Monday, November 15, 2010
Monday, July 12, 2010
A Word on Angelic Creation
Here the author indicates the creation was complete. Note that it could mean more than that which is on the surface. In Genesis chapter 1, God describes the essential creative act but in Chapter 2 he develops namely the creative act of Mankind. In Chapter 1 he only says that he created man and woman in his image. In Chapter 2 he delineates more of his actions and timeline in the creation of man and woman. So it is entirely possible that the statement in Genesis chapter 2 concerning the phrase, "all the host of them" could indicate more than just the creation of the heavenly space. Genesis 2 begins an explanation of some of the creative work that happened in chapter 1 namely the creation of man, family along with an extensive description of the Garden proper.
Note that verse one uses Host, which in its basic meaning refers to an army that goes forth. Most scholars correctly assume this refers to the heavenly bodies.
It however must include the Heavenly beings as well.
Note
Isa 14 and Ezek 28 indicate angelic creation occured before Man's sin. Ezek 28 further intimates that creation occured in close proximity of the Garden of Eden. Note Satan had not fallen yet while the Garden already existed. This flies in the face of some church thought which holds that Satan was created long before creation, and he as lucifer fell and became the devil in a battle ages before humanity and Eden were created.
Revelation 12:7-8 7 ¶ And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
cf
IVP Notes Rev
12:7–8. One of two angels mentioned by name in the Old Testament, Michael was one of the chief heavenly princes, the guardian angel of Israel (Dan 10:13, 21; 12:1; each nation had its own angelic prince). In early Jewish literature and invocations, Michael was the chief prince of the heavenly host, God’s main messenger (cf. Jude 9); in the Dead Sea Scrolls, everyone was either in the camp of the Prince of Light or that of the Angel of Darkness. Mythical language from Jewish stories about a primeval, heavenly battle leading to the fall of the evil prince and his angels is here transformed: the ultimate battle was fought and won at Jesus’ death and exaltation (Jn 12:31; 16:11). Because Michael was sometimes presented as Israel’s advocate before God, and Satan was generally presented as Israel’s accuser, the image of war here may be one of judicial as well as of violent conflict.
12:9. The dragon is identified with the serpent of Genesis 3, who would be crushed by “the woman’s seed” (Gen 3:15).
12:10. From his portrayal in the book of Job on, Satan is presented as an accuser of the righteous, a prosecuting attorney before God’s court. In later texts, his role of tempter (gaining incriminating evidence) became more prominent, but he always retained his role as accuser; later rabbinic texts declared that he accused Israel day and night before God, except on the Day of Atonement. This verse declares that Christ’s finished work has ended Satan’s power to accuse the righteous.
see Wikpedia article
Note further that in Ezek Lucifer walks among the stones of fire, been in eden, etc and overlaps in the vision with the King of Tyrus,
Ezekiel 28:12-17 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Note here the author begins by taking up a lamentation upon the King of Tyrus. At the outset this is speaking of a human man who lived on earth at one point. However the statements made about him being perfect, the annointed cherub, walking in the Garden of the Lord, all indicate a deeper thought is going on. Some will say this is merely poetic liscense. However it is not beyond the realm of biblical theology to assume that God could speak to man and also refer to Satan.
Note Jesus did that when he rebuked Peter,
Matthew 16:23 23 But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.
Further note that this annointed cherub would be cast to the ground. Jesus said he saw Lucifer fall from heaven.
Luke 10:18 18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.
And ultimately he will be finally cast to the earth without recourse to Heaven's gate
Revelation 12:12-13 12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. 13 ¶ And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child.
God confirms to Job the presence of the Angels at the creation
Job 38:4-7 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
we can know from these passages that Lucifer was created. he was the annointed cherub. He was beautiful. He was created with the creation of the heavens. He was in the Garden of Eden when he was perfect before sin was found in him. Furthermore we know from Scripture that sometimes God speaks of Leaders of Kingdoms and sometimes he refers to the Prince's or Angels influencing them instead.
cf Michael the Prince of Israel, ie the Archangel,
The prince of Persia and Grecia...Note that it could not be a man who withstood Gabriel for 21 days,
Daniel 10:8-14 8 Therefore I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no strength in me: for my comeliness was turned in me into corruption, and I retained no strength. 9 Yet heard I the voice of his words: and when I heard the voice of his words, then was I in a deep sleep on my face, and my face toward the ground. 10 ¶ And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. 11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia. 14 Now I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days: for yet the vision is for many days.
