Wednesday Bible Study: Lying to myself part 2

 

Rev 12:3  And another sign was seen in the heavens. And behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads! 

Rev 12:4  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and cast them onto the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman being about to bear, so that when she bears he might devour her child. 

This is the passage in which we learn that Satan/Lucifer/the Dragon drew 1/3 of the angels with him in his rebellion. How did he manage this? We really don't know- but we can guess from his still-forming pattern.  It started with a lie.  One legend I read a long time back suggested he 'explained' to his followers that both he and God arose from some primordial energy, and the only difference between them was God arose first. However, I like JRR Tolkien's version in his "story of creation" in The Silmarillion:  God created the angels to be a chorus, a harmony that was used to create the physical world.  Tolkien's Satan began playing a 'discordant note' that ran against the song revealed by God, and the disharmony drew others near him in.

The difference in the stories is a bold lie versus a subtle one.  One note provokes listening. Listening provokes a change of mind.  Barely more than setting an example.  And one third of 'myriads and myriads' fell.

This is how subtle Satan is.  But you know what?  There had to be a reason that the subtle lie was listened to.  I want to show you that in the first lie to humanity.

Gen 3:1  Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

Gen 3:2  And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. 

Gen 3:3  But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 

Gen 3:4  And the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, 

Gen 3:5  for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil. 

Now here's the part you might have overlooked.  Take another look at verse three there, and compare:

Gen 2:16  And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden, 

Gen 2:17  but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. 

So where does, "neither shall you touch it" come from?  Step by step:  The first law God gave was to Adam, before Eve was drawn from him.  Given the man's placement at the head of the family, we can safely assume that Adam was given the responsibility of teaching Eve...

1Co 14:34  Let your women be silent in the churches; for it is not permitted to them to speak, but to be in subjection, as the Law also says. 

1Co 14:35  And if they desire to learn anything, let them ask their husbands at home; for it is a shame for a woman to speak in a church. 

The point Paul was making is not to let questions interrupt and bog down the service; it was assumed that the husband, if godly, would understand first.  If we believe (and I do) that Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit, then it follows that Adam had the job of explaining to Eve.  

If Eve just accepted God's Law without question, she could have hardly added the touch part.  It makes one understand that Adam faced an Eve who questioned the why of things, and perhaps Adam added the touch part to end the discussion.  But there WAS a discussion.  Did the angels also have a discussion?

So, is questioning the root of sin? No- but trust is.

Mat 18:1  At that hour the disciples came to Jesus, saying, Who is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven? 

Mat 18:2  And Jesus called a little child to Him and set him in their midst, 

Mat 18:3  and said, Truly I say to you, Unless you are converted and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of Heaven. 

Mat 18:4  Therefore whoever shall humble himself like this little child, this one is the greater in the kingdom of Heaven. 

The difference between a doubting question and a child's question: A child will receive an answer they may not quite understand, because they TRUST the One they ask.  But the doubting question?  THAT was the opening that Satan needed to tell his lie.

-Step one: Begin the questioning: "Is it so...?"

-Step two: Size up the weakness: "...neither touch..."

-Step three:  The bold part of the lie: "You will NOT surely die..."

- Step four: Cloak the bold lie in the original doubting question: "...then your eyes will be opened..."

-Step five: Await the results- is the doubt in the question enough to abandon childlike trust for human reason?  God tells us:

Pro 3:5  Trust in Jehovah with all your heart, and lean not to your own understanding. 

Pro 3:6  In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. 

Pro 3:7  Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear Jehovah and depart from evil. 

But Eve followed the doubt...

Gen 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make wise, she took of its fruit, and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 

If Eve had had that childlike faith that led her to trust in God- and by extension, in Adam- she would have never have been vulnerable to Satan's trick.  But what about Adam?  Surely HE had the ability to stop Eve in her tracks, and call upon the Lord.  That he didn't tells us that he had been drawn in by the discussion as well.  Again, discussion isn't the sin, but discussion that entertains doubt- that leads to an opening for Satan.  It all comes down to the ability to see God as Great.  To close off our avenue of vulnerability, we have to have the right perspective of God...

Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; and let him return to Jehovah, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon. 

Isa 55:8  For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways, says Jehovah. 

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. 

Random Wiki Stuff II

 I didn't see a lot of hope for the news tonight, so I said, "Good grief, I'm going to have to do this random wiki thing again!"  If you wanted to run off screaming into the night, I'll understand.

Post 1- A Predicament

This was basically Edgar Allen Poe being a smarta$$.  Our heroine is walking the street with her 3-foot tall servant and her 5-inch tall doggie (yes, you have that right) when she decides to explore a Gothic cathedral.  Spying a tiny window she wanted to peek out, she finds she's peering out the face of a giant clock in the steeple- and guess what, the minute hand is suddenly pushing against the back of her neck.  Eventually, after it pops her eyes out, it severs her head which falls to the street.  Apparently still alive, she continues to narrate the story, as her servant scampers off in fear, and her tiny doggie gets eaten by a rat.  The "flip side" was a companion piece called How To Write A Blackwood Article; seems Poe disliked this magazine's formulaic horror stories.

Post 2- Jimmy "the Greek" Snyder

The original NFL today made stars of a bevy of people, including two that got bounced for outside activities.  One was Jayne Kennedy, who got canned for a "too sexy" ad for a soda, and the other was "betting expert" (AKA pro gambler) the Greek.  His offense was during what would be now called a podcast, he answered a question about the future of African-American athletes by explaining that the way they were bred by the last century's slave owners made them superior athletes.  While Jayne would have survived these days, the Greek was going to be blackballed no matter the era.

Post 3- the USS Tamalpais

This was the exciting (cough cough) story of a tanker that did two tours of duty running drinking water during WWII and shortly thereafter, later hauling oil, and finally being converted into a "floating power station".

Post 4- 2018 Ventforet Kofu season

Just as exciting was a page of results from a second-level Japanese soccer league team.  They finished 9th.

Post 5- Aradippou

This is a tiny town in Cyprus, whose one possible claim to fame was its founding by one Rhodippus, a warrior returning from the sack of Troy....

Post 6- Grammatophora

 A diatom first discovered near Guam.  Unfortunately, Poe never wrote a horror story about diatoms.

Post 7- Joseph Morgan Henninger

Well he moves the interest meter a few hairs.  Born in my own home state, in Elwood Indiana, he was an artist of some renown.  He has works in such places as the Pentagon and the Air Force Academy (where they proudly display his portrait of Chuck Yager...

Post 8- Neo Chorio

This week our focus seems to be on unheard-of small towns in Cyprus.  This one has basically become a "refugee center" for Turkish Cypriots fleeing from the Greek side of the island.

Post 9- List of California suffragists

That certainly sparks new interest in Neo Chorio....

And finally...   

Post 10- Some Wilderness

An apt name for this entire post, it was a studio lp by a Brooklyn indie band called Oxford Collapse (2002-2009);Leader Michael Pace went on to even more obscurity with The Child Actors (2012-2019).

So after a strong start, this fell into about what I expected quickly.  You can do your part to prevent posts like this: go out and do something stupid, get it on the news, so that I can find it and make fun of it!

Welcome to Friday

 Normally this would be a music post day... I'm just not feeling it.  I've done music posts every week almost since about April of 2010, and I guess I just need a break.  I think for now, every now and then I'll let you know what's up for me musically, and maybe share a new song, but I might be shelving the regular post.  I guess I'm just getting old, and for me, part of getting old is a dislike of schedules.

I do want to share this one with you- assuming I find a video!  New from Redspencer...

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That would be a debut at 5 THIS week... Now, this one debuted at 5 LAST week...

