Femininity is constructed on a male model, making woman a special case of man, a product of his desire. A woman made from the body of a man linking both of them with the same nature, the desire of belonging one another and become one. This signified her as sharing equally in the image of GOD and from that SOURCE comes all human dignity which differentiates humans from the rest of the animal kingdom. In this sense, her identity was directly derived from GOD.
As "Woman", this femininity is the one created out of Man and formed for the purpose of being "a helper suitable for Him. In this sense, her identity was directly derived from Man, but not itself convey subordination. The personification of "Help" is used even of GOD elsewhere in the Scripture.
God's intention in her creation was that she complement Man in the role and purpose that GOD had for them.
GENESIS 1:26-31 Then GOD said, "And now we will made Human Beings; they will BE LIKE US and RESEMBLE US." They will HAVE POWER OVER the FISH, the BIRDS, and all ANIMALS, domestic and wild, large and small. So GOD CREATED HUMANS BEINGS, making them TO BE LIKE HIMSELF. He created them MALE and FEMALE, blessed them, and said, "Have many children, so that YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL LIVE ALL OVER THE EARTH and BRING IT UNDER their CONTROL. I AM PUTTING YOU IN CHARGE of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. I have PROVIDED all kinds of GRAIN and all kinds of FRUIT for YOU to EAT, but for all the WILD ANIMALS and for all BIRDS I have PROVIDED GRASS and LEAFY PLANTS for FOOD."
The dual derivative character of "Woman's identity" -image of GOD and taking out of Man- provides the basis of self-understanding for all women. Rather than be a servant to Man, she was to share in a mutuality with him. She was in the image of GOD and a co-recipient of the mandate to fill the Earth and subdue it.
The absence of the woman separated from the body of man when he was placed in the Garden that GOD planted in Eden, in the East, to cultivate and guard it, brought forth a declaration from GOD of "not good." When she was presented to man, he sang forth the first hymn found in Scripture , extolling her and naming her "Woman." He saw in her an identical-yet-opposite mirror : he realized that she was a full bearer of the Divine Image and that he lacked what only she could provide. In this respect, man's identity was derived from his woman.
There was a strongly implied hierarchy in the relationship between man and woman, and Satan chose to tempt the woman in order to subvert this structure. In succumbing to Satan's deception, the woman took upon herself the determinative role in good and evil. Human autonomy began here in the complementary realms of Truth and Morals. In an effort to vindicate herself, she gained man's participation in the rebellion. The portrayal of the woman here as susceptible to temptation establishes one dimension of her character in Scripture , but this dimension must be seen in the context of her full characterization.
Man was placed as the first human to walk in the dimension of the Earth. His name Adam, in Hebrew, is a derivative of the word for earth "Adama." Adam may be seen as primarily at fault in the act of disobedience. Not only he was placed as a general representative Head over Creation, but it was his specific task to "keep and guard" the Garden. Adam was to guard the holy Garden of God from the presence of evil and/or unclean intrusions. The presence of the satanic serpent in the Garden was a direct indication of Adam's failure in this regard.
Eve shared fully in the shame of this rebellion, sensing with Adam the fracture of what was once their sufficient covering -the Glory/ Spirit/ Image of GOD. Eve's burden from the Fall also included the distortion of her natural desires becoming disproportionate or distorted. Also the same could be said for the man's ruling over her. The marital hierarchy was somehow warped.
The preservation of Eve as the source of life in not limited, however, merely to the flesh. The curse upon the Serpent included the promise that a seed of the woman would bruise the serpent's head while the seed of the serpent would bruise his heel.
The New Testament makes two explicit references to Eve. In 2 Cor. 11:3 Paul cited the Serpent's deception of Eve as a warning of what a false teacher might do to the Christian Church. The point of the analogy is the craftiness of the Serpent compared with the false wisdom of someone who preach a different Gospel than the one Paul declares to them. If the temptation of the Church is to follow a false Gospel then it is analogous to a marital infidelity, so Eve's temptation might be seen that way. This connects to a broad and frequent Old Testament analogy which depicts idolatry as an act of marital infidelity toward GOD.
So a husband's responsibility toward his wife is to set her apart as the exclusive object of his love.
Tuesday, 27 December 2016
THE EXAMPLE OF ENOCH.
"Once there was a man named Enoch who pleased GOD, and GOD loved him. While Enoch was still living among sinners, GOD took him away, so that EVIL and FALSEHOOD could NOT CORRUPT HIS MIND and SOUL. " (Wisdom 4)
We all know that people can be so fascinated by evil that they cannot recognize what is good even when they are looking at it. Innocent people can be so corrupted with desire that they can think of nothing but what they want.