Daniel 10:20-21 20 Then said he, Knowest thou wherefore I come unto thee? and now will I return to fight with the prince of Persia: and when I am gone forth, lo, the prince of Grecia shall come. 21 But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.
Daniel 12:1-4 KJV Daniel 12:1 ¶ And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever. 4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Jude 1:9 9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Thus I think that the creation of the Angelic Host were created when in verse 1 of Genesis 1 God states that he created the heavens. Chapter 2 of Genesis clarifies that this included the Hosts of Heaven...not just spatial bodies of the universe but probably beings and creatures of heaven. I also contend that they were created sometime before the Creation of the earth but not long before as Lucifer walked in the Garden of the Lord as Ezekiel states. I also note that he fell not ages prior but just a short time. Also further see that the sons of god sang at the creation of the earth.
Job 38:4-7 4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. 5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? 6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Pastor Tom
Friday, July 9, 2010
Genesis Chapter 1
Chapter 1 outlines the overview of God's creative act. Necessarily God utilizes no proof for himself but presents the truth based upon an assumption of our belief in him by faith. The text begins: In the Beginning God created the Heavens and the Earth.
Here God simply overviews the great details of his creative act. He does not necessarily divulge all of his acts in creation. Notably that is how stories are told especially in oral tradition. We shall see in chapter 2 how God takes a few points from his overview and expands them to explain the intimacy of the human creation and the origin of the family. Note that God delivers similar overview statements in Genesis 11 and then from chapter 12 forward he develops the nations of Abraham and his descendants.
As an aside I believe too much has been made of the difference between verse 1 and verse 2. Essentially, folks believe in a gap of ages between verse 1 which to them describes the first creation and then its destructing in verse 2 due to the "without form and void" statement. I believe in a young earth at the least or an expanding time stretching universe like Hugh Ross. However, I do not see how a gap can occur between verse 1 and verse 2 although gaps do occur in scripture in other places. The problem I have with the gap theory is that death would have had to proceeded Adam's fall in chapter 3 to do away with the first creation. I believe death came by Adam and was passed upon all mankind and had ramifications upon all of Creation.
To me the being without form and void simply describes the earth in the transition flux of the creative act. There is no mention of pre adamic humanoids or dinosaurs and for it to be empty would that not mean that the evidence of such a pre adamic world would be eradicated when it was destroyed. furthermore as Bruce states the Hebrew syntax does not support the insertion of time here to develop the infamous "Gap".[Bruce 114]
Leaving this for God and the ages, I note that the creative dialog is broken up into days from verse 3 on. Light is created in verses 3-5. Day 2 involves the seperation of the waters above and below. [6-8] Day three God adds dry land, seperates the land and sea adding plant life to the earth.[9-13] Day four deals with the stellar heavens, sun, moon, and stars. [14-19] On the fifth day God creates the animal life. [20-23] On the sixth day God creates man and woman in his own image. [24-27] This passage it should be noted is where God will pick up in Chapter 2:7 to describe the intimacy of his creative act of making man and woman.
Some describe the verses from 1:28-2:25 to describe the first dispensation of mankind, Innocency.
From this chapter I present now the Assumptions of faith.
Assumptions of Faith and Theology Outline
I. The first assumption of Faith: God exists and has creative power Chapter 1
A. God declares his person vs1
1. He does not have to prove himself.
2. His very presence promilgates faith
B. God declares his plan vs 1
C. God declares his creation process vs 2-31
The assumptions of Faith will be continued in Chapter 2 of Genesis blog.
In the Beginning a Blog series on the Book of Genesis by Book and Chapter
Image by Sabrina ヅ via FlickrDr. Allen P. Ross breaks it down through the generations aspect.
The Structure of Genesis
The structure of the book is marked by an initial section and then ten further sections with headings. The major structural word of the book is tôledôt, expressed in the clause “these are the generations of.…” The word is a feminine noun from yālad, “to give birth” (properly derived from the hiphil stem of the verb, meaning “to beget”). It is often translated as “generations,” “histories,” or simply “descendants.”2
This word has been traditionally viewed as a heading of a section. Reconstructing the outline according to this view would yield the arrangement below. (See C. F. Keil and F. Delitzsch, Biblical Commentary on the Old Testament: The Pentateuch, trans. James Martin [Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1949 reprint], pp. 70–71; Bush, Notes, p. 57; Leupold, Exposition of Genesis, vol. 1, pp. 109–11.)
