“How well God must like you. You don’t walk in the ruts of those blind-as-bats, you don’t stand with the good-for-nothings, you don’t take your seat among the know-it-alls…”
Ok, here’s the thing—I like The Message. It has been an enjoyable read. It’s modern, conversational and easier to understand. But, something about this passage clicked something in me that said, “wait, wait…what?” There are some parts of the Bible that don’t sound right to me unless they are in the old King James Version. The reason is simple, it was the translation of my youth, the version of the Bible from which I memorized scripture as a child. Consequently, when I come to familiar passages like the one in Psalm 1 anything else sounds weird and not altogether right. So..because I’m a weird dude…I pulled over to the side of a busy highway so I could change the translation to the King James Version for the rest of my trip. When I hit the play button I was blown away. Instead of the nice kid who had been reading the message in his freckle-faced monotone, I was greeted by the deep baritone of some Shakespearean actor with a rich and majestic British accent…
“Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, Nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.”
A big smile appeared on my face as I thought, “Now that’s what I’m talking about!”
For the rest of my trip I was treated to all the elegant words I’ve been missing, spoken to me by a guy who sounds like he might be God himself!
“For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: But the way of the ungodly shall perish.”
You bet it will! And hearing this guy tell me, I have no choice but to believe it!
“Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?”
Why indeed??!!
Look, as soon as I get through Psalms, and thanks to that road trip I almost am, I will go back to The Message. It has been a pleasure reading it so far. But, sometimes man…you just need yourself some King Jimmy, baby.
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