In the Wednesday night class that Skip has been teaching on Isaiah, I noticed the other day the phrase "drop in a bucket" used by God, directly, to describe the magnitude of his might compared to all the nations of the earth.  It got me thinking about all the other phrases I often hear in meetings and in conversations at work, and how I will use such things as an opportunity.  Someone was saying something wasn't "done in a corner", and I asked if they were quoting Paul?  Huh???  So I told them about Paul and his trials a bit, and how he stood before a king and said that same quote.  "Oh, so the writers of the bible took quotes from our language?" was the reply.  Ha ha ha.  Not hardly.  WE borrow from THEM, and have done so for generations.

 

And since Mr. Mo gave a lesson on speech, and how we may use words in ignorance that represent other "bad words", I thought it might be appropriate, and a little fun, to bring to your remembrance some of the many phrases that are commonly used by people (usually also out of ignorance) that originate from a "good" place. <grin!>

               

A drop in the bucket (Isa 40:15)                                                        A man after his own heart ( I Sam 13:14)

All things must pass (Matt 24:6f)                                                      All things to all men (I Cor 9:22)

Am I my brother's keeper? (Gen 4:9)                                 An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth (Matt 5:38)

As old as Methuselah (Gen 5:27)                                                      As old as the hills (Job 15:7)

Ashes to ashes dust to dust (Gen 3:19)                                           At his wits end (Ps 107:27)

Bite the dust (Ps 72:9)                                                                         By the skin of your teeth (Job 19:20)

Change your spots (Jer 13:23)                                                           Eat drink and be merry (Eccl 8:15)

Fight the good fight (I Tim 6:12)                                                        For everything there is a season (Eccl 3)

Forbidden fruit (Gen 3:3)                                                                     Give up the ghost (Acts 12:23)

Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30f)                                                            How are the mighty fallen (I Sam 1: 19,25,27)

It's better to give than to receive (Acts 20:38)                                Lamb to the slaughter (Acts 8:32)

Last will and testament (Heb 9)                                                         Last will be first and first will be last (Luke 13:30)

Let not the sun go down on your wrath (Eph 4:26)                        Living off the fat of the land (Neh 9:26)

Love of Money (I Tim 6:10)                                                                Man does not live by bread alone (Matt 4:4)

Many are called but few are chosen (Matt 24:14)                           My cup runneth over (Ps 23:5)

No rest for the wicked (Isa 57:20)                                                      0 ye, of little faith (Matt 8:26)

Out of the mouths of babes (Matt 21:16)                                         Physician heal thyself (Luke 4:23)

Raise Cain (Gen 4:8)                                                                             Sour grapes (Ez 18:2)

Spare the rod and spoil the child (Pr 13:24)                                     The apple of his eye (De 32: 10)

The blind leading the blind (Luke 6:39)                                            The gospel truth (Gal 2:5)

The powers that be (Rom 13:1)                                                          The root of the matter (Job 19:28)

The salt of the earth (Matt 5:13)                                                        The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak (Matt 26:4 1)

The writing is on the wall (Dan 5:5)                                                  The truth shall set you free (John 8:32)

To cast the first stone (John 8:7)                                                       Woe is me (Isa 6:5)

What God has joined together let no man put asunder (Matt 19:6)

 

And here are some more, for YOU to find:

 

Do as I say, not as I do                 Either you’re for us or you're against us                                Feet of Clay

Go the Extra Mile                           Live by the sword, die by the sword                       Head on a platter

Pin him to the wall                         I wash my hands of the whole thing                       Labor of Love

Like mother like daughter             Keep your head                                                          Laughingstock

Nothing but skin and bones        Pride goes before a fall                                              Render unto Caesar

Scapegoat                                       Red at night, sailor's delight                                     Scatter to the winds

Sign of the times                            Sweat of your brow                                                    Patience of Job

Twinkling of an eye                       Right hand doesn't know what the left does         Old wife's tales

 

When I point these out to my friends at work, they are sometimes stunned.  The above came from the 'net, so it wasn't like I got them "straight from the horses' mouth"!  Most were familiar to me (as in, I knew the passages behind the phrase), how about you?

 

Randy