by Allen Watson
I read the story of Gideon today. I made a long entry months ago about Gideon, mostly taken from Fillmore's Metaphysical Bible Dictionary. Rather than writing something new, here is a link:
http://metabible.blogspot.com/2010/11/gideon-section-from-metaphysical-bible.html#more
Saturday, February 2, 2013
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
Success and Meditation
This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. (Joshua 1:8 ESV)
To me, this verse in metaphysical terms is a reference to affirmations, or meditations upon statements of truth. "This book of the law shall not depart out of my mouth" to me speaks of verbally repeating statements of truth or affirmations to embed them in our consciousness not only by thinking about them, but also hearing my own voice speak them.
Interestingly enough, there are only four places in the Bible that promise success, and every one of them contains a reference to meditation. In particular, they contain a reference to meditation upon the law of God or the word of God, that is, upon spiritual truth.
Another such reference is Psalm 1. In it, referring to a man of God, it says:
"His delight is in the law of the Lord, and in this law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season. His leaf also shall not wither, and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper."
Notice that both of these verses refer to meditating "day and night." To me, this implies constant or near constant meditation. It means keeping the truth in our minds as much as possible all of the time. The easiest way to facilitate that is to memorize statements of truth.
In another of the verses that I see as referring to meditation, we read:
"You shall therefore lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall teach them to your children, talking of them when you are sitting in your house, and when you are walking by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. (Deuteronomy 11:18, 19 ESV)
God then goes on to promise: "Every place on which the sole of your foot treads shall be yours." In other words, you will take possession of everything that I have promised to you—another way of saying you will be successful. And all of this is predicated upon laying up the word of God in your heart, or memorizing it, and then speaking of it as you sit in your house, for instance at meals, or when you're walking from place to place, when you lie down to sleep at night, and when you first rise up in the morning.
Saturday, January 19, 2013
Moses and Plagues of Egypt, January 19, 2013 10:36 AM
Exodus 6:28–11:10.
The word “exodus” means exit or departure; it is the story of the people of Israel’s departure from Egypt. It symbolizes our departure from our ego-based thinking moving into spiritual consciousness.
To me, the plagues visited on Egypt, and the unbelievably stubborn refusal of Pharaoh to let Israel leave despite the horrendous suffering inflicted by one plague after another, symbolize the stubbornness with which we cling to our ego and our ego-based thinking, despite the dire consequences of doing so. It represents the way an alcoholic or drug addict returns again and again to the addition that is destroying their life and the lives of those around them.
A Course in Miracles says, “Tolerance for pain may be high, but it is not without limit. Eventually everyone begins to recognize, however dimly, that there <must> be a better way. As this recognition becomes more firmly established, it becomes a turning-point. This ultimately reawakens spiritual vision, simultaneously weakening the investment in physical sight. The alternating investment in the two levels of perception is usually experienced as conflict, which can become very acute. But the outcome is as certain as God” (T-2.III.3:5-10).
The word “exodus” means exit or departure; it is the story of the people of Israel’s departure from Egypt. It symbolizes our departure from our ego-based thinking moving into spiritual consciousness.
To me, the plagues visited on Egypt, and the unbelievably stubborn refusal of Pharaoh to let Israel leave despite the horrendous suffering inflicted by one plague after another, symbolize the stubbornness with which we cling to our ego and our ego-based thinking, despite the dire consequences of doing so. It represents the way an alcoholic or drug addict returns again and again to the addition that is destroying their life and the lives of those around them.
A Course in Miracles says, “Tolerance for pain may be high, but it is not without limit. Eventually everyone begins to recognize, however dimly, that there <must> be a better way. As this recognition becomes more firmly established, it becomes a turning-point. This ultimately reawakens spiritual vision, simultaneously weakening the investment in physical sight. The alternating investment in the two levels of perception is usually experienced as conflict, which can become very acute. But the outcome is as certain as God” (T-2.III.3:5-10).
Monday, January 14, 2013
Joseph in Egypt, Monday, January 14, 2013
First let me say that I do not intend to post in this Bible blog every day; it takes too much of my time. Also, if you are wondering about the chapters I have skipped, that is partly due to the Essential 100 plan, which is presenting only 50 representative passages from the Old Testament, and another 50 from the New Testament, but I am skipping even some of its selections due to being busy on other things.
Genesis 39, 40, and 41.
You will have noticed that Joseph has a lot to do with dreams. Dreams get him in trouble with his brothers and his father. Joseph, what were you thinking? How did you expect them to react to dreams saying they would all bow down to you? (Genesis 37) But he was only 17 at the time, and evidently a bit naïve. Then, in these three chapters, he interprets dreams by the baker and the cup bearer, and then by Pharoah. Charles Fillmore says that Joseph represents our faculty of imagination, which he classifies as one of the twelve abilities making up Christ consciousness. That makes sense; dreams and imagination logically go together. Egypt, on the other hand, always represents sense consciousness and subconsciousness. Joseph descends into Egypt; the imagination descends into the subconscious. Result: lots of dreams! Despite the fact that it was “evil intentions” on the part of his brothers that got him there, the passage tells us that “the Lord was with him.” It seems as though this is a part of the plan, and we have no record of Joseph complaining about his plight. Instead, he brings blessing wherever he goes.