"This man Enoch achieved in a few years' time a perfection that other people could never attain in a complete lifetime." (Wisdom 4)
Enoch was the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and great-grandfather of Noah. At 65 years old, he begot Methuselah. In the 7th generation from Adam, he was considered the author of the Book of Enoch and also called Enoch the scribe of judgment. The Scripture says that Enoch lived 365 years before he was taken by GOD. (Genesis 5).
The Christian New Testament has 3 references to Enoch from the lineage of Seth :
LUKE 3 mentionS Enoch in reference to the Ancestors of Jesus.
HEBREW 11 mention Enoch because of his faith saying, "It was Faith that kept Enoch from dying. Instead, he was taken up by GOD, and nobody could find him, because GOD had taken him up."
The Scripture says that before Enoch was taken up, he had pleased GOD. No one can please GOD without Faith, for whoever comes to GOD must have Faith that GOD exists and rewards those who seek HIM.
JUDE mentions Enoch in relation to Judgment of the Wicked by saying, "It was Enoch, the 7th direct descendant from Adam, who long ago prophesied this about them (for some godless people have slipped in unnoticed among GOD's people, persons who distort the message about the Grace of our GOD in order to excuse their immoral ways): 'The LORD will come with many thousands of His Holy Angels to BRING JUDGMENT ON ALL, to CONDEMN THEM ALL for the godless deeds they have performed and for ALL the TERRIBLE WORDS that GODLESS SINNERS have SPOKE AGAINST HIM! ' These people are always grumbling and blaming others; they FOLLOW their OWN EVIL DESIRES; they BRAG ABOUT THEMSELVES and FLATTER OTHERS IN ORDER TO GET THEIR OWN WAY."
"The LORD was pleased with the life of Enoch and quickly took him out of this wicked World. People were aware of his departure but did not understand. They never seemed to learn the lesson that GOD is kind and merciful to His Own People; HE protects those whom HE HAS CHOSEN." (Wisdom 4).
We all know that people can be so fascinated by evil that they cannot recognize what is good even when they are looking at it. Innocent people can be so corrupted with desire that they can think of nothing but what they want.
"This man Enoch achieved in a few years' time a perfection that other people could never attain in a complete lifetime." (Wisdom 4)
Enoch was the son of Jared, the father of Methuselah, and great-grandfather of Noah. At 65 years old, he begot Methuselah. In the 7th generation from Adam, he was considered the author of the Book of Enoch and also called Enoch the scribe of judgment. The Scripture says that Enoch lived 365 years before he was taken by GOD. (Genesis 5).
The Christian New Testament has 3 references to Enoch from the lineage of Seth :
LUKE 3 mentionS Enoch in reference to the Ancestors of Jesus.
HEBREW 11 mention Enoch because of his faith saying, "It was Faith that kept Enoch from dying. Instead, he was taken up by GOD, and nobody could find him, because GOD had taken him up."
The Scripture says that before Enoch was taken up, he had pleased GOD. No one can please GOD without Faith, for whoever comes to GOD must have Faith that GOD exists and rewards those who seek HIM.
JUDE mentions Enoch in relation to Judgment of the Wicked by saying, "It was Enoch, the 7th direct descendant from Adam, who long ago prophesied this about them (for some godless people have slipped in unnoticed among GOD's people, persons who distort the message about the Grace of our GOD in order to excuse their immoral ways): 'The LORD will come with many thousands of His Holy Angels to BRING JUDGMENT ON ALL, to CONDEMN THEM ALL for the godless deeds they have performed and for ALL the TERRIBLE WORDS that GODLESS SINNERS have SPOKE AGAINST HIM! ' These people are always grumbling and blaming others; they FOLLOW their OWN EVIL DESIRES; they BRAG ABOUT THEMSELVES and FLATTER OTHERS IN ORDER TO GET THEIR OWN WAY."
"The LORD was pleased with the life of Enoch and quickly took him out of this wicked World. People were aware of his departure but did not understand. They never seemed to learn the lesson that GOD is kind and merciful to His Own People; HE protects those whom HE HAS CHOSEN." (Wisdom 4).
HOPE OF THE WICKED.
On that Day someone Righteous, full of confidence, will stand before those who oppressed him and made light of his labors. They will be amazed to see him safe and will tremble will terrible fear. Then they will regret what they did, and groaning in anguish they will say to each other :
"This is the one we made fun of. We thought he was a joke. What fools we were! We thought he was crazy to live the way he did, and when he died , we did not honor him. And now here he is, one of God's own children, with a place of his own among GOD's people."
"We were the ones who wandered off the right road. We NEVER LIVED IN the LIGHT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; we never caught the first glimmer of its light. All our lives we wandered across unmarked deserts, instead of following the road which the LORD wanted us to travel. And this LAWLESSNESS LED US TO RUIN. We were so PROUD OF OURSELVES -we bragged about how rich we were- and now what good has it done us? All those things are gone now; they have disappeared like a shadow, like something you hear and then forget."
