Theology of Nuance; Struggling with God and Man and Overcoming

Gary remains in the critical care unit of Presbyterian Hospital.
The principal issues that the lead trauma surgeon has high-lighted are his internal organ functions in his abdominal cavity.
His kidney function is very low, which necessitated the use of dialysis treatment, starting Monday April 30. (The doctors have indicated that the kidneys could recover sufficiently to resume normal function.)
The stomach, gall blader, colon, and liver are all very low in their respective functions. Generally, the doctors have indicated that with the dialysis treatment that Gary is receiving, we should begin to see all the internal organs to recover more quickly.
Therefore, we remain hopeful.
The sedatives that had been used last week to keep Gary in a comatose state, have been reduced significantly.
This should begin to allow him to regain consiousness. The extent of brain damage is unknown. The physicians have indicated that the contusions were minor, but they have no knowledge of how this will have affected him.
My wife sat with Gary yesterday evening and talked to him and held his hand. As she prepared to come home she noticed that his eyelids appeared to open a little bit. The nurse told her that this may be his begining to regain consiousness.
This was a postive sign for her.

Linda began her physical therapy yesterday, Wednesday May 2.
She was released from the hospital last Friday evening.
The daughters spent the weekend with her, each taking a shift, and this week there has been a crew of family and friends helping her.

Linda, obviously, wants to be with Gary as often as she can.
She asked to stay with him overnight last evening, but that would not be good for her health and recovery.
We continue to request for your prayers for Gary especially, but also for Linda, and finally for the entire family.
God bless,
DSM

(Part Two)

The family, and how it is a symbol for the unity of God.
There is so very much in this thesis.
If…, this is true, it could help us to understand why the family is threatened by so many temptations.

Consider just a few things that the world can offer us to break the husband’s unity with his wife.

• workaholic/careers threaten it
• pornography threatens it
• blogging threatens it
• infidelity threatens it
• Sports and Recreation threatens it
• Alcohol and chemical dependency threatens it
• Motorcycles threaten it
• Hotrod cars threaten it
• Anything that we can imagine threatens the unity of the Wife and Husband

As a symbol, Satan might see the family as a physical representation of God’s nature.
Therefore, when Satan succeeds in breaking the unity of families, he might view this as a victory over his enemy, God.
It explains Jesus’ words against divorce in Matthew 19

• ·3 Some Pharisees came and tried to trap him with this question: “Should a man be allowed to divorce his wife for any reason?”
• ·4 “Haven’t you read the Scriptures?” Jesus replied. “They record that from the beginning ‘God made them male and female.’
• ·5 And he said, ‘This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.’
• ·6 Since they are no longer two but one, let no one separate them, for God has joined them together.”

Note that Jesus does, in-fact, make use of the same language that is recorded in Deuteronomy 6 about Yahweh being One.

This passage in Deuteronomy is difficult for many Christians to understand or explain. But, in the context of a family, we may see a clearer picture of what the Lord intended by the statement found in this Old Testament passage. Look again, and compare/contrast the wording from the old 1901 American Standard Version to the King James Version.

• ·4Hear, O Israel: Jehovah our God is one Jehovah: ASV
• ·4 Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: KJV

ASV is a more accurate interpretation of the Hebrew text. The name “Jehovah” that is used by the American Standard Version is carried over from the original German translation, instead of spelling it phonetically.

Therefore, just as the spelled name “John” in Dutch or German is pronounced “Yon” and “William” is pronounced “Villhelm”, we see why Jehovah could alternately be pronounced “Yahweh”. With these differences understood, the ASV is far more accurate in showing that ‘Yahweh is one Yahweh’ or ‘Jehovah is one Jehovah’.

There are three individuals (Holy Spirit, Father, and Son) but only One Yahweh.
The Family of Yahweh may be the most simple way to understand & explain the nature of God.

As an analogy, we might consider personal examples of very strong, even “unified” families. If one is insulted then all are insulted. If you honor one family member then all are honored.

My wife often teaches a weekly Ladies Bible class, people will approach me at worship and tell me how “wonderful” and “inspiring” she is to them. This is an honor to me. I feel 10′ tall, when people tell me about Molly’s gift and the encouragement that she is to them. Molly is an extension of David, therefore I am being complimented, when I receive praise for my wife.

This is not so difficult for us to understand. How many mothers & fathers will beam with pride, as they see their son throw a game-winning touchdown pass or hear their daughter play a flawless piano recital.

We, as parents, know that when our daughters and sons are recognized for special honor, we ourselves are honored.

