Defining "Despise"

 


        The meaning and sometimes even the spelling of words change over time.  Assuming everyone                 agrees on a definition can lead to confusion   Take, for example, the word: despise. In what context have you used this verb?


                “My toddler grandchild will not eat carrots –she despises them.”

                 “That commercial is so annoying, I’m starting to despise that product.“

                  Or does that word remind you of Luther’s explanation of the Third Commandment?  We are                 to fear and love God, so that we do not despise the preaching of God’s Word…”

                  When reviewing the Ten Commandments on a personal repentance check list, I’m quick to                     respond, “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy?  I go to church regularly. CHECK!                                                Despise--really hate God’s Word?  No guilt for that on my plate.”



                   But just because I don’t condemn the Bible, does not mean I have nothing to repent.

                   Merriam-Webster equates the word despise with scorn; “ranging from strong dislike to true                 hatred.”  Martin Luther’s explanation instructs us to “keep that Word holy and gladly hear and                 learn it.”

                   Do I whole-heartedly, daily look forward to hearing and learning about my Savior?  Am I,                     like King David, eagerly rejoicing to worship in God’s house?

                 “I rejoiced with those who said to me,  ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’”
                  — Psalm 122:1


                  Many Christians admitted the forced closure of churches during Covid-19                           restrictions has renewed their appreciation for worship services.  Even though many                        congregations were forced to hurriedly learn the words “livestream” and “zoom”, this                               technology greatly multiplied  at-home participation in worship and faith growth                                     opportunities.  The Lord certainly used my social distancing loneliness to prompt my joining several      on-line Bible studies, and use other Christian resources for encouragement.

                  Martin Luther and his wife Katie survived, while aiding many sick, through the horrific       Black Plague of 1527. Later, he wrote this comparison; “I have lived to see the greatest plague                  on earth – the condemning of God’s Word, a fearful thing, surpassing all other plagues in the               world; for thereupon most surely follow all manner of  punishments, eternal and corporal.”

                  When I receive a letter, a special card or even the smallest texts from my family or close        friends, my adrenaline increases, and nothing else grabs my attention as I read and reread                 their words.  After thinking about and making sure I properly understand the communication,              I respond with gratitude, eager for the next correspondence. Not caring to read or                                   understand those words to me would be despising what was written and their authors.                       
                        



                    Do I yearn for, read, remember, study, enjoy and thoroughly appreciate God’s love letters                     to me?                            Holy Spirit, please motivate my heart to do so.




                “Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire
                 besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength
                 of my heart and my portion forever.”    — Psalm 73:25-26


Originally posted on Holy Hen House blog  (www.holyhenhouse.com)

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