My Paisley Chair

There are memes about the misuse of commas, most of which only English teachers fully appreciate. Evidently, not only is comma placement extremely important, but disaster looms if a comma is completely missing.

Notice any difference in the meaning if the comma is deleted? YIKES!

• “Let’s eat, Nonnie!” vs “Let’s eat Nonnie.”  DANGER!
• “I like cooking, my family, and pets.” vs “I like cooking my family and pets.” PHYSCO!
• “I’m sorry, I love you!” vs “I’m sorry I love you.” TROUBLE! (Side Note: It would be SUPER helpful to know where someone heard a pause or inserted a comma!)

It’s clear the way we read – a comma indicating a pause, and a period demanding a full stop – makes a difference in the interpretation of any text. No wonder I have such a hard time with phone texts that include NO punctuation!

Period. Full stop!

I stand firm on the foundation and fact that ALL scripture is inspired by God – 2 Tim 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” KJV  Period. Full stop!

I remember this like this: Scripture is valuable because it tells me what is right, what is not right, how to get right, and how to stay right.

I wonder, however, if punctuation is divinely inspired? I think NOT!!! Once, I searched all the exclamation points in Scripture, thinking God must have really meant those verses. Well, not so much… He means them all – DUH! Amazingly, God doesn’t need help with bold, ALL CAPS, underlined, italics, highlights, or emojis, to get His message across. I’m certain King Jimmy could not pass a punctuation test. Let’s not even get started on the Apostle Paul’s propensity for run-on sentences!

Punctuation Inspiration

Back to the comma and its placement. Consider Isaiah 59:19b “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” KJV

See where the comma is? With it where KJV puts it – after “flood” – groups the flood and the flood’s power with the enemy. My WHOLE life, I heard it read and quoted that way! However, take the comma out altogether and you will hear it differently – IF you can silence the voice in your head screaming the way you have ALWAYS heard it. (See what I did there with all caps and bold to get your attention?)

Move over comma!

Try reading this Scripture with the comma placement like this: “When the enemy comes in, COMMA, like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will raise a standard!” In context, this passage of Scripture highlights God’s power, His righteous armor, a robe of vengeance, and being wrapped in divine passion. He will execute justice, command respect and receive glory from people from the east to the west.

Why, after recognition and description of God’s power, would the focus of Scripture take such a sharp turn as to assign any power to the enemy?

When the power of the flood is ascribed to the Spirit of the Lord, it is in keeping with the text! It is the power of a flood, like a wall of water, that raises a standard against injustice and puts the enemy to flight.

For comparison this is how other translations of Isaiah 59:19 read:

• For He’ll arrive like a river in flood stage, whipped to a torrent by the wind of GOD. MSG
• For He will come like a raging flood driven by the breath of the LORD. NLT
• For He will come like a pent-up flood that the breath of the LORD drives along. NIV

I hope I never get in the way floodwaters. I have been at ground zero and witnessed the wreckage caused by Hurricane Katrina. It was reported that a 30 foot wall of water slammed into Pass Christian, MS as a result of the storm. The flood left in its wake areas beyond recovery, with loss of life and total annihilation of property. For several miles of beachfront, only partial foundations remained where three-story homes once stood. It was what I would expect a war zone to look like.

That kind of power belongs to the Spirit of the Lord! NOT the enemy! “Like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will raise up a standard.” KJV

The breath of God and a God-sized wall of water!

Nothing – specifically the enemy – can withstand the Spirit’s raised standard, or a God-sized wall of water. God crushed the physical enemy of the Israelite’s at the Red Sea with such a wall! Their enemies were smashed to bits, totally annihilated! (see Exodus 14:24-29)

Since He takes care of  physical enemies like that, no doubt He can sweep away the unseen enemy that assaults my soul and troubles my mind! The enemy will come in, but God will raise up a standard (wall of water) and wipe away that which threatens. That’s the kind of powerful response God Almighty provides when the enemy comes.

With the comma is in its rightful place, complete confidence in the power of the Spirit of God is restored. He will wreak havoc on my enemy, raise up a standard that cannot be overcome, provide protection, and provision. This kind of power, is “FAR above all principality, power, might, dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”. Eph 1:21

Prayer:

Let my heart hear You speak with pauses in the right places, the rhythm of Your heartbeat renewing my mind. Restore my confidence in Your power to protect and defend, finding comfort in the fact that my enemy cannot stand against the power of Your Spirit. You alone have the power and authority to save and rescue the lost. Remind me of Your promises that “no weapon formed against me will prosper”,  “no temptation” will come without a way of escape provided by You, and when I resist the devil, “he will flee”.  I will overcome – because of Your power that works within me! “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.” Amen.

What does the Bible say? (scriptures referenced)

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” KJV

Isaiah 59:19b “When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will lift up a standard against him.” KJV

Exodus 14:24-29 “Now it came to pass, in the morning watch, that the LORD looked down upon the army of the Egyptians through the pillar of fire and cloud, and He troubled the army of the Egyptians. And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the waters may come back upon the Egyptians, on their chariots, and on their horsemen.” And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and when the morning appeared, the sea returned to its full depth, while the Egyptians were fleeing into it. So the LORD overthrew the Egyptians in the midst of the sea. Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained. But the children of Israel had walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.”

Ephesians 1:19-21 “And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:” KJV

James 4:7-8 “Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you.” NAS

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.” NIV

1 John 4:4 “Ye are of God, my little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you than he that is in the world.” KJV

Until next time…