"A ship sails across the waves of the ocean, but when it is gone, it leaves no trace. You can not tell it was ever there. A bird flies through the air, but leaves no sign that it has been there. It speeds along, riding through the thin air by the force of its wings, leaving behind no trace of its passing. An arrow splits the air when it is shot at a target, but at once the air closes up behind it, and no one can tell where it passed. It is the same with us -we were born, and then we ceased to be. We left no sign of virtue behind us; we were DESTROYED BY OUR WICKEDNESS."
"WHAT HOPE do WICKED PEOPLE HAVE?"
Only the hope of straw blown about in the wind, the hope of ocean foam that disappears in the storm, the hope of smoke in the breeze. Their hope lasts no longer than our memory of a guest who stays one day and leaves the next."
"But the RIGHTEOUS LIVE ON FOREVER. The LORD will REWARD THEM; the MOST HIGH will PROTECT THEM. He will GIVE THEM ROYAL SPLENDOR and MAGNIFICENT CROWN. He will SHIELD THEM with HIS POWERFUL ARM. He will GO OUT into BATTLE determined TO DEFEAT HIS ENEMIES, and USE the CREATION ITSELF AS A WEAPON."
RIGHTEOUSNESS will be HIS ARMOR, genuine JUSTICE will be HIS HELMET, HOLINESS will be HIS INVINCIBLE SHIELD."
"HE will SHARPEN HIS stern ANGER into A SWORD, and the FORCES OF NATURE WILL JOIN HIM IN BATTLE AGAINST THOSE WHO are FOOLISH ENOUGH to OPPOSE HIM."
"Bolts of lightning will strike right on target, as if the LORD had made a bow out of the clouds and was shooting arrows. Hailstones will beat down on HIS ENEMIES with terrible force. The oceans and rivers will come rushing over them in a devastating flood. Great windstorms will blow them away like straw." (Wisdom 5)
"LAWLESSNESS WILL BE THE RUIN OF THE WHOLE WORLD."
"EVIL ACTIONS WILL CAUSE GOVERNMENTS TO FALL."
"This is the one we made fun of. We thought he was a joke. What fools we were! We thought he was crazy to live the way he did, and when he died , we did not honor him. And now here he is, one of God's own children, with a place of his own among GOD's people."
"We were the ones who wandered off the right road. We NEVER LIVED IN the LIGHT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS; we never caught the first glimmer of its light. All our lives we wandered across unmarked deserts, instead of following the road which the LORD wanted us to travel. And this LAWLESSNESS LED US TO RUIN. We were so PROUD OF OURSELVES -we bragged about how rich we were- and now what good has it done us? All those things are gone now; they have disappeared like a shadow, like something you hear and then forget."
"A ship sails across the waves of the ocean, but when it is gone, it leaves no trace. You can not tell it was ever there. A bird flies through the air, but leaves no sign that it has been there. It speeds along, riding through the thin air by the force of its wings, leaving behind no trace of its passing. An arrow splits the air when it is shot at a target, but at once the air closes up behind it, and no one can tell where it passed. It is the same with us -we were born, and then we ceased to be. We left no sign of virtue behind us; we were DESTROYED BY OUR WICKEDNESS."
"WHAT HOPE do WICKED PEOPLE HAVE?"
Only the hope of straw blown about in the wind, the hope of ocean foam that disappears in the storm, the hope of smoke in the breeze. Their hope lasts no longer than our memory of a guest who stays one day and leaves the next."
"But the RIGHTEOUS LIVE ON FOREVER. The LORD will REWARD THEM; the MOST HIGH will PROTECT THEM. He will GIVE THEM ROYAL SPLENDOR and MAGNIFICENT CROWN. He will SHIELD THEM with HIS POWERFUL ARM. He will GO OUT into BATTLE determined TO DEFEAT HIS ENEMIES, and USE the CREATION ITSELF AS A WEAPON."
RIGHTEOUSNESS will be HIS ARMOR, genuine JUSTICE will be HIS HELMET, HOLINESS will be HIS INVINCIBLE SHIELD."
"HE will SHARPEN HIS stern ANGER into A SWORD, and the FORCES OF NATURE WILL JOIN HIM IN BATTLE AGAINST THOSE WHO are FOOLISH ENOUGH to OPPOSE HIM."
"Bolts of lightning will strike right on target, as if the LORD had made a bow out of the clouds and was shooting arrows. Hailstones will beat down on HIS ENEMIES with terrible force. The oceans and rivers will come rushing over them in a devastating flood. Great windstorms will blow them away like straw." (Wisdom 5)
"LAWLESSNESS WILL BE THE RUIN OF THE WHOLE WORLD."
