Scripture always catches my eye. But when it doesn’t sound right, it especially catches my eye and makes me want to find out why. And so it was this morning as I turned on my phone and opened the Bible app, which is often where I start reading. And this particular Bible app opens with devotion suggestions that are not always KJV, even though my bible app is. The scripture reading recommendation was from the book of Isaiah, chapter 42. The particular verse used was Isaiah 42:16
[16] And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
But their version was not KJV but rather the New Living Translation which read like this:
I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.
To some folks, the changes may seem trivial, but for me, any change in the the way God wrote the word, is not trivial, but highly dangerous. It’s not transcribing scripture when the meaning is changed in any way. I promise I’m not going to get stuck on this today, but it’s what caught my attention, so I think it’s important. The world wants us to believe that God has changed His mind about certain things in scripture, or we misunderstood what He meant. Be wary of anyone who says God changes. Scripture is clear,
Malachi 3:6 KJVS
[6] For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.
The scripture in context for our study today:
Isaiah 42:14-20,22-25 KJVS
[14] I have long time holden my peace; I have been still, and refrained myself: now will I cry like a travailing woman; I will destroy and devour at once. [15] I will make waste mountains and hills, and dry up all their herbs; and I will make the rivers islands, and I will dry up the pools. [16] And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them.
A Long Time
God’s timing differs greatly than our own. Mainly because time does not exist where God is. Praise God for grace that He has waited this long and allowed many to be saved who would have otherwise gone out into eternity lost. God has held His peace… but not forever. Judgment will come and those who have put off salvation again and again will have put it off a day too late. But those who accept Christ, and His work on the cross will be as the blind, brought in a way they knew not. The unsaved are ignorant to the gospel until that light shines in their heart and then they experience salvation and never a God who will never forsake them the way this world has.
When you read the NLT verse, (number one it doesn’t sound like God, it sounds like man) and they’ve added and removed words. They added Israel. Which Isaiah likely spoke of, but God did not impress upon him to put the name of Israel into the text. Was it just Israel, or did it also mean that the Gentiles of the future would come to the light of the glorious gospel as well? Again I know it sounds trivial, but it not. They changed who the word was for.
They also changed making the making darkness into light, and made it “brightening the darkness.” Still the same? No, it’s really not. God got rid of the darkness. In the NLT version they only brightened it, the darkness is still there.
This kind of change in the word of God always takes my mind back to the “Poop Brownies Video” that I share with the kids in the teen group. One of the best Skit Guys videos EVER! The premise is this: A son wants to go to a movie with his friend that has a “little language and a little nudity” in it and is surprised when his dad says yes. But before he goes his dad wants to share some brownies with him. And as the son dives in to his dad’s new recipe he tries to figure out what the new ingredient is that makes it taste a little different. Finally his dad tells him that the new ingredient is dog poop!!!! Oh the son is disgusted! But the dad reminds him that it’s just a “little” part of the ingredients and it shouldn’t have hurt anything. Just like the movie had only a “little” language and nudity. Just a little doesn’t hurt… right? Well that depends n what it changes.
Oops, I guess I did get hung up on the translation thing today. But I said all that to say this. God cares so much about us that He preserved His book for thousands of years so we’d have His word to guide us through these hard times, which Isaiah is speaking toward. God’s not going to leave any darkness in this world. None. Nada. Nil. When all is said and done, Satan and his minions are gone forever. Not in part. But in whole. Satan would love us to believe he has a chance. Well he doesn’t.
This world would love you to believe that God has changed His mind on what sin is. Homosexuality is still sin. Living together before marriage is still a sin. So is gossiping and slander which half the people in the baptist churches or more are guilty of. And I won’t mention gluttony because that’s my issue and well, I know God didn’t change His mind on it being sin, but I don’t want to talk about it.
Have a blessed day! And I hope my words encourage you to remember that God is still God!!!!
