‘You’re so holy!’ a friend told me the other day. Sadly this was merely a reference to the unfortunate combination of my surname and the fact that I work for the Church of England. ‘Holy.’ It’s an old-fashioned word, but one which we often use, even today. However, as Christians, how much do we think about its real meaning in its original context? ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy’, God says in Leviticus.
Words such as ‘holy’, ‘glory’, ‘covenant’, ‘blessing, ‘praise’, ‘salvation’ appear and re-appear regularly in the Bible. An understanding of these ‘old words’ in their original context (in the Old Testament) gives us the tools to unlock key themes throughout God’s word. And really to understand what God is saying to us is life-changing.
David Winter’s book ‘Old Words, New Life’ looks at 40 such key words, from ‘atonement’ to ‘Yahweh’; a word per chapter. Each chapter is a couple of pages long and contains a bible passage, an explanation and a concluding reflection. It can be used as a reference book, or as a daily Bible study guide.
I found it a refreshing change to use this book as a bible study guide and I would recommend it to anyone in need of a breath of fresh air or a new challenge in their daily readings.
The chapter on the word ‘holy’ particularly struck me (perhaps following my friend’s sarcastic comment!). Holiness always seems quite abstract, but David’s comments bring it in to sharp focus. He writes; ‘God is holy. We are not…. People and things become holy only by connection with him, the source of holiness.’ In the concluding reflection in this chapter he presents the challenge, ‘if the way to holiness is connection with its source, God himself, then anything that draws us closer to him will also draw us on to the ‘way of holiness’… prayer, scripture, worship…anything that creates time and space for God in our lives…and the neglect of them will inevitably set it back.’
Old words can challenge us just as much today as in Old Testament times.
Old Words, New Life by David Winter
£6.99
BRF
