Wednesday, January 13, 2016

DBRP_014 GEN.25 GEN.26 JOB.14 MRK.9.1-29


I encourage you to Dig Deeper in your Bible study this year. I have linked several powerful on-line Bible study tools on the Shovels page of the http://dailybiblereading.info.

And when you find an especially precious insight or a question, please share it with us via our online community.

Preparing to read GENESIS 25-26:

Yesterday in Genesis 24 we read the charming story of how Rebecca became Isaac's wife.

Opening to JOB 14:

In chapter 13, Job challenged his friends with these words,
6 Listen while I state my case.
7 Why are you lying?
Do you think your lies will benefit God?
8 Are you trying to defend him?
Are you going to argue his case in court?
9 If God looks at you closely, will he find anything good?
Do you think you can fool God the way you fool others?
...
14 I am ready to risk my life.
15 I've lost all hope, so what if God kills me?
I am going to state my case to him.
16 It may even be that my boldness will save me,
since no wicked person would dare to face God.

Today we read the third and final chapter of this response of Job to Zophar, chapter 14.

Translation note:
18 [A time comes//There comes a time] when mountains fall
and solid cliffs are moved away.
19 Water will wear down rocks,
and heavy rain will wash away the soil;
[even] so you destroy our hope for life.

Let’s turn to MARK 9:

Yesterday at the end of Mark 8, Jesus gave this requirement for all his followers:
“Everyone who wants to follow Me must leave his own self interests, and follow Me continually with this resolve, ‘No matter if I die— even if that be by crucifixion, I will keep following the Lord!’” (PET)

(The PET stands for the Plain English Translation. That is an English translation of our Plain Indonesian Translation (TSI).)

The rest of the chapter has other important verses including this one:

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

Translation notes:

1And he went on to say, “I tell you, there are some here who will not die until they [have seen God coming and setting up his Kingdom to reign on earth in great power!//have seen the Kingdom of God come with power.”]

In most languages (and I really think we need to include English) kingdoms don't ‘come’ or ‘arrive’. Similarly, cabbages don't read books. Such things are collocational clashes. The kingdom of North America doesn't move to South America. The Lord's prayer is a famous example. Instead of ‘May your kingdom come’ it is better in most of the world's languages to say, “May You come and reign here as our king.”

23 [Jesus said, “Ha! ‘…if you can’!//“Yes,” said Jesus, “if you yourself can!] Everything is possible for the person who [believes//has faith].”

24The father at once cried out, “I do [believe in you//have faith], but not enough. Help me [believe more fully//have more]!” (Literally, “help my unbelief.”)

There are two different interpretations of Jesus’ exclamation in 23a.

Note that it is helpful for seeing the cohesion that is found in the Greek if we use the same word— ‘believe’ to translate the four different forms of ‘pistew’ found in this passage. Both Jesus (v19) and the father use the word ‘unbelief’. Translating ‘faith’ in some places and believe in others makes it appear that the two mean different things. In the Bible, ‘faith’ is simply the noun form of ‘believe’.

 


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