1. Creation (1:1–2:3)
2. Tôledôt of the heavens and the earth (2:4–4:26)
3. Tôledôt of Adam (5:1–6:8)
4. Tôledôt of Noah (6:9–9:29)
5. Tôledôt of Shem, Ham, and Japheth (10:1–11:9)
6. Tôledôt of Shem (11:10–26)
7. Tôledôt of Terah (11:27–25:11)
8. Tôledôt of Ishmael (25:12–18)
9. Tôledôt of Isaac (25:19–35:29)
10. Tôledôt of Esau, the father of Edom (twice) (36:1–8; 36:9–37:1)
11. Tôledôt of Jacob (37:2–50:26)
Ross charts the days of creation as follows
Chart 1. Basic Elements in the Creation Account
Title: God created the universe
Chaos: Waste and void, darkness on the deep
Creation: Spirit of God hovering over the face of the water
Day 1: Light out of darkness, day and night separated
Day 2: Waters above and below separated: heaven
Day 3: Seas gathered and dry land appears: vegetation
Day 4: Heavenly luminaries formed to rule and divide times
Day 5: Marine life and birds created and blessed
Day 6: Animal life created and blessed; human life created, blessed, and commissioned
Completion:
Day 7: Creation marked with sanctified rest
Monday, July 5, 2010
Friday, July 2, 2010
My musings on Freedom and Religion
Can America restore her Global strength and Spiritual Integrity:
"Ye have sown much, and bring in little; ye eat, but ye have not enough; ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink; ye clothe you, but there is none warm; and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes." (Haggai 1:6)
America according to her own roots and history shows that at one time she considered herself a nation after God. From the magna carta of the Plymouth pilgrims to the charters of those early colonies and eventual states God is honored and revered as the source of provision, strength and national building in America’s behalf. Her most famous founder, George Washington stated: "The man must be bad indeed who can look upon the events of the American Revolution without feeling the warmest gratitude toward the great Author of the Universe whose divine interposition was so frequently manifested in our behalf. And it is my earnest prayer that we may so conduct ourselves as to merit a continuance of those blessings with which we have hitherto been favored."
I submit that much that we are experiencing today in America finds its source in our own actions against our religious and historical founding. Also I submit that our inaction can be faulted as much. There must be a return to our historical Godly heritage else we continue sowing to the wind and reap the whirlwind. [Hosea 8:7] God in times past has dealt with nations that have left him in much the same manner as we see American suffering problems within her Environment, Economy, and with her enemies.
He states: In fact, the founders opposed the institutionalization of religion. They kept the Constitution free of references to God. The document mentions religion only to guarantee that godly belief would never be used as a qualification for holding office—a departure from many existing state constitutions. That the founders made erecting a church-state wall their first priority when they added the Bill of Rights to the Constitution reveals the importance they placed on maintaining what Isaac Kramnick and R. Laurence Moore have called a "godless Constitution." [http://www.slate.com/id/2067499]
I do agree that the founders opposed institutional religion, if that religious entity controlled the government or the government controlled that entity.
Ezra Taft speaks of other positions on the religious and government relationship.
Separation of Church and State
"I support the doctrine of separation of church and state as traditionally interpreted to prohibit the establishment of an official national religion. But this does not mean that we should divorce government from any formal recognition of God. To do so strikes a potentially fatal blow at the concept of the divine origin of our rights, and unlocks the door for an easy entry of future tyranny. If Americans should ever come to believe that their rights and freedoms are instituted among men by politicians and bureaucrats, they will no longer carry the proud inheritance of their forefathers, but will grovel before their masters seeking favors and dispensations -- a throwback to the feudal system of the Dark Ages." (Ezra Taft Benson, "Freedom Is Our Heritage," 10 Nov. 1970)
Such a time has come in American politics when the people believe their only hope and source of rights comes from the National Government. Such fallacies have encumbered the freedom movements of women, slaves and even today among immigrants. We must remember our forefathers did not believe Government had all the answers and was the source of our freedom. On the otherhand, they believed that the source of our freedom came from the God who gave us equality and our rights.
