OFFENDED AT ANY TIME

OFFENDED AT ANY TIME

Tuesday, September 13, 2016

  In sipping sugared Maxwell House coffee while noshing a banana and muffin during my customary reading the Omaha World Herald I discovered that I and others of my sort are underrepresented in the film industry. I ponder the reason for this and wonder if it due to lack of photographic frenetic uncontrolled feverish gymnastics. Whatever the reason, I am not offended that there is not enough godfather spraying tomatoes scenes in today’s talkies. Though it must be so for some, hence the news article, there is no self-regarding anger on my part.

  There was however a time when I would be peeved by such silly facts by personally extrapolating to “Once again I don’t matter.”

  This time I opt to review and rejoice in one of the aspects of how by the Word passive-aggressive anger diminished in my life. I had decided to have a look at “offend” and “offense”. One verse in particular spoke to my troubled heart, Psalm (KJV) 119:165 “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.”

  As taught by my mentors I rustled the pages of Strong’s and discovered that though the folks of King James’ era understood “offend”, I did not. As with many I thought it strictly had to do with hurt feelings. It does not.

H4383

מכשׁל    מכשׁול; mikshôl  mikshôl; mik-shole', mik-shole'  Masculine from H3782; a stumblingblock, literally or figuratively (obstacle, enticement (specifically an idol), scruple): - caused to fall, offence, X [no-] thing offered, ruin, stumbling-block.

  With the discovery I decided it is foolishly counterproductive to live life repeatedly stumbling over my hurt feelings fabricating passive-aggressive anger. And now I come to hoping none of you KJV’rs take offense, stumble over, my pointing out that many later language translations clarify the matter for us. Interestingly, 2 are not at all new.

(ASV)  Great peace have they that love thy law; And they have no occasion of stumbling.

(CEV)  You give peace of mind to all who love your Law. Nothing can make them fall.

(ESV)  Great peace have those who love your law; nothing can make them stumble.

(GW)  There is lasting peace for those who love your teachings. Nothing can make those people stumble.

(ISV)  Great peace belongs to those who love your instruction, and nothing makes them stumble.

(LITV)  Great peace is to those who love Your Law, and there is no stumblingblock to them.

(MKJV)  Great peace is to those who love Your Law, and there is no stumbling block for them.

(Webster 1833)  Great peace have they who love thy law: and nothing shall cause them to stumble.

(YLT 1898)  Abundant peace have those loving Thy law, And they have no stumbling-block.

  In a little while I’m going to the garden and pick a few tomatoes. I pray that while there I don’t stumble.

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