The underlying Unity between the wife-mother, husband-father, & son/daughter is present in the Trinity. When we accept God’s Holy Spirit, offered by Jesus Christ, we obtain the power to overcome the devil’s scheme to break up the unity of family.

We must accept our role in the symbol of Marriage & Family, however, because when we accept this mission, we have the unique position of fighting the devil on God’s terms, i.e. the terms of Holy Unity, instead of fighting him on his terms, i.e. self-gratification (a.k.a. pride).

*_____*

Back to the scenario that I laid out in my preceding post, concerning God’s creation plan and Satan’s diabolical scheme, it involves some supposition from scripture and from life experiences.

I may be wrong or right.

But, one key debate that I faced was not addressed in the comments to the post. The issue was about Satan’s creation timing. The common supposition is always that Satan was created at the same time that the physical universe was created. But, this cannot be supported by scripture. It is not mentioned, when the devil was created.

The typical texts from Isaiah or Ezekiel or Revelation do not state anything about Satan’s origination. But, since no one has mentioned these passages I won’t go into them now.

But, if I am wrong please show my error, by writing and posting.

Nevertheless, the creation described in Genesis 1 and 2 is a physical creation of the Cosmos. And we needn’t presume that all spiritual beings were created at the same time as the physical Cosmos.

Furthermore, I might point out that the use of the term “time” is utterly useless prior to the physical Cosmos, because time is inextricably linked with space and matter, which are not spiritual, but rather, are carnal.

I will pick-up again later. The time is late for a physical being such as I am.

(TO BE CONTINUED)

God Bless,

DSM

There have been some issues, about which I have written, in many small snigglet-sized thoughts, through many of my essays, but have never addressed directly.
The nature of the family is one such issue.

All human cultures have at their basic civil organization (a.k.a civilization), the family.

The “family” is, in my opinion, the government of humankind, in its most elemental form, and is designed to be so, by the Creator.
God has imbued the institution of “family” with His holy nature of union.

I am convinced that the family is a holy & symbolic representation of the relationship, which exists in Yahweh our God. You may recall that I have written about this in other essays in the past.

While many disciples are reticent to say this, my wife among them, I am comfortable in saying the Trinity represents all positions in a loving and functional family.
Holy Spirit, Father and Son, are symbolically represented by mom, dad, and child, respectively.

I hope to receive opposing opinions on this.
And to the opposing argument, I recognize that Holy Spirit is never referenced as “mother”.
I further recognize that Holy Spirit is always referenced by the use of the masculine pronoun, “he”.
However, I am not saying that God is anything physical.
“Religious” people who think it wise to rewrite the bible, and thus remove all gender from the scriptures, which references God, bemuse me.
However, to be fair, those who think that God is a physical man (”He”) also bewilder me.

I should be clear on what I am saying.

Jesus the Messiah was a physical man, but he is no longer a physical man. (If you have questions about this look at 1 Corinthians 15:35-58, specifically note verses 49 - 50; “49 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.”)

If you are reading this, and you are reluctant to consider the notion that the “family” is a physical symbol, which represents the holy Spiritual relationship with and between the individuals who compose the Trinity of God, then imagine this scenario for a few minutes.

1. The almighty Creator, who is made up of three separate and distinct individuals, determines that “He” wants to share & participate in love (Agapē) with a created being.
2. However there are preexisting created beings, which are not invited to participate in this union between Creator and creation.
3. These preexisting created beings are spiritual, but are not participants inside the holy union of the Spiritual Creator.
4. As the Creator completes His plan for a new type of creation, which is not an exclusively spiritual nature, some of those beings, which were created before the new creation, become jealous about the interlopers, who are designed “in the image of the Creator” and for the purpose of union with the Creator.
5. The chief executive officer (CEO) of the created spiritual beings is given a responsibility for the new creation and the divine reflections, which inhabit it. This “prosecutor/constable” is also given the power to imbibe the physical creation, however this power is available only through the consent and will of the corporeal beings.
6. For an unknown price, a certain corporeal being agrees to grant the “constable” the use of its body and form, for the purpose of interacting directly with the divine copies.
7. The jealousy of the spiritual CEO comes to culmination, as the constable/prosecutor of the created spiritual realm actually encourages the divine images to forsake their betrothal with the Creator. The constable engages in an act of legal “entrapment”.
8. As the Man and Woman take the forbidden fruit, they fulfill the constables hope and dash the Creator’s great dream of a marriage between God and humanity, or more properly the Son of God and mankind.
9. The Almighty God & Host of Heaven, Yahweh, has been thwarted by an unholy alliance between a created spirit, Satan, and created corporeal, the Serpent.
10. All Humankind are dupes for the dope of the spiritual war that rages.
11. The dope of the spiritual war, is pride. And Adam and Eve took it in. They breathed these fowl emanations into their hearts and minds before the fruit ever touched their lips, even before the fruit was plucked from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. They doubted the love (Agapē) that was promised by the Creator.
12. The Creator, however, knew everything before it ever happened. And, He had a plan for the renewal of the marriage vow between humanity and Himself. (THE CREATOR CANNOT BE THWARTED. Because, LOVE NEVER FAILS. ·

