If It Captures Your Imagination,
It Can Capture The Imagination Of Others!
Mark Dever, in a message on “You Shall Not Commit Adultery,” said this . . . .
(audio clip @ 16:40 minute mark of original message)
In verses 3 to 6 — the father’s warning consists in accurately advising his son about the adulterer’s speech — oits’s bitter end
He’s providing the sort of customer’s reviews — on the lifestyle choice — that is adultery
When Dever made that comment, my mind was caught by the imagery which was created by those words — “customer’s reviews.”
Let me repeat what has been said in earlier examinations of “rhetorical techniques.” As you listen to (or read) a speech or message, your mind will be caught at times with something a speaker has done and which has done exactly that — caught your thinking, attention, interest, focus, etc.
When that happens, it is good to ask, “What did the speaker just do that caused my response?” Because, I can not only think, I can think about my thoughts! I can examine why my mind did what it did? By so doing, I am able to quantify or template what was just done and reproduce it. Not plagiarize the words, but the technique. I can not take that technique and apply it to other speeches or message, which may be completely unconnected to what that particular speaker was talking about in his speech-message!
“Customer’s Reviews”
I thought — “Customer’s Reviews — huh! That is an interesting way to capture what is happening in Proverbs 5, 6, or 7! Here are some reviews, like you find about various products on Amazon Prime, or a computer magazine about . . . . or like “Consumer’s Reports” Magazine!
That is a GREAT way to capture and characterize the content for the listener! Next time I teach this portion of Proverbs about the Proverbs 5:9-13, I am going to run with that imagery in an attempt to stamp into the thinking of the listeners that image of what is happening in these verses.
But beyond that, I have since thought of a list of words and phrases (and included some others which were referenced in Mark Dever’s message) . . . .
Customer’s Review: (“Consumer Report’s Magazine” — Article titled — How Sex Works Outside Of Marriage — my twist on it)
DIY: Do It Yourself — biblical instructions
How It’s Made: a TV program on How Someone Makes / Does This-or-that
Blurred: Focus is lost, and you tap your cell-phone camera’s screen to regain focus
Distortion Mirrors: Make you look like that which you are not
Story Time: In the public library there are story time events designed for children to attend and enjoy. How about using that characterization to describe Jesus teaching the parables to the disciples?
Capturing Pomp & Ceremony: The Royal Weddings
Fences: Protect / Boundaries — Around High Voltage Areas
Boundary Lines of Various Sports: Tennis– “out” / “fault”
Fireplaces: Designed to limit the area in which the fire is safely allowed — “marriage” — the fire is safe in a marriage relationship
Indianapolis 500: A race track designed for cars running over 200 mph — it limits and allows
A Band-Aid: for protection while healing
Self-destruct: The Mission Impossible tape player
Yellow Tape: use by law enforcement to mark off an area, typically a crime area — Some people, some church need to be “yellow taped”
A Fish Out of Water: Mark Dever, “This is not how God made a fish — and not how God made you.”
The Titanic: Mark Dever, “You wouldn’t board the Titanic if you knew what was going to happen.!”
“Hot” Spices: Mark Dever compares the bitterness of sexual sin and says something like — It is after you eat it. It is okay for a few seconds, but then you feel the heat — it sudden shows itself after a few seconds
Misleading Signage: Mark Dever, Sin doesn’t make itself known. It lies. It traffics in large lies — It points a directions to which it does not go or lead
Betting / Stakes: Mark Dever, The stakes are high when it comes to sexual sin.
If you want to CAPTURE a / an . . . .
- thought
- Big Idea
- point
- principle
- structure
- motivation
- element
- action
. . . . found within the pages of Scripture, think of some other understood images which can characterize what is/was said, or happening, or exemplified, or carried out, results, etc. — and then add them to this list.
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