Second Take

Some phrases from the Bible are quite familiar to us, and for good reason. They zero in on our experience, or our need, in a succinct and powerful way. Yet sometimes these become a little too familiar. For that reason, it's nice to see new shades of meaning in even the most familiar verses of God's word.

Here are two examples, both from the minor prophets - both verses that many readers probably know quite well.

The first is from Habakkuk 2:4, where the familiar words "the righteous shall live by faith" are first recorded. Did you know that the entirety of this verse is actually as follows: "Behold, his soul is puffed up; it is not upright within him, but the righteous shall live by his faith." I think we see more clearly what faith is - and isn't - when we see that the context is a statement against human pride.

The second is from Malachi 7:19, where we read, "You will cast all our sins into the depths of the sea." This same phrase is mentioned elsewhere in the Bible, and pictures the breadth of God's forgiveness to us. Have you ever considered that this speaks not only about our forgiveness, but God's own hatred of sin? He removes our sin first and foremost for his own sake! Through Jesus we are recipients of his mercy for sure, but it's a mercy combined with God's own zeal to wipe the creation clean of its stains.

This point was made by a friend of mine who sends out daily thoughts based on Scripture; he calls this the "Verse of the Day." He wrote in an email concerning Malachi 7:19, "I'd like to ...point out that there is an element of God's anger in these verses - anger that is triggered by our sin. Yes, we are forgiven. Yes, God pardons us. He removes our sins. We could not stand if He did not do these things. But let us not forget that our sins cause God grief. Let us not take advantage of His grace, but rather turn from sin and live for Him."

Let's think more deeply about these passages. And every part of Scripture we read!


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NOTE: If you'd like to receive that "verse of the day" on an ongoing basis, let me know and I'll put you in touch.