translations

My friend in England has a boy friend in Germany, so visits there frequently. She is gradually learning to speak German but occasionally has a lapse when she can’t think of the right word in time. I often have a laugh as she describes her mistakes.

One day she went into a second-hand German bookshop. She found a book she really wanted to buy but because of its very poor condition she felt the asking price was too high. In her haste and stuck for the right word, she came out with the words ‘This book is in pain!’

It made me think of our world which is in pain. Viewing it, God is in pain also. The Bible puts it like this ‘We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in pains of childbirth up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, groan as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.’ Romans 8:22

Thigs are not right, we have turned away from God as we try to run our own lives. God’s way is the best way, the only way. All we can do is keep our eyes on Him and not on the troubles of the world. Nor are we asked to take on these enormous problem ourselves. By keeping close to Him we will be able to do what is His will for us.

It might be theologically wrong but I think the Bible was written 100% by God and 100% by man. The 100% by God would explain the power of the Word, its infallibility and that the words of the book itself are proven by the book itself. The fact that God deigned to use man to pen the words is a wonderful example of God’s partnership with man, for the 100% man-written The language of the day when it was translated gives us some wonderful phrases, as in Zephaniah 3:16, ‘Do not fear, Zion, do not let your hands hang limp.’ Wonderful!

From the content it seems the hands hang limp through fear. Nothing was being done because of overwhelming anxiety. But there are other reasons for limp hands and my thoughts immediately flew to the idea of limp hands through leprosy. The hands are one of the first parts of the body to be affected by this disease, causing the hands to become claw-like and useless. Medical science has made great advances with reconstruction but often the hands are too damaged to become useful.

Another reason can be laziness and idleness. My mother used to tell me ‘Those who don’t work can’t eat.’ With my large appetite, the phrase ensured I was never lazy. Hands can be kind or cruel but the best example of kind hands belong to Jesus, ‘Jesu’s hands were kind hands.’ the chorus tells us. Lord, we pray, keep us from limp hands for whatever reason..