It is used of uncovering (letting loose) one’s head when a turban is removed as a sign of mourning in Leviticus 10:6 and Leviticus 21:10. 18b.įinally, the word translated “perish” is derived from a verb (para‘), which generally means to “let go” or “let loose.” The translation of this verb as perishing is highly unlikely when it is considered that of its 16 uses in the Old Testament none of these are translated in this fashion. This term refers to special revelation and should be understood as a vision that contained a prophetic word from God, a “revelation.” Thus “vision” forms an appropriate parallel with “the law,” in v. The vision is the means through which God gave His revelation to His prophets. Consequently, the content of the “vision” ( hazon) is fundamentally distinct from some popular interpretations. These books have been recorded as “the word of the LORD.” If the point of the Hebrew term for “vision” is the prophet receiving the “word of the LORD,” this neither refers to a leader’s insight nor his so-called private hazon about the future, but divine revelation. This term is also used as a title for some Old Testament prophetic books, such as Isaiah, Obadiah, and Nahum. In Psalms 89:19 God spoke to his people in a “vision” ( hazon). When God initially spoke to Samuel in 1 Samuel 3:1, the text indicates that “the word of the LORD” was rare because visions ( hazon) were uncommon. To understand how this term is used, we need to consider the content of what was received. It is related to a verb ( hazah), which means to “see” or to “receive by revelation.” The latter rendering of the verb is used of a prophet having a “vision,” hazon ( Isaiah 1:1 Ezekiel 12:27). This noun is used 35 times in the Old Testament. The term “vision” is a translation of a Hebrew word ( hazon). Second, a major problem with this type of interpretation relates to the fact that the Hebrew term translated “vision” is never connected to setting long-range goals, whether church growth or otherwise. 18b) but, on the other, by not having something equally authoritative (“vision”), one receives the obverse of blessing (v. This is to say, on the one hand, by keeping God’s authoritative law, one experiences blessing (v. A contrast is set up between the first and second half: the positive results of obedience to the law (18b) and the negative results from having a lack of “vision” (18a). I am convinced that this is an illegitimate understanding of this verse for three reasons.įirst, we should note the most obvious difficulty with this understanding is that it does not take into account the entire verse. A Christian leader’s goals are given a biblical basis by using this verse. Vision casting is often connected to Proverbs 29:18 (see “Vision Casting & Vision Catching”). Casting refers to empowering one’s followers to embrace and to bring a vision to fruition ( “How to Develop and Cast your Vision”). This concept of vision may also be referred to as “vision casting” ( “The Art of Vision Casting for Church Multiplication”). This vision is a “clear call that sustains focused effort year after year, decade after decade, as people offer consistent and sacrificial service to God” (ibid.). I’ve seen it with my own eyes-without vision, people lose the vitality that makes them feel alive” ( Courageous Leadership, 31). Hybels maintains that without the vision of Proverbs 29:18 people “can’t focus, can’t reach their goal, can’t follow their dream…. In other contexts, people perish in the sense that they lose their sense of vitality. If the goals are not followed, “people perish” in the sense that a ministry will become stagnant and irrelevant. The gist of these sermons was that effective Christian leaders have visions, the ability to set goals for the future, that result in church growth or some other facet of ministry. In the early years of my Christian experience, I heard some messages on Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he” ( KJV NASB also uses “vision”).
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