More on writing clearly (Orwell)

This mixture of vagueness and sheer incompetence is the most marked characteristic of modern English prose, and especially of any kind of political writing. As soon as certain topics are raised, the concrete melts into the abstract and no one seems able to think of turns of speech that are not hackneyed: prose consists less and less of words chosen for the sake of their meaning, and more and more of phrases tacked together like the sections of a prefabricated hen-house.—George Orwell, A Collection of Essays, 159

<idle musing>
Ain't that the truth!
</idle musing>

Tozer for Tuesday, with a quotation from Thomas à Kempis

Thomas a Kempis wisely observed, "We give all our attention to things that do us little good, or none at all; things that are vitally necessary we don’t bother about them, just give them the go-by. Yes, all that goes to make man drives him to meddle with outward things, and if he doesn’t soon recover his senses, is only too glad to wallow in material interests and pleasures.”—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 35

A prayer for the church

743 For the Church

O God our Father, we pray for thy Church, which is set today amid the perplexities of a changing order, and face to face with new tasks. Baptize her afresh in the life-giving spirit of Jesus! Bestow upon her a great responsiveness to duty, a swifter compassion with suffering, and an utter loyalty to the will of God. Help her to proclaim boldly the coming of the kingdom of God. Put upon her lips the ancient Gospel of her Lord. Fill her with the prophets’ scorn of tyranny, and with a Christlike tenderness for the heavy-laden and downtrodden. Bid her cease from seeking her own life, lest she lose it. Make her valiant to give up her life to humanity, that, like her crucified Lord, she may mount by the path of the cross to a higher glory; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

Think clearly. Write clearly

Modern English, especially written English, is full of bad habits which spread by imitation and which can be avoided if one is willing to take the necessary trouble. If one gets rid of these habits one can think more clearly, and to think clearly is a necessary first step towards political regeneration: so that the fight against bad English is not frivolous and is not the exclusive concern of professional writers.—George Orwell, A Collection of Essays, 157

A collect (prayer) for our times

694

Almighty God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves: Keep us, both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may hurt the soul; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

Sound familiar?

The ruling power is always faced with the question, “In such and such circumstances, what would you do?”, whereas the opposition is not obliged to take responsibility or make any real decisions. Where it is a permanent and pensioned; opposition, as in England, the quality of its thought deteriorates accordingly. Moreover, anyone who starts out with a pessimistic, reactionary view of life tends to be justified by events, for Utopia never arrives—George Orwell, A Collection of Essays, 131

Still true, 85 years later

No one, in our time, believes in any sanction greater than military power; no one believes that it is possible to overcome force except by greater force. There is no “law,” there is only power. I am not saying that that is a true belief, merely that it is the belief which all modern men do actually hold. Those who pretend otherwise are either intellectual cowards, or power-worshippers under a thin disguise, or have simply not caught up with the age they are living in. Kipling’s outlook is pre-Fascist. He still believes that pride comes before a fall and that the gods punish hubris. He does not foresee the tank, the bombing plane, the radio and the secret police, or their psychological results.—George Orwell, A Collection of Essays, 118

It isn't a failure!

It might seem that God could have just stepped in after the fall and eliminated free will and the divine and human rebels who had abused it. Eden would be ensured and that would be that. While that would produce the desired end, the original means—free participation in God’s creation by God’s free-will agents, designed to be like him—would have been abandoned, amounting to a very flawed idea and spectacular failure. A resolution like that isn’t fitting (or desirable) for the God of the Bible. God’s original objective must come about in the way he intended.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 358

<idle musing>
That's the final snippet from the book. I saw an announcement yesterday that they are releasing a second edition, inserting stuff that Mike has on his website. They are calling it a posthumous tribute.

Next up is a collection of George Orwell essays that I picked up at a library sale last year. I bought it for his essay on the English language, but some of the other essays are well worth your time. Stay tuned!
</idle musing>

Callous (Tozer for Tuesday—on a Wednesday)

Perhaps the most dangerous situation confronting Christians today is what I call cauterizing the conscience. That is, making a person insensitive or callous to the world around him. In practical terms, he experiences a deadening of feelings toward morals. Quite simply, this moral insensibility is a lack of feeling. You cannot feel the whole moral question. The strange paradox is that a person may be troubled by his inability to feel, yet he cannot feel. Even among those who consider themselves Christians, there is very little outrage at the immorality of our times.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 34 (emphasis original)

Who's on the defense here?

