Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? Psalm 139:7
Praise the Lord for the negative answers to both these questions. I use the New king James Version these days, but for certain Scriptures, especially those precious ones hidden in the heart for so long, it has to be the old Authorized Version for me. The "thees" and "thous" and so forth cause my heart to have that sense of honor and worship so much more. But don't take it the wrong way. I don't believe that there is only worth in this one translation. I just happen to love it with a special love.
So, for this beloved verse, read what thus saith one John Mason concerning the words "thy presence":
The presence of God's glory is in heaven; the presence of his power on earth; the presence of his justice in hell; and the presence of his grace with his people. If he deny us his powerful presence, we fall into nothing; if he deny us his gracious presence, we fall into sin; if he deny us his merciful presence, we fall into hell.—John Mason.
Now, what saith thou to that?
5 comments:
Last night's study at church was on Psalm 139. What a blessing to come here and read it this afternoon. : )
I love the King James Version of the Bible and it is what I use. I agree with you regarding the the "thees" and "thous"--there is a sense of honor about them. I know some people say the KJV is harder to read, but I guess because it's the version I've used for years, I don't find it hard at all.
Blessings to you today! : )
Mason's insight is fascinating. We forget presence today; we're focused on ideas and conduct. Mason reminds us of the centrality of presence. Thanks for sharing.
I too love thee KJV, although I have used the NKJV for years. I always to hear the thees and thous read aloud.
I also appreciate the quote by John Mason ... very powerful .. the different facets of the presence of God.
Hi, Maxine,
Psalm 139 is also a favourite of mine and verse 7 in particular is just so powerful..
Way back in 1987 I wrote a poem which is similar to some of the verses in this psalm .I don't ever remember reading the psalm before that day.
I am not really into thees and thous. I prefer to use the Good News Bible,although, I have other versions and do compare them, I just prefer simple versions. My version says " Where could I go to escape from you ? Where could I get away from your presence?" just such powerful words. The thing is I don't want to escape from Him, the fact is I cannot; once He entered my heart there has been no turning back.
And thankyou for sharing the quote from John Mason
I came across your blog from the CWO blog ring
I too use NKJV but was brought up on the KJV and I agree, some verses just sound better in the older version with the older english. This verse is one of them. What a beautiful photo to go with it!
I like the quote from John Mason!
:)
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