Seeds For Thinking

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

Scripture: I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor (Paraclete) to be with you forever - the Spirit of Truth.” John 14:16, NIV

The Book of Job begins with a depiction of a heavenly gathering of angels before the Lord, and Satan “also came with them” (Job 1:6). I note that the literal translation of the Hebrew word used here for Satan means “accuser.” I quickly slide off into a daydream; I envision a heavenly court, not unlike a Perry Mason script, where the Prosecuting Attorney is Satan, “The Accuser.” God is on the High Bench, of course, and the Defense is in good hands, being the Paraclete,the Counselor of John 14:16,
I am not an observer from a back corner of the courtroom, however. I find myself in the witness chair, front and center, the subject of this trial, the Defendant!
The Prosecution begins by opening a large ledger, and my heart shrinks within me. Satan maintains not only a very sharp pencil, but has kept a scrupulous and thorough accounting. I think of the words of the Prophet Isaiah, when he saw a vision of the Lord, high and exulted: “Woe to me,” Isaiah cried, “I am ruined, for I am a man of unclean lips.” (Isaiah 6:5).
Satan begins. They are all listed there, sins of omission, as well as sins of commission. The gross as well as the petty, laid out for all to see. Am I to be like the wicked of the First Psalm, as “chaff that the wind blows away?” Satan is skilled, and cunning. He has well earned the title of “The Accuser.”
As a glowering “Accuser” completes the presentation of his case, he closes his ledger with a sharp “Thunk” of finality.
In despair, I realize that I can do nothing but throw myself upon the mercy of the court. I am reminded that the prosecution is only half of a trial, however. The Defense, the “One who Walks Alongside,” begins. He, too, opens a ledger. All in the court, including Satan, strains to see what is written there. It is a list of names; the Counselor runs his finger swiftly down the page, stopping at a name, and looking up at the bench, proclaims, “I present to the Court, that the defendant's name is written here, in the Book of Life.” Heads nod. Satan scowls, and rises to object. “Your Honor, it is apparent the defense is ignoring the facts.”
The objection is denied. The Counselor asks that the defendant step down for the moment, and asks to present evidence that all of Satan’s accusations are null and void, because they have been purged from the Heavenly record. Again Satan rises. “I object, Your Honor. My records are complete, and factual. Surely the defendant must be found guilty. Justice must prevail.” Again, the objection is denied.
The Counselor calls another witness. “Please tell the court”, he asks, “ why the defendant should not be found guilty in this case.”
“Because I have already paid whatever penalty is due to this defendant,” states the witness. “How can that be?” sputters Satan. “Can sin be forgiven?”
“Yes,” Jesus replies. “Though sins be as scarlet, they shall become as white as wool, and the one who believes in Me shall not perish, but have everlasting life. While he was yet a sinner, I died for him.” Stretching forth His hands, He holds them up for all to see. Thomas, one of the Apostles, sitting to one side, nods, and smiles.
I can but only acknowledge, “My Lord, and My God.”
Well, it is only a dream, isn’t it?
January 25, 2004

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

Scripture: So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their own kind, and every winged bird according to its kind.

Corvids and hominids - will they always be at odds? According to tradition, at least, the accepted way to keep the corvid out of the garden and corn field is by placing a replica of a hominid on guard duty. Does a scarecrow work? It probably impresses people more than it scares crows!
“The Corvids - crows, ravens, jays, magpies and jackdaws, are the Einsteins of the bird family; no other birds even come close to matching their intelligence. Crows live in close knit family groups. They communicate -- some 23 distinct patterns of caws have been interpreted -- and they cooperate with each other. At work, they don't stab each other in the back, and back home, they don't cheat on their spouses -- crows generally mate for life.” (http://www.clcookphoto.com/crows.htm)
According to this entry in the on-line reference, Wikipedia, “Social life: “Young corvids have been known to play and take part in elaborate social games. Documented group games follow a "king of the mountain"- and "follow the leader"-type pattern. Other play involves the manipulation, passing, and balancing of sticks. Corvids also take part in other activities, such as sliding down smooth surfaces. These games are understood to play a large role in the adaptive and survival ability of the birds.” (http://en.wikipedia.org/)
The crows that spend their days in my central Ohio neighborhood may be more perfectly matched to their chosen environment than us Hominids - people. Crows seem to go about their business in all seasons and weather, even in times that send me scurrying for shelter. They seem to know that when I head out with the tractor to work the field or mow the pasture, food will be available in the form of insects or worms. I am impressed by how gracefully and skillfully they move about, whether on the wing or on the ground.
I figure that they do us all more favors by the pests and carrion they devour than the thievery they are reputed to engage in at the garden. I have never felt the need for a scarecrow, but I have a long list of mammalian scofflaws that ravage the goodies. The rabbits go through my supposedly rabbit-proof fence; the groundhogs dig under it, and the deer jump over it. The crows just sit in the trees, probably laughing at the entire circus. I did see them picking some grain from volunteer wheat that grew along the edge of the garden, but the wild turkey hen and her chicks spent more time there than the crows.
The proverbial saying, "To eat crow,” means to abase oneself; be obliged to accept or do something extremely disagreeable. In the context of Judaism, the Biblical books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy specify animals that must not be consumed. While the crow is not mentioned specifically by name, it likely may also be considered to be unclean according to the characteristics mentioned in the list of the birds of the air.
All in all, I have no quarrel with the crows. If they were good enough for God, they are good enough for me.

