Randy Green's Blog - Posts Tagged "context"
Too Heavenly Minded - Part 1
For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine [Romans 1:11-12].
There is an old adage which states, “He is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good!” Alas, but it is sometimes the truth. Sometimes we Christians can imagine ourselves to be floating on silver clouds and playing golden harps. But if we are so busy soaring into the wild blue yonder, our feet lose their footing on earth. If we fancy ourselves eerily spiritual, we likely haven’t a clue when it comes to daily living. We very well might wind up being no good to anybody!
Such is often the case for some Christians, when it comes to understanding the Bible. It is possible to hold to a man-made doctrine or set of doctrines to such an extent, that we practice eisegesis instead of exegesis. The word eisegesis refers to taking our beliefs and reading them into the Bible. It is to use the Bible for our own purposes, even though we might not be aware we are doing so. The word exegesis is to read the Bible literally and pull out of it what it teaches. It is to allow the Bible to use me for the Lord’s purposes.
The verses we quoted in Romans 1 are a case in point. Verse 11 affords a wonderful opportunity to practice eisegesis, should I be so inclined. Let’s read it once more, shall we? For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established.
Someone is befuddled and demands to know, “How does that verse foster the practice of eisegesis, teacher? I don’t get it!”
And a right fine query you have made, kind sir. Here’s how. The original manuscripts of Scripture as inspired by the Holy Spirit did not contain any chapters or verses. Chapter and verse divisions were inserted into the text by man circa 1000 A.D. If we use them for their right purpose—viz., to navigate our way through the length and breadth of the Bible—then we will be fine.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
There is an old adage which states, “He is so heavenly minded that he is no earthly good!” Alas, but it is sometimes the truth. Sometimes we Christians can imagine ourselves to be floating on silver clouds and playing golden harps. But if we are so busy soaring into the wild blue yonder, our feet lose their footing on earth. If we fancy ourselves eerily spiritual, we likely haven’t a clue when it comes to daily living. We very well might wind up being no good to anybody!
Such is often the case for some Christians, when it comes to understanding the Bible. It is possible to hold to a man-made doctrine or set of doctrines to such an extent, that we practice eisegesis instead of exegesis. The word eisegesis refers to taking our beliefs and reading them into the Bible. It is to use the Bible for our own purposes, even though we might not be aware we are doing so. The word exegesis is to read the Bible literally and pull out of it what it teaches. It is to allow the Bible to use me for the Lord’s purposes.
The verses we quoted in Romans 1 are a case in point. Verse 11 affords a wonderful opportunity to practice eisegesis, should I be so inclined. Let’s read it once more, shall we? For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established.
Someone is befuddled and demands to know, “How does that verse foster the practice of eisegesis, teacher? I don’t get it!”
And a right fine query you have made, kind sir. Here’s how. The original manuscripts of Scripture as inspired by the Holy Spirit did not contain any chapters or verses. Chapter and verse divisions were inserted into the text by man circa 1000 A.D. If we use them for their right purpose—viz., to navigate our way through the length and breadth of the Bible—then we will be fine.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Too Heavenly Minded - Part 2
"For I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you, that you may be established; that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine" [Romans 1:11-12].
Sadly, but most readers come upon a new chapter and believe the subject changes. And they quote a verse to prove a point, as if the verse takes place in a vacuum. That is, they take the words out of context. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text out of context is a pretext. Those are vital words to live by, dear people.
Should we read v.11 as if it occurs in a vacuum, we might very well correlate the “spiritual gift” here with Paul’s topic in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. In Corithians Paul discusses the spiritual gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit to each Christian, the purpose of which is to equip the Christian with ability to perform a specific ministry to which the Lord calls the Christian. But that topic is not even remotely discussed by Paul in Romans 1!
Verse 12 makes this obvious by defining the term “spiritual gift”, as it is used in Romans 1. Listen: that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. See! The “spiritual gift” here consists of being “encouraged…by the other’s faith”. The phrase “spiritual gift” in Romans 1:11, then, refers to a blessing which results when we Christians see the Lord working in each of our lives. It occurs when we have true fellowship together.
Biblical fellowship (aka koinonia) always has the Lord and His Word as its axis. If we sit around the church fellowship hall, filling our faces with food and discussing the football game or the best sales at the mall—dear friends, that has nothing to do with fellowship! Just because it occurs in the church building does not make it “spiritual”.
Paul’s “spiritual gift” in Romans 1:11 has to do with sharing how the Lord is working in my life. It has to do with sharing a Bible verse which impacted me. It has to do with the Lord and His Word. When we get to that point in our churches, then true Biblical fellowship takes place…at which time all of us receive a “spiritual gift”.
