Where there is no vision, the people perish...

We are rapidly coming to the end of the Proverbs, and I confess that at least half of my brain cells are busy wondering what I will write about during the month of November...what will I write about in November? I have no plan...many ideas...but no plan. I'm a little edgy about the subject, because in 2 days, it will be November...

For today though, living in the here and now, we're reading Proverbs 29. The verse that I've chosen to write about has been used in some interesting ways within the different church communities where I'be been a member over the years, so this morning I'm trying to see the verse through a wide-angle lens...just to be sure I haven't missed something obvious!

"Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law."

Written out fully in this translation, you might not recognize the verse at all. The more popular reading of the verse is taken from a different translation (King James Version), and is truncated...

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..."

I heard the truncated version of this verse, from the King James translation of scripture, quoted very often in the charismatic communities where I was a member during the late 70's and early 80's. Looking back, it's my sense that this verse was most often used to validate an itinerant preacher's prophetic gifts, or as a way to more effectively manipulate the solicitation of money for the "fundraising project du jour." Vision was key...and vision was a sign of God's miraculous work among us...without vision, the people would perish!

The verse was used to great effect, and it certainly impacted me on numerous occassions. However, when I read the verse today, I saw something slightly different...something I don't recall being taught in years past:

"Where there is no revelation (VISION), the people cast off restrait, but blessed is he who keeps the law."

As I mentioned previously, the verse as most often quoted, was truncated...the entire second half of the sentence is rarely, if ever quoted. It would seem self-evident that using only 1/2 of the verse would do a disservice to any right understanding of what it's saying. Would you tear off just one piece of a person's body and then put it forth as a complete representation of the person? Perhaps a crazy analogy, but the answer is, obviously, of course not! Why then, do we so often tear off bits and pieces of scripture, and quote the parts like insights from a fortune cookie?

I couldn't get away from this idea when I read the verse this morning...when we lack revelation (which could mean information, insight, vision, or all of these together), we "cast off restraint." What in the world does the author mean by that??

What do you envision when you think of a group of people who have thrown off all restraint...? Personally, the picture that comes to my mind is chaos...people moving helter skelter, without discipline, direction, or purpose.

So, what is the second half of the verse all about?

"...but blessed is he who keeps the law." Why? Is it about legalism? I don't think so...but the law is a source of information, of revelation, of direction...and even, yes...vision. The law helps to order our vision, and to keep us pointed in the right direction. In the broadest sense, the Law can be understood to mean scripture, but it could be other things too. As just one example, when I apply the laws of healthy eating and fitness habits, they create for me a direction, a vision that helps to order my steps....the information about right eating, and healthy activity is...to me, a kind of law.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish..."

You might have heard this verse quoted many times before, perhaps without ever hearing the second half of the sentence...remember to always check your sources, and be certain that you're getting the whole stoy!