The Proverbs of the NT
Many have called the Epistle of James the “Proverbs” of the New Testament. One reason is because of the practical teaching found in its chapters. Another reason is because of its frequent use of natural illustrations and human interaction as a vehicle for spiritual truth. One such example is the nautical terminology found throughout the the Epistle of James.
One key verse in the first chapter of this epistle reads:
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. James 1:17
The Keystone Verse
This verse is often called the keystone verse of the epistle. For those not familiar with term keystone, it refers to the stone central to holding together a bridge or archway. I know this because my wife is from Pennsylvania, The Keystone State. James 1:17 is called the keystone verse because it holds everything in chapter 1 together. And how does James tie it all together? By using several nautical references to the ancient art of navigation in this one verse alone. The stars, with their fixed points in the sky, provide guidance and consistency by which ancient sea vessels could navigate the waters. Essentially, James was helping his audience navigate successfully through their immediate storms of persecution and suffering. This was his object for writing – the illustration, i.e. the nautical terminology, was the vehicle.
Ship Ahoy!
And this was not the only time James uses such terminology in his epistle. He references the waves of the sea being driven and tossed. He commands “Do not err,” a term meaning “to drift away.” He reminds that the untamed tongue is like a ship without a rudder. The language of the epistle is so descriptive that, if your not careful while reading, you might imagine yourself on one of those ancient ships – on the Sea of Galilee – during a storm.
Then again, maybe that is exactly what James had intended all along for these early Christian disciples. He would have learned it from the best Teacher of all!
