Why is the word “try” NOT in the bible?
Yesterday’s post got me to thinking. Does the Bible use the word “try” in the sense of “trying” to do something? So I did some research. I could only find these two verses that even use the word and in both instances, it is used to mean “testing”.
Here’ are the only two verses that use the word “try” and they both are in the King James Version. Newer versions use the more accurate term “try”.
Job 12:11 ”
“Doth not the ear try words? and the mouth taste his meat?” Here the word means “test”.
1 John 4
“Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.”
But in these verses the word “try” means “test”.
So what does that mean to us as Christians?
I think it’s real simple.
We are not to “try” to obey the ten commandments. We are to obey them.
We are not to “try” to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to love them. Period.
We are not to “try” to forgive. We are to forgive.
We are not called to “try” anything. We are simply to do.
Yes, there are nuances to the above. The point is the word “try” doesn’t exist in God’s language.
We are at different stages in our journey. Some of us are working on loving our neighbors while others of us are concentrating on forgiveness.
All I’m suggesting is that when we use the word “try” let’s make sure we have a plan for our “trying’.
I’ve been focusing on my word choices. But I haven’t been just “trying”. I have a plan and I work my plan.
God is a God of compassion. I believe that God understands our weakness but I also believe God didn’t just give us the Ten Commandments for us to ignore. Jesus didn’t give the Sermon on the Mount for no reason.
We are meant to obey.
It’s a quandary. On the one hand, we screw up. On the other hand, God tells us to always obey. So where’s the middle ground? Is there any middle ground? Does “trying” come into play here?
I see it as a kind of crevice between point “a”, my humanness, and point “b”, my best self. Sometimes I make the leap successfully. Other times, not so much. When I fall in the crack between these two points, that’s when God reaches down, lifts me up, restores me, and I start again.
But the point is, I do start again.
That’s how “trying” becomes more than lip service.
God bless and have a good day.
