Sparks of Passionate Response

Reading:   Proverbs 22

Passion is no trivial device of humanity, it is a tool easily manipulated by fatigue, hatred, desire, pride, and ultimately the whisperings of grandeur.  Passion, given time, is the seedling of war and the casket of death.

PROVERBS 22:24-25

24    Make no friendship with an angry man; and with a furious man thou shalt not go: 

25    Lest thou learn his ways, and get a snare to thy soul. 

I had a great deal more written here, including instances of anger that have occured in my life and the lessons learned, but my iPad died before I could save it and all was lost.  I allowed the throws of passion to overcome me and I put aside the blog for a time because of my frustration at losing my thoughts.  Anyway, important lesson!  I will close with a great bit of explanatory advice from Matthew Henry...

Those we go with we are apt to grow like. Our corrupt hearts have so much tinder in them that it is dangerous conversing with those that throw about the sparks of their passion.

Quite true and as reluctant as I am to refrain from anger and brutish behaviour I can't help but accept the reality that my children might catch a spark of my passion and go quick to flame as well.  I am under constant scrutiny and must learn to control my passion...

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAaaaaaaaa!!!!!  

Let's just get that out so I can concentrate on a more passive existence?

~Kipling

Prepare Your Horse

Reading:   Proverbs 21

It was a difficult task today, choosing a verse that is, but I settled on...

PROVERBS 21:31

31 The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the Lord. 

Here we are essentially being advised that it is prudent to prepare for battle (in all it's many forms).  Having a horse prepared is forethought and wise.  Arming ourselves with the proper weaponry is also essential as is the appropriate training in the tactics of combat and the strategies of war - these are all great enhancements and keys to ultimate success (on paper).  Then comes the monstrous, shattering, unavoidable...

"but"

...and how are we to read this caveat?  It's quite plain, yes, we are to prepare, but if God is forsaken in our haste to amass the best tools, training, etc., we are not prepared sufficiently.  Without the acknowledgement that The Lord is the ultimate shield we are setting ourselves up as Goliath and a pebble, propelled with the blessing of God, will bring us to the grave.

Regarding this subject, I read a fantastic address by Ezra Taft Benson, Our Priceless Heritage (General Conference 1976), where he discusses a patriotic picture that had great meaning for him.  I found the picture (America on Her Knees) and here is President Benson's very applicable quote...

In the 1940s while serving as the executive officer of the National Council of Farmer Cooperatives in Washington, D.C., I saw in a Hilton Hotel a placard depicting Uncle Sam, representing America, on his knees in humility and prayer. Beneath the placard was the inscription, "Not beaten there by the hammer and sickle, but freely, responsibly, confidently. ... We need fear nothing or no one save God."  

That picture has stayed in my memory ever since: America on her knees in recognition that all our blessings come from God! America on her knees out of a desire to serve the God of this land by keeping His commandments! America on her knees, not driven there in capitulation to some despotic government, but on her knees freely, willingly, gratefully! This is the sovereign remedy to all of our problems and the preservation of our liberties. 

We have nothing to fear.  We are prepared and can hold our heads up high: but forgot not The Lord and be quick to kneel in humility for our safety lies with Him!

~Kipling

Choose to Be Different!

Reading:   Proverbs 20

I have a lot of experience when it comes to the follies of intoxication, not from the perspective of a drunk mind you, but as a bouncer.  So many experiences, stories, anecdotes, and memorable moments that I could write a novel (I did in fact, BOUNCER, buy it, read it).  Anyway, I've seen the stupidity of intoxication up close and personal - this verse is right on!

PROVERBS 20:1

1    Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise. 

Earlier today, as I contemplated which of my more interesting stories to relate as a sort of compactor to the veracity of the verse, I heard an anecdote from the book Endurance, which fits perfectly (I was listening to the book on Audible).  As a quick background, Shackleton, the leader of a trans-Antarctic expedition, overheard some of the crew members discussing their predicament (the ship was frozen solid in ice and had not moved in 5-months).  The men seemed confident that the immobile ship could withstand the extreme pressure from the thickening ice and, though frightening, all would be well.  Shackleton sat down next to the men and shared a story (I shall paraphrase as I could not find the script to copy).

A hungry mouse found an unattended tankard of beer, dove in and drank his fill.  Thoroughly smashed, the mouse exited the tankard of ale, puffed out his chest and said, "Where's that cat?"

