Seeds For Thinking

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

Scripture: “And thou shalt make them linen breeches to cover their nakedness; from the loins even unto the thighs they shall reach: And they shall be upon Aaron, and upon his sons, when they come in unto the tabernacle of the congregation, or when they come near unto the altar to minister in the holy place; that they bear not iniquity, and die.” (Exodus 28:42-43, KJV)

Those of us who reside in the temperate and frigid zones can’t help but long for the annual return to more hours of sunlight than darkness, and the reflowering of the earth. Warmth! Ah, the time when we can discard the bulky, constricting clothing of winter and traipse light and airy into the balminess of springtime. Lest you forget the capriciousness of the season, however, best keep those warm wraps handy, as evidenced by this tombstone epitaph:

“Neath this stone, like a lump of clay,
Lies Uncle Peter Daniels,
Who, early in the month of May,
Took off his winter flannels.”

Uncle Peter was likely wearing a type of warm underwear called a “union suit.” It originated as women's wear during the 19th-century United States clothing reform efforts, as an alternative to constricting garments, and soon gained popularity among men as well. The first union suit was patented in 1868 as "emancipation union under flannel." Traditionally made of red flannel with long arms and long legs, it buttoned up the front and had a button-up flap in the rear.
It was not uncommon until the mid-20th century for rural men to wear the same union suit continuously all week, or even all winter. Yes, a different life style, indeed!
Underwear can be used to preserve the wearer's modesty, as was demanded of the Aaronic priests when officiating at the altar of the tabernacle or temple. The breeches or undergarments were made of linen (Exodus 28:39), since the priest must not perspire when officiating (Ezekiel 44:18).
The LORD instructed Moses, “These are the garments they are to make: a breastpiece, an ephod, a robe, a woven tunic, a turban and a sash. They are to make these sacred garments for your brother Aaron and his sons, so they may serve me as priests. Have them use gold, and blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen. “ (Exodus 28:4-5)
While the breeches were part of the daily dress of the priest, they were worn under the Tunic, a long or half-sleeved shirtlike garb reaching to the ankles.
The first "over" piece to be put on was the robe of the Ephod. This garment, probably sleeveless, was essentially a large blue mantle with a hole for the wearer's head. (Exodus 28:31-34) The Ephod, (Exodus 28:6-12) a kind of apron made of materials woven out of gold and linen thread and variously colored yarns, was perhaps the most important item of the priestly clothing. It covered the back and chest, reaching nearly to the knees. It was fastened to the body by two shoulder straps and a belt with which it was lined. The breastpiece, so called because of its position when worn, was a pouch made from the same materials as the ephod. Chains of braided gold and golden rings with loops of blue secured the breastpiece in position. Its primary purpose was to contain the sacred lot, the Urim and Thummim. By wearing them above his heart, Aaron would indicate that justice originates with God and would remind God to maintain the administration of justice in Israel.
The priests’ garments were for glory and beauty (Ex. 28:2,40), with the priest demonstrating modesty through the wearing of linen breeches or undergarments.
Paul describes appropriate garments for followers of Christ in Ephesians 6:10-18 - The whole armour of God - including the breastplate of righteousness; feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; the shield of faith, (wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked); the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. But under it all, have your “loins girt about with truth.” (KJV) Wear it all week, for every season. Truth is central to the Faith. We must always remain loyal to God’s truth and keep His Law.
March 11, 2011

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* Support Systems
* Scripture: Paul wrote, "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:11, NKJV