The theological messaging couldn’t be more dramatic. Jesus says he will build his church—and the “gates of hell” will not prevail against it. We often think of this phrase as though God’s people are in a posture of having to bravely fend off Satan and his demons. This simply isn’t correct. Gates are defensive structures, not offensive weapons. The kingdom of God is the aggressor. Jesus begins at ground zero in the cosmic geography of both testaments to announce the great reversal. It is the gates of hell that are under assault—and they will not hold up against the church. Hell will one day be Satan’s tomb.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 284–85 (emphasis original)

That David guy—a man after God's heart?

The history of lsrael’s kings illustrates the point. King David was guilty of the worst of crimes against humanity in the incident with Bathsheba and Uriah the Hittite (2 Sam 11). He was clearly in violation of the law and deserving of death. Nevertheless, his belief in who Yahweh was among all gods never wavered. God was merciful to him, sparing him from death, though his sin had consequences the rest of his life. But there was no doubt that David was ever a believer in Yahweh and never worshiped another. Yet other kings of Israel and Judah were tossed aside and both kingdoms sent into exile—because they worshiped other gods. Personal failure, even of the worst kind, did not send the nation into exile. Choosing other gods did.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 170

But how?

But did this salvation come by obeying rules? To ask the question is to miss the point. Salvation in the Old Testament meant love for Yahweh alone. One had to believe that Yahweh was the God of all gods, trusting that this Most High God had chosen covenant relationship with Israel to the detriment of all other nations. The law was how one demonstrated that love—that loyalty.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 169 (emphasis original)

Thought for the day

"While compartmentalizing the political, social, religious, and economic into different spheres of human behavior may create convenient analytical units, it does not reflect a reality where they are intertwined."—from a forthcoming article in Near Eastern Archaeology (88.1)

It's who we are…

Humans who survive birth without suffering severe impairment, however, are able to represent God as originally intended. They do so by means of a spectrum of abilities we have as humans. These abilities are part of our being like God. They are attributes we share with God, such as intelligence and creativity. The attributes God shared with us are the means to imaging, not the image status itself. Imaging status and our attributes are related but not identical concepts.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 59 (emphasis original)

Imago Dei

This last example directs us to what the Hebrew preposition means in Genesis 1:26. Humankind was created as God’s image. If we think of imaging as a verb or function, that translation makes sense. We are created to image God, to be his imagers. It is what we are by definition. The image is not an ability we have, but a status. We are God’s representatives on earth. To be human is to image God.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 42–43

Move along, there's nothing here to see (Tozer for Tuesday)

Most people, unfortunately, would peruse these pages with a sense of curiosity and soon grow bored and turn aside for the titillation of some new thing. Becoming fascinated with some exterior trinket, they soon lose interest in pursuing the presence of God. For those, someone always comes along boasting of some new religious gadget to play with. The poor, undernourished, immature Christian goes from one religious gadget to another, ending up with an emptiness inside that they cannot comprehend.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 26

It's a bit of a different outlook, to say the least...

My contention is that, if our theology really derives from the biblical text, we must reconsider our selective supernaturalism and recover a biblical theology of the unseen world. This is not to suggest that the best interpretation of a passage is always the most supernatural one. But the biblical writers and those to whom they wrote were predisposed to supernaturalism. To ignore that outlook or marginalize it will produce Bible interpretation that reflects our mind-set more than that of the biblical writers.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 18 (emphasis original)

Psalm 33 and Isaiah 40

Yesterday's devotional at Seedbed was on Ps 33. It's a short little thing, as devotionals usually are, but this one seems especially appropriate for today:

If you feel powerless today, or that the purposes of God are somehow being thwarted in the world, then take heart. God is in control of human history. His plans will unfold according to his eternal and unchanging purposes. The last headline of the newspapers of the world will be: “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15).

I'm pretty sure that when they wrote this, they weren't intending to target a certain event happening in Washington, DC later today, but it is timely, isn't it?