1 Corinthians 13:7,8: Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. Love will last forever,…

(TO BE CONTINUED)

God bless,

DSM

Ezekiel 36:26-27 “A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you; and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep mine ordinances, and do them.”

There is irony in mankind requiring a “heart of flesh” from a spiritual God. And it speaks to the masks that are in Sacha Baron Cohen’s characters and
Thomas Merton’s “false selves”.
We hide our true self behind a “heart of stone”; a heart that feels no…

• pain, shame, compassion, love, empathy, sympathy, & mercy

But, it rather feels far too much…

• self-pride, self-righteousness, sanctimony, arrogance, hatred, rage, contempt, derision,

Do you remember that Old Testament story of Jacob receiving his “new name”?

Genesis 32:24-30 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until dawn. When the man saw that he couldn’t win the match, he struck Jacob’s hip and knocked it out of joint at the socket. Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is dawn.” But Jacob panted, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” “What is your name?” the man asked. He replied, “Jacob.” “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “It is now Israel (he, who struggles with God), because you have struggled with both God and men and have won.” “What is your name?” Jacob asked him. “Why do you ask?” the man replied. Then he blessed Jacob there. Jacob named the place Peniel—“face of God”—for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”

I know, that you know what it means to struggle with God. I think also that you have been knocked “out-of-joint” as well.
This passage is, again, another nuance and paradox.
Why is this story in the bible?
Why does it say that Jacob struggled with God?
Why does it say that God couldn’t win the match against Jacob?
Why does God bless Jacob, as a reward for the wrestling match?

These are profound questions to a confusing paradox.
I will admit that for many years I have hated this passage, with painful contempt. It flies in the face of everything in my carnal being. It is simply not logical.
Jacob should not wrestle with God!
God should not wrestle with a man!
God should punish Jacob for impudence and audacity!
God should flip him over and pin his shoulders to the ground with a mere wink!
Jacob should fall flat on his stomach and worship God and beg for pardon!

Israel? Your name will be “Israel,” because “you have struggled with both God and men and have won.” Maybe he won against “man”, but there’s no way he could win against God.

Right?
How, God?

How am I supposed to cope with this story in the bible?

Please, tell me that there was a transcription error, something is wrong. Right?

Well, I have come to a point in my life, where I am beginning to accept more of the paradoxes of God. I am not a shill for a fraudulent snake oil salesman. I am simply beginning to understand that God’s grace is far greater than my jaded experience (a.k.a carnal nature) will allow.
This is what I see from the event with Jacob and God.

• 1. God does not punish us for struggling with Him
  2. God expects the struggle.
  3. God cherishes the struggle.
  4. God respects our struggle.
  5. God understands our struggle.
  6. God freely grants us the opportunity to struggle.
  7. God’s only requirement is that we not “give-up” our struggle.

I know that God can pin my ears back. But, God doesn’t want to do that. The same is true with Jacob.

This exact event occurs in my house every week. My son and daughter love to “get me down.” And we wrestle around in the floor until I am out of breath or until it’s time for a bath. (Which tends to coincide with regularity.) I struggle with my kids and enjoy the struggle, because I love them.
Yes, I am sometimes hurt by our struggles and sometimes they are hurt by our struggles.
But, so long as they are willing to come back and not give-up, our wrestling will build strength, character, love and trust.

• What happens if I pin my son or daughter on the ground with no effort and no struggle?
• Will they trust me more?
• Will they respect me more?
• Will they love me more?
• What happens if God pins Jacob to the ground?
• What happens if God pins me to the ground?
• What happens if God pins you to the ground?

I don’t think that I am taking this too far. God could beat us if that were his purpose.
But, we know what his purpose is now. Don’t we?
Through Jesus Christ, the Father’s purpose is to “seek and save” John 3:17 “God did not send his Son into the world to condemn it, but to save it.”

