This week I got to thinking about the phrases from the Bible that people frequently say, even when they don’t know it is from the Bible. I made a list of 70 such phrases. Here are a few of the common phrases that non-Bible readers say that come straight from the Bible.
#1. “The Blind Leading the Blind.”
This, of course, means that people turn to a leader who is incapable of leading. In Matthew 15:14, Jesus aid, “And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.”
#2. I’m “At Wit’s End”.
Something people say this when they are confused and don’t know what to do. It is found in Psalms 107:27, “They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wit’s end.”
#3. Living off “The Fat of the Land.” A phrase that means living on the best.
This phrase comes from Genesis 45:18. The Pharaoh speaks to Joseph and tells him to bring is family to Egypt. He said, “Take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.”
Some other phrases are: “By the Skin of Your Teeth,” (Job 19:20), “The Root of the Matter,” (Job 19:28), and “Do unto others and you would have them do unto you.”(Matthew 7:12).
BUT, do you know which Bible verse is quoted most frequently by people who don’t know God? It is Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Of course, they misunderstand the verse.
Before we leave today’s devotional thought, let me share one more verse. Mark 12:30-31
“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
That does sound like something we should say and remember. After all, Jesus said it was the most important commandment.
Lonnie Davis