And if you are one of those who is rejoicing over that event, remember that he, too, will one day bend the knee before the King of creation and give an account. Isaiah says it well:

5 The Lord’s glory will appear,
      and all humanity will see it together;
      the Lord’s mouth has commanded it.

6 A voice was saying:
       “Call out!”
And another[a] said,
      “What should I call out?”
All flesh is grass;
      all its loyalty is like the flowers of the field.
7 The grass dries up
      and the flower withers
      when the Lord’s breath blows on it.
      Surely the people are grass. Isaiah 40:5–7 (CEB)

Judge Eternal, Throned in Splendor

546 Judge Eternal, Throned in Splendor

1 Judge eternal, throned in splendour,
   Lord of lords and King of kings,
   with thy living fire of judgment
   purge this realm of bitter things:
   solace all its wide dominion
   with the healing of thy wings.

2 Crown, O Lord, thine own endeavour;
   cleave our darkness with thy sword;
   cheer the faint and feed the hungry
   with the richness of thy word;
   cleanse the body of this nation
   through the glory of the Lord.
                         Henry S. Holland
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a terribly popular hymn, occurring in a little over 100 hymnals. Seems to be an appropriate prayer for our country right now.

There is a second verse:

2 Still the weary folk are pining
   for the hour that brings release:
   and the city's crowded clangour
   cries aloud for sin to cease;
   and the homesteads and the woodlands
   plead in silence for their peace.

</idle musing>

It's closed world, after all…

First, many Christians claim to believe in the supernatural but think (and live) like skeptics. We find talk of the supernatural world uncomfortable. This is typical of denominations and evangelical congregations outside the charismatic movement—in other words, those from a background like the one I grew up in.

There are two basic reasons why noncharismatics tend to close the door on the supernatural world. One is their suspicion that charismatic practices are detached from sound exegesis of Scripture. As a biblical scholar, it’s easy for me to agree with that suspicion—but over time it has widely degenerated into a closed-minded overreaction that is itself detached from the worldview of the biblical writers.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 17

Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory (The Battle Hymn of the Republic)

545 Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory

1 Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord;
   He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored;
   He hath loosed the fateful lightning of His terrible swift sword;
   His truth is marching on.

Refrain:
   Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!
   Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!His truth is marching on.

2 I have seen Him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
   They have builded Him an altar in the evening dews and damps;
   I can read the righteous sentence by the dim and flaring lamps;
   His day is marching on. [Refrain]

3 He has sounded forth the trumpet that shall never call retreat;
   He is sifting out all human hearts before His judgment seat;
   O be swift, my soul, to answer Him; be jubilant, my feet!
   Our God is marching on. [Refrain]

4 In the beauty of the lilies Christ was born across the sea,
   With a glory in His bosom that transfigures you and me;
   As He died to make us holy, let us die that all be free!
   While God is marching on. [Refrain]

5 He is coming like the glory of the morning on the wave,
   He is wisdom to the mighty, He is honor to the brave;
   So the world shall be His footstool, and the soul of wrong His slave,
   Our God is marching on.
                         Julia Ward Howe
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Better known as "The Battle Hymn of the Republic," it occurs in about 550 hymnals. Although it was written during the US Civil War specifically to encourage the belief in the rigtheousness of the North's cause, it does contain some good theology. Unfortunately, that theology is infused with a postmillenialism that I find hard to swallow—especially after the twentieth century!

Seems there is another verse, which I don't recall ever seeing/singing, probably because it makes the war setting too obvious for today:

3. I have read a fiery Gospel writ in burnished rows of steel;
   As ye deal with My contemners, so with you My grace shall deal;
   Let the Hero, born of woman, crush the serpent with His heel,
   Since God is marching on.

</idle musing>

A Supernatural view

New book, well not really new, I've had it on my shelf since it was published ten years ago(!). I excerpted from the shorter version way back then. I also started this one about that time, but when I came to his questionable assertions about a certain mountain, I set it aside until I had time to research it. Guess what? That time never came. So, I decided to read the rest of it anyway. For the next couple of weeks, I'll pull some quotations from it.