Isn’t that wonderful? Wouldn’t it be great to go to church in order to receive suchlike spiritual gifts? Amen to that, brother! Amen to that, sister! Let’s do it, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Sadly, but most readers come upon a new chapter and believe the subject changes. And they quote a verse to prove a point, as if the verse takes place in a vacuum. That is, they take the words out of context. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text out of context is a pretext. Those are vital words to live by, dear people.
Should we read v.11 as if it occurs in a vacuum, we might very well correlate the “spiritual gift” here with Paul’s topic in 1 Corinthians 12 and 14. In Corithians Paul discusses the spiritual gifts imparted by the Holy Spirit to each Christian, the purpose of which is to equip the Christian with ability to perform a specific ministry to which the Lord calls the Christian. But that topic is not even remotely discussed by Paul in Romans 1!
Verse 12 makes this obvious by defining the term “spiritual gift”, as it is used in Romans 1. Listen: that is, that I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine. See! The “spiritual gift” here consists of being “encouraged…by the other’s faith”. The phrase “spiritual gift” in Romans 1:11, then, refers to a blessing which results when we Christians see the Lord working in each of our lives. It occurs when we have true fellowship together.
Biblical fellowship (aka koinonia) always has the Lord and His Word as its axis. If we sit around the church fellowship hall, filling our faces with food and discussing the football game or the best sales at the mall—dear friends, that has nothing to do with fellowship! Just because it occurs in the church building does not make it “spiritual”.
Paul’s “spiritual gift” in Romans 1:11 has to do with sharing how the Lord is working in my life. It has to do with sharing a Bible verse which impacted me. It has to do with the Lord and His Word. When we get to that point in our churches, then true Biblical fellowship takes place…at which time all of us receive a “spiritual gift”.
Isn’t that wonderful? Wouldn’t it be great to go to church in order to receive suchlike spiritual gifts? Amen to that, brother! Amen to that, sister! Let’s do it, okay?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. For more info please visit these sites to purchase my books:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It’s Christmas. I’m Inspired! - Part 1
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV].
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
As a kid back in the days before the American Revolution (ha ha), I grew up on the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The first quotation of Luke 2 above was repeated from memory every Christmas, at the reenactment of the Christmas story in my parents’ church. I knew those words by heart, let me tell you. They rang out true and pure, with no adulteration attached. By no means should a single word ever be changed or the syntax be rearranged. Heresy ‘twould be!
It never dawned on me to wonder why it would be heresy. Go figure, why don’cha. I mean, when the Holy Spirit inspired the Christmas story (as well as all the rest of Scripture), there were no English words included! The original manuscripts of the Old Testament were penned in Hebrew, with a small part in Aramaic (a language akin to Hebrew). The New Testament originally was penned in koine Greek (aka the Greek used by the everyday average Joe at the time).
So why, then, is it heresy for some folks, if the Bible is translated differently than old King Jamie authorized? I’ll give you a hint. It begins with a “t” and ends with an “n”, and in-between come the letters “raditio”. Did you decipher the hint okay. You see, it’s much easier on our noggins to learn something when we’re young, taking it at face value because we are taught it by the adults, and nevermore wavering a hairs’ breadth to the right or to the left of it. “Twould be heresy!
Once upon a time, oh, say around 1991-ish, my family and I attended a little startup church in Massachusetts, a couple of blocks from our house. The pastor was a kindly young soul, a self-starter who ignored formal education in favor of knowing it all without having to learn first.
I mean to be kind, honest I do, dear friends. But more harm is done amongst Christians by well-meaning folks who figure the Lord just needs them so desperately to be a teacher of the Bible. It doesn’t occur to them to check and see if the Lord gave them a speaking gift in the first place, or whether He called them to a preaching/teaching ministry. No need to bother the Lord with that. I’ll leave Him in peace and just take care of the matter myself. Uh, it doesn’t work that way! We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
As a kid back in the days before the American Revolution (ha ha), I grew up on the King James Version of the Bible (KJV). The first quotation of Luke 2 above was repeated from memory every Christmas, at the reenactment of the Christmas story in my parents’ church. I knew those words by heart, let me tell you. They rang out true and pure, with no adulteration attached. By no means should a single word ever be changed or the syntax be rearranged. Heresy ‘twould be!
It never dawned on me to wonder why it would be heresy. Go figure, why don’cha. I mean, when the Holy Spirit inspired the Christmas story (as well as all the rest of Scripture), there were no English words included! The original manuscripts of the Old Testament were penned in Hebrew, with a small part in Aramaic (a language akin to Hebrew). The New Testament originally was penned in koine Greek (aka the Greek used by the everyday average Joe at the time).
