I’m
hesitant to write this because it has the potential of making you mad. That's not my intent.
Well
then, what is?
I’m
a little concerned (okay, a whole lot concerned) about a particular verse that
is being used as a platform for “positive thinking.”
Wait, that’s not completely it. My real concern is this: how rarely we do
our homework when it comes to interpreting scripture. If something sounds good, or rings true we
take a portion of a verse or passage and run with it; using it to support our
teachings. Eventually, everyone is
quoting it and even whole books are written on its premise.
And
few ever bother to actually look up the verse and read it in its context. Sigh.
I want to wake us up a bit and start to question what we have believed and/or taught.
My intention is to challenge our
hermeneutics. Herm-a-what-ics? Never mind. If this blog post
makes us ask, “What does that verse really mean?” and causes us
to go back and explore the chapter and book surrounding it, then I will have
considered it worthwhile.
Okay. Drum roll. Here’s the verse that I think we
are getting wrong (Hear me out before you throw something at me):
“For as he
thinks within himself, so he is.” Prov.
23:7
I hear this verse quoted frequently, interpreted as, “We become what we think.” Now, I’m not denying that our thoughts and
beliefs influence our actions, or even that we can change our behavior by
changing our thoughts. But I am denying that this particular verse
teaches that.
How can you say that, Kinsey? It’s pretty obvious, “as a man thinks, so is
he.”
I admit, it does look good, and
secretly I want to use it just like everyone else does. But have we ever stopped to read the surrounding
verses? Here they are:
Do not eat
the bread of a selfish man, Or desire his delicacies; For as
he thinks within himself, so he is. He says to you, "Eat and drink!"
But his heart is not with you. You will vomit up the morsel you have
eaten, And waste your compliments.… Prov. 23:6-8
Did you just hurry past that or did you
carefully read it? I’m not going to do a
long-drawn-out exegesis here. Hopefully you
will stop and examine it for yourself.
Just a quick glance makes me think the
author is warning us not to covet what a selfish man offers. My paraphrase:
Don’t be tricked by his smooth talk. He’s not what he appears. On the inside he is against you. Don’t be fooled by him, or crave what you think he can offer you. It will come back to haunt you. This guy cannot be trusted. If you want to know what he is really like, take a peek into his greedy heart.
Some might dismiss my concerns and say,
“Alright, maybe that particular verse is not the best for teaching about the power
of the mind, but since it is true
that our thoughts dictate our actions, can’t we just forgive the fact that it’s
taken out of context?”
Insert screeching tires, busting glass,
and the sound of a car hitting a wall.
Answer: Nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
We
cannot, must not twist and pull out
scripture to support our beliefs. We derive our beliefs from scripture. And if
we don’t keep the bigger picture in focus (context), how on earth will we ever
correctly interpret the smaller picture?
I
don’t want to be a party pooper. Well,
maybe I do. If we are dancing to the
wrong music, someone's got to pull the plug.
I
hope we have all been challenged. This isn’t my typical story-telling blog post. But it’s what I woke up with at 3 a.m. and
now that I’ve written it down, maybe I
can go back to sleep.
Work hard so
you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one
who does not need to be ashamed and who
correctly explains the word of truth.
2 Tim 2:15