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See, I feel better already!  I guess maybe, with all the crap in the news, all the racism and reverse-racism, all the lies and liars, all the doggies crossing the rainbow bridge , I just need to get my music happy again- and when the tank's full, I'll be back to the real thing.  I don't think I realized until I started typing this that somehow the weekly post was getting lumped into "Toxic things to do", and it shouldn't be there.

In the meantime, here are some pictures, as it has been back down from "Walking on the sun" temps the last day or so:

Last night after work

I made a vow early this year, I'm just going to snap, and not pick, 4-leaf clovers.  Here's the first one that took me up on it.

Bumble bee hanging on to chickory flower wondering when it got so darn cold...

Rained better part of the day before- Misty's drinking holes are open!

This fungus looked like someone upchucked their brain...

A deer!

Then, a mama and baby

Mama looked like the drought hadn't been kind to her

This fungus looked more like thin leaves

Apparently, a fair going on in the Coliseum lot

They finally treated the Alumni Pond

More rides

South Canal full again

But the prevailing winds blew all the algae to our side of the river

Hold on, varmintage

Which brings us to a more eventful morning...

Somewhere before 0730

Found a gizmo

SPROINGG!

Grapes coming in... but stunted an VERY bitter

What have we here?

Mama has THREE babies

They were characters!  Two climbed the sand mound, and one was kicking around like a goat!

Meanwhile, I think they closed the dam... now the algae is land bound

Fair panorama

Lotta mushrooms... still no puffballs, though

Wednesday Bible Study: Lying to myself

 

I want next to do a study on lies and lying.  It may sound a bit like Solomon's study of madness and folly, but it all revolves around wanting to expose the lies I tell myself, so Satan can come in and lead me to sin.  I want these lies to wilt in the light of day; hence I am going down this path.

To understand lies, one must understand the source- Satan.  Jesus said of him,

(to the Pharisees) Joh 8:44  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. 

He speaks out of his own character.  What does that mean?  That is one way to get to where I'm going.  How I got there, though, was a little more around the barn.  I was looking for examples of lying, and first up was Satan (the Dragon) lying to Eve.  And I asked, "Why does Satan hate us so?"  And as it turns, that was the key question.  And that, as the lawyers say, goes to character.  And thus, we have to ask what was- and is- his character?

For that, we turn to Ezekiel:

Eze 28:12  “Son of man, raise a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, Thus says the Lord GOD: “You were the signet of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 

Eze 28:13  You have been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering, the ruby, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the turquoise, and the emerald, and gold. The workmanship of your tambourines and of your flutes was prepared in you in the day that you were created. 

Eze 28:14  You were an anointed guardian cherub. I placed you; you were on the holy mountain of God; in the midst of the stones of fire you walked. 

Eze 28:15  You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created, till unrighteousness was found in you. 

Most of this chapter, though God calls him, as a comparison to a contemporary, "the King of Tyre", is about Lucifer, he who became Satan. He was, at the start, the greatest, most perfect being God had created. He was every gem that man would imagine.  He was a living musical instrument- see the end of v13 above.  The word "anointed" in v14 is often translated "covering", which confused the bedazzles out of the commentators, but it's really very simple:  He was heaven's worship leader, standing between God and the angels as no one else could (in the midst of the stones of fire);  He literally covered their eyes from the full force of seeing God.  Thus, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and John all talk about Cherubim that cover their eyes with one set of wings, because Lucifer no longer does it for them.

What could make such a being turn so drastically?  Ezekiel explains the trajectory in verses 5 and 17.

-He used his wisdom to gain riches;

-those riches lifted his heart in pride;

- and that pride spoiled his wisdom.  How very much like Solomon's case.  In a way, God gave Solomon the chance to be a human Lucifer; and for a time at least, he, too, became a Satan.

In Isaiah 14, that prophet also gives a detailing of Satan; but before I go there, I was astonished by how it fit a list I found of Five reasons Satan hates us- see how this all ties together?

