Walk Circumspectly

Ephesians 5:14 Wherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.

Romans 13:11

Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise

“to walk”

This word in the original meant literally…”to walk about” or “to walk around”

The word was used often for one that was in shopping in the market

Not like how I shop but more like how my wife shops

Scrolling and stopping, looking around, walking and turning and stopping and…

It was almost used exclusively in the literal sense until it was used in the New Testament where it is mostly used figuratively to refer to our life

Our conduct…how we behave ourselves in certain situations.

Now what I want to focus on more is this second word.

I tend to point out where the KJV could have used a word better

This is a word that the KJV nails it better than the newer translations.

NLT Be careful how you live

CSB Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk

ESV Look carefully then how you walk

NASB Therefore be careful how you walk

The problem is that the translation is not wrong but compared to the original meaning of the word the new translations are insufficient

Merriam Webster- careful to consider all circumstances and possible consequences

This English word comes from the Latin circumspectus which means “to look all around” or “to be on the lookout”

Now, they are close…be careful and consider all circumstances and possible consequences but one is far more comprehensive.

This makes me think of the TV show Monk…a detective that was obsessive about germs

He would caution people about germs and their response generally was that they were being careful.

Monk was being extra careful…a little bit too careful but the point is we can be careful or we can be circumspect

The other aspect I would use to describe the difference would be that you can be careful and not accurate

You cannot be accurate without being careful

As believers we are called to live lives of accuracy.

The first time in the New Testament we come across this word is Matthew 2:8

We find it also in Luke 1:3

This word was used to describe Apollos in Acts 18:25

This is the more in-depth understanding of walking circumspectly…it’s more than just being careful.

It’s being aware

It’s being attentive

It’s being accurate

For what purpose…to be wise

The word for wise is sophia and the first word here is asophia or literally “without wisdom”

Why are we to walk wisely, which requires the idea of walking circumspectly?

Because the days are evil

What does Paul mean by this?

The days themselves are not wicked

A day can be neither righteous nor wicked

I believe that what Paul is trying to convey is that the days are filled with wickedness

Wicked people

Wicked ideas

Wicked actions

Wicked Satan

In order to redeem the evil days that we live in we need wisdom

Where does wisdom come from?

Wisdom comes from accurate, attentive living

Walking circumspectly

Paul concludes with a list of imperatives

He has already given us a one

Walk circumspectly

The rest are

Be ye not unwise…in contrast, seek out the will of God

Be not drunk with wine…in contrast be filled by the Holy Spirit

It’s interesting that being filled with the Spirit all the way through submitting is one long clause with the filling of the Spirit as it’s focus

All these subordinate clauses are subject to the filling of the spirit.