Skip to main content

He Who Hesitates is...Part 2

Last week, I wrote about the old saying:  “he who hesitates is lost.”  It’s not a biblical proverb but it almost could be!

To hesitate means to pause before saying or doing something, especially through uncertainty.  Among other things, when you hesitate you might miss out on opportunities or find yourself experiencing negative consequences.

Last week I also mentioned a man named Lot.  His story is found in Genesis 19.  For him, too much hesitation would have resulted in death, his own!

The word “hesitation”, in some Bible translations, is translated as “waver”.  To waver, according to the dictionary, is to vacillate irresolutely between choices or fluctuate in opinion, allegiance, or direction.

How about this verse as an obvious example of wavering:

Then Elijah approached all the people and said, “How long will you waver between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him. But if Baal, follow him.” But the people didn’t answer him a word. (1 Ki 18:21)

Some modern translations use some phrases in place of the word “waver” to illustrate what the word likely means and what was going on with the people:

  • Straddle the issue
  • Stuck between
  • Sit on the fence

Elijah rightly called out the people for sitting on the fence and not making a decision.  They were stuck between opinions and it was not the place to be.  And not only that, they didn’t even have enough gumption to give a response!

But God, in His grace and mercy, demonstrated His power in a way that showed the people who they should follow.  And check out their response:

And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, He is God; the Lord, He is God.”  (I Ki 18:39) 

May that be our response as we see who God really is!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Excel Still More!

To excel, according to some of the meanings from a few dictionaries, is to surpass others, do extremely well, outdo, do something better than anyone else. In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, we find the phrase “excel still more”.   It prompts the question:  if we are already doing something better than anyone else, why would we be encouraged to do even more? Perhaps it would be helpful to see the wording that other translations use for “excel still more” to see why we would be encouraged to do so.  Here is a sampling: • abound more and more • to keep doing so more and more • but try even harder • live that way more and more. • that you progress even more. • that you increase more and more in how you ought to walk Maybe it would also be helpful to see some other verses where the word “excel” is used: “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which when translated means Dorcas); this woman was excelling in acts of kindness and charity which she did habitually.”...
Post a Comment
Read more

Value Proposition

Value proposition:  it’s a marketing statement that summarizes why a consumer should buy a product or use a service.  It should clearly and concisely communicate what customers can gain from selecting a particular brand over that of its competitors. In a value proposition, you don’t want your product to be viewed as being worth less than what your competitors offer.   But even worse, in a bit of a quirk of how letters and spaces can fall, if you take out the space between “worth” and “less”, you get “worthless”, which means something of no value.   If that word is used in conjunction with how your product is viewed by customers, it’s a word that will likely kill your brand. In the book of Philippians, the Apostle Paul, in a sense, communicated some value propositions. In chapter three, he starts off with describing the value of some things that many considered as extremely valuable in that day and age.   They had to do with status and achievement in the reli...
Post a Comment
Read more

Open Immediately

The envelope had a specific command prominently printed on the outside.  It said “Open Immediately”. Immediately normally means now or without waiting; without interval of time. The envelope also had a company name prominently printed on the outside.  It was “Endurance”. Endurance normally is t he ability to sustain a prolonged effort or activity; the ability to keep doing something difficult, unpleasant, or painful for a long time. There are times when we want God to respond immediately, as without interval of time: “ But you, O Lord , do not be far off! O you my help, come quickly to my aid!”  (Ps 22:19). And there are other times when we are glad that God responds slowly, as in sustained over a long time:  “And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The Lord , the Lord , the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger , abounding in love and faithfulness,” (Ex 34:6) Intentional or not, the printing on that envelope was a contradiction in te...
Post a Comment
Read more