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

Scripture: Jesus said, “For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.” Mark 7:21-22 NIV
Oh wad some power the giftie gie us
To see oursels as others see us!
It wad frae monie a blunder free us,
An' foolish notion.
--Robert Burns

It is said that Scotch poet, Robert Burns, wrote about “seeing ourselves as others see us,” after watching a louse crawl up the back of a lady sitting in front of him in church. She was decked out in the latest fashion, including a large hat with a feather plume in it. Quite proud of her appearance, no doubt!
Puffed-up pride has been around as long as there have been people. Cain’s pride got him in trouble, and so on through history. Proverbs 16:18 notes that “pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.”
We need to have a certain amount of pride in ourselves, but of a humble sort, rather than haughty pride. A Greek axiom was “Know Thyself.” We need to be knowledgeable of our capabilities, but also our limitations. One of the most destructive traps is the pride that prevents us from admitting that we are wrong, or that we don’t know the answer.
As “Bobbie” Burns observed, “It would from many a blunder free us, and foolish notion.”
One comedy routine went something like this:
1st: “Only fools are positive!”
2nd: “Are you sure of that?”
1st: “Positive!”
Daniel observed that King Nebuchadnezzar was deposed from his royal throne and stripped of his glory because his heart became arrogant and hardened with pride. (Daniel 5:20)
Jesus included pride (arrogance) as one of the things that makes a man unclean. From within, out of men’s hearts, come evils that make a person ‘unclean’. (Mark 7:21-22)
January 7, 2001

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

Scripture: God told Jonah, “And should I not pity Nineveh, that great city, in which are more than one hundred and twenty thousand persons who can not discern between the right hand and their left - and much livestock?” (Jonah 4:11, NKJV)

“Your OTHER left!” Usually uttered as a sarcastic put-down to someone stepping off on the wrong foot while marching. The odds are 50-50 that you will get it right. “All together now: Left-right-left-right.” - If you are out of step you are . . . left?
Actually, the proper word is ‘wrong.’ But note that if something is correct it is ‘right.’ In English, anyway. A little bit of discrimination in favor of right handed people, perhaps.
Those who use the hand on their right side are dexterous, from the Latin ‘dexter’ - on the right side. On the other hand, on the left side, you are ‘sinister,’ unlucky. In France, you would be gauche, lacking social experience or grace; also, not tactful.
In most Arab countries, the left hand is considered “unclean” and is not put forward in social situations. The left hand earned this interesting epithet in the harsh desert, a land of few trees and no paper. It was the custom to eat, shake hands, wave a greeting, all with the right hand while the left hand was reserved for certain “hygienic functions” or blowing the nose.
Many of these same left hand, right hand conventions are found in the Bible. The seat at the right hand is one of honor and power (see Psalm 110:1; Isaiah 62:8) Jesus placed the righteous -the blessed - on the right, and the cursed on the left in the parable of the sheep and goats in Matthew 25:31-46.
So what do you make of the comment God made about people who “can not discern between the right hand and their left?” Is He in effect calling the Ninevites “gauche,” “sinister” or ignorant?
Not at all! God is expressing reasons for mercy. In Nineveh, that great city, are many children who are too young to know their right hand from their left hand, to know good from evil. God has a tender regard for little children, also evidenced by Jesus request to “let the little children come to me.” (Mt. 19:13)
Jonah had pity for the gourd, even anger that it had died, but he showed no pity on the innocent children in Nineveh, not to mention the livestock, who were not guilty of sin. Jonah concedes (vs. 4:2) that God is a “gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness.” Yet Jonah is “displeased exceedingly” (vs. 4:1) that God has taken pity upon Nineveh.
We need to Think about our own “Jonah effect” that we may not discriminate collectively against people by group or category.
God, in His great mercy and lovingkindness, considers all people who turn to Him worthy of salvation.
October 9, 2005