What I tell you now in the gloom, shout abroad when daybreak comes. What I whisper in your ears, proclaim from the housetops! (LB)
What I am telling you in the dark you must repeat in broad daylight, and what you have heard in private you must tell from the housetops. (TEV)
What I tell you in the dark, speak in the light. What you hear in a whisper, proclaim on the housetops. (HCSB)
What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in the light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. (KJV)
Matthew 10: 27 (emphasis added)
Scripture: Matthew 10: 26-34
Have you ever been reading along in your Bible and have something in a verse hit you – and it was so out of context, you wonder where the thought came from? Then you read it in another translation, and you get a different idea. I’m sure there may be a different concept for every version you read. This devotion looks at Matthew 10: 27 to see what we can glean from different versions.
Look at Matthew 10: 27 in the Living Bible. So today the dog bit you; you ran out of gas on the way to work; you burned your hand making supper; and you got an ‘F’ on your term paper. [Feel free to put in your own list of troubles.]
All that is happening now, and the outlook sure is gloomy. Take heart – there is hope when daybreak comes. Tomorrow is another day. It may be the day when God reveals to you how all of these incidents tie together to further His plan for your life. Then you should shout God’s promises from the housetops, showing others how God helped you through.
When everything is going wrong, don’t you feel so alone? Then out of the dark, God through the Holy Spirit starts speaking to your heart. Privately, He reveals Himself to you. He shows you that He is there for you, that He is watching over you, and that He will bring you out of this darkness. He revitalizes you until you feel you must tell and must repeat that Jesus Christ is Lord.
We were given marching orders in Matthew 28: 19-20. It says, “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (ESV). If we are to make people disciples, we need to speak to them.
How do we tell them? First Kings 19: 12 tell us that “And after the fire, there was the sound of a gentle whisper” (LB). God spoke to Ezekiel in a whisper. He will whisper to us exactly the words He wants us to say.
The King James version, I feel, reflects more what chapter 10 of Matthew is trying to say. It is so easy to say, “Look what I’ve done.” We pat ourselves on the back and say, “I’m so wonderful.” We don’t want to share our soap box with anyone. But we’re not here to tell everyone about us. Our Christian job is to tell others that Jesus Christ is Lord. It is His message we are here to tell; it is His greatness that we are to shout from the rooftops.
Loving Father. We pause from our worries of today to thank You for guiding us through this troubled time of our lives. Lord, we looked all around at only darkness and gloom until we saw the light You sent to show us the way out of the tunnel. We take hold of Your hand, Lord, and watch for the daylight. Even before it comes, we will repeat to others the story of how You are guiding us out of our trials. That which you whisper to us, we will tell others. We will tell them of Your love toward them. Lord, we will tell everyone the one, true message – Jesus Christ is Lord of all. Amen.
What do you think? Have you ever looked at a verse in different translations? What did those verses tell you? Leave me a comment below (about this or anything else) or head over to my Facebook group for some interactive discussion.
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