BLAH! BLAH! BLAH!

It was a “Blah! Blah! Blah!” Day.

Did you know that the Hebrew version of “Blah! Blah! Blah!” is in a Bible verse? That might mean you have one more Bible verse memorized than you thought!

It brought back college-time memories of reading the Peanuts’ Sunday comic strip.

One sunny afternoon, Charlie Brown stood on the pitcher’s mound, nervously practicing his wind-up. Suddenly, Lucy marched onto the field, hands on hips and a dramatic scowl on her face.

“Charlie Brown, you need to pitch faster!” Lucy declared. “If you pitched any slower, we would need a calendar to keep score!”

Charlie Brown opened his mouth to reply, but before he could say anything, Lucy launched into one of her infamous lectures. “You see, it’s all about technique, confidence, and—”

“Blah blah blah,” Snoopy thought from atop his doghouse, watching with mild amusement.

Linus wandered over, blanket in tow. “Lucy, do you ever listen to yourself?”

Lucy huffed. “Of course I do! That is how I know I am always right.”

She continued her speech, waving her arms like a traffic cop. “If everyone just followed my advice, we would win every game, get straight A’s, and—”

Suddenly, Charlie Brown’s ears started ringing. “Blah blah blah,” echoed in his head, drowning out everything else. Even Woodstock chirped in agreement, peeping a little “blah blah blah” of his own.

Finally, Lucy noticed everyone’s glazed expressions. “What’s the matter with all of you?”

Snoopy, never one to miss a comedic moment, donned sunglasses and held up a sign: “Blah blah blah!”

Lucy stomped her foot. “Oh, very funny! See if I share my wisdom next time.”

Charlie Brown smiled as he sarcastically whispered, “That would be a tragedy.”

For once, the outfield was blissfully, hilariously quiet.

What does blah-blah-blah mean? The phrase is often used as a verbal put-down to belittle and embarrass someone to get them to stop talking. If someone is droning on about something you have no interest in, you might mentally replace their words with blah blah blah. Remember, though, it is not very polite to actually say the phrase aloud!

The blah-blah-blah response made its way into The Lego Movie and Hotel Transylvania where it was used as a humorous on-going joke by Dracula.

I admit to an occasional blah-blah-blah thought while pretending to listen to a boring lecture, a rambling sermon, or a friend’s long story.

I am embarrassed to say that for years, I misunderstood the lyrics to one of my favorite songs by the Carpenters, Yesterday Once More.

The chorus begins with every sha-la-la-la…every wo-o-wo-o-wo…still shines.

For years, I belted out in my car every blah-blah-blah-blah…every no-no-no-no…. still shines…it’s yesterday once more.

Well, I can hear that phrase rattling around in your mind now as your ears begin to shut out my words.

Please wait! Did you know those blah-blah-blah words are in God’s #1 Textbook? That is right.

I learned about that phrase when I was studying for the recent Winsday Wisdom Little Bedtime Story which references a bed too short with a blanket too small (Isaiah 28:20).

When Isaiah preached the Word of God, Israel’s political and religious leaders said the insulting words aloud. It was the Hebrew version of blah-blah-blah. Their reaction was dismissive and derisive. Contempt. Ridicule. Disinterest.

Follow along for some quick Bible study before you blah-blah-blah me away.

Israel’s political and religious leaders immersed themselves into their worldly culture to the point of spiritual drunkenness (vs. 1-11). When Isaiah shared the truth about trusting God alone, they responded with belittling taunts.

They mocked, “For it is precept upon precept (Repeat), line upon line (Repeat), here a little (Repeat)” (v. 10). Isaiah would use the same phrases in his response (v. 13).

That got my curiosity going. My study revealed that the phrase was an English transliteration of the Hebrew words: “sav lasav, sav lasav; kav lakav, kav lakav.”

The Jewish American Version describes these made-up sounds as baby babbling. These are the sounds of mumbling upon mumbling, murmur upon murmur, nonsense upon nonsense. Meaningless gibberish. Senseless babbling. Baby talk.

Blah-blah-blah…yada-yada-yada.

Funny, but how do we make spiritual sense out of mindless rambling?

Put yourself in the middle of this scene. Isaiah is warning of God’s coming judgment upon the spiritual pretenders who loved their worldly possessions, power, pleasure, and prestige more than God.

When Isaiah insists that trusting God is enough to save endangered sinners (v. 16), the inebriated leaders resented being treated like little children who had lost their way. So, how do they respond?