Neveretheless, he does get into more trouble. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him and, rejected by Joseph, she fabricates a rape charge against him and has him imprisoned. Joseph then becomes top trustee in the prison and brings blessing to that environment as well. It is only because of whom he meets and befriends in that prison that, eventually, his ability to interpret dreams comes to the attention of Pharoah. The sequence of events reminds me of the Buddhist story of the farmer, his son, and the horses, where one “tragedy” after another turns into a “blessing,” which in turn leads to another “tragedy” and then a blessing...proving that we cannot classify things as good or bad; they just are what is. Joseph, we shall see in later chapters, sees it all as good. “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). A Course in Miracles agrees: "It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful. It is only to the extent to which they are helpful that any degree of reality should be accorded them in this world of illusion" (M-4.I.4:5-6).
Symbolically, we see here that when our imagination is tempted by sense consciousness, and refuses the temptation, there can be an internal backlash. We may feel deprived or depressed. A Course in Miracles speaks about something similar in the growth of “the teacher of God,” which refers to all of us, since we are all here to pass along everything we learn. It says that at times we feel called upon to give up something seen desirable or valuable, and experience it as a kind of sacrifice, despite the fact that the something is actually without true value for us. Many men, confronted with a wealthy woman wanting to seduce him, would go along without question and count it as good fortune. Joseph probably felt some sense of sacrifice. The Course says:
"There is, however, no point in sorting out the valuable from the valueless unless the next obvious step is taken. [Actually giving up the valueless.] Therefore, the period of overlap is apt to be one in which the teacher of God feels called upon to sacrifice his own best interests on behalf of truth. He has not realized as yet how wholly impossible such a demand would be. He can learn this only as he actually does give up the valueless" (M-4.I.5:4-7).
That sense of sacrifice is what I mean by “internal backlash.” The key point here is that it all does work together for Joseph’s good, and that of his entire family (to say nothing of the whole nation of Egypt, and surrounding countries who are able to endure the famine because of the plan he institutes). We need to waste no time indulging our imaginations in “what might have been.”
As is often the case, there are many symbols here I’m not interpreting. Here’s one more snippet: What is interesting is the position of authority given to Joseph, symbolizing the imagination, ruling over all of Egypt (sense consciousness, or the body). Fillmore, in Mysteries of Genesis, says, “…the body should be ruled over by the spiritualized imaginative faculty working under the direction and by the power of Spirit.”
Genesis 39, 40, and 41.
You will have noticed that Joseph has a lot to do with dreams. Dreams get him in trouble with his brothers and his father. Joseph, what were you thinking? How did you expect them to react to dreams saying they would all bow down to you? (Genesis 37) But he was only 17 at the time, and evidently a bit naïve. Then, in these three chapters, he interprets dreams by the baker and the cup bearer, and then by Pharoah. Charles Fillmore says that Joseph represents our faculty of imagination, which he classifies as one of the twelve abilities making up Christ consciousness. That makes sense; dreams and imagination logically go together. Egypt, on the other hand, always represents sense consciousness and subconsciousness. Joseph descends into Egypt; the imagination descends into the subconscious. Result: lots of dreams! Despite the fact that it was “evil intentions” on the part of his brothers that got him there, the passage tells us that “the Lord was with him.” It seems as though this is a part of the plan, and we have no record of Joseph complaining about his plight. Instead, he brings blessing wherever he goes.
Neveretheless, he does get into more trouble. Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him and, rejected by Joseph, she fabricates a rape charge against him and has him imprisoned. Joseph then becomes top trustee in the prison and brings blessing to that environment as well. It is only because of whom he meets and befriends in that prison that, eventually, his ability to interpret dreams comes to the attention of Pharoah. The sequence of events reminds me of the Buddhist story of the farmer, his son, and the horses, where one “tragedy” after another turns into a “blessing,” which in turn leads to another “tragedy” and then a blessing...proving that we cannot classify things as good or bad; they just are what is. Joseph, we shall see in later chapters, sees it all as good. “All things work together for good to those who love God” (Romans 8:28). A Course in Miracles agrees: "It takes great learning to understand that all things, events, encounters and circumstances are helpful. It is only to the extent to which they are helpful that any degree of reality should be accorded them in this world of illusion" (M-4.I.4:5-6).
Symbolically, we see here that when our imagination is tempted by sense consciousness, and refuses the temptation, there can be an internal backlash. We may feel deprived or depressed. A Course in Miracles speaks about something similar in the growth of “the teacher of God,” which refers to all of us, since we are all here to pass along everything we learn. It says that at times we feel called upon to give up something seen desirable or valuable, and experience it as a kind of sacrifice, despite the fact that the something is actually without true value for us. Many men, confronted with a wealthy woman wanting to seduce him, would go along without question and count it as good fortune. Joseph probably felt some sense of sacrifice. The Course says:
"There is, however, no point in sorting out the valuable from the valueless unless the next obvious step is taken. [Actually giving up the valueless.] Therefore, the period of overlap is apt to be one in which the teacher of God feels called upon to sacrifice his own best interests on behalf of truth. He has not realized as yet how wholly impossible such a demand would be. He can learn this only as he actually does give up the valueless" (M-4.I.5:4-7).
That sense of sacrifice is what I mean by “internal backlash.” The key point here is that it all does work together for Joseph’s good, and that of his entire family (to say nothing of the whole nation of Egypt, and surrounding countries who are able to endure the famine because of the plan he institutes). We need to waste no time indulging our imaginations in “what might have been.”
