Haste Is of the Devil

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Hebrew University professor, the late David Flusser once remarked that Jesus' teachings could be summed up in one word: "Relax!" The more you think about that, the more you realize Flusser is right.

Revised: 26-Nov-2012

Hebrew University professor, the late David Flusser once remarked that Jesus’ teachings could be summed up in one word: “Relax!” The more you think about that, the more you realize Flusser is right.

Jesus said, “You are worried and disturbed about many things; only one thing is important” (Luke 10:41-42). Jesus also said, “Don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matt. 6:34). If we learn to relax and let God fight our battles, we will succeed, and God will be pleased with our performance.

Someone told me that evangelist Harald Bredesen often remarked that he was “Hard on God, easy on Harald.” Bredesen’s philosophy reflects a great deal of wisdom—after all, the battle is the Lord’s!

We have a saying in English: “Haste makes waste.” The Hebrew language contains a similar saying, הַחִפָּזוֹן מִן הַשָּׂטָן (haḥipazon min hasatan, Haste is of the Devil). Too often, I’m afraid, our haste results from worry and reflects our lack of confidence in God.


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  • David N. Bivin

    David N. Bivin
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    David N. Bivin is founder and editor of Jerusalem Perspective. A native of Cleveland, Oklahoma, U.S.A., Bivin has lived in Israel since 1963, when he came to Jerusalem on a Rotary Foundation Fellowship to do postgraduate work at the Hebrew University. He studied at the Hebrew…
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