(Administrivia - I've been sending out a more-or-less-weekly devotional by e-mail since about 1993. Melinda suggested that I post this to the chuch blog. If you have opinions about whether this is a good thing to so, please let me/Melinda know)

OK, I’ll admit it. I’m a Bible weenie, and “Bible weenie” includes being fascinated by various Bible translations.

I don’t speak any of the Bible languages (“English does not count as a Bible language”), so I tend to read multiple translations to understand subtle distinctions – in Sunday school last week, we were comparing translations of Romans 12, and seeing “your love must be sincere”, “your love must be honest”, your love must be real”, and the one that startled me most – “don’t love like hypocrites”.

This week, I’m reading a paraphrase into Australian conversational English – and I’m thinking that God was not trying to be subtle.

Remember that prophets aren’t supposed to be giving their own opinions, they are supposed to be saying what God wants them to say. So this passage isn’t saying what Isaiah thinks about God’s Chosen People, it’s saying what God thinks about his Chosen People.

This is the way paraphrases are supposed to work – the text says, literally, “you are rulers of Sodom, you are people of Gomorrah”, but the translator knows that Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed in Genesis and we’re in Isaiah, centuries later, so the translator paraphrases. “You are no better than the rulers of Sodom/the people of Gomorrah”.

When you choose darkness – we all have – do you think God is watching left-brained, “Oh, well, Spencer is being an idiot again, too bad”, or is God watching right-brained, “If I see Spencer being an idiot again, I’ll just SCREAM”?

I’ve only been at worship services where incense was used a few times, but the idea of “sending a pleasing smell up to God” is very traditional for both Christians and for Jews. “Your incense is nothing but a smokescreen” – wow.

I grew up in the Great State of Texas, where the citizens are so patriotic that they continue to vote long after death. I rarely see the word “corruption” used unless it’s talking about “political corruption”, but it’s worth mentioning that “corruption” is closely related to “decompostion” – when David says “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or let your holy one see corruption” in Psalm 16, he’s not talking about voting fraud, he’s talking about literal “rottenness”.

Wow. Is God saying that the choices we make can make us decay?

Intellectually I “get” this, but sometimes I’m not paying enough attention, because I realize later that I was presented with an opportunity to line up with the last, the least, the lost, and I didn’t even notice.

1. For Sarah and Danny – I am grateful for your prayers, for access to excellent medical care, and for parents-to-be who are already making good choices. The twins went from 28 weeks to 34 weeks in the hospital, and both now weigh over six pounds. Sarah is at home, just finishing out her pregnancy.
2. Scott Jackson had his knees scraped last Friday, cleaning up decades of scar tissue.
3. Meredith continues to recover from jaw surgery.
4. Veanine's sister continues to recover from surgery, as does Ted Butler.
5. Christine is our 35-year-old Third Day fan at a local nursing home. She’s scheduled for spinal surgery on Wednesday – please keep her in your prayers.
6. I’m still recovering from a non-impact van “situation” a few weeks ago – did you know that a damaged sternum can take two months to heal?
7. For friends who are starting school, at a variety of levels.
8. For friends who are considering serving God, in a variety of ways.