As is often the case, there are many symbols here I’m not interpreting. Here’s one more snippet: What is interesting is the position of authority given to Joseph, symbolizing the imagination, ruling over all of Egypt (sense consciousness, or the body). Fillmore, in Mysteries of Genesis, says, “…the body should be ruled over by the spiritualized imaginative faculty working under the direction and by the power of Spirit.”
Friday, January 11, 2013
Jacob and Esau, January 10–11, 2013
Jacob and Esau are twin brothers, sons of Isaac, grandsons of Abraham, who is the progenitor of the entire Hebrew race and nation; Esau is Jacob’s elder brother, who, by convention, would receive the birthright and inheritance from his father. The birthright includes God’s promise given to Abraham and Isaac that God would bless and multiply them and bring forth a great nation from their descendants. Although twins, Jacob and Esau were by no means identical. Esau is a farmer, a man of the earth; Jacob is the quiet, indoors type.
First, Jacob tricks Esau into giving up the birthright. Esau “sells” it to him for some good stew that Jacob made. But Isaac’s dying blessing still would have gone to Esau. However, Rebekah, their mother, favored Jacob. She helped him swindle Esau again by tricking Isaac, who had gone blind, into blessing Jacob instead of Esau.
Esau was infuriated. The Bible reports:
Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob” (Genesis 27:41–42 NRSV)
Jacob, no dummy, decides to hightail it until Esau cools off. His mother suggests that he go stay with a relative, Laban, for “a few days,” and find a wife there. Laban lived where Isaac and his family had moved from, in Haran. The distance from Beer-Sheba to Haran was about 550 miles (Portland, OR to Sacramento, CA), so this was no small trip.
It put a safe buffer between the brothers. But Jacob runs into a few problems. First off, Esau holds on to his grudge. Second, Laban insists that Jacob work 7 years to earn his wife and then, when the 7 years are up, he tricks Jacob by sending in his older daughter to the bridal chamber, and then demands that Jacob work another 7 years for the second daughter! (What goes around comes around.) Even after the 14 years, Jacob stays another seven years in Haran. By this time he has become rich. He basically cons Laban out of the best of his herds of sheep and goats, so that when he finally decides to return to Beer-Sheba to confront Esau, he was “exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.” See Gen 32:13–15.
So Jacob is afraid of Esau and sends him gifts. During the night, as he waits to meet Esau, God appears to Jacob in the form of a man and wrestles with him. They struggle, and the man tries to break free, but Jacob is determined not to let him go. So the man touches Jacob’s thigh and dislocates it, but Jacob still won’t let go. He says to the man, “I will not let you go until you bless me!” He seems, at this point, to have realized that the “man” is really an angel or a manifestation of God. The man replies with a question, “What is your name?”, to which he replies, “Jacob.” The name Jacob means “supplanter”; he took Esau’s place. The angel tells him his name will now become “Israel,” which means “prince with God” or “Striving with God”. He realizes it is God because he says, “I have seen the face of God and lived.” He calls the place Peniel, which means “face of God.”
The next day, he meets with Esau, who, despite Jacob's anxiety, forgives him, and welcomes him. From this time on, he becomes a prince with God.
The symbolism here is powerful. Esau represents our lower or animal nature or our material life; Jacob represents the mental person; Israel represents the spirit, the Christ within us all. Fillmore says, “"Israel" (a prince with God) is the real of man, that consciousness which is founded in God.” (MBD) This is the story of the transformation of consciousness, from material consciousness that uses conflict and deception to achieve its ends to the consciousness that surrenders to God and accepts God’s blessing. When the twins were born it was prophesied that “the elder [Esau, representing the body] shall serve the younger [Jacob/Israel, representing the mind and spirit]” . The Jacob consciousness supplants or supercedes the animal nature; the spiritual idea supplants the material. He is showing us the way to return to God, and to freedom and harmony, even with our bodies.
Emmet Fox points out how, when Jacob started back home, he did not turn to God at first. He “began to rearrange outer affairs”. He puts his handmaidens in front (people who didn’t matter much to him), and then Leah (the second-choice wife), and then even Rachel and his favorite son, all between him and the threatening Esau! What a sleeze! This pictures what we often do, trying to work things out on our own instead of trusting God.
“And Jacob was left alone.” (Gen 32:24). Finally, alone, he turns to god. He wrestles with God. And he would not let go. To really break through spiritually, it takes that kind of determination: “I won’t let go until you bless me.” How much do you want to know God’s blessing, to live in full awareness of the divine Presence? The story is told of a young Buddhist monk who was seeking enlightenment, but could not seem to break through. Finally his teacher took him to a stream and held his head under water for over a minute. When he released him, and the young man had caught his breath, the teacher asked him, “When you were under the water, what did you want?”
“I wanted air!” he cried. “I wanted to breathe!”
The teacher then said, “Until you want enlightenment that much, you will not find it.”
The Psalmist wrote, “As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
The very image of wrestling with God is so powerful! Physical wrestling requires enormous energy and concentration. And Jacob wrestled all night long! This was a persistent man! How persistent are we in our spiritual endeavors? How determined are we?
Meister Eckhart, in the 14th century, wrote: “The soul must long for God in order to be set aflame by God’s love; but if the soul cannot yet feel the longing, then it must long for the longing. To long for the longing is also from God.”
