The Message / Remix (Bible wording and layout)

I love the Word of God. Every time I want to leisurely enjoy the Word I felt like I had to "study" it. So in my heart I was asking God for a solution. A way that I can read the Bible like a continuous book, leisurely read and comfortably ponder His awesome truths and ask for revelation of His being. The answer to my prayer was the Message translated by Eugene Peterson.One of the geat features is that there are very few verses with numbers (every so often as reference ). Also, the text is not divded in the middle. One doesn't realize how many distractions are in study Bibles especially when one just wants to soak up God and His Word and relax so that He might reveal Himself in a similar way. I've noticed that by being relaxed and not putting time constraints or pressure to read a certain amount - some of the very complicated and hard verses were easier to learn. Probably because any defense system was down and I had no expectations.-I have been renewed. And reading like this there is NO guilt - (didn't read enough-read too fast or whatever) . It is pure pleasure and rejoicing with understanding and often tears. And best of all I want to read more and more often.His servant,Watchman 1

well thats good you found a version you like but I would recommend referencing to many versions of the Bible (KJV,NKJ,NLT,NASB) on the verses that confuse you. I do not care for the NIV Bible.. especially the TNIV (another story) but most people here on these forums are KJV only.

Thank you Watchman for your insight on The Message Bible. In this age of endless study Bibles and commentaries I believe there is a tremendous need to just get alone with God without the clutter of all these other voices, and just sit at His feet and look into His face. Also, I don't believe that most here on this forum are KJV only, the KJV is a wonderful translation and one of many that I own and read regularly, but some may be shocked to know that there are those here-such as myself-that even read the Cotton Patch Version from time to time and receive some wonderful insight.Thanks again, I'll be looking into a copy of the Message for sure.In Christ,Ron

The point I was sharing with my fellow Christians, was that I found a particular translation - that was designed to do just as I explained - when one might want to ponder and relish in His awesome power at leisure, not studying. Even how this particular bible came about is view of the working of God's hand and quite interesting at that. The translator was a Professor teaching the biblical languages of Hebrew and Greek in a theological seminary. He was asked to pastor a church and in his own words "I lived in two language worlds, the world of the Bible and the world of today. I had always assumed they were the same world. But these people(in his church) didn't see it that way. So out of necessity I became a 'translator', daily standing on the border between two worlds, getting the language of the Bible that God uses to create us and save us, heal, bless, judge and rule over us into the language of Today...and all the time those old biblical languages, those powerful and vivid Hebrew and Greek originals kept working their way underground in my speech, giving energy and sharpness to the words and phrases, expanding the imagination of the people with whom I was working..." The point was never to substitute bible study with KJV or any other worthy translation for leisure reading of the Word. I have been chosen to follow God 18 years ago and I found this book to be refreshing. I do not speak in 'thou' and 'thee'and as I appreciate the lofty hights of the King James Version - it was written for people who spoke in that way at that period in history as this one is for today. I suppose in this case I can have my 'Word" and eat it too!Have a nice day-Watchman1 :-)

Ron,Good to hear a servant of Christ with a similar need to, like you said - sit and gaze at Him alone and quietly adoring Him!Just to let you know the is The Message and The Message/Remix. The difference, I believe is that The Message reads like a book and the Remix has some verse numbers and chapter titles. Hope you are blessed by it. Thank you for your response.Watchman1

From time to time in my Abraham studies I commented on The Message. I am not supposed to like it. At times it is so preposterous it has me laughing out loud, but at time its absolute determination to go for meaning rather than words will capture an insight that is impossible by any other means.Inspiration is not only of the 'actual words' but of the ideas and whole sections of truth. I have some friends who help me to run my own website. At times I have questions and their answers are remarkable. I sometimes comments that I can undestand every word but have no idea what they are talking about. This is what would happen with a strict word for word literal translation.To get the flow of a passage the dynamic equivalent translations have a real point, but for 'study' (and Ron- inthelight is right this is not the only purpose for a bible) the Message is too 'approximate' to use for precision work.Do I prefer a felling axe or an scalpel? depends on what I am trying to do! :-) It should not be forgotten that Paul used the 'lingua franca' of the day, koine Greek, rather than the classical variety, but he used it with great precision. It is not exactly 'street language' in the way that The Message is but The Message has a definite point in its comment that Paul did not use the language of the philosophers and intellectuals but that of normal life.