Let's start out by saying that I agree with his basic premise and have since being an undergraduate and being exposed to the reality of the heavenly council. Where we differ is in how cleanly and smoothly that idea is carried out in the Bible. He sees a very straightforward, literalistic interpretation throughout. I tend to see things a good bit messier.

That being said, I think the book is definitely valuable and should be read by the typical nonsupernatural-type Christian. I used to do a two-day guest lecture at the YWAM base in the Twin Cities about this stuff. The two-third world students caught it immediately. The Western world students were a bit more skeptical for the first hour or two. But when I sent them out for their lunchbreak with the assignment to find an example in the Bible, they came back amazed. It was everywhere. Exactly.

OK, enough background. Here's the first excerpt:

My goal is simple. When you open your Bible, I want you to be able to see it like ancient Israelites or first-century Jews saw it, to perceive and consider it as they would have. I want their supernatural worldview in your head.

You might find that experience uncomfortable in places. But it would be dishonest of us to claim that the biblical writers read and understood the text the way we do as modern people, or intended meanings that conform to theological systems created centuries after the text was written. Our context is not their context.—Michael Heiser, The Unseen Realm, 13 (emphasis original)

footnote: Mike Heiser died last year of pancreatic cancer, which is a sad loss. Even though I disagreed with much he said, he was an asset to the Christian community.

Thou shalt not kill/murder

Many people have read the sixth saying and concluded that it prohibited all killing. Such an interpretation misunderstands the Hebrew vocabulary—the Hebrew word used here is rāṣaḥ, and it is properly translated as “murder.” It therefore does not pertain to any other sort of killing, such as capital punishment, war, suicide, or killing of animals for food. All those are fully acceptable in Israel, even at times required, and therefore do not stand as contradictory to this saying or to the preservation of order in the covenant community of Israel. Even when Jesus extrapolates from the saying in the Sermon on the Mount in the Second Temple cognitive environment, he extends the meaning from murder to the prior attitude of hate (Mt 5:21). He does not expand the principle to apply it to other ways in which killing takes place.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 255

<idle musing>
Well, that's the final excerpt from this book. On the whole, I found it a mixed bag. They do a good job of describing the cognitive environment of the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible—at least prior to the Hellenistic period, when the ANE started to become more hellenized with the resulting change in legal systems.

But, diachronically, their approach doesn't fair as well. They definitely are wedded to the historical-critical paradigm, with all of its pluses and minuses. On the plus side is that they take the historical setting seriously, unlike so many other approaches. On the minus side, though, there seems to be a bit of tone deafness to historical theology, as a reviewer pointed out about all the Lost World series of books.

On the whole, though, I would still definitely recommend the book. There's a lot you can learn from it.

We'll start a new book tomorrow...
</idle musing>

Sabbath

This corresponds with the parallel observation throughout (especially) Genesis-Exodus that human efforts are not especially good at establishing and maintaining order or understanding the covenant as God working to establish and maintain order on humanity’s behalf. This idea represents one of the most significant divergences of Israelite thinking from its broader context (where humans are usually delegated to sustain their own order on behalf of the gods) so it is not surprising that the festival encapsulating this idea has no direct parallel [Sabbath].—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 252

The presence of God (Tozer for Tuesday)

This presence is both intangible and indescribable. Some try explaining it, but only those with a personal, intimate knowledge of God’s presence can truly understand. Some things rise above explanation and human understanding, and this is one. Many Christians are filled with good information, but only a few mercy drops fall into their languid soul to satisfy the thirst for God’s presence. Too many have never burst into the dazzling sunlight of God’s conscious, manifest presence. Or if they perchance have, it is a rare experience and not a continuous delight.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 17

Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown

529 Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown

1. Come, O thou traveler unknown,
   Whom still I hold, but cannot see!
   My company before is gone,
   And I am left alone with thee;
   With thee all night to stay
   And wrestle till the break of day.

2. I need not tell thee who I am,
   My misery or sin declare;
   Thyself hast called me by my name;
   Look on thy hands and read it there!
   But who, I ask thee, who art thou?
   Tell me thy name, and tell me now.

3. Yield to me now—for I am weak,
   But confident in self-despair!
   Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
   Be conquer’d by my instant prayer;
   Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
   And tell me, if thy name is love.