There is so much more in the symbolism of all the details! Here is just a taste from the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary:
> In Genesis 33:1-15 we read of the reunion of Jacob and Esau. In the 1st and 2d verses Jacob (the mental) prepares to unite with Esau (physical expression). Mind and body must be joined before the divine law can be fulfilled.
> Verses 3 and 4: The mind must be unified with the body in all the seven natural faculties. When the union between mind and body takes place a humility born of surrender of the self comes into expression.Verses 5-7: The women and the children here represent the accumulations of the mind.
> Verses 8 and 9: The mind is willing to share its accumulations, but the body (Esau) cannot receive the gift until it has been uplifted. In verses 10 and 11 we find that, after mind and body are reconciled and adjusted, they share alike the gifts of Spirit.
> Verse 12: Jacob, the mind, should go before and direct the body (Esau).
> Verse 13: The children, and the young animals in the flocks and herds, symbolize new ideas' being established in consciousness.
> Verses 14 and 15: There is not necessarily enmity between the mind and body of man, but only a difference in states of consciousness. The body becomes an obedient servant of the mind when the two are unified in Divine Mind.
First, Jacob tricks Esau into giving up the birthright. Esau “sells” it to him for some good stew that Jacob made. But Isaac’s dying blessing still would have gone to Esau. However, Rebekah, their mother, favored Jacob. She helped him swindle Esau again by tricking Isaac, who had gone blind, into blessing Jacob instead of Esau.
Esau was infuriated. The Bible reports:
Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob” (Genesis 27:41–42 NRSV)
Jacob, no dummy, decides to hightail it until Esau cools off. His mother suggests that he go stay with a relative, Laban, for “a few days,” and find a wife there. Laban lived where Isaac and his family had moved from, in Haran. The distance from Beer-Sheba to Haran was about 550 miles (Portland, OR to Sacramento, CA), so this was no small trip.
It put a safe buffer between the brothers. But Jacob runs into a few problems. First off, Esau holds on to his grudge. Second, Laban insists that Jacob work 7 years to earn his wife and then, when the 7 years are up, he tricks Jacob by sending in his older daughter to the bridal chamber, and then demands that Jacob work another 7 years for the second daughter! (What goes around comes around.) Even after the 14 years, Jacob stays another seven years in Haran. By this time he has become rich. He basically cons Laban out of the best of his herds of sheep and goats, so that when he finally decides to return to Beer-Sheba to confront Esau, he was “exceedingly prosperous, and had large flocks and female and male servants and camels and donkeys.” See Gen 32:13–15.
So Jacob is afraid of Esau and sends him gifts. During the night, as he waits to meet Esau, God appears to Jacob in the form of a man and wrestles with him. They struggle, and the man tries to break free, but Jacob is determined not to let him go. So the man touches Jacob’s thigh and dislocates it, but Jacob still won’t let go. He says to the man, “I will not let you go until you bless me!” He seems, at this point, to have realized that the “man” is really an angel or a manifestation of God. The man replies with a question, “What is your name?”, to which he replies, “Jacob.” The name Jacob means “supplanter”; he took Esau’s place. The angel tells him his name will now become “Israel,” which means “prince with God” or “Striving with God”. He realizes it is God because he says, “I have seen the face of God and lived.” He calls the place Peniel, which means “face of God.”
The next day, he meets with Esau, who, despite Jacob's anxiety, forgives him, and welcomes him. From this time on, he becomes a prince with God.
The symbolism here is powerful. Esau represents our lower or animal nature or our material life; Jacob represents the mental person; Israel represents the spirit, the Christ within us all. Fillmore says, “"Israel" (a prince with God) is the real of man, that consciousness which is founded in God.” (MBD) This is the story of the transformation of consciousness, from material consciousness that uses conflict and deception to achieve its ends to the consciousness that surrenders to God and accepts God’s blessing. When the twins were born it was prophesied that “the elder [Esau, representing the body] shall serve the younger [Jacob/Israel, representing the mind and spirit]” . The Jacob consciousness supplants or supercedes the animal nature; the spiritual idea supplants the material. He is showing us the way to return to God, and to freedom and harmony, even with our bodies.
Emmet Fox points out how, when Jacob started back home, he did not turn to God at first. He “began to rearrange outer affairs”. He puts his handmaidens in front (people who didn’t matter much to him), and then Leah (the second-choice wife), and then even Rachel and his favorite son, all between him and the threatening Esau! What a sleeze! This pictures what we often do, trying to work things out on our own instead of trusting God.
“And Jacob was left alone.” (Gen 32:24). Finally, alone, he turns to god. He wrestles with God. And he would not let go. To really break through spiritually, it takes that kind of determination: “I won’t let go until you bless me.” How much do you want to know God’s blessing, to live in full awareness of the divine Presence? The story is told of a young Buddhist monk who was seeking enlightenment, but could not seem to break through. Finally his teacher took him to a stream and held his head under water for over a minute. When he released him, and the young man had caught his breath, the teacher asked him, “When you were under the water, what did you want?”
“I wanted air!” he cried. “I wanted to breathe!”
The teacher then said, “Until you want enlightenment that much, you will not find it.”