Those five reasons, shuffled to match what we will see in Isaiah:

1- We are a threat to him.  We keep him from destroying mankind by our faith.  And one day we will meet the Lord in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17), and join the army that destroys his minions (Revelation 19).

2- God gives us authority over him: Jas 4:7  Therefore submit yourselves to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Not only can we resist him, but we will judge him: 1Co 6:2  Do you not know that the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3  Do you not know that we shall judge angels, not to mention the things of this life? 

3- You will be taking his old job, the worship leaders of heaven: Rev 7:9  After these things I looked, and lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, out of all nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palms in their hands. 10  And they cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God sitting on the throne, and to the Lamb. 

4- Because God loves you.  Pro 8:30  even I was a workman at His side; and I was daily His delight, rejoicing always before Him; 31  rejoicing in the world, His earth; and my delight was with the sons of men. 

5- We look like God: Gen 1:26  And God said, Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness...

Now, let's see how that meshes up with Lucifer's own claims in Isaiah 14:

 Isa 14:12  How you are fallen from the heavens, O shining star, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! 

1-  For you have said in your heart, I will go up to the heavens... (v13) Instead, he's cast down, and we will be lifted up.

2- I will exalt my throne above the stars of God;  (v13)- instead, he will end up lower than us...

3- I will also sit on the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north. (v13) He has LOST his spot before the congregation...

4- I will go up above the heights of the clouds; (v14) Instead, the God who died for us will bring us there...

5- I will be like the Most High. But God never made angels in His image; He made US in His image.

This is why he hates us; he can never be what God made us to be.  But he still believes in these five acts of pride; thus, his entire character is built on the lie.  Much like many people who are too caught up in politics: His whole self-esteem is tied up in his agenda.  He has but 2 choices now; believe the lie, or destroy himself. 

In a way, that fits me.  There are certain parts of my self-image that need not be there, and the Lord has relieved me of the most of them.  But there are the ruts they leave, that I fall into; and more, there are ones yet to be exposed.  But see, Christ gives us a third choice, which the angels do not get; the choice of salvation.  And I hope with salvation to root them out as we go along for this ride.

PIctures! (Melted variety)

 So we finally took a walk Sunday night after the race.  It was much like wrapping up under about six of your favorite winter comforters, and then walking for two miles.  The weather almanac claims the conditions were about the same as right now- 86F withn76% humidity- I guarantee you that our walk was at least five points higher on both.  There was literally no air to breathe.  Nevertheless...

Picture looks foggy because the camera lens fogged up as soon as we stepped out...

The cloud situation.  An hour and a half later, the cow was on the flat rock (Chris for "It rained a bunch".)

Bunny #1 of five on the night.

Caught him in mid-spring.  His sibling was up the trail and skeedaddled when we saw her.

Yellow butterfly

Me pretending to breathe

We never did figure out was this was- it wouldn't come apart, that's for sure.

Doggie sensed major varmintage.  Heard it once, never saw.

Okay, I just looked this up.  The event was Saturday; the "League" is 

the League for the Blind and Disabled; 7 categories up to a 7.5K run/walk, which the winner beat everyone else by just under 6 minutes.  Congrats, and no I'm not about to do that in that sun.

Bunny #3 by the stone pile

"Keep up the good work", they say, as my back starts to tingle in the heat.

White butterfly

"Ahhhh!

Yep, me too

After a bit of a break- and mind you our 2 miles in about 50 minutes wasn't close to the winner's 4.6 miles in 26 minutes- we continued on down south canal, Misty said hi to a little girl (and climbed between her bike wheels, and we all watched...

A deer cooling her feet in the canal

The Corner Bunny (AKA #4)

This is me attempting and failing to snap a little otter we saw crossing the footbridge

We would later see both Bunny #1 and big Bunny #5 coming back into the complex, but by this point, a cold shower was all I could cogitate on...