4. ’Tis love! ’tis love! thou diedst for me!
   I hear thy whisper in my heart.
   The morning breaks, the shadows flee:
   Pure, universal love thou art;
   To me, to all thy passions move;
   Thy nature and thy name is love.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a terribly popular hymn, occurring in around 290 hymnals. It also has a lot more verses:

3. In vain thou strugglest to get free;
   I never will unloose my hold.
   Art thou the Man that died for me?
   The secret of thy love unfold;
   Wrestling, I will not let thee go,
   Till I thy name, thy nature know.

4. Wilt thou not yet to me reveal
   Thy new, unutterable name?
   Tell me, I still beseech thee, tell,
   To know it now, resolved I am;
   Wrestling, I will not let thee go,
   Till I thy name, thy nature know.

5. ’Tis all in vain to hold thy tongue,
   Or touch the hollow of my thigh:
   Though every sinew were unstrung,
   Out of my arms thou shalt not fly;
   Wrestling, I will not let thee go,
   Till I thy name, thy nature know.

6. What though my shrinking flesh complain,
   And murmur to contend so long,
   I rise superior to my pain;
   When I am weak, then I am strong;
   And when my all of strength shall fail,
   I shall with the God-man prevail.

7. My strength is gone, my nature dies,
   I sink beneath thy weighty hand,
   Faint to revive, and fall to rise;
   I fall, and yet by faith I stand;
   I stand, and will not let thee go,
   Till I thy name, thy nature know.

10. My pray’r hath power with God; the grace
   Unspeakable I now receive,
   Through faith I see thee face to face;
   I see thee face to face and live!
   In vain I have not wept and strove;
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

11. I know thee, Savior, who thou art:
   Jesus, the feeble sinner’s friend;
   Nor wilt thou with the night depart,
   But stay and love me to the end;
   Thy mercies never shall remove,
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

12. The Sun of Righteousness on me
   Hath rose, with healing in his wings;
   Withered my nature’s strength; from thee
   My soul its life and comfort brings;
   My help is all laid up above;
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

13. Contented now, upon my thigh
   I halt, till life’s short journey end;
   All helplesness, all weakness I,
   On thee alone for strength depend,
   Nor have I power from thee to move;
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

14. Lame as I am, I take the prey,
   Hell, Earth, and sin with ease o’ercome;
   I leap for joy, pursue my way,
   And as a bounding hart fly home,
   Through all eternity to prove
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

</idle musing>

Stolen (divine) identity

The name is equivalent to the identity of the deity, and the divine identity can be commandeered for illicit use. We are familiar with identity theft today, when a symbol such as a credit card number or social security number can be used to abuse or exploit the economic power or authority of an individual. Commandment three works on the same premise and prohibits divine identity theft (used for empty, vain purposes).—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 248

Where shall my wondering soul begin?

528 Where shall my wondering soul begin?

1 Where shall my wondering soul begin?
   How shall I all to heaven aspire?
   A slave redeemed from death and sin,
   a brand plucked from eternal fire,
   how shall I equal triumphs raise,
   or sing my great deliverer’s praise?

2 O how shall I the goodness tell,
   Father, which thou to me hast showed?
   That I, a child of wrath and hell,
   I should be called a child of God!
   Should know, should feel my sins forgiven,
   blest with this antepast of heaven!

3 And shall I slight my Father’s love,
   or basely fear his gifts to own?
   Unmindful of his favors prove,
   shall I, the hallowed cross to shun,
   refuse his righteousness to impart,
   by hiding it within my heart?

4 Outcasts of men, to you I call,
   harlots, and publicans, and thieves;
   he spreads his arms to embrace you all,
   sinners alone his grace receive.
   No need of Him the righteous have;
   he came the lost to seek and save.

5 Come, O my guilty brethren, come,
   groaning beneath your load of sin;
   his bleeding heart shall make you room,
   his open side shall take you in.
   He calls you now, invites you home:
   Come, O my guilty brethren, come.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Hymnary.org adds a verse:

For you the purple current flowed
   in pardon from his wounded side,
   languished for you the eternal God,
   for you the Prince of Glory died.
   Believe, and all your sin’s forgiven,
   only believe--and yours is heaven.

