Symbology or Semiotics and Yahweh

This post will break new ground for me, as being one of pure speculative opinion without any supporting documentation whatsoever.

Obviously, I do not lack for opinions, however, my general rule is that I give my views as I also provide substantial supporting data for my stated judgment on the issue in discussion.

Well, I guess even with this topic I will hold to my standards, that is if you think that common general knowledge, historical data, scripture and a preponderance of overwhelming circumstantial evidence reflects substantivly on ones opinion.

Symbology and/or semiotics being used by God is something that I have considered often, over the years. God uses symbols over and over through scripture. We cannot avoid the fact that God’s modus operandi is to provide a symbol to His servants, tell them the importance of the symbol, and then to provide the action that fulfills the reality that is to be represented by the symbol.
Sometimes God says that the symbol will be a reminder to Him (there’s something we need to discuss) and other times it’s to be a memorial to His servants.

The rainbow was an early example of this. God goes to war with humankind, all the earth, and then after the battle he hangs up His weapon of war, the bow in the sky. He won’t flood the earth again. He made a covenant and set a symbol that reflected the pact. (Genesis 9)

[Incidently, I too, CCWMAN (Concealed Carry Weapon Man), used to be at war with with my fellow man and God's creation. So, I need this symbol, it reminds me that I've hung up guns.

• 2Corinthians 5:18-20, 18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committedc unto us the word of reconciliation.  20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

I am not at war with all the earth any longer. God has reconciled me to you through Jesus Christ. God has reconciled me to all men and women who live on Earth. Is there a war when the Almighty Creator declares peace? No! I am Jesus Christ to the whole of humanity. Did Jesus lift his sword against men? Look at verse 20 again, "We are Christ’s ambassadors, and God is using us to speak to you. We urge you, as though Christ himself were here pleading with you, “Be reconciled to God!”NLT Emphasis Added]

We need God’s symbols. The plagues on Egypt were each symbolically set against deities of Egypt. We read in Numbers 33:4 that ‘Yahweh executed judgment upon the gods of Egypt.’ We will not go through the ten plagues in Exodus 7-12, however, suffice it to say that the Egyptians were highly religious and they were inclined to offer ritual homage to any deity that appeared to have the power to harm them by withholding it’s bounty.
Therefore, you can see the idea behind their worship. They wanted to stay in good with the natural powers that be. If they upset the natural order, then they could expect famines, diseases or such.
The reverse of this was just as true. Thusly, why would any Egyptian in his right mind, respect a deity who is invisible, has no home, no domain, no water, no grain, no land, no sky, and no name? Yahweh, after all means “I Am, That I Am”, (Hebrew: אהיה אשר אהיה, pronounced Ehyeh asher ehyeh). That sounds pretty silly, it sounds like Popeye, “I yam, what I yam!”, especially to people who have been around the block a few times, such as the Egyptians.

Anyway, back on point, Yahweh symbolically attacked the ten prime gods of Egypt. Symbols are big to our God.
Look at the Passover feast. Every piece of the feast has deep meaning to our Jewish brothers. They know the purpose of everything, down to the minutia. They know, because God told them down, to that same minutia.

What is the purpose of the Symbology? Why does God use symbols as he does? Well, on the Passover, He told the Israelites why in Exodus 12.

• 26 Then your children will ask, ‘What does all this mean? What is this ceremony about?’ 27 And you will reply, ‘It is the celebration of the Lord’s Passover, for he passed over the homes of the Israelites in Egypt. And though he killed the Egyptians, he spared our families and did not destroy us.’ ” Then all the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

So, it is about remembering. When the next generation is curious about the symbols, you will have a teaching opportunity for the kids. That makes sense. My kids are always curious. My kids always ask “Why daddy?” And there I go; I am able to teach a lesson. You will see the same thing in Exodus 13:14; & Dt 6:20 also.

God is obsessed with symbols.
Look at Joshua 4:3-7.

• 3 Tell the men to take twelve stones from where the priests are standing in the middle of the Jordan and pile them up at the place where you camp tonight.”
  4 So Joshua called together the twelve men 5 and told them, “Go into the middle of the Jordan, in front of the Ark of the Lord your God. Each of you must pick up one stone and carry it out on your shoulder—twelve stones in all, one for each of the twelve tribes. 6 We will use these stones to build a memorial. In the future, your children will ask, ‘What do these stones mean to you?’ 7 Then you can tell them, ‘They remind us that the Jordan River stopped flowing when the Ark of the Lord’s covenant went across.’ These stones will stand as a permanent memorial among the people of Israel.”

‘Why daddy?’

Well, because…God has a plan. God knows us pretty well. God understands that we are natural, carnal, physical beings that often times need physical memorials to prompt our recollection of where we have come from and to where we are going.

God uses these symbols every time He speaks to us. His prophets use these same teaching mechanisms as well. There is an old church hymn “Come, Thou Fount of every blessing” that has the line “Here I raise my Ebenezer.”

‘Daddy, what does that mean?’

Well, sweetheart, in 1 Samuel 7:12, Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer (which means stone of help), saying, “Thus far has Yahweh helped us.”

It was another way of teaching us that God is a “ROCK” of help.

If you look back at my post from October 8
“What would Jesus do? …with Isaiah 20” you will see a very graphic display of God’s symbolism in this brief chapter. The portent involves Isaiah going around the countryside naked as a jaybird for three years. It was symbolic of what would happen to the nation that the Philistines had counted on, for protection from Assyria. The symbol implied that Philistine ‘Shouldn’t count on Egypt to protect them, because God would strip them bare and drag them away.’

(By the way, I don’t accept the sensitive interpretation of this passage that ignores the clear and obvious depiction of “…with buttocks bared, to Egypt’s shame.” Isaiah was naked. He was not wearing a loincloth.)

God uses the “Eucharist”, Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion as an important emblem of disciples understanding of what Jesus the Messiah did for humankind.

• The bread is symbolic of the manna that Yahweh provided Israel in the wilderness, which gave them life.
• The bread represents the Lord’s body given for the atonement of all humanity.
• The bread also represents the Lord’s Body the Church, which is unified in Jesus Christ.
• The wine symbolizes the blood of the New covenant.
• The wine is an emblem of Jesus blood poured out by the Father, at the cross.

Which reminds me that we did not discuss Abraham’s offering of his son Isaac in Genesis 22. That episode is rich with symbolism and it represents point by point the sacrifice of Jesus.

The principal who initiated the offering on the mountain was Abraham; it was to be by his hand that Isaac’s blood was to be poured out. (Does this imply that the Father poured out Jesus’ blood?)

Isaac was a boy, but he was willing to give his own life to his father, (…just as Jesus would do for humanity?)

Oh well, this is enough for now. I will continue to build on this theme later.

If you think of other symbols you might post them. I know that I am missing a lot.

God speaks through symbols far more than we consider. We learn by Symbology. I may challenge your thinking a little as I conclude the point later.

God bless,
DSM