So why, then, is it heresy for some folks, if the Bible is translated differently than old King Jamie authorized? I’ll give you a hint. It begins with a “t” and ends with an “n”, and in-between come the letters “raditio”. Did you decipher the hint okay. You see, it’s much easier on our noggins to learn something when we’re young, taking it at face value because we are taught it by the adults, and nevermore wavering a hairs’ breadth to the right or to the left of it. “Twould be heresy!
Once upon a time, oh, say around 1991-ish, my family and I attended a little startup church in Massachusetts, a couple of blocks from our house. The pastor was a kindly young soul, a self-starter who ignored formal education in favor of knowing it all without having to learn first.
I mean to be kind, honest I do, dear friends. But more harm is done amongst Christians by well-meaning folks who figure the Lord just needs them so desperately to be a teacher of the Bible. It doesn’t occur to them to check and see if the Lord gave them a speaking gift in the first place, or whether He called them to a preaching/teaching ministry. No need to bother the Lord with that. I’ll leave Him in peace and just take care of the matter myself. Uh, it doesn’t work that way! We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It's Christmas. I'm Inspired! - Part 2
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV].
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Anyway, it was Christmas time and this good man wanted to warn his flock about the dangers of “heresy”. If it wasn’t King Jamie’s authorized version, then Paul didn’t use it and Jesus didn’t use it and Peter probably didn’t either! He quoted Luke 2:13-14 as a part of his sermon, using KJV of course. (He was no heretic!) Then he paused momentarily, glanced around at the congregation, and warned them about the “modern” translations.
According to our learned savant, the “modern” translations smuggled in heresies beneath the surface and between the lines. Satan was the mastermind, judging by his impressions, and all the world was in his throes. Not to fear: the learned savant was here! He quoted the NIV and the NASB (see above) to prove his point.
On earth peace, good will toward men. “That’s what King James says. Now lookee here at the NIV,” On earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. “And the NASB is just as bad,” On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. That much alone PROVES the modern versions are heresy, brothers and sisters. God isn’t please with any man. His favor doesn’t rest on any man because all men are sinners!” The room was silent, like the night before Christmas when all through the house…
I personally have no problem with any of the three translations, dear friends. I’ve read each one multiple times and enjoyed doing so every time. I’ve read many others too, but I find these the better choices. Truth be told, I read both Testaments in Hebrew and Greek too. Let me translate my own rendition of Luke 2:13-14 straight from the Greek.
Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.
It would be easy enough to translate “with whom He is well pleased” (NIV) by the words “to those on whom His favor rests” (NASB). The words bear both definitions. I don’t want to lose you with too many technicalities, so let’s leave it at that. We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Anyway, it was Christmas time and this good man wanted to warn his flock about the dangers of “heresy”. If it wasn’t King Jamie’s authorized version, then Paul didn’t use it and Jesus didn’t use it and Peter probably didn’t either! He quoted Luke 2:13-14 as a part of his sermon, using KJV of course. (He was no heretic!) Then he paused momentarily, glanced around at the congregation, and warned them about the “modern” translations.
According to our learned savant, the “modern” translations smuggled in heresies beneath the surface and between the lines. Satan was the mastermind, judging by his impressions, and all the world was in his throes. Not to fear: the learned savant was here! He quoted the NIV and the NASB (see above) to prove his point.
On earth peace, good will toward men. “That’s what King James says. Now lookee here at the NIV,” On earth peace among men with whom He is pleased. “And the NASB is just as bad,” On earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. That much alone PROVES the modern versions are heresy, brothers and sisters. God isn’t please with any man. His favor doesn’t rest on any man because all men are sinners!” The room was silent, like the night before Christmas when all through the house…
I personally have no problem with any of the three translations, dear friends. I’ve read each one multiple times and enjoyed doing so every time. I’ve read many others too, but I find these the better choices. Truth be told, I read both Testaments in Hebrew and Greek too. Let me translate my own rendition of Luke 2:13-14 straight from the Greek.
Glory in the highest to God, and upon earth peace among men with whom He is well pleased.
It would be easy enough to translate “with whom He is well pleased” (NIV) by the words “to those on whom His favor rests” (NASB). The words bear both definitions. I don’t want to lose you with too many technicalities, so let’s leave it at that. We will continue this in our next post.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
It’s Christmas. I’m Inspired! – Part 3
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” [Luke 2:13-14, KJV].
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Here’s the bottom line. To assert someone is attempting to smuggle in heresy by asserting God is “pleased with” or “has favor toward” sinful man—well, that is what it is, viz., mere assertion. Some folks hear the Gospel and are born again as sons of God. We’re in His family. I beg the pardon of our learned savant self-styled, but God most assuredly is well pleased with His own kids. His favor does rest on His own sons and daughters.