</idle musing>

Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee (Luther)

526 Out of the Depths I Cry to Thee

1 Out of the depths I cry to Thee;
   Lord, hear me, I implore Thee!
   Bend down Thy gracious ear to me,
   My prayer let come before Thee!
   If Thou remember each misdeed,
   If each should have its rightful meed,
   Who may abide Thy presence?

2 Our pardon is Thy gift; Thy love
   And grace alone avail us.
   Our works could ne'er our guilt remove,
   The strictest life would fail us.
   That none may boast himself of aught,
   But own in fear Thy grace hath wrought
   What in him seemeth righteous.

3 And thus, my hope is in the Lord,
   And not in mine own merit;
   I rest upon His faithful word
   To them of contrite spirit.
   That He is merciful and just,--
   This is my comfort and my trust,
   His help I wait with patience.
                         Martin Luther
                         Trans. by Catherine Winkworth
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
There appears to be two versions of this floating around out there, both translated by Catherine Winkworth. Together, they appear in around ninety hymnals. I don't recall singing this hymn in either version.

Most of hymnals include some version of these two verses as well:

4 And though it tarry till the night
   And round till morning waken,
   My heart shall ne'er mistrust Thy might,
   Nor count itself forsaken.
   Do thus, O ye of Israel's seed,
   Ye of the Spirit born indeed,
   Wait for your God's appearing.

5 Though great our sins and sore our woes,
   His grace much more aboundeth;
   His helping love no limit knows,
   Our utmost need it soundeth;
   Our kind and faithful Shepherd He,
   Who shall at last set Israel free
   From all their sin and sorrow.

</idle musing>

To Thee, O Lord, Our Hearts We Raise

524 To Thee, O Lord, Our Hearts We Raise

1 To thee, O Lord, our hearts we raise
   in hymns of adoration,
   to thee bring sacrifice of praise
   with shouts of exultation:
   bright robes of gold the fields adorn,
   the hills with joy are ringing,
   the valleys stand so thick with corn
   that even they are singing.

2 And now, on this our festal day,
   thy bounteous hand confessing,
   upon thine altar, Lord, we lay
   the first-fruits of thy blessing:
   by thee the hungry soul is fed
   with gifts of grace supernal;
   thou who dost give us earthly bread,
   give us the bread eternal.

3 O blessed is that land of God,
   where saints abide for ever;
   where golden fields spread far and broad,
   where flows the crystal river:
   the strains of all its holy throng
   with ours today are blending;
   thrice blessed is that harvest-song
   which never hath an ending.
                         William C. Dix
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
This hymn occurs in about 110 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a third verse:

3 We bear the burden of the day,
   and often toil seems dreary;
   but labour ends with sunset ray,
   and rest comes for the weary:
   may we, the angel-reaping o'er,
   stand at the last accepted,
   Christ's golden sheaves for evermore
   to garners bright elected.

</idle musing>

It is, but it isn't

From the preceding discussion we can conclude that the material image was animated by the divine essence. Therefore, it did not simply represent the deity; it manifested its presence. We should not conclude, however, that the image was therefore the deity. The deity was the reality that was embodied in the image.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 242–43

<idle musing>
In my experience, this is the most difficult thing to get across to people who are unfamiliar with the ANE. It is a way of thinking that they have never encountered before, but it is the default view in the ANE.
</idle musing>

O Lord of Heaven and Earth and Sea

523 O Lord of Heaven and Earth and Sea

1 O Lord of heaven and earth and sea,
   to thee all praise and glory be.
   How shall we show our love to thee
   who givest all?

2 The golden sunshine, vernal air,
   sweet flowers and fruit, thy love declare;
   when harvests ripen, thou art there,
   who givest all.

3 For peaceful homes, and healthful days,
   for all the blessings earth displays,
   we owe thee thankfulness and praise,
   who givest all.

4 For souls redeemed, for sins forgiven,
   for means of grace and hopes of heaven,
   Father, what can to thee be given,
   who givest all?

