Or do you think Scripture says without reason that he jealously longs for the spirit he has caused to dwell in us?
Sometimes when I talk people look at me like I am speaking a foreign language. My wife will testify to the fact that sometimes my words just don’t make sense. They do to me, in my head, but they only “count” if they make sense to the person I am talking to.
As a writer, I have a kind of paper mirror that is always in front of my face. I don’t always look at it, but it is always there. My words, once written, stop moving around. Given a little time, they start to take on a life of their own. Later, when I look at them again, I see them as others do. Sometimes they make sense. Sometimes they don’t.
As one who believes in the infallibility of Scripture, I have come to understand that the challenge in reading God’s Word is trying to get my head around God’s perspective. I find that trying to fit the God of the universe into my tiny perspective on things doesn’t work very well.
When people translate from one language to another they take on a very challenging task. As someone who is not fluent in Greek, I marvel at the work of the translator. I deeply appreciate their efforts. If I have questions, I can go to Strong’s Concordance for help or a few other resources. Another thing I can do is to compare various translations of the Bible and see how different translators handled the text.
Generally speaking, there are very few major disagreements between translators. Minor technicalities aside, the intent of God’s Word is generally clear. Every once in a while there is an exception to this rule, and today’s verse falls into that category. For example, compare the NIV above with the King James Version:
“Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?”
These two views on the text are not the only ones. There is a wide variation in the available English translations. Does this mean that God’s Word is flawed? Absolutely not. What it means is that our human knowledge of the original language is only 99.99 percent complete instead of 100.00 percent. It means that even the most knowledgable scholars can have the same trouble getting their heads around God’s Word that you and I have. It also means that we need to humbly ask God to give us understanding.
Application: My hope for you and me is that we can approach Scripture with an open heart and an open mind. Instead of one or the other of us claiming to ”know” what God intended, we come together and share what we hear God saying.
Food for Thought: What do you see in this passage?
I think that God values us intensely, loves us completely and jealously desires our hearts totally. He looks over us like a parent who looks over a child and who will guard them by eliminating that which is most destructive and will intervene to keep them from attaching to that which will destroy them.
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