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A translation
according to the usage of words might be:
Where there is no knowledge of God the people
wander aimlessly: but he that is kept straight and right by the Word of
God - How happy!
I want to trace the Hebrew word "para" translated perish in this verse through some
of its
uses in the Bible. Para
means to be loosened or unrestrained. It may seem
like a positive thing to be free, loose, or unbound. I want to
take a look at what God's Word says about being bound by revelation
from God and also what the Word says about who it is that does the
binding or loosening.
Exodus
5:4
And the king of Egypt said unto them, Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron,
let (para
- loose) the people from their works? get you unto your
burdens.
This is
the first use of the word "para."
Moses asked Pharaoh (at God's request) to let the children of Israel
take a three day vacation from working in Egypt to go into the
wilderness and hold a feast to God. Pharaoh asked why Moses and
Aaron were "loosening" the people from their required work as slaves in
Egypt. Pharaoh had bound them to these tasks and God wanted them
to be free from working for three days.
Exodus 32:19-25
And it
came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the
calf, and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the
tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount.
And he
took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the
children of Israel drink of it.
And Moses
said unto Aaron, What did this people unto thee, that thou hast brought
so great a sin upon them?
And Aaron
said, Let not the anger of my lord wax hot: thou knowest the people,
that they are set on mischief.
For they
said unto me, Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that
brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of
him.
And I
said unto them, Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the
fire, and there came out this calf.
And when
Moses saw that the people were
naked (para
- loose); (for Aaron had made them naked (para
- loose) unto their
shame among their enemies:)
The people
may have been unbound or loosed from their clothing, but more
importantly, in making and worshipping the golden calf they were no
longer bound by the Word of God given them by Moses. By their own
choice they were free from the
restraint of God's Word and had made themselves vulnerable to
their enemies as they were wandering outside of the protective hedge of
that Word.
2 Chronicles 28:19
For the
LORD brought Judah low because of Ahaz king of Israel; for he made
Judah naked (para
- loose), and transgressed sore against the
LORD.
Ahaz was king of God's people. Instead
of seeking help from God, Ahaz sought the help of the kings of Assyria
and paid them from that which was in the temple that the people had
given to God. He also sacrificed to the gods of Syria and sought
their help instead of God's. His actions loosed Judah from the
protection of God's Word and as a result Judah was brought low.
Proverbs 1:23 - 31
Turn you
at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make
known my words unto you.
Because I
have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man
regarded;
But ye
have set at nought (para
- loose) all my counsel, and would none of my
reproof:
I also
will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh;
When your
fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind;
when distress and anguish cometh upon you.
Then
shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me
early, but they shall not find me:
For that
they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD:
They would none of my counsel: they despised
all my reproof.
Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their
own way, and be filled with their own devices.
God promises to make known His Word
to those who are willing to listen and act upon it. However, when
a man or woman chooses to be loose from the knowledge of God and wander
in his or her own way, that person walks away from God's protection and
guidance. That person eats the fruit of his own way and is
filled with his own devices.
God makes it available for us to be protected
and directed by a knowledge of His Word. We choose whether we
will be bound by that Word or wander in our own aimless ways. God
does not loose us, we loose ourselves when we dismiss His Word as our
guide.
Proverbs
4:13 - 15
Take fast hold of instruction; let her
not go: keep her; for she is thy
life.
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the way of evil men.
Avoid (para
- loose) it,
pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
Here God's Word tells us to hold
fast to the instruction that comes from God and to loose ourselves from
the path of the wicked and the way of evil.
Proverbs 8:33
Hear
instruction, and be wise, and refuse
(para
- loose) it
not.
Once again we are to listen to the instruction that comes from God's Word and not seek to be loosed from it.
Proverbs 13:18
Poverty
and shame shall be to him
that refuseth (para
- is unrestrained
by) instruction:
but he that regardeth reproof shall be honoured.
It is clear that it is
our choice to be bound by the instruction and reproof that comes from
God's Word or to be loosed from the restraint of God's Word and
wander in our own ways. The man or woman who is loosed from
God's Word will receive poverty and shame. But he that regards
God's Word and allows that Word to stand in his life will receive honor.
Proverbs 15:32
He that refuseth (para
- is unrestrained
by) instruction
despiseth his own soul: but he that heareth reproof getteth
understanding.
It may seem like freedom to be
loosed from the restraint of God's Word, yet the Word declares that the
person who is loosed from God's instruction despiseth his own
soul. Understanding comes from obedience to the Word of God.
Ezekiel 24:14
I the
LORD have spoken it: it shall come to pass, and I will do it; I will
not go back (para
- loose),
neither will I spare, neither will I repent; according to thy ways, and
according to thy doings, shall they judge thee, saith the Lord GOD.
We may choose to be loose from God's
Word but that does not change the truth of the Word or the fact that
God's Word shall absolutely come to pass. God is bound by His
Word and will never choose
to be loose from it. If God says He is going to do
something; then God does it whether we believe or not. Our
own actions and our ways judge us. That is why people wander
aimlessly and fail to prosper when they choose to be loose from the
knowledge of God.
Where there is no
knowledge of God the people
wander aimlessly: but he that is kept straight and right by the Word of
God - How happy!
Michael
& Christine Cortright's Fellowship Homepage