PENKNIFE OR SWORD?

PENKNIFE OR SWORD?

Jer 36:22-23 KJV

22 Now the king sat in the winterhouse in the ninth month: and there was a fire on the hearth burning before him.

23 And it came to pass, that when Jehudi had read three or four leaves, he cut it with the penknife, and cast it into the fire that was on the hearth, until all the roll was consumed in the fire that was on the hearth.

Jer 36:27-28 KJV

27 Then the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying,

28 Take thee again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.

          Yet another tiresome discussion has erupted amongst some preacher friends of mine regarding one of the latest offerings touted to be the Word of God. One says that it is much easier to read than some of the more archaic renderings and therefore an improvement. Another says that while the reading is certainly more casual, even current-cultural, it is not superior because it fails to adhere to the original meaning of the message. I say that they are swatting at the wrong fly.

          There are two failures of our culture which have spawned the entire translation controversy. First is the woeful decline of our own language. Classic English is nearly lost to the guttural grunts of current Saxon tribes. English has fled along with good manners.

The second failure is that of morals, ethics and righteousness. The reason King Jehudi used a penknife on the roll of scripture was not because he could not understand it but rather because he cared not for its content. God responded with an exact copy and not a new version. Whether on papyrus or vellum the words and their meaning are most important.

Heb 4:12-13 KJV

12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

13 Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do.

          Here we have a wonderful example of the entire argument! The word of God is quick! Immediately some think of speed and not LIFE. The original Greek word is zoa which means to live. The problem is not the language. The problem is that we have lost the language. It is literally Greek to us!

          However a deeper investigation into the portion above reveals the real problem. The living word cuts! Its truth confronts us at every turn. We can’t escape because it is alive and we can’t be comfortable because it is sharper than any twoedged sword. The word “sharper” actually indicates repeated blows. The truth of it hacks at us and cuts us deeply.

          Only one of two things will do. Either we must dull the sharpness of the Word by changing its language or we must change our behavior to conform to its demands. Both options require a cutting with either a penknife or a sword.  

Dear Lord, let me not stumble at the language of your Word. Help me to see myself clearly in its light and submit to its power. AMEN