WHAT DOES IT MEAN WHEN THE BIBLE SAYS WHERE THERE IS NO VISION THE PEOPLE PERISH

The New Oxford American Dictionary defines the word Vision as follows: the ability to think about or plan the future with wisdom. A mental image of what the future will or could be like. An experience of seeing someone or something in a dream or trance, or as a supernatural apparition.

The Hebrew word for Vision is Châzôwn. It means a sight (mentally), i.e. a dream, revelation or oracle.

In proverbs 29:18 we have the verse that reads, where there is no vision, the people perish, but happy is he that keeps the law.

Mostly everyone I’ve listened to has regarded this verse to mean a vision, plan or dream God has given them perhaps for their ministry or just a personal goal. While God does give us plans for our lives in service to him as believers, that is not the meaning of this passage.

What the writer means here is, where there is no prophetic revelation, that is no word from the Lord, the people cast off restraint, that is the people will rebel, but happy is he that keeps the law. The word vision in Proverbs 29:18 is synonymous with the word law which in the Hebrew is the word Tôrâh; meaning precept or statute; the Decalogue or Penatateuch.

It is the power of the word that prevents us from doing some of the evil things that we do. It is the power of the word of God that restrains us for fulfilling our lustful desires. It is the word of God that provides direction; The word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105). Another powerful passage is in Psalm 19:7 which reads, the law of the Lord is perfect converting or restoring the soul (emphasis added).

Without God’s word we’re lost and are in darkness; Why? Because God is no longer speaking to us therefore we have no direction; without divine guidance, we’re left to our own devices which will certainly brings us swift destruction.

To say this passage means personal dreams or aspirations or goals is a misinterpretation of the passage and removes it from it’s original context and places a private interpretation on it which is error. Scholars call this Eisegesis; that is placing ones own ideas on what the writer meant in the bible. Eisegesis is the opposite of Exegesis which of course is correctly explaining the text of scripture.

What does the Bible say about judging others?

Quite a touchy subject isn’t it? People are always telling us “Don’t judge me!” Or “Only God can judge me!” What I’ve noticed is the people making these statements are usually the ones that are living sinful lifestyles. Notice I didn’t say those that sin on occasion, for we all do, but those that practice sin.

Let’s see what the bible has to say about it.

The word judge in the Greek is the word Krinō which means to divide, separate, make a distinction, come to decision, to give one’s opinion.

WHEN WE SHOULD NOT JUDGE

Jesus in Matthew 7:1-5 commands us not to judge if we’re in the following situation, “Judge not that ye be not judged. For with the same judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged and with that measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why behold the mote in your brother’s eye and consider not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye?

Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother’s eye.

Romans 2:1 Therefore you are inexcusable O man, whosoever you are that judges; for wherein you judge another, you condemn yourself for you that judges do the same things.

The instruction is very clear. In this instance, it would be unwise and foolish for someone to tell his brother you can not engage in pre-marital sex while you’re committing adultery on your wife. That person making the judgment is a hypocrite and has absolutely no right to judge his brother even though his brother is in sin. Once he can resolve his own matter and conquer his own sin once and for all, then he’s in a position where he can lovingly, and humbly help his brother with his problem because he can now see clearly and no longer has sin impeding him to make a non-hypocritical righteous judgment.

WHEN WE SHOULD JUDGE

I Corinthians 5 records a heinous event where a man is sleeping with his father’s wife, his stepmother. Instead of dealing with the matter, the Corinthians celebrated it instead of being sorrowful of such a wicked thing going on in their assembly. The apostle Paul was unhappy and rebuked the Corinthians for not exercising immediate church discipline. The act was so scandalous that not even the pagan nations (i.e. Gentiles) were engaged in such gross behavior (vs.1). Verse 3 says Paul had already judged the man who committed the wicked act, “Deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus” (I Corinthians 5:5). That is the holy judgment of God being exhibited. Very serious. The man’s flesh was out of control and if he was to remain in sin, it would be better if God’s hedge of protection is removed, and he becomes fodder for the devil. If he dies physically, his spirit would be saved in the day of Jesus’ return if he was a true believer. In verse 16 of the same chapter, Paul commands Corinth to excommunicate the man out of the Church. The purity of God’s church must be maintained so swift judgment had to be made due to the man’s unwillingness to repent of his sin of fornication.

So in the first instance, a rush to judgment was made when it should have been withheld because the judging party had a bigger problem than his brother. In the second account, swift judgment should have been administered by the Corinthian church and it was not; so Paul who was not there physically made the decision/judgment to demand the man’s removal from the assembly until he repents.

One last thought, the Church is not responsible for judging the unsaved but to evangelize them. God is the judge of the unsaved (I Corinthians 5:12).

We are to judge within the Church for judgment begins in the house of God (I Peter 4:17).

WHY DOES THE BIBLE SAY JACOB I’VE LOVED BUT ESAU I’VE HATED

This is a rather strange statement don’t you think? Why would God hate anyone when he commands us not to hate?

This statement originates in Malachi 1:2-3 where God affirms his love for Israel, “I have loved you”, says the Lord. In yet you (Israel) say, “In what way have you loved us? Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?” Says the Lord. “Yet Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated, and laid waste his mountains and his heritage for the jackals of the wilderness.”

To understand this statement we must go back to the beginning. In Genesis Issac’s wife Rebekah conceives but the children struggled together within her. Concerned about the discomfort in her womb. Rebekah said, “If all is well, why am I like this?” When she inquires of the Lord, he replies, “two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your body; one people will be stronger than the other and the older shall serve the younger.” So when her days were fulfilled for her to give birth, indeed there were twins in her womb. And the first came out red. He was like a hairy garment all over so they called him Esau. Afterward his brother came out, and his hand took hold of Esau’s heel; so his name was called Jacob (Genesis 25:21-26).

Esau is the father of the nation of the Edomites for his name was also called Edom (Genesis 25:30; Genesis 36:1). Jacob who’s name was later changed to Israel (Genesis 32:28) is the father of the Israelites, the twelve tribes of Israel. These are the two nations that struggled in their mother’s womb.

Now that we have a historical background, back to the original question, why would God love Jacob and hate Esau?

The statement was made by God because of sovereign election. God chose Jacob over Esau because it pleased him to do so before they were born; and not only this, but when Rebecca also conceived by one man, even our father Isaac (for the children not yet being born, nor having done any good or evil that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works but of him who calls), it was said to her, “The older shall serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I’ve hated.” (Romans 9:10-13). The brother’s descendants were in conflict for centuries (Numbers 20:14-21).

God didn’t hate Esau in the normal sense of the word in as much God established a covenant relationship with Israel only. Deuteronomy 7:6-8 says, “For thou art an holy people unto himself, above all the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you because you were more in number than any people; for you were fewest of all people. But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers…The Israelites were the chosen (i.e. loved) nation by God to be a light to all nations of the earth (Isaiah 19:24; Isaiah 42;6; Isaiah 49:6). The Messiah, Jesus is a descendant of Israel. For he was born in the tribe of Judah. The descendants of Esau (The Edomites) were not chosen (i.e. hated) rather they became an enemy of God and the subject of his wrath. The destruction of the Edomites is found in the book of Obadiah along with Isaiah 34:5-17;Jeremiah 49:7-22; Ezekiel 32:29.

In conclusion, the children of Israel, God’s chosen are still here today because of their relationship with God which he established with them centuries ago whereas the children of Esau no longer exist. God never made a covenant with them and prophesied their destruction which came to pass; hence explains the love/hate relationship God had with Jacob and Esau.