"EVIL ACTIONS WILL CAUSE GOVERNMENTS TO FALL."
THE WISDOM OF THE RIGHTEOUS
Proverbs 5 "My son, be attentive to MY WISDOM, incline your ear to MY UNDERSTANDING; that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge FOR THE LEEPS OF A LOOSE woman DRIP HONEY, and HER SPEECH is SMOOTHER that OIL; but in the end she is bitter as wormwood, sharp as two-edged sword. HER FEET go down TO SHEOL; she does NOT take heed TO the path of LIFE; her ways wonder, and she does not know it."
"And now, O sons, listen to ME, and DO NOT DEPART FROM MY WORDS of MY MOUTH, keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house; lest you give your honor to others and your ears to the merciless; LEST the strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of an alien; and AT the END of your LIFE you GROAN, when your FLESH AND BODY are CONSUMED, and you say, 'How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I was at the point of utter ruin in the assembled congregation,'"
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is caught in the toils of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is lost.
"Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well."
"Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?"
"Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely hind, a graceful doe. Let her affection fill you at all times with delight, be infatuated always with her love. Why should you be infatuated, my son, with a loose woman and embrace the bosom of an adventuress?"
"For a MAN'S WAYS ARE BEFORE THE EYES OF THE LORD, and HE WATCHES ALL HIS PATHS."
Ecclesiastes 7: Do Not Take Everything For Granted.
A goo reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date. You learn more at a funeral than at a feast - after all, that is where we will end up. We might discover something from it. Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart. Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out.
Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games. You will get more from the rebuke of a sage than from the song and dance of fools. The giggles of fools are like the cracking of twigs under the cooking pot, and like smoke.
Brutality stupefies even the wise and destroys the strongest heart. Do not be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.
Do not always be asking, "Where are the good old days!" Wise folks do not questions like that.
Wisdom is better when it is paired with blessings, especially if you get both while you are still living. It double protection, wisdom and wealth! Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes its owner.
Take a good look at GOD'S WORK. Who could simplify and reduce Creation's curves and angles to a plain straight line?
Job 31: What Can I Expect From God?
"I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes. If I have let myself be seduced by a woman and conspired to go to bed with her, fine, my wife has every right to go ahead and sleep with anyone she wants to. For disgusting behavior like that, I would deserve the worst punishment YOU could hand out. Adultery is a fire that burns the house down; I would not expect anything I count dear to survive it."
"Have I ever been unfair to my employees when they brought a complaint to me? What then will I do when GOD confronts me? When GOD examines my books, what can I say? Do not the same GOD who made me, make them? Are not we all made of the same stuff, equals before GOD?"
"Have I ignored the needs of the poor, turned my back on the indigent, taking care of my own needs and fed my own face while they languished? Was not my home always open to them? Were not they always welcome at my table?"
"Have I ever left a poor family shivering in the cold when they had no warm clothes? Did not the poor bless me when they saw mw coming, knowing I had brought coats from my closet?"
"If I have ever used my strength and influence to take advantage of the unfortunate, go ahead, break both my arms, cut off all my fingers!"
"THE FEAR OF GOD HAS KEPT ME FROM THESE THINGS -how else could I ever face HIM?
"And now, O sons, listen to ME, and DO NOT DEPART FROM MY WORDS of MY MOUTH, keep your way far from her, and do not go near the door of her house; lest you give your honor to others and your ears to the merciless; LEST the strangers take their fill of your strength, and your labors go to the house of an alien; and AT the END of your LIFE you GROAN, when your FLESH AND BODY are CONSUMED, and you say, 'How I hated discipline, and my heart despised reproof! I did not listen to the voice of my teachers or incline my ear to my instructors. I was at the point of utter ruin in the assembled congregation,'"
The iniquities of the wicked ensnare him, and he is caught in the toils of his sin. He dies for lack of discipline, and because of his great folly he is lost.
"Drink water from your own cistern, flowing water from your own well."
"Should your springs be scattered abroad, streams of water in the streets?"
"Let them be for yourself alone, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely hind, a graceful doe. Let her affection fill you at all times with delight, be infatuated always with her love. Why should you be infatuated, my son, with a loose woman and embrace the bosom of an adventuress?"
"For a MAN'S WAYS ARE BEFORE THE EYES OF THE LORD, and HE WATCHES ALL HIS PATHS."
Ecclesiastes 7: Do Not Take Everything For Granted.
A goo reputation is better than a fat bank account. Your death date tells more than your birth date. You learn more at a funeral than at a feast - after all, that is where we will end up. We might discover something from it. Crying is better than laughing. It blotches the face but it scours the heart. Endings are better than beginnings. Sticking to it is better than standing out.
Sages invest themselves in hurt and grieving. Fools waste their lives in fun and games. You will get more from the rebuke of a sage than from the song and dance of fools. The giggles of fools are like the cracking of twigs under the cooking pot, and like smoke.