A learned savant ought to first learn before he attempts to teach. If he doesn’t hunger and thirst enough to put in long hours alone with the Lord and His Word; if he isn’t inclined to learn what he can from those whom the Lord has chosen to teach; if he hasn’t the foggiest about the Greek and Hebrew texts—ai yai yai! What makes such a one believe the Lord has called him to be a teacher?!? Let me answer that. His pride is at the root of the problem. He needs to repent of his sin and seek the Lord’s will for his life.
During this blessed time of the year, let’s get real with the Lord, even as He is real with us. He did give us His one and only Son to die on our behalf. Now that is some gift! He is worth spending our time with, our Bible open and mouth in prayer. It doesn’t matter which Bible of the three I listed you have open either. You won’t go wrong with any of them, dear friends. Let’s worship the Lord and thank Him for His Word, not argue about things we know little to nothing about. Have a blessed Christmas!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased” [Luke 2:13-14, NASB].
Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” [Luke 2:13-14, NIV].
Here’s the bottom line. To assert someone is attempting to smuggle in heresy by asserting God is “pleased with” or “has favor toward” sinful man—well, that is what it is, viz., mere assertion. Some folks hear the Gospel and are born again as sons of God. We’re in His family. I beg the pardon of our learned savant self-styled, but God most assuredly is well pleased with His own kids. His favor does rest on His own sons and daughters.
A learned savant ought to first learn before he attempts to teach. If he doesn’t hunger and thirst enough to put in long hours alone with the Lord and His Word; if he isn’t inclined to learn what he can from those whom the Lord has chosen to teach; if he hasn’t the foggiest about the Greek and Hebrew texts—ai yai yai! What makes such a one believe the Lord has called him to be a teacher?!? Let me answer that. His pride is at the root of the problem. He needs to repent of his sin and seek the Lord’s will for his life.
During this blessed time of the year, let’s get real with the Lord, even as He is real with us. He did give us His one and only Son to die on our behalf. Now that is some gift! He is worth spending our time with, our Bible open and mouth in prayer. It doesn’t matter which Bible of the three I listed you have open either. You won’t go wrong with any of them, dear friends. Let’s worship the Lord and thank Him for His Word, not argue about things we know little to nothing about. Have a blessed Christmas!
To further research this issue, I direct you to my books Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Mannequins in Style – Part 1
Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak [Matthew 26:41].
You are sauntering down the city streets, looking in store windows. Suddenly you hear a loud, hard crashing sound and tire wheels screeching. You jerk around with as much speed as your body will provide. A car is stopped in the middle of the road. A body is in front of it, and it’s not moving. The driver screams at the top of his lungs, “Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
You rush into the store and use their phone. When you come back out the car is gone, but the body is still lying motionless in the middle of the street. It’s past dark already, but the street lights allow you to see the person. You rush over to see if the body has a pulse. Ah oh. It’s not a body after all. It’s a clothed mannequin.
At just that moment the police and ambulance sirens are heard in the distance. In a matter of seconds their vehicles screech to a halt. There you are, left holding the bag for some prankster who thinks this is funny…probably peeking from around a building and having the time of his life trying not to roar with laughter and get himself caught.
The police want to know where the car is. You have egg on your face as you sheepishly grin at the officers, all the while appearing to be a distant relative of the Cheshire Cat. You explain how you went into the store to use their phone to call, and when you came out the car was gone.
Just then the emergency medical people blurt out as they kneel over what was supposed to be a body, “Hey! There’s no body here. It’s just a mannequin!” The police stare at you fiercely, their eyes piercing so menacingly that you think they will burn a hole right through your eyes.
“Why did you make a prank call to the police, lady? I’ve half a notion to run you in and let the judge make an example of you! Don’t you realize you’ve taken us away from real crimes? You should be ashamed of yourself, pulling such a jejune act!”
Now let’s change the story so that the mannequin is really a human being. The driver of the car fled, not because he was a prankster, but because he just ran over somebody and didn’t want to face the music. What words do you suppose the emergency medical team would say, as they bent down over the body? I know they wouldn’t say, “Hey! This isn’t a body. It’s just a mannequin!”
And do you believe the police would still want to run you in for being a wiseacre? Wouldn’t they more likely want to buy you a cup of coffee and sit awhile, so they can question you thoroughly and then send you on your way with compliments for being a good citizen?
We will pause at this time and return to our subject on the morrow. See you then. In the interim enjoy your time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
You are sauntering down the city streets, looking in store windows. Suddenly you hear a loud, hard crashing sound and tire wheels screeching. You jerk around with as much speed as your body will provide. A car is stopped in the middle of the road. A body is in front of it, and it’s not moving. The driver screams at the top of his lungs, “Call an ambulance! Hurry!”