The Psalmist wrote, “As a deer pants for flowing streams,
so pants my soul for you, O God.” (Psalm 42:1)
The very image of wrestling with God is so powerful! Physical wrestling requires enormous energy and concentration. And Jacob wrestled all night long! This was a persistent man! How persistent are we in our spiritual endeavors? How determined are we?
Meister Eckhart, in the 14th century, wrote: “The soul must long for God in order to be set aflame by God’s love; but if the soul cannot yet feel the longing, then it must long for the longing. To long for the longing is also from God.”
There is so much more in the symbolism of all the details! Here is just a taste from the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary:
> In Genesis 33:1-15 we read of the reunion of Jacob and Esau. In the 1st and 2d verses Jacob (the mental) prepares to unite with Esau (physical expression). Mind and body must be joined before the divine law can be fulfilled.
> Verses 3 and 4: The mind must be unified with the body in all the seven natural faculties. When the union between mind and body takes place a humility born of surrender of the self comes into expression.Verses 5-7: The women and the children here represent the accumulations of the mind.
> Verses 8 and 9: The mind is willing to share its accumulations, but the body (Esau) cannot receive the gift until it has been uplifted. In verses 10 and 11 we find that, after mind and body are reconciled and adjusted, they share alike the gifts of Spirit.
> Verse 12: Jacob, the mind, should go before and direct the body (Esau).
> Verse 13: The children, and the young animals in the flocks and herds, symbolize new ideas' being established in consciousness.
> Verses 14 and 15: There is not necessarily enmity between the mind and body of man, but only a difference in states of consciousness. The body becomes an obedient servant of the mind when the two are unified in Divine Mind.
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Birth of Issac, Test of faith, January 9, 2013 9:58 AM
Genesis 21, 22:1–19.
“All things are possible with God” (Matthew 19:26). “Everything is possible to one who believes” (Mark 9:22). The story of Isaac’s miraculous birth to a couple beyond child-bearing age surely brings to mind the birth of Jesus, as well as that of John the Baptist. Isaac symbolizes the Christ, the first-born of a spiritual race. We can all take heart in the thought that, when we are facing a situation that seems impossible, with God all things are possible. In fact it is only when human resources are exhausted that Spirit can act. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord” (Zech. 4:6). The merely human powers cannot bring forth the Christ. As Jesus said in John 3, “Flesh can give birth only to flesh; it is spirit that gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:6 REB) Our efforts only get in the way. We need to relax, and “let God.”
It seems incredible that God would ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the child of the promise. The name Isaac means “laughter, joy.” And the place Abraham was told to take him for sacrifice is “Moriah,” which means “bitterness of Jehovah.” I relate this to our experience in this way: Sometimes, when we are following the leading of Spirit, it seems as if we are being asked to give up our joy, give up that which makes us happy. We are being asked to walk into bitterness, where we expect our joy will be taken from us. The story, in that light, appears to be saying that if we trust Spirit, we will not lose the joy. Something, perhaps something physical (symbolized by a ram), may be taken, but not the true source of our joy. That is God’s promise and can never be lost.
“All things are possible with God” (Matthew 19:26). “Everything is possible to one who believes” (Mark 9:22). The story of Isaac’s miraculous birth to a couple beyond child-bearing age surely brings to mind the birth of Jesus, as well as that of John the Baptist. Isaac symbolizes the Christ, the first-born of a spiritual race. We can all take heart in the thought that, when we are facing a situation that seems impossible, with God all things are possible. In fact it is only when human resources are exhausted that Spirit can act. “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith the Lord” (Zech. 4:6). The merely human powers cannot bring forth the Christ. As Jesus said in John 3, “Flesh can give birth only to flesh; it is spirit that gives birth to spirit.” (John 3:6 REB) Our efforts only get in the way. We need to relax, and “let God.”
It seems incredible that God would ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, the child of the promise. The name Isaac means “laughter, joy.” And the place Abraham was told to take him for sacrifice is “Moriah,” which means “bitterness of Jehovah.” I relate this to our experience in this way: Sometimes, when we are following the leading of Spirit, it seems as if we are being asked to give up our joy, give up that which makes us happy. We are being asked to walk into bitterness, where we expect our joy will be taken from us. The story, in that light, appears to be saying that if we trust Spirit, we will not lose the joy. Something, perhaps something physical (symbolized by a ram), may be taken, but not the true source of our joy. That is God’s promise and can never be lost.
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Abram's call reaffirmed; a covenant sealed; January 8, 2013 7:55 AM
Genesis 15.
Abram expresses a lot of doubt here at the start. He sounds a bit pathetic: “I’m still childless” (implied is an accusation to God, “despite Your unbelievable promise”) “and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus.” Presumably his right-hand man, the nearest thing to a son he has. Again, I find it reassuring that the very symbol of faith had such struggles with faith! We are not expected to immediately have unshakable faith. It needs to grow, to be confirmed as it is here for Abram. God makes a covenant with him, and goes through a symbolic ritual of passing between the halves of sacrificial animals.
The sixth verse, “he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness,” becomes the foundation of the Apostle Paul’s argument in the New Testament that salvation is through faith, rather than good works. Fundamental Christianity has co-opted that notion and made it into “whoever believes that Jesus is their savior and died for their sins is saved.” But, in its essence, it simply means that those who trust in God are “righteous” before God. The word basically means being in right relationship with another. Fillmore, in Revealing Word, defines it as, “A state of harmony established in consciousness through the right use of God-given attributes.”
