Who is right and who is wrong? A little or a lot? Mostly that depends on what you were told, how you thought about it, felt about it, and what you decided.
Understanding truth comes from the Holy Spirit, here a little and there a little. Eventually eyes seeking the truth do see. And ears seeking truth do hear. Therein lies discernment and Wisdom.
Oh how the devil loves to argue and debate. No matter what it is, there is always someone with another perspective. That is sure and true.
Whatever it is you see, there will always be others who will have a different perspective of what happened. If it is an accident, and three people saw it, you will most always have three opinions of what took place from their own point of viewing it. To find all the clues a good detective will listen to all the witnesses, as well as do his own digging at the scene of the crime. Some things are easy to spot and other things require a very long investigation. That is how it is when we are going through the many layers of testimonies, opinions, and declarations of what a scripture means. The truth is in there somewhere and some things are not as important as other things.
It amazes me to hear the Bible experts look at the gospels and try and decide why this one said this and the other one said that as though one must be lying about something. When in fact it could be the translators and or it could be simply each told what they felt they were moved to tell. One thing is sure, we find they were told much more than what was revealed in the main gospels. That is evident in the other letters and teachings. We also know that all things the Lord did and said are not written but, we have enough to know He was the true Messiah and He fulfilled all the words of the Prophets and that is what is the most important thing to know.
That being said, we have all sorts of different views and opinions of what we read in scripture and some of these differences are simply not worth debating and or arguing about, but people seem to make small things into a big deal and full-blown arguments.
For example, in some scriptures we don’t know what that voice of authority sounded like, that people said Jesus spoke with in many scriptures. So, to argue what that sounded like is moot. But yet people will argue that as though that is vital to understanding the depth of what He was speaking. When in fact, all that Jesus said was for our edification and all was spoken with authority and of truth. He said himself that his words were for those with eyes to see and ears to hear it. I’m sure He knew it would be debated for He came to undo a mountain of indoctrinations that were far from the commandments and laws of Moses. He came to fulfill the Words of the prophets and set up the NEW COVENANT as the old covenant was a shadow of things to come.
Debates are not new, it all began at the time of Jesus. He was under constant attack by the priests of the Temple, the Pharisees, Sadducees, Scribes, and lawmakers of the Sanhedrin.
You can take the scripture, “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.” Matthew 10:16 and argue with pages of references to what that means and it can have many ideas. One can go all over the place with that one picking apart what Jesus meant and who we are to be. What he meant as wise, as serpents and how we initiate the harmless part and what he meant by doves? What he meant by sheep? Who are the wolves… and where are we being sent?
The devil loves to confuse and get people debating the small stuff… arguing so the big stuff he does goes unnoticed. He can do a lot of wolf stuff in the high places, while God’s people are arguing over little stuff in low places and arguing with their neighbor instead of getting back to the real message of Loving God with all your heart, mind, strength and soul and loving your neighbor as yourself. And boy oh boy is that one loaded too.
So in all of that we do well to remember what is written in Proverbs about arguing with fools. Just don’t waste your time doing it.
Proverbs 29: 9 “If a wise man contendeth with a foolish man, whether he rage or laugh, there is no rest.”
Or you can debate that and turn the message into whatever you so desire.
However with something like Proverbs 26 verses 4 and 5, you might want to discuss it??? That’s one of those “splain it to me” things.
“4Answer not a fool according to his folly, lest thou also be like unto him. 5Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own conceit.”
To me verse 4 means not to lower yourself to the fool’s or know it all’s level by trying to answer all the off the wall questions and or arguing with him or you play right into his hand. For those type of questions are made to provoke arguments and to make themselves look right. It’s like arguing with liberals. It’s a time waste. In verse 5, I see it like the times when Jesus was thrown trick questions, he didn’t stay in their box of answering. He would often answer a question with a question that they either couldn’t or didn’t want to answer. Thus they either shut up and or left him to regroup. There are times that call for one to correct the person in a firm wise manner, like Jesus did Satan when he was tempted by him in the Wilderness. What do you see?
Splain these for me too. Proverbs 29: 7The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools. 8As he that bindeth a stone in a sling, so is he that giveth honour to a fool. 9As a thorn goeth up into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.
This one I understand. Proverbs 1:22 “How long will you clueless people love your naïveté, mockers hold their mocking dear, and fools hate knowledge?”
Then there are translations. That is where we can go all over the place.
For example let us look at Proverbs 20:3 in a few translations:
King James: 3It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
NIV: 3: It is to one’s honor to avoid strife, but every fool is quick to quarrel.
CEV: 3 It makes you look good when you avoid a fight—only fools love to quarrel.
Peshitta: 3 It is the glory of a man whenever he separates a dispute, and every fool mocks it.
GWT: 3Avoiding a quarrel is honorable. After all, any stubborn fool can start a fight.
ISR: 3For a man to cease from strife is esteem, But every fool bursts out.
Hebrew: 3 It is honorable for a man to stop striving since any fool can start a quarrel.
Greek Septuagint: 3 Glory to a man who turns away from mockery, who is not so engaged.
We also find that in the Greek translation we have the scripture tied to using wisdom concerning those consumed with wine. Or drunk. The Greek translation makes this clear in its full context. While the other translations keep each line independent of each other. So what is what?
Septuagint Proverbs 20: 1-3 1Hellish wine and abusive drunkenness, which is not so fraught. 2It is different from the threat of a king who is angry with a lion, but he does not exacerbate against his own soul. 3Glory to a man who turns away from mockery, who is not so engaged.
The King James translation puts it in a series of three different proverbs.
King James: “Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. 2The fear of a king is as the roaring of a lion: whoso provoketh him to anger sinneth against his own soul. 3It is an honour for a man to cease from strife: but every fool will be meddling.
Which is correct? Or is this a moot thing to argue?
We each see things from our own perspective of understanding. It is good to come together to study these things and see all the perspectives. And to do so in love for the truth, peace in searching, and joy in coming to the knowledge of the truth.
So, when we gather to learn from one another, let us see each others perspective and hold that with respect as to that is at this time how they see or understand the Word. Rather than argue things unseen, let us stay focused on the Lord and take all things to the Holy Spirit for discernment. Let us stay in our full armor of God and not be deceived nor fall prey to anger in these wicked days, for the wickedness and deceit of the devil is very cunning.
When the devil has us arguing over all the things that are misunderstood for lack of understanding… he has us dividing ourselves in arguments over his own sly methods of deceit. Let each take their perceptions to the Holy Spirit for edification and wrestle with the Lord for understanding and not our neighbor. Ask when to stand and speak and when to avoid a subject, person, place or thing.
Keep on pressing into the Kingdom of God! Press, press, press!
Dianne