You rush into the store and use their phone. When you come back out the car is gone, but the body is still lying motionless in the middle of the street. It’s past dark already, but the street lights allow you to see the person. You rush over to see if the body has a pulse. Ah oh. It’s not a body after all. It’s a clothed mannequin.
At just that moment the police and ambulance sirens are heard in the distance. In a matter of seconds their vehicles screech to a halt. There you are, left holding the bag for some prankster who thinks this is funny…probably peeking from around a building and having the time of his life trying not to roar with laughter and get himself caught.
The police want to know where the car is. You have egg on your face as you sheepishly grin at the officers, all the while appearing to be a distant relative of the Cheshire Cat. You explain how you went into the store to use their phone to call, and when you came out the car was gone.
Just then the emergency medical people blurt out as they kneel over what was supposed to be a body, “Hey! There’s no body here. It’s just a mannequin!” The police stare at you fiercely, their eyes piercing so menacingly that you think they will burn a hole right through your eyes.
“Why did you make a prank call to the police, lady? I’ve half a notion to run you in and let the judge make an example of you! Don’t you realize you’ve taken us away from real crimes? You should be ashamed of yourself, pulling such a jejune act!”
Now let’s change the story so that the mannequin is really a human being. The driver of the car fled, not because he was a prankster, but because he just ran over somebody and didn’t want to face the music. What words do you suppose the emergency medical team would say, as they bent down over the body? I know they wouldn’t say, “Hey! This isn’t a body. It’s just a mannequin!”
And do you believe the police would still want to run you in for being a wiseacre? Wouldn’t they more likely want to buy you a cup of coffee and sit awhile, so they can question you thoroughly and then send you on your way with compliments for being a good citizen?
We will pause at this time and return to our subject on the morrow. See you then. In the interim enjoy your time with Jesus.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Mannequins in Style – Part 2
Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak [Matthew 26:41].
Yesterday we were presented with two different scenarios. Your actions were the same in each case, but the police response was quite different in each case. How do we explain this?
Weigh your actions in each case. They were the same, were they not? So why a different response by the police in each case? Answer: because the responses were to two different scenarios, obviously. A different scenario will evoke a different response.
We can describe the different scenarios as different contexts, dear friends. This illustrates the necessity to put things in context, when it comes to interpreting them. If we weigh the facts as if they occurred in a vacuum or consider them in the wrong context, the result will be fallacy rather than truth.
Consider the Bible verse we quoted today. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Judas brought the Jewish soldiers to arrest Him and have Him crucified by the Romans. He took His three closest disciples with Him and told them to pray. He wanted them to prepare themselves for His impending arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
That is the context for understanding His words. Jesus told His disciples to pray. He added that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. May I point out to you that the spirit is not willing and the flesh is very strong? I just contradicted Jesus’ words, and that’s not a good thing to do!
If I put my words into the context of Gethsemane, then I spoke falsely. If I put my words into the context of the old man, the old sinner who lives inside each one of us, then I spoke Gospel truth. In the old man the spirit is not willing to do righteousness, and the flesh is indeed powerful in its wickedness.
In the new man, the born again person, the spirit is absolutely willing; but the flesh is weak and succumbs at the thought of conducting spiritual warfare. The disciples were products of Jesus’ righteousness. Their spirits were willing, but they were so tired that the flesh gave in to weakness. Ergo, they slept instead of praying.
Let this be a lesson to us about putting things in context. It is the only way we can arrive at the correct conclusion. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Yesterday we were presented with two different scenarios. Your actions were the same in each case, but the police response was quite different in each case. How do we explain this?
Weigh your actions in each case. They were the same, were they not? So why a different response by the police in each case? Answer: because the responses were to two different scenarios, obviously. A different scenario will evoke a different response.
We can describe the different scenarios as different contexts, dear friends. This illustrates the necessity to put things in context, when it comes to interpreting them. If we weigh the facts as if they occurred in a vacuum or consider them in the wrong context, the result will be fallacy rather than truth.
Consider the Bible verse we quoted today. Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane, just before Judas brought the Jewish soldiers to arrest Him and have Him crucified by the Romans. He took His three closest disciples with Him and told them to pray. He wanted them to prepare themselves for His impending arrest, trial, and crucifixion.
That is the context for understanding His words. Jesus told His disciples to pray. He added that the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. May I point out to you that the spirit is not willing and the flesh is very strong? I just contradicted Jesus’ words, and that’s not a good thing to do!
If I put my words into the context of Gethsemane, then I spoke falsely. If I put my words into the context of the old man, the old sinner who lives inside each one of us, then I spoke Gospel truth. In the old man the spirit is not willing to do righteousness, and the flesh is indeed powerful in its wickedness.
