Have Correct Change

(Proverbs 24:21 KJV)  My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

The Hebrew word used in the KJV is different than the one in the NASB in spite of the fact that they are translated the same.  Putting them together gives us a better insight. 

The KJV uses 8138 which means to repeat.  The NASB uses 8132 which means to change.  According to the Pulpit Commentary the difference is in whether the verb is transitive or intransitive.  There seems to be some confusion on that so it becomes a matter of interpretation.  If you go with the idea of repetition then the idea is that you are repeating so that you can get a different outcome.  It is like a gambler rolling the dice and hoping for a winning number this time.  You come up with the idea of people who are never happy with things as they are and the only value is in “New and Improved” as you see on the package of breakfast cereal.  How you can keep improving corn flakes is beyond me but some people go for it.

A quip I have seen repeatedly on line comes to mind.  It is attributed to Albert Einstein but I have seen no reference so I  don’t know if it is true.  I will paraphrase from memory, “Insanity is defined as doing the same thing over again and expecting different results.”  Some people are that way on important issues.

So?  I think we need to be open to new insight and improvements but need to be leery of change for change’s sake.