“Where
there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is
he. " (Proverbs 29:18, KJV)
In baseball, there are two lines running from
home base all the way to the fence that marks the end of the field. One line runs from home base and passes just
outside the first base, and the other runs from home base and passes just
outside of third base. Any ball hit in
between those lines is a “fair ball” and the batter is to then run the bases
with out being put out. Any ball that is outside of those two lines is called a
‘foul ball” and the batter is not to run the bases yet.
The lines give the players some parameters in
which to play, some guidelines as it were. When you add the rules for playing
baseball to this, the game proceeds fairly smoothly. For the most part the game is played within
the parameters that have been marked out by the aforementioned lines that
separate fair from foul.
In football there is a big rectangular box that outlines
the playing field, clearly defining the limits within which the game is to be
played. Outside the lines you are either out of bounds or out of the end zone. You
must play within the box. Every sport
has clearly defined boundaries and a set of rules by which you must play. Otherwise there would be complete chaos.
If I was going to write the above verse for
baseball, it would look something like the following. Where baseball is played
without clearly defined boundaries and without a rule book, the players are
unrestrained and do whatever they want to causing confusion, frustration, and
altercations: the players however who play within the boundaries and keep the
rules have a much greater potential of having fun, enjoying the game, and
accomplishing something specific.
I am pretty sure we are starting to get a
better understanding of this verse (Where there is no vision, the people
perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.)
I have more to say about this but will save it for the next post. For
now, I will finish with sports. Sports have to be played within the established
boundaries, (between the lines), and must be played (guided) by the rule book,
just as we Christians must live within the boundaries clearly established by
Scripture, with them as our guide.
When there’s no vision, the people get out of control, but whoever obeys instruction is happy. (Proverbs 29:18, CEB)