That idea of Religious control of government had been experienced by many of them with their English roots and the Church of England’s relationship with the King of England. Some early Baptists desired to influence the fledgling government in favoring them in relationship to other religions or at the very least to ensure they had equal standing with the other religions of their respective state. Thomas Jefferson in an answer to the request of early Baptist for America to become a Baptist leaning nation, stated:
I contemplate with sovereign reverence that act of the whole American people which declared that their legislature should "make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof," thus building a wall of separation between Church & State. [See both letters here: http://www.lonang.com/exlibris/misc/danbury.htm]
Furthermore this idea of a godless America as interpreted from Jefferson’s writings is explained by R. Freeman Butts who has made a clear and concise statement of the view of a secular Government: Jefferson's "words 'a wall of separation between church and state' are not simply a metaphor of one private citizen's language; they reflect accurately the intent of those most responsible for the First Amendment; and they came to reflect the majority will of the American people. The words 'separation of church and state' are an accurate and convenient shorthand meaning of the First Amendment itself; they represent a well-defined historical principle from the pen of one who in many official statements and actions helped to frame the authentic American tradition of political and religious liberty." Butts, The American Tradition in Religion and Education (Boston, Mass.: Beacon Press, 1950)
These views are a far cry from where our Founder’s perspective formed the early framework of our Constitution. President John Adams declared, “Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” Furthermore in a day when anti Semitic sentiment seems to abound John reaffirms our Judeo Christian heritage:
The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations. [ibid]
Where and when did we begin such a different path than that which our Founder’s envisioned? One of the places whereby we began a pathway to a secular view of American history is seen in a 1950 court interpretation of the Danbury letters themselves.
In the court case, Everson v. Bd. of Educ., 330 U.S. 1 (1947), the U.S. Supreme Court was called upon to decide whether a local law pursuant to a New Jersey statute authorizing the use of public funds to reimburse parents for money spent by them for the public bus transportation of their children to Catholic parochial schools violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.
The court assumed Jefferson’s meaning of “wall of separation” to indicate:
…the phrase is absolute. According to the Court, "that wall must be kept high and impregnable. We could not approve of the slightest breach." Everson, 330 U.S. at 18.
However Jefferson in practice did not hold it as absolute as the court saw it in the Everson case or as R. Freeman Butts represents Jeffersonian thought.
“In 1803, one year after the Danbury letter, Jefferson made a treaty with the Kaskaskia Indians, wherein he pledged money to build them a Roman Catholic Church and to support their priests — all from federal funds. Jefferson apparently saw no conflict between asking Congress to implement the treaty's provisions by appropriating funds, and the prohibition that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion . . ." In addition, Jefferson signed three extensions of "An act regulating the grants of land appropriated for Military Services, and for the Society of the United Brethren for propagating the Gospel among the Heathen." This act granted free of charge titles to sections of land to the United Brethren. In addition to holding the land in trust for Indians who were already Christians, the United Brethren used resources derived from cultivating and leasing the land to send out missionaries to proselyte among the non-Christian Indians. Once again, had Jefferson been an absolutist, as the Everson Court suggests, he would have vetoed not one, but all three extensions of this act. Thus, the Danbury letter is significant because when taken out of context, it provides the foundation for an absolute separation of church and state. Not only was Jefferson referring to the federal government, but his activities while in office also indicate that he was not an absolutist. [http://www.churchstatelaw.com/historicalmaterials/8_8_5.asp]
The problem for many people today is that they are being misinformed concerning the meaning and history of the facts. There must be a return to the facts as history presents them in context in order to reverse the misinformation.
How does God deal with nations that begin with him and then leave him for secular wisdom?
God clearly states in his word that he is the one by whom and through whom we receive the rights promised in the constitution of America.
(Rom 13:1) Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed [http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/]
Just as the prophet Haggai challenged the children of Israel to consider her ways; America needs to reconsider her ways and her history. President John Adams rightly knew we need to be an informed public, Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak, and write. [John Adams ]
Further, he understood our Judeo Christian heritage:
The Hebrews have done more to civilize men than any other nation. If I were an atheist, and believed blind eternal fate, I should still believe that fate had ordained the Jews to be the most essential instrument for civilizing the nations. [ibid]
The minor prophet Haggai spoke this to the children of Israel who had been allowed to return to rebuild their land after a long time of the judgment of God. It had been about 18 years since the Jews had returned. Haggai’s biting description shows his personal anger against the people who had failed to make progress in the rebuilding. He challenges them to: "Thus saith the LORD of hosts; Consider your ways" (Haggai 1:5-7).
Haggai rightly assumed that the drought the land was experiencing came about due to Israel’s lack of focus in returning to the ways of God and his plan for their nation. Haggai is rebuking the people of Judah for tending to their own welfare and neglecting the work of God. "Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your ceiled |paneled| houses, and this house |that is, the unfinished temple in Jerusalem| lie waste?" (Haggai 1:4).
Throughout History God has dealt with nations who strayed from his truth through three main means. As with the Hebrews in Haggai’s day he would deal with them through environment
During the time of Israel’s forgetting God’s plan in the reconstruction of their nation, God sent a drought.
