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from the Bible...

The Bible is full of truth. It is authored by God Himself, who IS truth. We commonly find our every-day language taking so many phrases & sayings from the Bible yet so often do we not fully realise the truth in those words. Here are some of those phrases and sayings.

 

Many hands make light work How nice it is when someone offers a ‘helping hand.’ The job becomes so much easier when the load is shared and both the ‘helper’ and the ‘helped’ are able to encourage each other. The Bible puts it this way:

Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. (Ecclesiastes 4:9)

 

 

Busy as a bee Just like the bee that flies back and forth gathering pollen to add to the honeycomb, we sometimes find ourselves dashing back and forth in an effort to get everything done we think needs doing. But God wants us to take time aside from our own efforts to rest in His presence. Jesus explained this when a woman complained of her sister’s apparent reluctance to join in with her busyness, instead choosing to sit at Jesus’ feet.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving, and came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me. And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:40-42)

 

 

 

 

 

At the Eleventh Hour We use this expression to convey the idea that something has happened just in time or just at the last moment. The idea is taken straight from the Bible. The working day for labourers in the vineyards was 12 hours and it was common to hire men right up until the eleventh hour (5pm) in an effort to finish the day’s scheduled work on time. But Jesus told a parable to illustrate a more wonderful principal. That His salvation is available to all - right up to the last available moment and that all who accept receive the same.

And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. (Matthew 20:6-7)

 

 

 

 

Feet of Clay To have feet of clay suggests a weakness in something (or someone) that is otherwise considered strong and infallible. It’s a phrase taken from a story in the Book of Daniel where Daniel describes a ‘great statue’ in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. The head was of gold - breast and arms of silver - stomach and thighs of brass - the legs of iron and the feet of iron mixed with clay. But iron does not mix easily with clay and it leaves a great weakness in an otherwise mighty monument. It was a monument which represented man’s greatest ‘self built’ empires. But they all came crashing down when one mightier than them all appeared – the Lord Himself.

Thou, O king, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible This image's head was of fine gold, his breast and his arms of silver, his belly and his thighs of brass, His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to pieces. (Daniel 2:31 – 34)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Eat, drink and be merry As is often the case, this well-used phrase taken from the Bible is only half quoted - and it’s only half the story. The attitude of many today is “eat what you want whenever you want to, drink whatever you want as often as you like.” The result is gluttony resulting in obesity and increased alcoholic consumption (binge drinking is currently the fashionable way to comply with this idea). And merry?…well perhaps this present generation typifies the apparent careless attitude which many have - living totally for one’s self.

And behold joy and gladness, slaying oxen, and killing sheep, eating flesh, and drinking wine: let us eat and drink; for to morrow we shall die. And it was revealed in mine ears by the LORD of hosts, Surely this iniquity shall not be purged from you till ye die, saith the Lord GOD of hosts. (Isaiah 22:13,14)

 

 

But the other half of the story is the warning – “for tomorrow we shall die.” What a warning! Do we dare to treat that as a justification for doing whatever we please, now? The answer is – only if you are convinced that the dead know nothing! And the Bible is VERY clear that this idea is totally wrong. In fact the bible makes it abundantly clear that … it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: (Hebrews 9:27)

 

Scapegoat When we find ourselves being made a scapegoat it means we find ourselves taking the blame for someone else’s mistakes. The origin relates to the Hebrew ritual for the atonement for sin.

And he shall take the two goats, and present them before the LORD at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Aaron shall cast lots upon the two goats; one lot for the LORD, and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat upon which the LORD's lot fell, and offer him for a sin offering. But the goat, on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat, shall be presented alive before the LORD, to make an atonement with him, and to let him go for a scapegoat into the wilderness. (Leviticus 16:7 – 10)

 

 

 

 

 

Notice how one goat is sacrificed and one goat is set free into the wilderness. What a fantastic ‘picture’ of God’s plan of salvation for each one of us. Jesus was both our sacrifice for sin when He died on the cross and the removal of our sin when He bore the sin of the whole world in himself.

 

The Apple of his eye Someone who is regarded as precious and irreplaceable. A thousand years ago the pupil of the eye was known as the ‘apple.’ The modern word pupil, is Latin and did not form part of the English language until the 1500s. Sight was regarded as the most valued of all the senses and therefore the ‘apple’ was precious and irreplaceable.

For the LORD's portion is his people; Jacob is the lot of his inheritance. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste howling wilderness; he led him about, he instructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye. (Deuteronomy 32:9,10)

 

 

 

 

Fly in the Ointment Apothecaries (an early version of our pharmacist) relied upon their potions and ointments for the treatment of many medical conditions. Dispensed from large vats, they could treat a large number of people but a single fly or other insect found floating in it was thought to spoil the whole vat. We think of anything or anyone that hinders the outcome of something as the fly in the ointment – the thing which can spoil the whole outcome. But just a little foolish action from one who is normally considered wise can have the same effect.

Dead flies cause the ointment of the apothecary to send forth a stinking savour: so doth a little folly him that is in reputation for wisdom and honour. (Ecclesiastes 10:1)

 

 

 

 

Separating the wheat from the chaff As the crushed wheat is tossed into the air the lighter and worthless chaff is blown aside by the wind leaving the valuable grain to fall into the collecting vessel. John the Baptist gave a stark warning to all who reject God’s offer to receive salvation in Jesus Christ. Referring to Jesus, he said:

I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance. but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. (Matthew 3:11 – 12)

 

 

 

 

 

 

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