay. That right there? That's messed up.

I didn't say it was wrong, so don't get confused. I said it was messed up, meaning that having birds eat your eyes because you were disobedient and disrespectful, seems like an over-reaction. So, I retreated into the Hebrew, looking for insight. Here's the insight: the English is a near-perfect translation; the only changes are that 'scorns' is literally “וְתָבוּז לִיקֲּהַת־ " (buz yeqaha), which means 'despises to obey.'

WHY THIS CANNOT BE TAKEN LITERALLY: your eye is not an independent agent, capable of mocking and scorning. Your eye is not capable of that, BUT your point of view can be. Your point of view is a belief system, residing in your mind; no one can change that except you.  

Who else gets eaten by birds in the valley? Do your own research; maybe you will have better luck than I did. The closest I could get is a curse pronounced upon Gog in Ezekiel 39:4; does God hate the actions of the disrespectful & disobedient in the same way that He hates the actions of the prince of Meshech and Tubal? I'm inclined to think so, and for the same reason: rebellion against God.

Final thought: the harsh consequences described above are NOT intended for the minor child; they are under the protection of their parents, even if they are in rebellion at the moment.

I've got nothing else for you today.

Peace be on your household.

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