They mocked Isaiah by sticking their fingers in their ears, sticking out their tongues, and making senseless sounds like blah-blah-blah. They responded with the slurred speech of drunkenness which sounded similar to the nonsensical screams of baby talk.

The phony leaders evaluated Isaiah’s message from God as too simplistic, too unintelligible, too insignificant, and too uninteresting to be worthy of their consideration.

Do you see that response in our world today? Do you hear the taunts of cultural drunkenness? Truth has no place in our culture.

Both CNN and FOX News are Beyond Bias. The TV talk shows belittle the simplicity of Truth. The educated elite have surpassed the Lord’s wisdom. The political leadership ignores it. The religious profiteers exchange it for more successful cultural strategies.

However, man’s response never changes God’s truth.

With wisdom from above, God’s Word exposes and entraps unbelievers with their own excuses. Look at Isaiah’s response here and Paul’s response in Romans to those who think they are too good and too smart to simplify the key to life in two words: TRUST GOD.

When they hear the truth, it sounds like a foreign language which it is (v. 11). It is wisdom from another world.

God takes the foolish words of unbelievers and uses them to explain spiritual truth beyond our understanding in childlike terms we can learn and understand: Precept upon precept, line upon line, here a little and there a little.

God takes love and wisdom that is beyond our understanding and makes it simple and real in our lives (Ephesians 3:14-19).

Wisdom from the #1 Textbook can be learned gradually, just like how children learn to read and do math. It starts with the basics of the alphabet and words, the numbers and formulas.

God’s method of teaching His children is: (1) Precepts-learning principles of truth, (2) lines-learning measurements of spiritual growth, and (3) learning incremental and systematic methods…learning a little here and a little there.

Spiritual wisdom is built on the foundation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Faith, hope, and love are learned. God uses His Word to grow you up spiritually through repeated instructions and clear guidance.

As the only source of wisdom, God’s #1 Textbook is profitable for learning and more valuable than silver and gold. It contains the Big Picture of your earthly life, step by step, but not revealed all at once. It reveals your future as God’s beautiful masterpiece, which will take all of eternity to unfold its glory.

Look at your children and grandchildren. They grow; they mature. They are spiritual mirrors which reflect your relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Look at nature; it is a teaching tool for the seasons of life. Look at farming; it is the classroom for growing in wisdom. You plow the soil, sow the seeds, nurture the plants, harvest the crops, and then enjoy the feast.

Look at the long road of life, behind and ahead. The journey is made up of little steps, one after another. Look at the life God is building which begins with a strong and firm foundation, a precious cornerstone inscribed with the key to wisdom: TRUST GOD.

Look at the God-sent preacher. Does he teach the whole Word of God, principle by principle, truth by truth, little by little? If not, find one who faithfully and consistently does teach in that manner, to help you learn the whole truth of God’s Word.

That is called Expository Preaching. The learning method is book by book, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. The foundational truth to TRUST GOD is placed on Repeat, over and over. Every verse is supported by that application.

You cannot learn all the #1 Textbook at one time. Some principles are built upon others. Take your time; but make sure you do not skip verses. Spiritual growth is not gained by pick and choose classes or lifestyle preferences. It is based upon Precepts…Principles.

Preferences can and should be yielded to others. Programs can and should be changed for better learning. Principles are NEVER compromised, no matter what the culture claims or how many people are mocking you with their blah-blah-blahs.

Wrestle with each new verse. Learn what you can. Apply what you learn. When you come back to the Biblical passage again, there will be more to learn.

Never Blah-Blah-Blah God’s Word. Love it. Live it.

Who knew that blah blah-blah was in the Scriptures? I was probably preaching sha-la-la-la…oh no–no-oh no… It’s Yesterday Once More.

Bonus Track:

When I was young, I’d listen to the radio waitin’ for my favorite songs.
When they played, I’d sing along; it made me smile.
Every Blah-blah-blah-blah every No-no-no-no still shines.
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling that they’re startin’ to sing is so fine.

It was songs of love that I would sing to then and I’d memorize each line.
Those old melodies still sound so good to me as they melt the years away.
Every Blah-blah-blah-blah, every No-no-no-no still shines.
Every Shing-a-ling-a-ling that they’re startin’ to sing is so fine.

It’s Yesterday Once More…every Blah-blah-blah-blah! Every No-no-no-no!

I AM A STRANGE DUCK!