After relaying the story, Shackleton looked at his men and walked away.  How perfect is that?  Alcohol is indeed, without doubt or question, one of the greatest deceivers!  In closing I want to share a quote from Russell M. Nelson taken from his address, Addiction or Freedom (1988 October General Confernce)...

 Choose to be different; you will be blessed both physically and spiritually. 

That is it...

~Kipling

A Continual Dropping

Reading:   Proverbs 19

I have come across so many gems of verse over the last few months and have been unable, for often not the best of reasons, to blog about their meanings.  It's been so long my desire to continue has been overshadowed by my feeling of regret for my extended absence; however, forget what is not and commence with what is, right? Of course right!

PROVERBS 19:13

13 A foolish son is the calamity of his father: and the contentions of a wife are a continual dropping. 

This simple verse is not one that I can relate to because I am blessed with sons that are respectful, upright, and strong of spirit.  My wife is incredibly hard working, filled with a compassionate desire to help others and always driven to improve our family.  And, although the verse makes no mention of daughters, my girls are the brightness of my day and bring me joy unceasing.

So why did I choose this verse?  It's the end, "...a continual dropping."  What does that mean?  You may already know, but, like me, probably not.   I love a good metaphor and this turned out to be quite a spectacular one (my scholarly friend, Matthew Henry, helped me unravel the puzzle).   It's like this, "dropping" is used to note the fall of rain. We can all appreciate how frustrating "...a continual dropping," might be.  Comparing then "a continual dropping" to "the contentions of a wife" is very fitting because what manner of man, child, or otherwise, wants to live in a house of continual contention?  Henry explains...

A cross peevish wife is as great an affliction [as a foolish son]: Her contentions are continual; every day, and every hour in the day, she [always] finds some occasion to make herself and those about her uneasy...it is a continual dropping, that is, a continual vexation, as it is to have a house so much out of repair that it rains in and a man cannot lie dry in it. That man has an uncomfortable life, and has need of a great deal of wisdom and grace to enable him to bear his affliction and do his duty, who has a sot for his son and a scold for his wife.

I have neither a scold for a wife or sots for sons.  I count myself lucky and pray for those of lesser fortune - may the rains cease in your bedrenched, soggified, marshiferous, households!

~Kipling

What Just Happened?

Reading:   2 Kings13

This is one of those chapters that goes something like this:

Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah -lightning bolt- blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah ....

In-other-words, a lot of droning, snooze-worthy, genealogical, can't recall, blandness but smack dab in the middle -BAM- there is a bit of magical wonder that leaves you confused, "...What just happened?"  This chapter was a terrific example of such an occurrence.  In the middle of the, uh, I honestly can't remember and don't care to reread, bland stuff, hidden like a cleverly laid trap, are these two verses...

2 KINGS 13:20-21

20 And Elisha died, and they buried him. And the bands of the Moabites invaded the land at the coming in of the year. 

21 And it came to pass, as they were burying a man, that, behold, they spied a band of men; and they cast the man into the sepulchre of Elisha: and when the man was let down, and touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood up on his feet. 

Seriously...the chapter went from a mundane list of kings, successors, their acts of blah blah blah then those two incredible verses and right back into another chain of who cares (okay, I'm being harsh.  I do care and I'm sure I will find meaning and noteworthy sustenance in these other verses on another day but today they just wore me down).

Elisha died!? Really...why was this not a bigger event? And why was it smothered in a chapter of mud?  Oh, and thought I might mention, yeah, a dead guy was hidden in the grave and he came back to life when he touched Elisha's bones - thought you might like to know.  UNBELIEVABLE?!!  I think the death of Elisha and the incidental brought-back-to-life bit are two pretty awesome events and it is sad that they are buried.

Also, with all the fiction out there about the searches for the Holy Grail, Solomon's Temple, Ark of the Covenant, etc. I am overwhelmingly aghast that there has been no search for the bones of Elisha (here proven to revive the dead).  I may just add, no, I am adding, Elisha's Bones to my list of book ideas.

~Kipling

Jehoash the Ill-Advised

Reading:   2 Kings 12

The tale of King Jehoash (aka Joash) is somewhat short, especially considering the great pomp and circumstance surrounding his birth (2 Kings 11).  In his forty years as king, Jehoash did manage to repair the much dilapidated temple of Solomon and taught the priests therein an important lesson in humility.  He was an honest God-fearing man and king, well, that is while Jehoiada, his aged advisor, teacher, tutor, prophet and councillor, was alive, then, not-so-much...

