Cats' Eyes Removed

Foreign visitors must look askance at those all-too-familiar signs on our roads which describe the removal of cats eyes (sic). This must seems incongruent for a nation so exercised by the right treatment of animals. Of course, context changes all. Cat’s eyes have been used on British highways since 1934 as an additional road safety measure and refer to reflective devices built into the surface. Their removal indicates a local council’s arousal from sluggishness in order to re-lay a stretch of potholed tarmac. Our feline friends remain safe.

Expository, verse-by-verse, book-by-book preaching and BIble reading may seem unexciting but it does ensure the preacher or reader takes account of context. Cherry-picking verses, carefully selecting passages and always alighting on hobby horses is a sure way of using scripture to support our existing beliefs, rather than yielding our opinions to God’s good word. So read the context.