Today’s Bible Study, Authored by Arthur
Cincotti. 09/17/2023
Listen to our Bible
Study Discussion at: Translating the Scripture Podcast
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Translating the Scripture into the Language of Your
Life
And He said, “Go, and tell
this people:
‘Keep on hearing, but do not understand;
Keep on seeing, but do
not perceive.’
“Make the heart of this people dull,
And their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they see with
their eyes,
And hear with their
ears,
And understand with
their heart,
And return and be
healed.” Isa. 6:9,10
This verse of Scripture is
quoted by Jesus in all four gospel accounts and by Paul in Acts: 28:26,27
Anyone who speaks more than
one language is probably familiar with using this saying; “It loses something
in the translation.”
The Bible was originally
given in three languages; Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. The earliest attempt at a
New Testament canon was drawn up in 140, in Rome, by the heretic Marcion. In
the 3rd cen. Jerome made extensive attempts to translate the Old
Testament into Latin and revise his works on the gospels. Fast forward to John
Wycliffe who translated the Latin Bible into English in 1381. He died of a
stroke in 1384, but 44 years after his death, church officials dug up his
bones, burned them, and scattered the ashes on the River Swift. Martin Luther’s
first translation of the New Testament into German took eleven months, in 1521
to 22, and was accomplished while he was held prisoner at Wartburg castle, by
Frederick the Wise of Saxony for his own safety.
As of 2020, of the 7,106
living languages in the world, the full Bible has been translated into 704.
I say all this to point out a
small glimpse of the scrutiny, tedium, and massive effort that has gone into
the text that we have before us. Volumes of parchments, fragments, and quotes,
were gathered in the first three centuries, and much blood was spilled during
the reformation. As important as all this is, it’s not what Isaiah or Jesus was
talking about in our opening verse.
Ps. 19, select verses says, “The heavens declare the glory
of God…Day to day pours out speech…There is no speech, nor are there word,
whose voice in not heard…”
Though God understands all of
these languages, since He created them, and scattered them, He does not speak
any of them. God’s language is a spiritual language. “These things we also
speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit
teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” I Cor. 2:13
Jesus said much about
“understanding” in the gospels. He used sayings, even with His disciples, like,
“How is it you do not understand…” Mt. 16:11 and “Do you not yet perceive
nor understand? Is your heart still hardened?” Mk. 8:17
Also, in Lk. 9:45,
speaking to His disciples about His betrayal, the Scripture says, “But they
did not understand this saying, and it was hidden from them…”
It was as if He was
speaking a foreign language.
We must be keenly aware of how we hear from God.
God speaks to all mankind in
what is called general revelation, which
is expressed in Ps. 19 and 104.
He also speaks in specific
revelation which is His word.
He also speaks to us
personally and specifically, typically through applied principles in His word,
but also by other means, in order to accomplish His will in us and through us.
We are translating His word
into actions.
In his book, “Exposing the
Spiritual Roots of Disease” Dr. Henry W. Wright asks, “Where do our thoughts come from?
Is everything we think for ourselves? For Christians, some of our thoughts are
from the Holy Spirit, and some of our thoughts are our own. But other thoughts
come from the enemy.”…God is Spirit. The enemy is spirit. You are a spirit,
with a soul and a body. Your body is how you get around in the physical world,
but you are a spirit. You cannot see your spirit with your physical eyes, but
it’s in you.”
Just as with learning a new
language we must cultivate and train our spiritual ears to hear and understand
God. Jesus said, “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow
Me.” Jn.
10:27
Tragically, a disability to
hear God’s voice often slips in because of sin, and or personal choice.
Sin will dullen God’s voice
until it becomes as background noise. Sin is captivating and commands our
attention.
At other times God’s voice
might be quite clear but the allure of worldliness can cause one to reject it. Jas. 4:4 says,
“Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God?”
As we process the word of God
in our lives; written in our hearts, in a mature fashion, we become, what Paul
called living epistle’s;
“You are our epistle
written in our hearts, known and read by all men; clearly you are an epistle of
Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink but by the Spirit of the living
God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of flesh, that is, of the heart.” II Cor. 3:2,3
As diligently as the above
mentioned translators carefully wrestled with the Scriptures, we too must also,
“Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need
to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Tim. 2:15
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For those who require the
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Freedom Prayer Ministry. You can schedule a session by going to: https://cedge216.wixsite.com/life-on-the-edge
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Encouragement
for the Path of Christian Discipleship
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