ESV Journaling Bible

 

Many of us who long to get closer to God are apt to jot down our thoughts, questions, prayers, poems, or insights as we read the Bible. Almost any wide-margin Bible gives us room to do that as our written words interact with the written Word of God.

 

If we want to read the Bible straight through, as we would any book or family saga, we might choose a conversational translation or a paraphrase, but for journaling, an excellent choice is a word-for-word translation as our words respond to what God has to say.

 

Consider, for example, a message from a friend. Would you prefer to receive word from the bearer of news or would you rather hear directly from your friends themselves before responding? The translators of the English Standard Version of the Bible (ESV) aimed in that direction.

 

In the Preface of the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible, which Crossway kindly sent me to review, the “Translation Philosophy” states:

 

“The ESV is an ‘essentially literal’ translation that seeks as far as possible to reproduce the precise wording of the original text and the personal style of each Bible writer. As such, its emphasis is on ‘word-for-word' correspondence, at the same time taking full account of differences in grammar, syntax, and idiom between current literary English and the original languages. Thus it seeks to be transparent to the original text, letting the reader see as directly as possible the structure and exact force of the original.”

 

When we hear directly from our friends, we can catch their voice inflections, listen to what they actually have to say, and respond appropriately.

 

Not only does the ESV Single Column Journaling Bible give you that opportunity, this edition comes in a variety of patterns. Inside those cloth-over-board covers, the cream-colored Smyth-sewn pages have lines awaiting a word from you.

 

©2021, Mary Harwell Sayler

 

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The Bible Books of ME

Actually, all of the “Wisdom Books” in the Bible focus on attempts to understand cause-and-effect and/or seemingly random acts that make no sense to us. As we strive to be rational and find profitable ways to live, two “Me” books stand out in particular: Job and Ecclesiastes.

The “Wisdom Books” of the Bible include both of these books, and yet, as we read them, neither Job nor Solomon seems too wise. Why? Both apparently relate to the world as revolving around themselves.

Consider Job. After suffering tremendous losses of family and possessions, he initially had the right attitude:

“Naked I came from my mother’s womb,

and naked shall I return.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord,” Job 1:21

The second blow, however, affected Job himself, covering him with horrifying sores from head to toe and leaving him so miserable, he couldn’t speak for days. Understandably, he sat in such intense shock, his friends gathered around him, then remained, day and night, for a whole week of silence. When Job finally began to speak, however, he cursed the day he was born!

King Solomon had too much going for him to rue his own birth, and yet he felt so dissatisfied, he began the wisdom book of Ecclesiastes, chapter one, verse two, by saying:

“Vanity of vanities! All is vanity!”

or

“Futile! Futile! Everything is futile!”

or

“Useless! Useless! Everything is useless.”

or

“Pointless! Pointless! Everything is pointless!”

Well, you get the point. The wisest man on earth saw nothing people gained, no matter how good they were, how hard they worked, or how successful they became. Pretty depressing! Yet most of us have felt the same at some point in our wrestling match with pointlessness.

So, what’s the answer? How did Job and Solomon wise up? How can we? In all cases, the solution is the same:

Turn ME upside down to WE.

Eventually that’s what Job, Solomon, and other wise people concluded: 

Our lives will seem vain or wasted until we place ourselves in God’s hands. 

No longer will we focus our lives on ME, but WE - God and I, God and us.

As we accept and believe that the Lord is too vast and holy for us to fully understand, our part is to trust God, Who Is All Good, and turn to Him in faith, knowing He will ultimately works things out for our good.

Praise God!

And may our wisdom abide and abound in God, Who is All-Wise.

 

©2021, MarySayler with thanks to Bible Gateway for supplying us with the wonderful richness of God’s Word online

 

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