We do many things without thinking about them. Breathing, for instance. Most of the time I give no thought to breathing at all, but I can control it to a certain extent, like when the doctor says, "Take a deep breath and hold it." Automatic breathing is probably a good thing, considering how often I forget things any more.
Likewise, we seldom give thought to the many people who provide services for us, because we do not personally see them at work. People who operate and maintain the electrical power system, for example, or gas, water, and the "tele' services. We notice when the system goes down, but even then little thought is given to the many people behind the service technicians who come to our neighborhood.
Few people are able to totally sustain their lives without input from others along the way. Our clothing, our food, the tools we use and the companionship we enjoy require us to look beyond ourselves to discover the many relationships that seldom enter our thoughts.
Consider, then, the armor worn by a soldier such as Paul describes in his letter to the Ephesians. Find a picture of a completely equipped soldier if you can, or a knight from the middle ages. You will see that the "whole armor" that Paul recommends is quite complex, made up of many pieces, all held together by laces, belting and straps. It is highly unlikely that the soldier could put on a full suit of armor by himself, let alone possess the skills needed to build it.
There would be several levels of metal workers, from the miner of ore, to the smelter and refiner, and the fabricator of parts. The sword maker was and still is a specialist in the trade. Leather working passes through several stages, as well.
Was the fully armored soldier thinking of all of these people as he moved forward into battle? Probably no more than we think of all the people who have contributed to the spiritual armor with which we should equip ourselves: truth, righteousness, the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the Word of God.
Have we alone equipped ourselves? Are we standing alone? By no means! Praise God, we stand shoulder to shoulder with countless numbers of "Christian Soldiers," following the saints who have preceded us and sacrificed for us. We owe what we have and hold dear to parents, teachers, pastors and preachers, refiners and fabricators of the spiritual armor with which we go forth.
Paul adds, "Praying always with all prayer a supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints -" (Ephesians 6:18, NKJV)
June 4, 2006

Link: http://seedsforthinking.oldgleaner.com/

* The Garden Fence
* Scripture: Paul wrote, “Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:11, NKJV

One, two, three, four, five . . . RABBITS! No, I wasn’t bleary-eyed from watching too many cartoons with ‘wascally wabbits,” nor reading books, either. And I doubt if these bunnies answered to any name, let alone Bugs or Peter. But they were definitely real, and definitely in my garden. Bounding about. Having a gay old time. So much for “rabbit fence.”
So, I stood watching them do rabbit stuff for a while. One came bounding toward me (through the fence, of course) and stopped about five feet from my feet, gave me a once-over, made a slight detour, and proceeded on his (her?) way. The others leaped and dashed about my sacred place, sampled some of the lettuce, stretched out in total relaxation, and looked to be thoroughly enjoying themselves - at my expense, of course. Finally, they joined in a game of follow-the-leader, through the fence, down the stream bank, and on to what ever rabbits do when they are not in a garden.
Brought back memories of last summer, when I worked and worked on that fence, battled the groundhogs, those scheming diggers, and thought that I had outsmarted the rabbits. Well, move over, Mr. McGreagor; I went to dig some potatoes one day, and discovered a nice, cozy, rabbit’s nest right in the straw mulch in the potato patch! Baby bunnies, right in the heart of my secure treasure island!
Well, I also need to mention that the reason I went to the garden in the first place was to check for weeds coming up after the few days of rain. They were there, all right, growing nicely, thank you. And the rabbits bounded over them gaily toward the good stuff. So now I have both weeds and rabbits in the garden. Vigilance exposed them; much diligence will be required to control them.
Vigilance, diligence, I see some similarities between my garden life and my spiritual life.
So you have a “fence” (armor) around your treasured walk in “The Way?” Checked it lately? Just when you think you have it all buttoned up - Hippedy-hop! Just when you least expect it, the devil breaks through your defenses (spiritual armor.)
Satan is more wascally than any rabbit, more wily than a coyote, a better under miner than the sharpest-clawed groundhog. And he probably packs a bag of ‘weed’ seeds as he hops through your best intentions, humming and strewing his assorted ills as he penetrates your most cherished inner space. (At least the rabbits take out more than they bring in.)
Now let’s see; if I can dig that fence so deep that they won’t go under it, and go so high they can’t hop over it, maybe I can get the sweet corn to knee heighth so it won’t interest rabbits. But then - raccoons can climb, and - how high can deer jump?
It’s going to be a l-o-n-g summer!
May 29, 2005