In the new man, the born again person, the spirit is absolutely willing; but the flesh is weak and succumbs at the thought of conducting spiritual warfare. The disciples were products of Jesus’ righteousness. Their spirits were willing, but they were so tired that the flesh gave in to weakness. Ergo, they slept instead of praying.
Let this be a lesson to us about putting things in context. It is the only way we can arrive at the correct conclusion. Thank you, Jesus. Amen.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Leviticus: Volume 3 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Defensible Divorce? – Part 1
Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. They pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense [Ezra 10:18-19].
For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel [Malachi 2:16].
“Hey, lookee at that! There’s a right proper contradiction in the Bible for you. I just proved the Bible has errors in it. So take that, God!”
Such is the blather of the run-of-the-mill atheist and skeptic. Suchlike fellows just refuse to bow the knee to the God of the universe. So they sniff out all the recesses in Scripture, in search of the lost error. They are determined to find it, so guess what? They find it!
Uh, not so fast my dear sir. With what contradiction are you regaling us, at this Bible bash you’re throwing for all your birds of a feather? I don’t see any contradiction.
“Well, then you can’t read, you bozo!” blusters our supercilious snob. “Just read the two quotations at the beginning of this study, and you can’t miss it. God ordered the Jews of Ezra’s day to divorce their wives, but in Malchi’s day He got mad at them for doing just that! He went so far as to thunder, ‘I hate divorce!’ So there.”
And then our self-styled savant parks his haunches on a comfy recliner, face glowing with pride and every pore oozing with conceit, self-satisfied that he has the last word. He is the man! He sits on God’s throne, now that he’s disenfranchised God.
Oh hum. Yawn. Zzzzzzzz. I still don’t see the supposed contradictions, you vain man. But not to worry. I have just the medicine you need for what ails you. It’s Rule #1 for Bible study, sir. It states, “A text without a context is a pretext.” Chew on it overnight and call me in the morning. Once the medicine runs its course, your eyesight will be sharp enough to see your blunder.
Let’s put the situation in Ezra’s day into context, shall we? The Israelites incessantly sinned against the Lord and refused to repent, so finally He sent them into exile in Babylon. Their crime? They worshiped the gods of the pagan peoples around them. This was spiritual adultery because they belonged to the Lord.
After the Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Medes and Persians, the Israelites were permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. During this period many of the Jews married some of the pagan women in the land. The Law of Moses specifically forbade this.
It was the cause of so much of the idolatry which put them into Babylonian exile in the first place. If we don’t learn from history, we’re bound to repeat it.
We must take our rest at this roadside arbor and be refreshed by time alone with the Lord Jesus. Tomorrow we will bring this topic to a proper conclusion.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel [Malachi 2:16].
“Hey, lookee at that! There’s a right proper contradiction in the Bible for you. I just proved the Bible has errors in it. So take that, God!”
Such is the blather of the run-of-the-mill atheist and skeptic. Suchlike fellows just refuse to bow the knee to the God of the universe. So they sniff out all the recesses in Scripture, in search of the lost error. They are determined to find it, so guess what? They find it!
Uh, not so fast my dear sir. With what contradiction are you regaling us, at this Bible bash you’re throwing for all your birds of a feather? I don’t see any contradiction.
“Well, then you can’t read, you bozo!” blusters our supercilious snob. “Just read the two quotations at the beginning of this study, and you can’t miss it. God ordered the Jews of Ezra’s day to divorce their wives, but in Malchi’s day He got mad at them for doing just that! He went so far as to thunder, ‘I hate divorce!’ So there.”
And then our self-styled savant parks his haunches on a comfy recliner, face glowing with pride and every pore oozing with conceit, self-satisfied that he has the last word. He is the man! He sits on God’s throne, now that he’s disenfranchised God.
Oh hum. Yawn. Zzzzzzzz. I still don’t see the supposed contradictions, you vain man. But not to worry. I have just the medicine you need for what ails you. It’s Rule #1 for Bible study, sir. It states, “A text without a context is a pretext.” Chew on it overnight and call me in the morning. Once the medicine runs its course, your eyesight will be sharp enough to see your blunder.
Let’s put the situation in Ezra’s day into context, shall we? The Israelites incessantly sinned against the Lord and refused to repent, so finally He sent them into exile in Babylon. Their crime? They worshiped the gods of the pagan peoples around them. This was spiritual adultery because they belonged to the Lord.
After the Babylonian Empire was conquered by the Medes and Persians, the Israelites were permitted to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. During this period many of the Jews married some of the pagan women in the land. The Law of Moses specifically forbade this.
It was the cause of so much of the idolatry which put them into Babylonian exile in the first place. If we don’t learn from history, we’re bound to repeat it.
