Sunday, 26 March 2017

GOD 's DREAMS.

Dreams are the thoughts or mental images a person has while asleep. The Scripture refers to Dreams from GOD; Natural Dreams; and False Dreams.
- Dreams from GOD were received by GOD's Servants and by persons not devoted to Him.
In Numbers 12, when Miriam, the sister of Moses is punished, we have a clear example of Dreams from GOD received by His Servants. The narrative claims: "Moses had married a Cush'Ite woman, and Miriam and Aaron criticized Moses for it. Miriam and Aaron said, 'Has the Lord indeed spoken only through Moses? Has He not spoken through us also?' And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was 'very meek', more than all men that were on the Face of the Earth. And suddenly the Lord said to Moses and to Aaron and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the Tent of Meeting.' And the 3 of them came out. And the Lord came down in a Pillar of Cloud, and Stood at the Door of the Tent, and Called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And GOD said, 'Hear MY WORDS: If there is a Prophet among you, I the Lord MAKE  MYSELF KNOWN to him IN a VISION, I SPEAK with him IN A DREAM. Not so with My Servant Moses; he is Entrusted with All My House. WITH MOSES I SPEAK MOUTH TO MOUTH, CLEARLY, and NOT IN DARK SPEECH; and HE BEHOLDS THE FORM of the LORD. Why then were not you afraid to speak against My Servant Moses?" (1-8)
In 1Kings 3, when Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh king of Egypt, he prayed to GOD for wisdom. The narrative claims: "Solomon made a marriage alliance with Pharaoh the king of Egypt by marrying his daughter. Solomon brought her into the City of David, until he had finished building his own palace (house), the Temple, and the Wall around Jerusalem. The people were sacrificing at the High Places, however, because no Temple had yet been built for the NAME OF THE LORD. Solomon loved the Lord, walking in the statutes of David his father; only, he sacrificed and burnt incense at the High Places. And Solomon the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the most famous and great High place's altar. He used to offer a thousand Burnt Offerings upon that altar.
At Gibeon, during the Night, the Lord appeared to Solomon in a Dream; and GOD said, 'Ask what I shall Give you.' And Solomon said, 'You have shown Great and Steadfast LOVE to Your Servant David my father, because he walked Before You in Faithfulness, in Righteousness, and in Uprightness of heart toward YOU; and YOU Have Kept for him this Great and Steadfast LOVE, and Have Given him a son to sit on his throne and rules in his place this Day. O Lord GOD, You have Let me succeed my father as king, although I am but a little child in spirit; I do not know how to go out or come in, and here I am in the midst of Your People whom You Have Chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multitude. So give me therefore an 'understanding mind' to govern Your People, that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this Your great People?"
It pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. (1-9)
- Natural Dreams are the ones stimulated by certain thoughts or emotions, sensations or daily activities.
These dreams are of no great significance. A hungry person may dream of eating and a thirsty one of drinking, but they awake unsatisfied. Babylonians had such trust in these type of dreams that on the eve of important decisions they slept in temples, hoping for counsel. Greeks used the same type of dreams in his pursuit of health instruction. They slept in shrines of Aesculapius, and Romans in temples of Serapis. Egyptians were very familiar with this type of dreams that they were able to elaborate books for dream interpretation. The Scripture warns against looking for omens, whether in natural dreams or in various incidents. Deuteronomy 18 claims: "When you come into the Land which the Lord your GOD gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. In the Land shall not be found among you any one who burns his son or his daughter as an offering, any one who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord,and because of these abominable practices the Lord your GOD is driving them out before you. You shall be blameless Before the Lord your GOD.  (9-14)
- False Dreams are Scripturally condemned. According to the Law, a false dreamer who urged the committing of idolatry was to be put to death. Deuteronomy 13 claims: "If a prophet arises among you, or a dreamer of dreams, and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder which he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, 'Let us go after other gods,' which you have not known, 'and let us serve them.' you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or to that dreamer of dreams; for the Lord your GOD is testing you, to know whether you love the Lord your GOD with all your heart and with all your soul." (1-3) The prophet Zechariah assures the Deliverance of GOD's Promises by saying: "Ask the Lord for rain in the season of spring rain, from the Lord Who Makes the storm clouds, Who Gives men showers of rain, making the Fields green to everyone. For the Teraphim utter nonsense, and the diviners see lies; the dreamers tell false dreams, and give empty consolation. Therefore the people wander like sheep; they are afflicted for want of a shepherd. My anger is hot against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders; for the Lord of Hosts cares for His Flock, the House of Judah, and will make them like His Proud Steed in Battle. Out of them shall come the Corner Stone, out of them the Tent Peg, out of them the Battle Bow, out of them every ruler. Together they shall be like Mighty Men in Battle, trampling the foe in the mud of the streets; they shall fight because the Lord is with them, and they shall defeat the enemy cavalry, the riders on horses." (10: 1-5)
The Scripture speaks of Dreams in a figurative sense describing the actions that defiles the Flesh, and those already defiled are the ones who found a way to slip into the Christian congregation.
Jude warns the Believers against such men "indulging in dreams," and these persons apparently dreaming (imagining) think they can with impunity violate GOD's WORD and defile flesh in the Congregation. They will receive adverse judgment  from the Supreme Judge our Lord and GOD.

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