Opus 2012-136, Tangent Number One

Last post I started talking about the reference of Alistair Begg to fresh water and salt water.  I got sidetracked, so lets get back to my original tangent.

My original feeling about the traditional words being "fresh" and "bitter" was wrong.  I did not read far enough.  The verse I was thinking of was this,

(James 3:11 KJV)  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

The verse he was referring to was the next one.

(James 3:12 KJV)  Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Now what did my mind do with this trivia?  I think “bitter” is a better place to focus.  It has nuances that “salt water” does not carry.  It could be the same but I think it was what we call mineral water, something that our modern culture has made desirable.  A liquid that was considered suitable for taking baths.  I think the tofu and bean sprout crowd still drink mineral water but they have probably decided that “Perrier” is too gauche for the true purists.  I am not a drinker but it seems to me in my reading I came across people adding something called “bitters” to their favorite booze. 

The point that came to me was that our modern culture often takes things that are undesirable and makes them “cool.”  We can get used to anything.  Consider the different ethnic foods that are sold in public with no embarrassment.  Menudo, a Mexican dish, is the lining of the intestine.  Kimchi, a Korean staple, is a hot cabbage.  Nuoc Mam, a Vietnamese delicacy, is rotten fish juice.  When the Pilgrims landed, lobsters were poor people’s food.  They wanted to eat eels.  Remember the Beverly Hillbillies getting excited about greens and possum innards?  People can get used to anything.  Remember your first taste of coffee. 

These are just foods, but what about our actions?  Picture the socially acceptable attitude toward marriage.  Many are now so brainwashed by the media and public education that the idea of two men getting married to each other doesn’t even make the evening news.  Language is on a down hill swing.  Much current television would have once been considered pornographic.  Divorce is now “no fault.”  Children born outside of marriage is the norm for many parts of our population.  People can get used to anything. 

What kind of water are you willing to drink?  What kind of water does your life put out?  Remember that the measure is not going to be your local PTA or the Style Book for the New York Times.  The standard will be the eternal word of God.

(James 3:11 KJV)  Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?

What kind of fountain are you?

homo unius libri