We must take our rest at this roadside arbor and be refreshed by time alone with the Lord Jesus. Tomorrow we will bring this topic to a proper conclusion.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Defensible Divorce? – Part 2
Among the sons of the priests who had married foreign wives were found of the sons of Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brothers: Maaseiah, Eliezer, Jarib and Gedaliah. They pledged to put away their wives, and being guilty, they offered a ram of the flock for their offense [Ezra 10:18-19].
For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel [Malachi 2:16].
The Israelites were dispatched to Babylon as slaves in exile. It was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Their crime? Spiritual adultery, sleeping with the enemy, worshiping the gods of the heathen peoples around them, with its concomitant religious sex with the female devotees.
From the first chapter of the Bible to the last, the Lord teaches the “doctrine of separation”. It teaches that what is unclean makes what is clean to become unclean, and what is profane defiles what is holy so that the holy becomes profane too. Ergo, the people of the Lord (the holy) must not forge binding ties with the people of the devil (the profane). This is especially true of marriage ties.
Consequently, when the Lord insisted His kids in Ezra’s day divorce their heathen wives, two sins were involved. One was the violation of His Law, the other divorce. Separation was mandatory, which compelled the divorce. God’s kids had no right to marry heathen women to begin with. That had to be set right, which required the divorce.
So the Lord didn’t change His mind and suddenly “like” divorce. He ALWAYS HATES divorce. But it is non-negotiable that the Lord’s kids cannot have binding ties with the devil’s kids, so divorce was a necessary evil to set aright the wrong of intermarriage with unbelievers, a worse evil.
In Malachi’s day the situation was very different. Many Jews were divorcing their Jewish wives in order to marry heathen women! Even a blind man can see the difference between Malachi’s situation and Ezra’s. Let’s itemize it for clarity.
• God’s kids can marry only God’s kids
• God’s kids cannot marry the devil’s kids
• God’s kids divorcing the devil’s kids makes right the wrong of marrying the devil’s kids
• God’s kids divorcing God’s kids makes wrong what was right
Now remember the context, please. This applied to the Israelites in Old Testament Israel under the Law of Moses. It was the Law of the land, their legal code. It was never given to the Gentiles or the Church. (That’s us.)
What is applicable to the Christian is the “doctrine of separation” (cf., 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Christians are not to marry unbelievers. However, if a Christian is wrongly married to an unbeliever, and if that unbeliever doesn’t prevent the Christian from practicing his/her faith, then the Christian is to remain in the marriage (cf., 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).
So it is, you see, that apparent contradictions in the Bible are just that, apparent! They are contradictions in appearance only, not in reality. We must always read the Bible in context, dear friends. God does hate divorce. He established marriage as the foundational institution of society.
Contrariwise, the devil loves divorce. He wants to destroy society and render futile everything God builds. This serves as an indisputable symptom in diagnosing whether I am walking in the Spirit or walking in the flesh. Do I approve of divorce, or do I hate divorce?
Divorce is pandemic in today’s society. This should tell us what type of society we live in. I’ll give you a hint: the word christ is in it, but the word is preceded by a prefix spelled a-n-t-i. We must choose sides, and not in word only but also in deed. What say ye?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
For I hate divorce,” says the Lord, the God of Israel [Malachi 2:16].
The Israelites were dispatched to Babylon as slaves in exile. It was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Their crime? Spiritual adultery, sleeping with the enemy, worshiping the gods of the heathen peoples around them, with its concomitant religious sex with the female devotees.
From the first chapter of the Bible to the last, the Lord teaches the “doctrine of separation”. It teaches that what is unclean makes what is clean to become unclean, and what is profane defiles what is holy so that the holy becomes profane too. Ergo, the people of the Lord (the holy) must not forge binding ties with the people of the devil (the profane). This is especially true of marriage ties.
Consequently, when the Lord insisted His kids in Ezra’s day divorce their heathen wives, two sins were involved. One was the violation of His Law, the other divorce. Separation was mandatory, which compelled the divorce. God’s kids had no right to marry heathen women to begin with. That had to be set right, which required the divorce.
So the Lord didn’t change His mind and suddenly “like” divorce. He ALWAYS HATES divorce. But it is non-negotiable that the Lord’s kids cannot have binding ties with the devil’s kids, so divorce was a necessary evil to set aright the wrong of intermarriage with unbelievers, a worse evil.
In Malachi’s day the situation was very different. Many Jews were divorcing their Jewish wives in order to marry heathen women! Even a blind man can see the difference between Malachi’s situation and Ezra’s. Let’s itemize it for clarity.
