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¿Qué tiene que ver conmigo? por Teófila Gottfried
Lo que leemos en la Biblia tiene que ver con todos los seres humanos, sean cristianos o judíos, ateos o agnósticos, budistas, musulmanes o adherentes a alguna de las filosofías o nuevas religiones que surgen en el mundo. ¿Por qué? Ver mayor información sobre este interesante libro.
Scripture of The Day - St. John 14:6
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Escritura del día - San Juan 14,6
Jesús le dijo: Yo soy el camino, y la verdad, y la vida; nadie viene al Padre, sino por mí.
Bibelstelle des Tages - Johannes 14,6
Jesus spricht zu ihm: Ich bin der Weg und die Wahrheit und das Leben; niemand kommt zum Vater, denn durch mich!
Commentary on Proverbs 21:28 - A False Witness Shall Perish
Let's begin this commentary on Proverbs 21:28 by reading what the proverb says. We read, "A false witness shall perish, but the man that heareth speaketh constantly." (King James Bible).
While it's not difficult to understand the first part of the proverb, which says, "a false witness shall perish", it does merit comments. "False witness" refers to someone who lies on the witness stand. In other words, a lying witness. Someone who commits perjury, which is a grave sin before the Lord. We read, "Lying lips are abomination to the Lord" (Proverbs 12:22). An abomination is something God hates. And we read that "a false witness shall perish." Although false witnesses are not executed under man's law, the sin of perjury is one for which we will perish under God's judgment if we don't repent. And remember, repentance does not mean we don't reap what we've sown...including those wrongs for which the Lord has forgiven us. Scripture teaches us that "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" (Galatians 6:7). He did not say "whatsoever a sinner man soweth", but rather "a man"...any man...saint or sinner.
"The Man that Heareth Speaketh Constantly"
This is the "problematic" part of Proverbs 21:28. Most would probably agree that the wording is very strange, even to those who are very familiar with biblical Scripture. However, let's break it down.
The word "but" introduces us to a contrast. A false witness perishes, but... What is the opposite of being a false witness? Being a witness who tells the truth. Now we ask ourselves why a truthful witness would be referred to as "the man that heareth"? The first thing to keep in mind when studying the Bible is that words often have meanings beyond their definitions in a dictionary. Such is the case with what it means to be "the man that heareth."
In various passages of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible, we see that one of the ways to refer to people who do not walk in obedience to God is to call them blind and deaf. Verses 18 and 20 of Isaiah, chapter 42, read, "Hear, ye deaf. And look, ye blind that ye may see. Seeing many things, but thou observest not. Opening the ears, but he heareth not."
Obviously the people are not physically blind or deaf. That's why we're told that they see, and that they're eyes are open. Nevertheless, they are blind and deaf, because they are not following God. Keep in mind that true followers of God speak the truth...unlike the false witness.
The following Scriptures also illustrate disobedience to God by stating that they do not hear:
"This people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing. And their eyes they have closed, lest at anytime they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted." (Matthew 13:15) Again, those who do not hear are not converted to Christ.
"According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should
not hear." (Romans 11:8)
Getting back to Proverbs 21:28, we know that "a false witness shall perish." He's a liar on the witness stand. But "the man that heareth" tells the truth on the stand, because he is following God, even if only through the conscience the Lord placed in everyone. Remember the Bible associates the ability to hear with following God. And if we follow God, we will not commit perjury. Were we to rewrite the Scripture, so far we'd have something like, "A false witness shall perish, but a truthful witness..." Let us not be thrown off track by the strange wording referring to hearing.
Now then, we still have the very last words of Proverbs 21:28, which are, "speaketh constantly." We are told that the "man that heareth speaketh constantly." In other words, the truthful witness "speaketh constantly." Just as "a false witness" is contrasted with "the man that heareth", so "shall perish" is contrasted with "speaketh constantly." When someone has perished, there's no more he can do. But when we constantly do something, we're alive to do it, whatever it is. So, the false witness perishes, but the truthful witness lives. But why does the Scripture say "speaketh"? Remember that a witness must speak, whether audibly or through sign language. You cannot be a witness if you cannot, or do not speak. So, speaking, and being a witness are inseparable. The false witness speaks lies. "The man that heareth", or the truthful witness speaks the truth.
But Every False Witness Does Not Perish
But why does the Bible say that the false witness will perish when many people have lived decades after lying on the stand. Only very rarely when the Bible speaks of sin causing someone to perish does the person perish immediately, or even shortly afterward. In the first chapters of Genesis, God warns Adam that he will die (perish) if he eats from the forbidden tree. Adam and Eve eat, yet they do not die immediately. In fact, we read that Adam lived hundreds of more years. Nevertheless, he perished because of that sin. He first perished spiritually, and then physically. Proverbs 21:28 does not say the false witness will physically perish suddenly. However, he does perish spiritually.
And a final note on "but the man that heareth speaketh continually": We've already learned through Scripture presented in this article that he "that heareth" is the truthful witness who lives. But we know truthful witnesses have been murdered and martyred for their testimony. How then can we say that truthful witnesses live? Beyond the scope of this article is the need to understand that true servants of Christ only have to die physically...like everyone else. However, they continue to live in the presence of God. Let's take a look at Hebrews 11:4, which says, "By faith, Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained WITNESS that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts. And by it he being dead, yet SPEAKETH."
The early chapters of the book of Genesis tell of Abel's murder at the hand of his brother Cain. Yet, Abel still "speaketh", because he was a "man that heareth." In other words, he was a witness of the truth. Therefore, his testimony continues to speak, because he continues to live.
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Based on true events, The Third Man by Angela Sheffield, brings the Bible up close and personal as the characters face real issues of life: Betrayal, deceit, romance, bitterness, anger against God, hopelessness, will power, perplexity, triumph, unforgiveness, mental illness, and the "Alcohol made me do it" excuse. Read chapter one FREE now.
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