The sealing of the covenant with severed animal sacrifices seems bizarre to us today, and at this distance in time, no one knows for sure what the exact significance of this was to Abram. To me, the whole thing, especially the “deep sleep” and the “dreadful and great darkness,” with the smoking fire pot and the flaming torch passing between the pieces of the animals and God speaking, seems to portray some kind of ecstatic vision or mystical experience. Think of it as symbolic of a deep, profound meditation, in which we have laid open our hearts to the Divine and sit long in the silence, waiting on God. The birds of prey—those nagging, distracting thoughts—come to consume our offering but we chase them away. Eventually, our sitting is rewarded with a direct awareness of the Presence of God. This kind of deep, inner certainty, the kind Abram received, does not come after meditating for four or five minutes. It requires a firm intention (the offering laid out) and a determination not to be distracted by random thoughts. It requires waiting, to sunset, then past sunset—until our sense consciousness no longer occupies our attention, until our sight has turned completely inward. Then, God comes. Then, the Truth we have known intellectually takes root in our soul and becomes a part of us.
Abram expresses a lot of doubt here at the start. He sounds a bit pathetic: “I’m still childless” (implied is an accusation to God, “despite Your unbelievable promise”) “and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus.” Presumably his right-hand man, the nearest thing to a son he has. Again, I find it reassuring that the very symbol of faith had such struggles with faith! We are not expected to immediately have unshakable faith. It needs to grow, to be confirmed as it is here for Abram. God makes a covenant with him, and goes through a symbolic ritual of passing between the halves of sacrificial animals.
The sixth verse, “he believed the Lord, and He counted it to him as righteousness,” becomes the foundation of the Apostle Paul’s argument in the New Testament that salvation is through faith, rather than good works. Fundamental Christianity has co-opted that notion and made it into “whoever believes that Jesus is their savior and died for their sins is saved.” But, in its essence, it simply means that those who trust in God are “righteous” before God. The word basically means being in right relationship with another. Fillmore, in Revealing Word, defines it as, “A state of harmony established in consciousness through the right use of God-given attributes.”
The sealing of the covenant with severed animal sacrifices seems bizarre to us today, and at this distance in time, no one knows for sure what the exact significance of this was to Abram. To me, the whole thing, especially the “deep sleep” and the “dreadful and great darkness,” with the smoking fire pot and the flaming torch passing between the pieces of the animals and God speaking, seems to portray some kind of ecstatic vision or mystical experience. Think of it as symbolic of a deep, profound meditation, in which we have laid open our hearts to the Divine and sit long in the silence, waiting on God. The birds of prey—those nagging, distracting thoughts—come to consume our offering but we chase them away. Eventually, our sitting is rewarded with a direct awareness of the Presence of God. This kind of deep, inner certainty, the kind Abram received, does not come after meditating for four or five minutes. It requires a firm intention (the offering laid out) and a determination not to be distracted by random thoughts. It requires waiting, to sunset, then past sunset—until our sense consciousness no longer occupies our attention, until our sight has turned completely inward. Then, God comes. Then, the Truth we have known intellectually takes root in our soul and becomes a part of us.
Monday, January 7, 2013
Abram's call and strange mis-step
In Genesis 12:1–20, we have two starkly contrasting incidents in the life of Abram (who later is renamed Abraham). First, the story of his faith, and God's covenant with him; second, a story of his total lack of faith, in which he fears for his life, lies to save his own neck at Sarai, his wife's expense, and lets a foreign ruler take her into his harem! (She is later renamed Sarah.)
There is a certain sense in which this is a comforting story. Abraham, often spoken of as the father of the faithful, and recognized almost universally as the symbol of faith, was as human as we are. He believed, but he experienced a major blip in his faith. Nevertheless, God honored His promise and protected him. God had promised that Abraham would have offspring, despite the fact that until this point he and his wife were childless, and Abraham was already 75 years old. Sarai was certainly necessary for the fulfillment of the promise of descendents, so Abram was putting the promise at risk.
There is also a psychological lesson here. Abram apparently thought that if he showed up with Sarai as his wife, the Pharaoh, desiring to have her, would have Abram killed. But when Pharaoh realizes what has happened, he does not execute Abram—which, at this point after such a deception, he might have felt justified in doing; instead, he says, "Take her and go," and lets Abram leave with all his belongings. I suspect that if he had not been so suspicious, everything would have worked out without a problem. As A Course in Miracles notes: "…analyzing the motives of others is hazardous to you. If you decide that someone is really trying to attack you or desert you or enslave you, you will respond as if he had actually done so, having made his error real to you" (T-12.I.1:6-7).
But to me, the really interesting interpretation here is the metaphysical one. Abram represents the faith faculty and the intellect; Sarai represents the soul—the loves, affections, and emotions. Egypt represents sense or material consciousness, and the Pharaoh is the ruler of that consciousness. So, metaphysically, this story depicts a time when my intellect allows my emotional feelings to be dominated by sense consciousness. How often that occurs! Some external event transpires, and I allow my feelings to be controlled by the appearances, rather than by faith, which sees things that are not as though they were. Faith looks beyond appearances. It does not allow the emotions to be controlled by external influences.