• God’s kids can marry only God’s kids
• God’s kids cannot marry the devil’s kids
• God’s kids divorcing the devil’s kids makes right the wrong of marrying the devil’s kids
• God’s kids divorcing God’s kids makes wrong what was right
Now remember the context, please. This applied to the Israelites in Old Testament Israel under the Law of Moses. It was the Law of the land, their legal code. It was never given to the Gentiles or the Church. (That’s us.)
What is applicable to the Christian is the “doctrine of separation” (cf., 2 Corinthians 6:14-18). Christians are not to marry unbelievers. However, if a Christian is wrongly married to an unbeliever, and if that unbeliever doesn’t prevent the Christian from practicing his/her faith, then the Christian is to remain in the marriage (cf., 1 Corinthians 7:12-16).
So it is, you see, that apparent contradictions in the Bible are just that, apparent! They are contradictions in appearance only, not in reality. We must always read the Bible in context, dear friends. God does hate divorce. He established marriage as the foundational institution of society.
Contrariwise, the devil loves divorce. He wants to destroy society and render futile everything God builds. This serves as an indisputable symptom in diagnosing whether I am walking in the Spirit or walking in the flesh. Do I approve of divorce, or do I hate divorce?
Divorce is pandemic in today’s society. This should tell us what type of society we live in. I’ll give you a hint: the word christ is in it, but the word is preceded by a prefix spelled a-n-t-i. We must choose sides, and not in word only but also in deed. What say ye?
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Genesis: Volume 1 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
Rude Awakenings – Part 1
A sated man loathes honey, but to a famished man any bitter thing is sweet [Proverbs 27:7].
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
He who blesses his friend with a loud voice early in the morning, it will be reckoned a curse to him [Proverbs 27:14].
Do you like candy? No, I don’t mean just kiddie candy. I mean do you like candy of any kind? I bet you do! Many a poor slob is addicted to chocolate, for instance. It is such a common thing nowadays that a new word was coined to depict it, viz., chocaholic.
Have you ever known anyone whose favorite pastime was to spend his time resisting the urge to eat his favorite candy? Didn’t think so. Such a critter doesn’t exist! The savor of chocolate (or whatever the favorite candy might be) is desirable, not repulsive.
But you know what? Even to a chocaholic the mere sight of chocolate can at times be repulsive. I mean, give him an inexhaustible supply of the stuff and permit him to stuff his face until he pukes it all up! Think he finds it “desirable” then? If so, then think again.
This is the point made by the writer of Proverbs 27, dear friends. When a man is “sated”, i.e., when he is overly full of food of any kind, then even “honey” (or chocolate) is loathsome to him. He is so full that his stomach cannot handle anything more, even things he normally cannot resist.
The other side of the coin is that, when a person is starving, he will eat anything, even things he cannot normally stomach (i.e., “bitter” things). His body is in dire need of nutritional succor. His sense of taste under those conditions is a simple luxury which he cannot afford to appease. His life is at stake!
Did you catch the antonymous parallelism which occurs in verse 7? This refers to a style which exists with Biblical Hebrew poetry. Instead of rhyming words at the end of lines, the Hebrews rhymed ideas between the lines. When the ideas were comparable, the style wore the identifier synonymous parallelism. When they presented contrasts, the jargon antonymous parallelism applied. Here’s a diagram of verse 7.
A. a sated man
B. loathes honey
A. a famished man
B. considers something bitter to be sweet
A “sated man” is the opposite of a “famished man”. To loathe something sweet is the opposite of to relish even things that are bitter. Voilà! antonymous parallelism.
But there is something more to be gleaned from this verse, dear friends, something we have repeatedly taught over the years. Rule #1 for Bible study states, a text without a context is a pretext. This truth reverberates into a crescendo in the two Bible verses with which we began this study.
A chocaholic craves his chocolate. He demands more and he demands it more frequently! Notwithstanding this addiction, when he is sated, when he is surfeited, suddenly he cannot stomach chocolate. Is he no longer a chocaholic then? Absolutely not true! The context explains why temporarily he can no longer brook chocolate.
See! A text (or any situation) has to be understood in its context, or fatal misunderstanding can follow. If not understood in context, when we observe a chocaholic vomiting at the sight of chocolate, we might be tempted to pat ourselves on the back for curing him. Yikes! We are beside ourselves a short while later, should we observe him chasing his favorite chocolate bar around the room!
Alas, but we’ve come to the end of the road for today. Not to worry though. By tomorrow road construction will be completed and we will be able to continue down this avenue. Let’s spend time awhile with Jesus, while we await the morrow.
To further research this issue, I direct you to my book Numbers: Volume 4 of Heavenly Citizens in Earthly Shoes. To purchase my books please go to:
http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B005PJ761C
https://sites.google.com/site/heavenl...
