I Love Words

I love words. They represent individual worlds all unto their own. I spend my days surrounded by these worlds, pondering their treasures, traversing their landscapes, discovering their histories. 

I love the way words feel as I roll them around my mouth. Some words are a pleasure to say like “punctilious” or “ululation” or “juxtaposition.” Then there are words that I really have to think about and form the sounds like “eponymous” or “sherbet” or “synecdoche”; otherwise, I’ll say (or spell) them wrong every time. Then there are words that are a cacophony to my ears like “moist” or “bucks” or “literally.”  

I love rooting around for the most precise word for my ideas, combing through the thesaurus, re-discovering words I forgot I knew. Even more amazing is when someone strings words together to make sentences, and sentences to make paragraphs. And those paragraphs? There lies the magic. An artistically crafted paragraph that conveys profound thoughts is worth the time it takes to dissect and unpack the author’s layered message. A text that holds my attention for days at a time, holds my heart, becomes my obsession.

Other than the works I teach on a yearly basis, I am currently obsessed with the pre-WWI Modernism literature. I find that the atmosphere leading to WWI is similar to our current social and political climate. I feel a kindred connection with the sometimes bombastic rhetoric and turbulent social unrest, the artists’ creativity and innovation. But more than their message, I see a movement that seeks to eschew the classics, yet they can’t help but refer to and lean on classic works-- both popular and obscure. This was a time of great contention and a generation calling out for something to excite, to fill their void. Unfortunately they determined that war and the glory of war would satiate their deep discontent and purge the injustices they saw from their global society. I spend hours pouring over texts and researching histories and commentaries over certain Modernism pieces. I write papers digging into the wealth that I uncover in some of my favorite novels.

Yet in the midst of my library binges, I find myself wondering what would happen if I studied a passage of the Bible the same way I dig in to the literature I teach or devote my studies. If I took my love of words and literary art and married it with my passion for my Father God and Savior, Jesus Christ, imagine the depths I could traverse in my relationship with the Almighty. Psalms 1: 1-3 is one of the very first passages I memorized as a child, so I thought it would be interesting to look at three popular translations.

New King James Version	New International Version	New American               Standard Bible
1Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the  ungodly, Nor stands in the path  of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord,    And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree    Planted by the rivers  of water,  That brings forth  its fruit in its season,  Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.	1Blessed is the one    who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take    or sit in the company of mockers, 2 but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,    and who meditates on  his law day and night. 3 That person is like a  tree planted by streams  of water,    which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—    whatever they do  prospers.	1How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! 2 But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. 3 He will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

I noticed some changes in word choice. Wicked vs. Ungodly, Scornful vs. Mockers vs. Scoffers. Which of the words do you like better? I like how walk and wicked flow together. I also prefer mockers because I feel that word has some modern connotations that work for our current times (plus the ‘m’ in company reinforces the ‘m’ in mockers, thus reinforcing the idea of the verse).

I love how all three versions use “meditate day and night” for the way a blessed man treats God’s word or “law.” Meditate means to engage in thought or contemplation. As believers, as the blessed ones who have accepted God’s love and Jesus’ sacrifice, we are to ponder, contemplate, and deliberate about God’s word day AND night. Not occasionally but always and constantly.

The last verse is a simile that transcends the centuries. Those in drought-ridden areas understand the importance of water and healthy vegetation. So much can be said about the necessity of agriculture and the restorative power of nature. Contemplate your relationship with nature and all that could mean in the context of verse 3. The NASB adds the adverb “firmly” to show the strengthening power of constant meditation on God’s word. 

Finally, what does the last word “prosper” mean? The word has evolved over time from “flourish, thrive and succeed” to include a financial connotation. But in context of this simile, prosper means to bring about beauty, and life-giving, spiritually-sustaining nourishment.

The more I read this passage the more I think about the poetry of the words and impact of the message. I could write for days, but I’ll stop for now. Your turn: What do you notice? What word sticks out to you the most and why? What message can you meditate on both day and night?

How perfect God’s word is. How blessed we are to engage with our Lord God and His message anytime we want.

Written by Heather, Canyon, Texas