Brutality stupefies even the wise and destroys the strongest heart. Do not be quick to fly off the handle. Anger boomerangs. You can spot a fool by the lumps on his head.
Do not always be asking, "Where are the good old days!" Wise folks do not questions like that.
Wisdom is better when it is paired with blessings, especially if you get both while you are still living. It double protection, wisdom and wealth! Plus this bonus: Wisdom energizes its owner.
Take a good look at GOD'S WORK. Who could simplify and reduce Creation's curves and angles to a plain straight line?
Job 31: What Can I Expect From God?
"I made a solemn pact with myself never to undress a girl with my eyes. If I have let myself be seduced by a woman and conspired to go to bed with her, fine, my wife has every right to go ahead and sleep with anyone she wants to. For disgusting behavior like that, I would deserve the worst punishment YOU could hand out. Adultery is a fire that burns the house down; I would not expect anything I count dear to survive it."
"Have I ever been unfair to my employees when they brought a complaint to me? What then will I do when GOD confronts me? When GOD examines my books, what can I say? Do not the same GOD who made me, make them? Are not we all made of the same stuff, equals before GOD?"
"Have I ignored the needs of the poor, turned my back on the indigent, taking care of my own needs and fed my own face while they languished? Was not my home always open to them? Were not they always welcome at my table?"
"Have I ever left a poor family shivering in the cold when they had no warm clothes? Did not the poor bless me when they saw mw coming, knowing I had brought coats from my closet?"
"If I have ever used my strength and influence to take advantage of the unfortunate, go ahead, break both my arms, cut off all my fingers!"
"THE FEAR OF GOD HAS KEPT ME FROM THESE THINGS -how else could I ever face HIM?
Monday, 26 December 2016
LAW AND ITS PURPOSE.
One of the most important themes in the Scripture is the Law's relationship to the Divine Administration of Justice in the World.
The Books of Psalms and Proverbs present what was likely the traditional understanding of this issue in ancient Judah. The Books of Job and Ecclesiastes raise critical questions regarding this understanding. All four books share, however, the assumptions that GOD is the FINAL JUDGE of human behavior, put humans on trial, and gives blessings to those found righteous, and punishment to those found guilty of sin. Their view places the relationship with GOD through the eyes of the Law. Thus, much of the language used in the prayers, instructions and discourses of these writings also has legal meaning.
A strongly Deuteronomic point of view underlies the psalmists' emphasis on adherence to the Law. This connection manifests itself both in the psalms' legal vocabulary and in their view of Divine Retributive Justice. For Deuteronomy, it is 'obedience' to GOD's commandments that will bring health, prosperity and success. HE requites disobedience with sickness, poverty and defeat. For the psalmists, GOD is the supreme and righteous JUDGE of the cosmos. As such HE makes COVENANTS, investigates covenantal breaches, and enforces the covenants with lawsuit. GOD evaluates the degree to which an individual or a society adheres to covenantal law and blesses or punishes accordingly.
The Wisdom literature in Proverbs reiterates in many respects the view of justice. It is righteousness that GOD will reward with economic prosperity, good fortune, and long life; those who displease GOD, conversely, are punished. The texts includes behavior that accords with the Law: accurate weights and measures, justice in the judicial system, and general obedience to the commandments.
A righteous life includes, however, more than strict adherence to the law. Mere obedience no longer equals the blessing of GOD. The equation requires the addition of Wisdom, that is the range of virtues considered to accompany a life governed by Wisdom: diligence, generosity, judicious speech, humility, and sexual fidelity, among others.
With the book of Job a different perspective on law and justice appear. The book is replete with legal content and tends to follow the format and procedures of a trial. The purpose is to explore a common conception in his day that those who undergo suffering are the subject of a divine trial and of retributive punishment if found guilty. The characters agree on how Justice should operate: the wicked should experience suffering as punishment for their wickedness, while the righteous should be blessed. They disagree, however, regarding whether or not Justice actually does work this way and, if it does not, whether GOD should be held responsible. The trial is complex but seems to begin when Satan brings a formal legal accusation against Job in the Divine Council that Job possesses a blasphemous mind. God must permit the trial to proceed in order not to corrupt or circumvent the existing Divine legal system.
