Sermonette for Saturday
As it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. Romans 3:4
Do you ever quote people when you say or write something? I’m not referring to repeating gossip that some nosy neighbour passed on, I’m referring to quoting something important or significant from an expert or other knowledgeable person. Quoting such authorities helps to make your own speech or writing more powerful and worthwhile. Smart people get into the habit of quoting other smart people. Students in their school projects find it valuable to quote from great writers, thinkers, and experts. So it should come as no surprise that the apostle Paul frequently used quotations when he wrote the epistles. He didn’t just quote famous men, though; he quoted the Old Testament, the Word of God. Quoting Scripture is a valuable tool for us, too.
In today’s text, Paul is quoting from Psalm 51. As a former Pharisee, Paul would know many of the Psalms by heart, as well as many other portions of the Old Testament. His memorization of these portions when he was a young man in training gave him a valuable resource as he preached, witnessed, and wrote. He could call on those portions as needed, because he had them stored where he could access them readily: in his memory. That’s the only way we can quote Scripture too, by drawing it from our memories. And we all know how it gets into our memories.
The words, ‘As it is written’ may be a little awkward in today’s speech, but we can think of good alternatives. But for actually quoting Scripture, don’t shy away from the words of the King James Version. If you quote the KJV, everybody will know you are quoting Scripture; they won’t really know that if you quote one of the more modern translations. If they complain about the Old English, don’t worry, that just gives you a good opportunity to explain what you were quoting. But don’t be too concerned about that, because very little of the KJV, even the so-called ‘archaic’ words, is difficult to understand.
What we have to say is sometimes important. But what the Bible has to say is always important. So we do better to quote Scripture than to express our own ideas. -Jim MacIntosh