2 KINGS 12:2

2 And Jehoash did that which was right in the sight of the Lord all his days wherein Jehoiada the priest instructed him. 

After reading chapter 12 of 2 Kings, it is easy to deem the works of Jehoash good, and they were, but, the rest of the story is revealed in 2 Chronicles 24.  It seems that after the death of Jehoiada, the good king lost his way and began listening to the advise of the not-so-wise kind; even to the point where he ordered the stoning of a prophet who spoke for The Lord (a prophet who was also the son of Jehoiada)...

2 CHRONICLES 24:21-22

21 And they conspired against him, and stoned him with stones at the commandment of the king in the court of the house of the Lord. 

22 Thus Joash the king remembered not the kindness which Jehoiada his father had done to him, but slew his son. And when he died, he said, The Lord look upon it, and require it. 

Shortly thereafter, Jehoash was conspired against and murdered by his own servants.  So, yes, Jehoash did do "...that which was right in the sight of The Lord all his days..." but the second part of the verse must be understood.  Jehoash only did that which was right while "...Jehoiada the priest instructed him."  When Jehoash lost his prophetic councillor he also lost his way and his salvation - forty-six years of righteousness, one act of wickedness, done!

~Kipling

God Save the King

Reading:   2 Kings 11

Although "God Save the King" has been used in verse prior to this (5 times in fact), it jumped out at me today and demanded my attention...

2 KINGS 11:12

12 And he brought forth the king's son, and put the crown upon him, and gave him the testimony; and they made him king, and anointed him; and they clapped their hands, and said, God save the king.

I was confident I would find something interesting about "God save the king" on the interweb and I must say, I wasn't disappointed. I discovered some outright unruly displeasure for the phrase in regards to its usage in the King James Version of the bible...crazy, right?  Anyway, there were also some impressive articles refuting the ignorant, self-aggrandizing, buffoons.  The article I found most akin to my beliefs, and well written to boot, was God Save the King, by Will Kinney.  Here are some highlights from the article...

A modern version proponent recently wrote... [that] the King James Version translators used a dynamic equivalence method in which they inserted God's name where it is not in the original. This is in the phrases "God save the king" and "God save king [king's name]" in 1 Samuel 10:24; 2 Samuel 16:16; 1 Kings 1:25,1 Kings 1:34, 1 Kings 1:39, 2 Kings 11:12; and 2 Chronicles 23:11. 

This person then goes on to say that the King James translation of "God save the king" is "DEPLORABLE" because 1. a literal, word-for-word translation method was not used 2.the translators used colloquialism and idiom 3.they deceive the reader into thinking that these words are in the original 4.they take God's name in vain. 

I am often amazed at the criticisms against the King James Bible that the modern version proponents bring up. They don't usually discover these things for themselves but copy and paste them from some anti-KJV site, like those of Doug Kutilek or James White.

They profess a great love for God's words, yet if you ask them where we common Christians can get a copy of the infallible words of God, they soon reveal that the only "infallible bible" they have exists solely in their minds and imaginations. They don't believe any translation can be the infallible words of God nor do they have any "Hebrew and Greek texts" that completely represent the originals. Their mystical bible is made up of their own personal opinions and preferences, and of course, their "bible" differs from the "bible" the next scholar has dreamed up for himself. Each man becomes his own final authority... 

"The word, “God (אלהים)” is not in the Hebrew, which says, “live (subjunctive) the king.” The subjunctive mood expresses a wish. The translators understood this passage as the invocation of the providential preservation of the life of the king. Thus “God” was added  

to convey the meaning of the utterance. If not to God, who else would God-fearing Hebrews address this plea to? To an impersonal "fate"? Such would be a Pagan attitude. Whereas contemporary English speakers might say, "Long live the king" without necessarily having God in mind, the preservation of life and God were intrinsically linked in the mind of a God-fearing Hebrew." 

Realize that the King James Bible and all these other versions are English translations, written to English speaking persons (the target audience) expressing what this Hebrew phrase means in English. We do not have kings here in America, but those God fearing nations that had or continue to have kings or queens to this day still say 'God save the king' or 'God save the queen'. 

The fact is directly implied and recognized that it is God who gives and preserves the life of the king, as well as everyone else on this planet.

Bravo, Mr. Kinney!  Not exactly where I thought today's blog would go...I thought I would find a nice story, poem, or lyrical verse to share and instead discovered a debate.  That's okay, much more interesting and I always love a good scrape!

~Kipling