Job endures a torturous legal investigation. Then Satan's hope is to hear Job blaspheme GOD to HIS FACE, an act that would serve as the best evidence on the charge before the Council. Job assumes, though, that GOD is the accusing party and decided to countersue GOD. He claims that GOD is guilty of abuse of authority, primarily for bringing a suit that lacks sufficient justification. Job seeks to find someone to join his claim as a 2nd accuser against GOD, but no one is willing. Instead the 3 friends seek to impeach Job, impugn his integrity, and defend GOD. The friends insist that Job plead guilty and seek GOD's mercy. What happened at the end of the book can be characterized as an out-of-court-settlement. GOD, having defended himself vigorously, seems forced to admit that allowing the suit to go forward was unfair. There is no decisive legal victory for either party. GOD justly controls the suffering of humankind.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, understanding the treatment of Law, it requires a decision regarding the book's literary integrity and purpose because it seems to contain conflicting ideologies and approaches to the law. The text's overriding concern is to keep in proper perspective aspects of life that lie outside the scope of Law.
The Books of Psalms and Proverbs present what was likely the traditional understanding of this issue in ancient Judah. The Books of Job and Ecclesiastes raise critical questions regarding this understanding. All four books share, however, the assumptions that GOD is the FINAL JUDGE of human behavior, put humans on trial, and gives blessings to those found righteous, and punishment to those found guilty of sin. Their view places the relationship with GOD through the eyes of the Law. Thus, much of the language used in the prayers, instructions and discourses of these writings also has legal meaning.
A strongly Deuteronomic point of view underlies the psalmists' emphasis on adherence to the Law. This connection manifests itself both in the psalms' legal vocabulary and in their view of Divine Retributive Justice. For Deuteronomy, it is 'obedience' to GOD's commandments that will bring health, prosperity and success. HE requites disobedience with sickness, poverty and defeat. For the psalmists, GOD is the supreme and righteous JUDGE of the cosmos. As such HE makes COVENANTS, investigates covenantal breaches, and enforces the covenants with lawsuit. GOD evaluates the degree to which an individual or a society adheres to covenantal law and blesses or punishes accordingly.
The Wisdom literature in Proverbs reiterates in many respects the view of justice. It is righteousness that GOD will reward with economic prosperity, good fortune, and long life; those who displease GOD, conversely, are punished. The texts includes behavior that accords with the Law: accurate weights and measures, justice in the judicial system, and general obedience to the commandments.
A righteous life includes, however, more than strict adherence to the law. Mere obedience no longer equals the blessing of GOD. The equation requires the addition of Wisdom, that is the range of virtues considered to accompany a life governed by Wisdom: diligence, generosity, judicious speech, humility, and sexual fidelity, among others.
With the book of Job a different perspective on law and justice appear. The book is replete with legal content and tends to follow the format and procedures of a trial. The purpose is to explore a common conception in his day that those who undergo suffering are the subject of a divine trial and of retributive punishment if found guilty. The characters agree on how Justice should operate: the wicked should experience suffering as punishment for their wickedness, while the righteous should be blessed. They disagree, however, regarding whether or not Justice actually does work this way and, if it does not, whether GOD should be held responsible. The trial is complex but seems to begin when Satan brings a formal legal accusation against Job in the Divine Council that Job possesses a blasphemous mind. God must permit the trial to proceed in order not to corrupt or circumvent the existing Divine legal system.
Job endures a torturous legal investigation. Then Satan's hope is to hear Job blaspheme GOD to HIS FACE, an act that would serve as the best evidence on the charge before the Council. Job assumes, though, that GOD is the accusing party and decided to countersue GOD. He claims that GOD is guilty of abuse of authority, primarily for bringing a suit that lacks sufficient justification. Job seeks to find someone to join his claim as a 2nd accuser against GOD, but no one is willing. Instead the 3 friends seek to impeach Job, impugn his integrity, and defend GOD. The friends insist that Job plead guilty and seek GOD's mercy. What happened at the end of the book can be characterized as an out-of-court-settlement. GOD, having defended himself vigorously, seems forced to admit that allowing the suit to go forward was unfair. There is no decisive legal victory for either party. GOD justly controls the suffering of humankind.
In the book of Ecclesiastes, understanding the treatment of Law, it requires a decision regarding the book's literary integrity and purpose because it seems to contain conflicting ideologies and approaches to the law. The text's overriding concern is to keep in proper perspective aspects of life that lie outside the scope of Law.
Friday, 23 December 2016
THE AFTERLIFE ACCORDING TO EGYPT.
The Ancient Egyptians believed firmly in an afterlife, and death was a brief interruption to an existence that continued beyond the grave for eternity, in a world much like the one which they inhabited in life.
The Egyptians thought that the human body was home to 3 main spirits that were released when a person died. This were the 'Ka', a person's life force, which were represented by a pair of up-stretched arms; the 'Ba', a wandering soul, which was commonly depicted as a human-headed spirit-bird; and the 'Akh', a kind of ghost that was represented by the crested ibis. The ghost was deemed to return to the stars at death, and the wandering soul a the person's life force depended on the body for survival. The preservation of the body was essential if life was to continue after death.