Second God deals with straying peoples through their economics. As quoted at the beginning of this article, the nation was hoarding money to themselves and living in plush housing while God’s house lay incomplete. Haggai described their financial house as investing in an economic bag that was full of holes. In otherwords…no matter how much they saved they could not get ahead. When they needed to find help in their economic savings they would reach into the metaphorical bag and the money was missing.
Third God would deal with sinful nations through their enemies. Time and again God warned Israel of her straying and then would bring upon them enslavement by foreign governments. Some might argue that these environmental, economical, and enemy oriented judgements were only for the Nation of Israel who is God’s chosen people. However God held other nations responsible for their sins. Ethiopia and Egypt received judgement when they left God.
(Eze 30:4) And the sword shall come upon Egypt, and great pain shall be in Ethiopia, when the slain shall fall in Egypt, and they shall take away her multitude, and her foundations shall be broken down.
(Hab 1:13) Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity: wherefore lookest thou upon them that deal treacherously, and holdest thy tongue when the wicked devoureth the man that is more righteous than he?
Habbakuk’s question for God comtemplated the problem that God would use a more wicked nation to judge a less wicked Israel. God is sovriegn and his dealings with nations or individuals are without fault.
Thus God led Nebuchadnezzar in judgment in order to correct the nation he used to correct Israel.
Israel’s return and even Nebuchadnezzar’s personal revival mirror what America needs to experience. We do not need to follow the revisionists version of history and move on to a more socialistic godless society. We need to return to our roots.
(2Ch 7:14) If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
As we celebrate the freedoms to hold our personal positions this fourth, let us not prostitute our religious heritage on the altars of false history as promulgated by many who enjoy the rights of this nation. Let us remember who we are and where we have come from. Let us sing with our forefathers the music of freedom. Let freedom ring.
And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me. [Lee Greenwood]
Just sayin, Pastor Tom
Berry Pickin Wisdom
(Pro 8:19) My fruit is better than gold, yea, than fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver.
Berry Pickin….Berry pickin runs deep in my family history. As a boy growing up, I used to get up early in the spring before the sun was up and go with my family up into the foothills of the Kiamichi Mountains near broken bow, Oklahoma hunting the elusive dew berry. Much larger than its diminutive cousin that grows in many yards across east texas, Dew Berries known primarily for their size are also sought out for their mixture of sweet and tart juices that give cobblers and jellies their divine flavor.
As the sun would begin breaking the eastern sky I remember how Breakfast wove its way into our nostrils and the aroma broke over us with waves of bacon and gravy, fresh biscuits, and jam. Hurriedly we ate and got ready for the mornings work. Heading out to the car we carried those five gallon white paint buckets, plenty of mosquito spray and some lunch.
Out in the hills the berry patches were just where God and the birds planted them. They made up mounds of brambles sometimes has high as your waste and other times they spread out across the ground like clover. A dew berry is an interesting berry. It comes in early just behind the frost. Some years the frost catches it but most years God makes sure enough exists to feed his birds and creatures along with a few adventurous souls.
Now the Berry vines only produce berries on the second year’s flouricanes. This means that amidst the 2nd year berry vines there will be many old vines woven intricately throughout the mounds. Once some berries are found the problem then becomes one of safety and access. Though not as thorny as the raspberry, the black berry variety of dew berry has its share of thorns and problems. You have to be careful cuz snakes; varmints and the irritable yellow jacket want the berries as much as you do.. Regularly I have intruded on the breakfast of some yellow jackets or red wasps. Even my dad once reached into the thicket, and thinking the stings on his hand were berry thorns he continued to pick berries. Finally when he brought out his hand…there sat three yellow jackets hammering at his now swollen wrist like jack hammers on highway construction.
Other issues make these large berries an elusive prize. The berries are on the vines intermittently intertwined with last year’s brambles since no gardener is there to trim those dead ones back. Furthermore the best of the berries are hidden from view. In order for you to find them you must reach into the berry thicket weaving your arm through it like a snake and pull back the thorny arms of the brambles always scouring them for berries. These berries remain hidden, missed by God’s creatures and must be discovered in order to be picked. The largest, most succulent berries are often found in an area after it has already been picked over.
The berries hide under leaves, old vines and dust. Sometimes in the early fog of morning, a red berry looks ripe but instead it’s just covered with dust. Once a berry is spotted it has to be picked. You may miss it when looking at it from other angles. It may be hidden from another view or the other side of the hill.