There is a certain sense in which this is a comforting story. Abraham, often spoken of as the father of the faithful, and recognized almost universally as the symbol of faith, was as human as we are. He believed, but he experienced a major blip in his faith. Nevertheless, God honored His promise and protected him. God had promised that Abraham would have offspring, despite the fact that until this point he and his wife were childless, and Abraham was already 75 years old. Sarai was certainly necessary for the fulfillment of the promise of descendents, so Abram was putting the promise at risk.
There is also a psychological lesson here. Abram apparently thought that if he showed up with Sarai as his wife, the Pharaoh, desiring to have her, would have Abram killed. But when Pharaoh realizes what has happened, he does not execute Abram—which, at this point after such a deception, he might have felt justified in doing; instead, he says, "Take her and go," and lets Abram leave with all his belongings. I suspect that if he had not been so suspicious, everything would have worked out without a problem. As A Course in Miracles notes: "…analyzing the motives of others is hazardous to you. If you decide that someone is really trying to attack you or desert you or enslave you, you will respond as if he had actually done so, having made his error real to you" (T-12.I.1:6-7).
But to me, the really interesting interpretation here is the metaphysical one. Abram represents the faith faculty and the intellect; Sarai represents the soul—the loves, affections, and emotions. Egypt represents sense or material consciousness, and the Pharaoh is the ruler of that consciousness. So, metaphysically, this story depicts a time when my intellect allows my emotional feelings to be dominated by sense consciousness. How often that occurs! Some external event transpires, and I allow my feelings to be controlled by the appearances, rather than by faith, which sees things that are not as though they were. Faith looks beyond appearances. It does not allow the emotions to be controlled by external influences.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Tower of Babel, January 5, 2013 10:25 PM
Genesis 11:1-9, the Tower of Babel.
Babel is the origin of Babylon, which through the Bible becomes the epitome of unspiritual political power, the nemesis of God's people. First spoken of here in Genesis, at the decline of Israel it plays the crucial role of the conqueror of Israel and the destination of the exiled captives, and it appears in the final chapter of the story, in the book of Revelation, where it is referred to as "the Great Whore." In that final prophecy it falls to the power of God.
The name "Babel" has a basic meaning of "confusion," and the symbol of Babel, and by extension, Babylon, has been interpreted by many to mean just that: confusion. There is the cognate word, babble, and the story is of the confusion of languages. Down through the centuries, when a split or reformation has occurred in the Christian church, those who are rebelling and leaving behind a church organization they view as flawed or even as having abandoned the true faith have sometimes labelled the organization they are leaving as Babylon. One group I knew declared that all denominations, who spoke in a variety of ways with differing interpretations of the Christian gospel, were to be understood as Babylon, and all true, faithful Christians were obliged to come out of "Babylon" to stand with the faithful remnant as the Jews left their exile to return to Jerusalem. That interpretation does not stand up to scrutiny, however.
What does Babel and its tower really symbolize? In this short passage we read that, prior to God's intervention, the people of the world all spoke one language; one translation says they spoke "with the same pronunciation"; another says they used "the same vocabulary."In other words, they could communicate very well, with a minimum of misunderstanding. It says they were all "one," that is, united. They had a single purpose, to reach God by building a tower, which was probably a ziggurat, a stepped tower that would contain an altar at the top.
God declares that they can't be allowed to do it, because if they succeed, "nothing they have a mind to do will be beyond their reach." God steps in and magically causes everyone to suddenly be speaking a different language, so they cannot understand one another. Their unity is shattered, and they are dispersed over the land. The tower, incomplete, is abandoned. The reason for God's action was their arrogant pride, in thinking that by their own efforts they could reach God and make a great name for themselves. Their unity was a worldly unity, a unity based on sense consciousness, on external effort rather than on inner spiritual growth.
The story probably derives from a primitive myth about how different languages originated, blaming it on humanity's hubris and God's magical intervention. While there may be some truth in the idea of a common root for all, or most, languages, it probably didn't happen this way! What you and I can take away from the symbolism of the story, however, is very valid to this day.
How are we instructed to come to know God? "Be still and know that I am God." "Stand still, and see the salvation of The Lord." "For it is by grace you are saved through faith; it is not your own doing. It is God’s gift, not a reward for work done" (Ephesians 2:8–9, Revised English Bible). We do not manifest Christ through our human efforts, by "doing" anything; we manifest Christ by "being." It comes from within. We don't build a great church by great salesmanship, superior management, or skillful fund-raising; we build a great church by fostering spiritual growth in people.
Babel is the origin of Babylon, which through the Bible becomes the epitome of unspiritual political power, the nemesis of God's people. First spoken of here in Genesis, at the decline of Israel it plays the crucial role of the conqueror of Israel and the destination of the exiled captives, and it appears in the final chapter of the story, in the book of Revelation, where it is referred to as "the Great Whore." In that final prophecy it falls to the power of God.
The name "Babel" has a basic meaning of "confusion," and the symbol of Babel, and by extension, Babylon, has been interpreted by many to mean just that: confusion. There is the cognate word, babble, and the story is of the confusion of languages. Down through the centuries, when a split or reformation has occurred in the Christian church, those who are rebelling and leaving behind a church organization they view as flawed or even as having abandoned the true faith have sometimes labelled the organization they are leaving as Babylon. One group I knew declared that all denominations, who spoke in a variety of ways with differing interpretations of the Christian gospel, were to be understood as Babylon, and all true, faithful Christians were obliged to come out of "Babylon" to stand with the faithful remnant as the Jews left their exile to return to Jerusalem. That interpretation does not stand up to scrutiny, however.