In Pre-dynastic times, most people were buried in shallow graves directly in the sand, and often accompanied by funerary goods. The sand dried the body, leaving many corpses well preserved.
The first story concerned with death and rebirth is that of Osiris. The ancient Egyptians believed that their gods had originally ruled on Earth before them, and that Osiris, one of the first kings of Egypt, had been killed by his treacherous brother Set, and his body cut into pieces and scattered. However, his wife and sister, Isis, recovered the pieces and was shown by Anubis how to bind him together with linen bandages. He came to life briefly and fathered a son, Horus, who then inherited his throne.
Osiris, meanwhile, was made king of the Land of the Dead (Duat) or the Underworld, and became the god of death and resurrection.
During the Old Kingdom, from the 4th Dynasty onwards, each king, or pharaoh, came to be regarded as the living embodiment of the god Horus, who would become one with Osiris at death, to return to spend eternal life with the gods.
The cult of Osiris promoted the belief that all the people of Egypt would share in eternal life in the "Field of Reeds," an idealized kingdom of eternal spring, but in practice the idea was first extended to the nobility, as is seen in the "Coffin Texts" on the Middle Kingdom, which were placed within the coffins of important or wealthy people, and later, in the New Kingdom, as extracts from the "Book of the Dead" came to be placed in even the poorest people's graves. These practices developed alongside a belief in a personal final judgment that provided everyone with an opportunity of entry into the afterlife.
Prior to the spread of the belief in a final judgment, acceptance into the afterlife was believed to be guaranteed if a person had conducted their life according to the principles of Maat, the Egyptian notion of order and morality, but following a breakdown in order during the First Intermediate Period, the idea was promoted that individuals would actually be judged before the gods by Osiris for their earthly actions.
First, a person had to undertake a perilous journey through the Underworld, accompanied by their wandering soul (Ba), in order to reach the Hall of Judgment, where, in front of Osiris and 42 assistants, they would deny having committed any of the long list of sins, before proceeding to the next stage, the Weighing of the Heart. The jackal-headed Anubis would place their heart on a pair of scales, where it had to balance exactly with the feather of Truth, belonging to the goddess Maat. If the heart was heavy with sin, then it would be eaten by Ammut, the 'Devourer of Souls,' a terrifying beast with the head of a crocodile, the forequarters of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
As the heart was believed to contain the "true self"of the individual, then if the heart was heavy of sin, the person cease to exist, and be denied passage to eternal life. However, if the scales balanced, the individual would be permitted to join Osiris in the afterlife, and his spirit was free to move between the lands of the living and the death.
The Egyptians thought that the human body was home to 3 main spirits that were released when a person died. This were the 'Ka', a person's life force, which were represented by a pair of up-stretched arms; the 'Ba', a wandering soul, which was commonly depicted as a human-headed spirit-bird; and the 'Akh', a kind of ghost that was represented by the crested ibis. The ghost was deemed to return to the stars at death, and the wandering soul a the person's life force depended on the body for survival. The preservation of the body was essential if life was to continue after death.
In Pre-dynastic times, most people were buried in shallow graves directly in the sand, and often accompanied by funerary goods. The sand dried the body, leaving many corpses well preserved.
The first story concerned with death and rebirth is that of Osiris. The ancient Egyptians believed that their gods had originally ruled on Earth before them, and that Osiris, one of the first kings of Egypt, had been killed by his treacherous brother Set, and his body cut into pieces and scattered. However, his wife and sister, Isis, recovered the pieces and was shown by Anubis how to bind him together with linen bandages. He came to life briefly and fathered a son, Horus, who then inherited his throne.
Osiris, meanwhile, was made king of the Land of the Dead (Duat) or the Underworld, and became the god of death and resurrection.
During the Old Kingdom, from the 4th Dynasty onwards, each king, or pharaoh, came to be regarded as the living embodiment of the god Horus, who would become one with Osiris at death, to return to spend eternal life with the gods.
The cult of Osiris promoted the belief that all the people of Egypt would share in eternal life in the "Field of Reeds," an idealized kingdom of eternal spring, but in practice the idea was first extended to the nobility, as is seen in the "Coffin Texts" on the Middle Kingdom, which were placed within the coffins of important or wealthy people, and later, in the New Kingdom, as extracts from the "Book of the Dead" came to be placed in even the poorest people's graves. These practices developed alongside a belief in a personal final judgment that provided everyone with an opportunity of entry into the afterlife.
Prior to the spread of the belief in a final judgment, acceptance into the afterlife was believed to be guaranteed if a person had conducted their life according to the principles of Maat, the Egyptian notion of order and morality, but following a breakdown in order during the First Intermediate Period, the idea was promoted that individuals would actually be judged before the gods by Osiris for their earthly actions.