Like berries wisdom is an elusive jewel that is worth pursuing. It hides under the leaves of knowledge and understanding. Frequently false wisdom is clothed in wisdom’s berry ripeness but in the end it is nothing more than sour fruit covered in dust. In proverbs Solomon sets forth a number of his own maxims as well as the writings of a few other authors that he collated. This work can be seen as a training manual for national leaders of his day. He contrasts the great woman of Godly wisdom with the wanton woman of earthy substitutes. He includes the famous rendition of King Lemuel’s mother in Proverbs 31 depicting a woman who had attained and practiced wisdom.
Solomon here is teaching young leaders the importance and great value of true wisdom. He knew that information is not enough to aid a leader in leading a nation. He also knew that understanding is greater than information but it neither is enough to lead. Information has to migrate through knowledge and be sifted with the spirit and experience to gain understanding. And even though understanding is valuable in the classroom and testing times it is not sufficient to meet the level of wisdom. Wisdom begins with the reverence of God and knowing that one does not know everything. Wisdom comes through the activity of application of knowledge. Though wisdom cries in the streets it seems nowadays people lack wisdom and even plain old common sense.
So where are you now…Are you seeking wisdom…it is a prize worth more than financial gain. She cries in the streets and yet too many are attracted to the wanton woman of earthy substitutes. Great leadership requires great humility and wisdom. These are only found in God…Pray for wisdom James says God will give it liberally…seek the counsel of God and read the book of proverbs. Like the pearl of great price let us avail ourselves of seeking the prize in spite of the winsome call of earthly substitutes…Let us reach deep into the word and let it dwell richly in our minds and hearts. And may our actions show that we too, have spent time with Him.
When no one seems to care
Charles Weigle was born into a German Luther home, in Indianna ca 1871, just when Purdue University was 2 years old. He was used to hearing the bible read and music in their home and at the age of 12 he came under conviction he was lost and needed salvation. He had been a rough boy, knifed a friend, beat other boys up, knocked a boy down with a bat and nearly killed him. He knew he was hopeless with out Christ. That night at that little church revival he trusted Christ as his savior. He spent his life as an itinerant minister. Along with his ministry he wrote hymns of faith. However as with all great hymns there must needs be a travail of the soul in order to give birth to a great masterpiece. [The Victorious Life]It is not difficult to sing when all is going well but it is when times are tough. Remember Paul and Silas sang at Midnight after being beaten and thrown into jail. Often God gives a special song to one of his hurting children during the night times of their life. Believers find new joys in their nights of sorrow and despair, and they discover a greater closeness with their Lord during times of deep need. The apostle John wrote the book of Revelation while on the barren island of Patmos; John Bunyan completed the classic Pilgrim’s Progress while in the Bedford jail; Beethoven composed his immortal 9th Symphony while totally deaf; and Fanny Crosby once remarked, “If I had not lost my sight, I could never have written all the hymns God gave me.” (Hymns of Faith)Out of such a dark time Charles wrote one of his best loved hymns. After preaching a long stint of revivals Charles returned home as always to his faithful wife. He, upon entering his home, found a note from his wife. The note said she had had enough of an evangelist’s life. She was leaving him. Weigle later said that he became so despondent during the next several years that there were even times when he contemplated suicide. There was the terrible despair that no one really cared for him anymore. Gradually his spiritual faith was restored, and he once again became active in the Christian ministry. Soon he felt compelled to write a song that would be a summary of his past tragic experience. From a heart that had been broken came these choice words that God gave to Charles Weigle:
I would love to tell you what I think of Jesus since I found in Him a friend so strong and true; I would tell you how He chang’d my life completely—He did something that no other friend could do.All my life was full of sin when Jesus found me; all my heart was full of misery and woe; Jesus placed His strong and loving arms around me, and He led me in the way I ought to go.Ev’ry day He comes to me with new assurance, more and more I understand His words of love; but I’ll never know just why He came to save me, till some day I see His blessed face above.Chorus: No one ever cared for me like Jesus; there’s no other friend so kind as He; no one else could take the sin and darkness from me—O how much He cared for me!
[Amazing Grace Hymn stories]
How is your life...Has it taken a turn for the worst....the best that can be had many times is tough....Someone once said when life gives you lemons, make lemonade. I believe the greatest people in history are people who have learned how to do that. C.S. Lewis stated that God's best teacher was suffering. Tell your story to me...I will glady cry with you and pray with you and learn with you..Pastor Tom June 30, 2010