What does Babel and its tower really symbolize? In this short passage we read that, prior to God's intervention, the people of the world all spoke one language; one translation says they spoke "with the same pronunciation"; another says they used "the same vocabulary."In other words, they could communicate very well, with a minimum of misunderstanding. It says they were all "one," that is, united. They had a single purpose, to reach God by building a tower, which was probably a ziggurat, a stepped tower that would contain an altar at the top.
God declares that they can't be allowed to do it, because if they succeed, "nothing they have a mind to do will be beyond their reach." God steps in and magically causes everyone to suddenly be speaking a different language, so they cannot understand one another. Their unity is shattered, and they are dispersed over the land. The tower, incomplete, is abandoned. The reason for God's action was their arrogant pride, in thinking that by their own efforts they could reach God and make a great name for themselves. Their unity was a worldly unity, a unity based on sense consciousness, on external effort rather than on inner spiritual growth.
The story probably derives from a primitive myth about how different languages originated, blaming it on humanity's hubris and God's magical intervention. While there may be some truth in the idea of a common root for all, or most, languages, it probably didn't happen this way! What you and I can take away from the symbolism of the story, however, is very valid to this day.
How are we instructed to come to know God? "Be still and know that I am God." "Stand still, and see the salvation of The Lord." "For it is by grace you are saved through faith; it is not your own doing. It is God’s gift, not a reward for work done" (Ephesians 2:8–9, Revised English Bible). We do not manifest Christ through our human efforts, by "doing" anything; we manifest Christ by "being." It comes from within. We don't build a great church by great salesmanship, superior management, or skillful fund-raising; we build a great church by fostering spiritual growth in people.
Friday, January 4, 2013
Noah: Afloat, January 4, 2013 9:17 AM
Genesis 8:1–9:17
The meaning of Noah is “rest.” It was the 7th month in which the ark came to rest on the mountain tops. Seven is a number that represents divine perfection, and the heights of a mountain represent a high state of spiritual consciousness. What we have symbolized here is that elevated state of perfect rest that can be attained after passing through a time of terrible trial.
In Mysteries of Genesis, Fillmore suggests that the sending forth of the raven and dove conveys the uncertainty about the high state of consciousness. “Am I truly safe? Can I really rest?” The raven goes out to test the situation. A raven can fly for a long time, and it also can feed on carrion, of which there must have been an abundance. So the raven does not return. Doves, however, cannot remain aloft as long as a raven, nor can they feed on carrion, so the dove would keep returning to the ark until there was dry land for it to land upon. The dove, like the name Noah, symbolizes rest and peace. Coming back with an olive leaf at least showed that some plants were visible and beginning to grow again; new life was appearing, but the land was not yet fully uncovered, just the tree branches. Seven days later, the dove went out and did not return; there was enough land and plants to provide sustenance for her. To me, all this seems to imply that it is okay to “test” our spiritual experiences, to make sure that what seems like deliverance and peace really is, that the trial is really over. There is enough spiritual food and ground on which to stand to sustain our peace.
It is interesting that the covenant God makes is said to be, not only with Noah and his family, but with every living creature. The animals and birds represent our thoughts, and the burnt offerings, to me, represent bringing our thoughts to Spirit and offering them up, opening ourselves to the Presence of God, and allowing our thoughts to be “consumed” by Spirit.
The rainbow represents God’s faithfulness. The covenant, essentially, is a guarantee that the universe is friendly, that there is no vengeful God ready to destroy the world on a whim. I can affirm: I trust the integrity of the universe.
The meaning of Noah is “rest.” It was the 7th month in which the ark came to rest on the mountain tops. Seven is a number that represents divine perfection, and the heights of a mountain represent a high state of spiritual consciousness. What we have symbolized here is that elevated state of perfect rest that can be attained after passing through a time of terrible trial.
In Mysteries of Genesis, Fillmore suggests that the sending forth of the raven and dove conveys the uncertainty about the high state of consciousness. “Am I truly safe? Can I really rest?” The raven goes out to test the situation. A raven can fly for a long time, and it also can feed on carrion, of which there must have been an abundance. So the raven does not return. Doves, however, cannot remain aloft as long as a raven, nor can they feed on carrion, so the dove would keep returning to the ark until there was dry land for it to land upon. The dove, like the name Noah, symbolizes rest and peace. Coming back with an olive leaf at least showed that some plants were visible and beginning to grow again; new life was appearing, but the land was not yet fully uncovered, just the tree branches. Seven days later, the dove went out and did not return; there was enough land and plants to provide sustenance for her. To me, all this seems to imply that it is okay to “test” our spiritual experiences, to make sure that what seems like deliverance and peace really is, that the trial is really over. There is enough spiritual food and ground on which to stand to sustain our peace.
It is interesting that the covenant God makes is said to be, not only with Noah and his family, but with every living creature. The animals and birds represent our thoughts, and the burnt offerings, to me, represent bringing our thoughts to Spirit and offering them up, opening ourselves to the Presence of God, and allowing our thoughts to be “consumed” by Spirit.
The rainbow represents God’s faithfulness. The covenant, essentially, is a guarantee that the universe is friendly, that there is no vengeful God ready to destroy the world on a whim. I can affirm: I trust the integrity of the universe.
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