First, a person had to undertake a perilous journey through the Underworld, accompanied by their wandering soul (Ba), in order to reach the Hall of Judgment, where, in front of Osiris and 42 assistants, they would deny having committed any of the long list of sins, before proceeding to the next stage, the Weighing of the Heart. The jackal-headed Anubis would place their heart on a pair of scales, where it had to balance exactly with the feather of Truth, belonging to the goddess Maat. If the heart was heavy with sin, then it would be eaten by Ammut, the 'Devourer of Souls,' a terrifying beast with the head of a crocodile, the forequarters of a lion, and the hindquarters of a hippopotamus.
As the heart was believed to contain the "true self"of the individual, then if the heart was heavy of sin, the person cease to exist, and be denied passage to eternal life. However, if the scales balanced, the individual would be permitted to join Osiris in the afterlife, and his spirit was free to move between the lands of the living and the death.
Thursday, 22 December 2016
AN EGYPTIAN LETTER WROTE TO A DEAD PERSON.
One of the Egyptian Letters to the Dead, dated from 2,100 BC, was written on a pottery dish. The dead man was named Nefersekhi and the letter was from his widow asking for his intervention in a property dispute.
The widow deep and sincere desire was that she wanted to ensure that their daughter get a fair share of the inheritance and therefore she called for the dead man's intervention.
The Egyptians believed that the world of the dead had a sort of influence over the world of the living, therefore all sorts of help could be gained from the souls of the dead in journey to their final destination.
For these ancient people there was a link with the dead, as the dead were supposedly in the netherworld and it was not difficult for them to assess the petition and and use the powers in the unseen world granted to them to assist the living.
An often request was for a cure for infertility. A woman's status often depended on her ability to have children. Cures were also requested.
The religious goal for these ancient people was to ensure the continuity of the soul well-being and the development of a positive disposition towards the living, and the social goal was to cultivate kinship values like family loyalty, and the continuity of the family lineage.
The story in 1 Samuel 28 is one of the most strange stories of the Old Testament, and a very sad story of Israel's first anointed king falling into sin and the grip of darkness. He afterwards killed himself. It is a display of the strange reality of the forces of darkness and evil.
If you read the story, the prophet Samuel responded to the call of a medium. She was, however, shocked and cried out in fear when she saw Samuel and immediately recognized Saul, the king.
Samuel was upset that Saul disturbed him by "bringing him up," but nonetheless he spoke God's judgment on Saul saying:"tomorrow you and your sons will be with me."
We understand with this narrative that there is a strange world of evil and spirit forces. God is in control of all of this and it serves His Purpose. The two forces displayed in it means no threat to God.
The Biblical Truth is that everything, even the evil forces, exist only because God allows it to exist.
The narrative is placed in the Scripture as a warning to us. The apostle Paul wrote: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:12).
In 1 Chronicles 13-14 "Saul died in disobedience, disobedience to God. He did not obey God's Words. Instead of praying he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he did not go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."
Jesus said: "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24).
The widow deep and sincere desire was that she wanted to ensure that their daughter get a fair share of the inheritance and therefore she called for the dead man's intervention.
The Egyptians believed that the world of the dead had a sort of influence over the world of the living, therefore all sorts of help could be gained from the souls of the dead in journey to their final destination.
For these ancient people there was a link with the dead, as the dead were supposedly in the netherworld and it was not difficult for them to assess the petition and and use the powers in the unseen world granted to them to assist the living.
An often request was for a cure for infertility. A woman's status often depended on her ability to have children. Cures were also requested.
The religious goal for these ancient people was to ensure the continuity of the soul well-being and the development of a positive disposition towards the living, and the social goal was to cultivate kinship values like family loyalty, and the continuity of the family lineage.
The story in 1 Samuel 28 is one of the most strange stories of the Old Testament, and a very sad story of Israel's first anointed king falling into sin and the grip of darkness. He afterwards killed himself. It is a display of the strange reality of the forces of darkness and evil.
If you read the story, the prophet Samuel responded to the call of a medium. She was, however, shocked and cried out in fear when she saw Samuel and immediately recognized Saul, the king.
Samuel was upset that Saul disturbed him by "bringing him up," but nonetheless he spoke God's judgment on Saul saying:"tomorrow you and your sons will be with me."
We understand with this narrative that there is a strange world of evil and spirit forces. God is in control of all of this and it serves His Purpose. The two forces displayed in it means no threat to God.
The Biblical Truth is that everything, even the evil forces, exist only because God allows it to exist.
The narrative is placed in the Scripture as a warning to us. The apostle Paul wrote: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. (Eph. 6:12).
In 1 Chronicles 13-14 "Saul died in disobedience, disobedience to God. He did not obey God's Words. Instead of praying he went to a witch to seek guidance. Because he did not go to God for help, God took his life and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse."
Jesus said: "God is spirit, and his worshippers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:24).
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