Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "exegesis"
Rude Awakenings – Part 1
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Rude Awakenings – Part 2
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet. [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Rude Awakenings – Part 1
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Rude Awakenings – Part 2
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to v.14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Rude Awakenings – Part 1
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays, that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
That is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays, that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
That is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
Rude Awakenings – Part 2
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to verse 14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Yesterday we descanted on Proverbs 27:7 and arrived at a good many conclusions. The analysis which preceded applies equally to verse 14 of Proverbs 27. Imagine being in a sound sleep, dreaming about the greatest time of your life and living it all over again. Add to this the typical embellishments contained in sweet dreams, and you find yourself in third heaven!
Suddenly the time of your life comes to an end, as you hear someone’s voice blurting out like clanging cymbals and blaring trumpets. You jump to attention, none too happy for the rude awakening. You come to an abrupt realization, “Well I’ll be… It’s Damsel Daisy, my best girl! But what is she doing on my front porch at 4:30 AM, strumming her guitar and singing me love songs?”
So you ask her as much, but in a not so kind voice. Her response, “Oh, honey, I just finished writing this song for you, and I couldn’t wait for you to hear it. Do you like it?”
What do you think your retort would be? Could you honestly give it a rave review? Methinks not! You’d bellow, “It sucks, girl! Get back home with yourself and leave me be! If you want my opinion about a song ever again, make an appointment first!” And then you’d slam the door and return to bed, yearning for a repeat of your fantastic dream.
You see, even when your most favorite person comes to your home, even when your sweetie comes to sing your praises, it’s not automatically a good thing. It depends on the context. Every situation—and every book and every Bible verse—occurs within a context, not in a vacuum. Should we leave out the context we might arrive at the wrong destination. We may very well draw the wrong conclusion.
Such is the message of Proverbs 27:14. Let’s diagram it.
A. a person who blesses
B. a loud voice early in the morning
A. a friend who is blessed
B. a curse to him it is reckoned
The parallel ideas are “A” with “A” and “B” with “B”. There is a person who blesses and his friend whom he is blessing. The two occur parallel to each other. Even though a blessing is pronounced, the twofold context makes the blessing not so much a blessing.
1. a loud voice
2. early in the morning
Hence the blessing so-called was instead “reckoned a curse”. The style is antonymous parallelism. Without a context, all actions and words are incapable of being understood aright. Apart from their context we can only offer guesses in our interpretation of them.
Let’s learn the lesson from verses 7 and 14 of Proverbs 27. Let’s not accept Bible teaching which leaves out the context. Otherwise we are swallowing man’s guesses hook, line, and sinker. And that just will not do, will it?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/Randy-Green/e/B...
