October 9, 2017 - - Numbers 6:24-26 Sapir-Whorf and Christian Language Theory
/The Lord bless you and keep you;
The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV
If you immerse yourself in a new language, you will think in that language, you will act according to the dictates of that language. What is described above is the Sapir-Whorf Theory, proposed about a century ago.
Christians were long aware of this; in fact the world is just now dimly perceiving what Jesus taught so long ago and what the Bible has made clear from the beginning. Jesus said that when the devil lies he speaks his native language because he is the father of lies (John 8:44). Jesus Himself is the Way, the Truth and the Life. The Bible is the Word of Truth and those who learn its language and immerse themselves in it see the world in an entirely new way--the way it was meant to be seen.
The LORD--the creator of heaven and earth alone can bring life and blessing. The LORD, the One Who makes covenant with His people is the Only One Who can preserve people from the clutches of the devil.
The LORD, Jesus, alone can give us the light of understanding for our new language and new life. The LORD Jesus alone can give us grace so that we leave sin, which He defeated at the cross.It is the gift of Jesus that allows us to learn the new language of life which enables believers to discern the lies of the world which are rooted in the devil's talk from the Truth which alone flows from Jesus' throne..
The LORD the Spirit shows us God's face is tilted towards us in all circumstances. Those saved by the blood of Jesus face all the same challenges of life that everyone else does, but we know this: the Spirit is giving us the keys to understand our circumstances in the light of God's language of blessing. The LORD the Spirit keeps us in the peace of God the Father and God the Son. Everything that happens to believers is for the building up of our faith, all things--including walking through the valley of the shadow of death--all things work together in order that the believer may be immersed in the new language of God's blessing and through this learn to live to the honour and praise of His Name.
Thank You, God our Father, for Your blessing and for keeping us in Your care--stubborn and rebellious though we are. Thank You, Jesus for rescuing us from the father of lies and bringing us a whole new language and a whole new way of seeing and understanding this world. Thank You, Spirit of God, for giving us peace (which is both head knowledge and inexpressible assurance) that those who belong to God will be kept in His shalom. Let all Your people grow in our ability to speak the language of blessing, the language of Truth. Immerse us in Your Truth so that the lies of this world will be exposed and we will speak truth, faith, and love to this sin-soaked world. In our lives be glorified and let Your fame be magnified--Amen.