Jesus could have pinned our ears back. But, the goal was more in line with a 41 year-old dad wrestling with his 3 and 7 year-old on the living room floor.

Finally, the issue of the mask and the name, Jacob was the name that he was given at birth. He moved around behind it, and operated with it as a defense to protect him from the world. But, it was replaced with God’s name.
I know the purpose of the name in this context.
When one “knows” our name, it will allow them to control us. This was an important point to the people of Jacob’s day. And it even continues in the modern day as well.
It is not thought of in these terms anymore. But, less than two generations ago, children were taught that it was disrespectful to use an elder’s “Christian name.” We should instead use the proper title with their surname. Remember?

This “name issue” gives control to a person.
When Jacob told God his carnal name, he granted authority to God. God subsequently changes his name, to “Israel.”

Revelation 2:17
“Anyone who is willing to hear should listen to the Spirit and understand what the Spirit is saying to the churches. Everyone who is victorious will eat of the manna that has been hidden away in heaven. And I will give to each one a white stone, and on the stone will be engraved a new name that no one knows except the one who receives it. (Emphasis added)

The new name was “a blessing” to Jacob, it is a blessing to all who give God authority. Israel was blessed to not have to hide behind the mask of Jacob. Jacob treated people with contempt, just as “Borat” does.

God bless,

DSM

So much of my thinking is tied up in “the Purpose”.

I suspect that there are enough people out there who disagree with my “one track mind.” I have kind of been on a personal campaign to press for followers of Jesus to accept His focus, as our personal goal and passion. “Whether we are buying a loaf of bread or catching a 10 lb fish, our goal is to glorify Jesus.”

(My 3-year-old son caught a 10 lb flathead catfish last week. He really glorified Jesus that day. The fish was as long as he is and half his weight.)

Concerning the “the Purpose”, I have written and talked about this, and the reasons for my thinking on this issue before. So, I won’t write it again. It would be overload, because my thinking comes out in all of my postings.

However, I would like to assent in my understanding to those who have other passions and enjoy feeding those desires.

I don’t believe that God expects us to give up our desire for those things, which captivate us.

God knows that life is fun; after all He made it thus.

I watched a theatrical presentation of Matthew about 1-½ years ago, and I was intrigued by the direction and portrayal of Jesus as a very happy and fun loving man. I had always seen him and imagined him to be very somber. It served me well to see Jesus, the Creator, as laughing and joyful.

He did not give us thrilling drama in our lives and then expect us to be downcast and grim always.

Have you ever had a big, and I mean BIG, fish on the line. What went through your heart when that creature went airborne? Did you think you had Moby Dick on 8 lb test? That was joy! And then you landed that hideous lunker and you kissed him, as if he were your blushing bride!

And on that note, how many of you have been married? This was the most wonderful and spectacular event of my life. The day was surreal in its beauty. I have never seen a more perfect marriage ceremony, and I have seen more weddings than you can shake a stick at (I’m addicted to America’s Funniest Videos.)

How many have had a child? Do you remember the first thoughts as you looked at your son or daughter? I remember my first thoughts. I became a man, when my daughter was born. I am who I am, because of my son and daughter. My most difficult mission started with fatherhood.

God gives us these events to enjoy.

If I haven’t said it before, I tend to obsess. This blog is an obsession. My computer has been an obsession. My guns and ammo have been obsessions.

It is in my character to move slowly from passion to obsession. It is a trying personality defect. But, at least I am not washing my hands over and over.

Anyway, back to my point, I am attempting to yoke my obsessions and bring them under a solitary pennant.

“May Jesus be glorified!” As long as I am honoring Him, I am doing what the Father has intended for me.

If I hurt people, then I am failing my assignment.

If I am pushing or pulling my wife away from God, then I am missing my calling.

If I am provoking my children to anger or despair, then I am taking a punch at my Lord.

If I am condemning my fellow man or woman, then I am telling Jesus, ‘You may not have been sent into the world to condemn the world (Jn 3:17). But, you should stand aside Lord, because I am up to the challenge, which you were not.’

I hope to lift you up and not bring you down.

The Father tells me that I am worth the blood and life of Jesus the Messiah.

The Father tells me that you are worth the blood and life of Jesus Christ.

Please take the Father’s word; you are worth more than all the universe of things and power.

I will not condemn you.

Jesus will not condemn you.

The Father will not condemn you.

Please don’t condemn yourself.

God bless,

DSM

This was not a planned shot. The little man just did not want to take part in seasons greetings.

He is an ornery little devil and she is the perfect angel.

But one day they will both be teenagers.

God bless the children.
DSM