Tag: swift

Romans 3:15 – Eager Violence

Posted on by Will

"Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Truth to Learn

Bloodshed and violence are part of human nature.

 

Behind the Words

“Swift” is translated from the Greek word oxus. The basic meaning of this word is “to have a sharp, piercing point or a very sharp edge.” But this word also implies eagerness toward violence.

The word translated “shed” is ekcheō, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and cheō, which means “to pour.” Therefore, we can see that this word literally means “to pour out.”

 

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 59:7 which says,

Their feet run to evil, and they hurry to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and ruin are in their ways.

This passage in Isaiah occurs in the midst of a description of the character of the nation of Israel in the time of Isaiah. The expression, “their feet r,” implies the eagerness of the Jewish people to commit crime, particularly deeds of bodily injury and cruelty. They pursued the innocent ones and were not afraid to shed others’ blood to gratify their wicked desires, or to satisfy their vengeance on those who opposed them.

Notice also, in the Isaiah passage, that it is not just their actions that indicate the wickedness of their hearts. Isaiah says that their thoughts were thoughts of iniquity. Even when they were not performing deeds of wickedness and injury to others, they were thinking about doing evil.

In quoting this passage, however, Paul is showing us that this is the nature of all of mankind, not just Jews. It is clear from Paul’s description of the depravity of mankind in this passage that without the grace of a merciful God, none of us would ever be able to stand before the Judge of the universe without fear of condemnation.

If we hearken back to the metaphor of life being depicted as walking along a pathway, we begin to see the magnitude of this sinful characteristic of man. Instead of a leisurely stroll down the path of life, or even hastening one’s step to pursue closeness to our Travel Guide, this verse portrays man dashing off the path of righteousness in order to attack others. It is indicative of the overwhelming influence of our sin nature when it is not being held in check by the Holy Spirit of God.

 

Application

It’s easy to see this type of attitude and action being played out all around us. It might be some person going on a killing rampage because they’re angry, or it might be crooked government officials causing pain and suffering for innocent people because of their own selfish greed. It’s part of human nature. We Christians need to do two things. First, we need to ensure that we are humbled before God and filled with His Spirit so we don’t think or do any such things. Then, we need to pray for those who do these things. Be a witness of Christ’s love and pray for the salvation of others. Remember that it is only by the grace of God that we will appear some day before the Judge having the righteousness of Christ. Thank you, Lord for saving my soul!

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2017 Will Krause. All rights reserved

James 1:19 – Ears Open, Mouth Closed, Without Anger

Posted on by Will

Know this, my beloved brothers, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;

Truth to Learn

Your hearing will do you much more good in your walk with God than your mouth will.

Behind the Words

There is a variant reading in the first part of this verse. Some manuscripts begin this verse with hōste, meaning “so then” or “therefore.” The best manuscripts, however, begin with histe, a form of eidō, meaning “know this” (imperative). The latter is probably the correct reading.

In the Greek text a literal reading is, “Know this, my brothers, beloved ones …” As we pointed out in the notes on verse sixteen, James is not saying that the brothers (and sisters) are beloved by him (though, surely they are), but that they (and we) are beloved ones of God.

The words “let … be” are translated from the Greek word estō, a form of eimi. This is the verb of being and it is a command. Hence, James is commanding us all to, “be swift the hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath!”

“Swift” is translated from tachu, meaning “quick or nimble.” Figuratively, it means “ready and willing.”

The word “slow” is from the Greek word bradus which means “slow” but metaphorically it means “inactive.”

The word translated “anger” is the Greek word orgē, which means “violent passion.” It often refers to getting so angry that we yell or throw things.

Meaning Explained

Here is what Albert Barnes says of this verse in his Notes on the New Testament,

Since God is the only source of good; since he tempts no man; and since by his mere sovereign goodness, without any claim on our part, we have had the high honor conferred on us of being made the first-fruits of his creatures, we ought to be ready to hear his voice, to subdue all our evil passions, and to bring our souls to entire practical obedience.

In other words, what James is saying in this verse is: because God dearly loves us and because of what He has done for us, we must all be promptly ready to hear, that is, to listen intently to what God has to say to us. In addition we should not be in a hurry to express our own views. We cannot hear very well, either physiologically or mentally, when we are talking. If we are to learn what God has to teach us, we need to work hard on listening and even harder on not talking. There is an ancient saying which says;

The ears are always open, ever ready to receive instruction; but the tongue is surrounded with a double row of teeth, to hedge it in, and to keep it within proper bounds.

Finally, in this verse James says that we are to be “slow to anger.” If we have truly received the perfect gift of eternal life in Christ Jesus, then we should be eager to learn and we should not be characterized by outbursts of anger.

Application

There is a modern proverb which says:

It is better to be silent and thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all reasonable doubt.

I’m sure that James would say, “Amen!”

In God's service, for His glory,

Copyright © 2015 Will Krause. All rights reserved

Romans 3:15 – Eager Violence

Posted on by admin

Romans 3:15

“Their feet are swift to shed blood;

Truth to Learn

Bloodshed and violence are part of human nature.

Behind the Words

“Swift” is translated from the Greek word oxus. The basic meaning of this word is “to have a sharp, piercing point or a very sharp edge.” But this word also implies eagerness toward violence.

The word translated “shed” is ekcheō, which is a compound word made up of ek, meaning “out” or “out of” and cheō, which means “to pour.” Therefore, we can see that this word literally means “to pour out.”

Meaning Explained

In today’s verse the Apostle Paul quotes from Isaiah 59:7 which says,

Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood; their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and ruin are in their paths.

This passage in Isaiah occurs in the midst of a description of the character of the nation of Israel in the time of Isaiah. The expression, “their feet are swift,” implies the eagerness of the Jewish people to commit crime, particularly deeds of bodily injury and cruelty. They pursued the innocent ones and were not afraid to shed others’ blood to gratify their wicked desires, or to satisfy their vengeance on those who opposed them.

Notice also, in the Isaiah passage, that it is not just their actions that indicate the wickedness of their hearts. Isaiah says that their thoughts were thoughts of iniquity. Even when they were not performing deeds of wickedness and injury to others, they were thinking about doing evil.

In quoting this passage, however, Paul is showing us that this is the nature of all of mankind, not just Jews. It is clear from Paul’s description of the depravity of mankind in this passage that without the grace of a merciful God, none of us would ever be able to stand before the Judge of the universe without fear of condemnation.

If we hearken back to the metaphor of life being depicted as walking along a pathway, we begin to see the magnitude of this sinful characteristic of man. Instead of a leisurely stroll down the path of life, or even hastening one’s step to pursue closeness to our Travel Guide, this verse portrays man dashing off the path of righteousness in order to attack others. It is indicative of the overwhelming influence of our sin nature when it is not being held in check by the Holy Spirit of God.

Application

It’s easy to see this type of attitude and action being played out all around us. It might be some person going on a killing rampage because they’re angry, or it might be crooked government officials causing pain and suffering for innocent people because of their own selfish greed. It’s part of human nature. We Christians need to do two things. First, we need to ensure that we are humbled before God and filled with His Spirit so we don’t think or do any such things. Then, we need to pray for those who do these things. Be a witness of Christ’s love and pray for the salvation of others. Remember that it is only by the grace of God that we will appear before the Judge some day with the righteousness of Christ. Thank you, Lord for saving my soul!

In God’s service, for His glory,

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Copyright © 2009 Will Krause. All rights reserved.

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