5 To thee, from whom we all derive
   our life, our gifts, our power to give:
   O may we ever with thee live,
   who givest all.
                         Christopher Wordsworth
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Seems this hymnwriter is the nephew of William Wordsworth. Hymnary.org inserts a few verses:

4 Thou didst not spare thine only Son,
   but gav'st him for a world undone,
   and freely with that blessed One
   thou givest all.

5 Thou giv'st the Holy Spirit's dower,
   Spirit of life and love and power,
   and dost his sevenfold graces shower
   upon us all.

7 We lose what on ourselves we spend,
   we have as treasure without end
   whatever, Lord, to thee we lend,
   who givest all.

</idle musing>

So what if they exist!

The first of the Ten Words insists not that the other gods are nonexistent but that they are powerless; it disenfranchises them. It does not simply say that they should not be worshiped; it leaves them with no status worthy of worship.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 238

Lord of Life and King of Glory

517 Lord of Life and King of Glory

1 Lord of Life and King of Glory,
   Who didst deign a child to be,
   Cradled on a mother’s bosom,
   Throned upon a mother’s knee,
   For the children Thou hast given
   We must answer unto Thee.

2 Since the day the blessed Mother
   Thee, the world’s Redeemer, bore,
   Thou hast crowned us with an honor
   Women never knew before;
   And that we may bear it meetly
   We must seek Thine aid the more.

3 Grant us, then, pure hearts and patient,
   That in all we do or say,
   Little souls our deeds may copy,
   And be never led astray;
   Little feet our steps may follow
   In a safe and narrow way.

4 When our growing sons and daughters
   Look on life with eager eyes,
   Grant us, then, a deeper insight
   And new powers of sacrifice,
   Hope to trust them, faith to guide them,
   Love that nothing good denies.

5 May we keep our holy calling
   Stainless in its fair renown,
   That when all the work is over
   And we lay the burdens down,
   Then the children Thou hast given
   Still may be our joy and crown.
                         Christian Burke
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
This hymn, which occurs in about 30 hymnals, appears to be one of two that she wrote. Other bibliographic information is pretty sketchy for someone who died in the 1940s.
</idle musing>

But it seems wrong!

In accordance with suzerain treaties, no other god (read: ruler) was to be recognized in Yahweh’s territory. The significance of this is that the pantheon/divine assembly concept carried with it the idea of distribution of power among many divine beings. The first commandment becomes a simple statement that Yahweh’s power—at least within the boundaries of Israel—is absolute. He is not one of many who share in the distribution of divine authority. It is understandable that the Israelites would struggle with this concept. First of all, it removes Yahweh from the community of the gods. In the ancient world people found their identity in their place in their community. They assumed the gods did the same. To separate Yahweh from such a community identity would have been a confusing concept. Autonomy and independence were not valued in ancient society, and to ascribe these qualities to their God would have seemed impious.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 237

Happy the Home When God Is There

516 Happy the Home When God Is There

1. Happy the home when God is there,
   And love fills every breast;
   When one their wish, and one their prayer,
   And one their heav’nly rest.

2. Happy the home where Jesus’ name
   Is sweet to every ear;
   Where children early speak His fame,
   And parents hold Him dear.

3. Happy the home where prayer is heard,
   And praise is wont to rise;
   Where parents love the sacred Word
   And all its wisdom prize.

4. Lord, let us in our homes agree
   This blessed peace to gain;
   Unite our hearts in love to Thee,
   And love to all will reign.
                         Henry Ware Jr.
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
This hymn, written by a Unitarian, occurs in little fewer than 90 hymnals. I kinda like it as a prayer—especially the last verse, which speaks to a real need in our society today, doesn't it?
</idle musing>

About that First Commandment…

The availability of the ANE literature brought an increased recognition that the commandment dictated only monolatry or henotheism rather than what we now call monotheism—relating as it did to the question of whom the people worshiped rather than to whether other gods existed. Earlier interpreters had made this same point, but the ANE material tended to push interpretation more firmly in this direction.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 234

Tozer for Tuesday

It is God’s great pleasure for us to fully rest in His presence, moment by moment. God created man expressly for the use of His pleasure and fellowship. Nothing in or of this world measures up to the simple pleasure of experiencing the presence of God.—A.W. Tozer, Experiencing the Presence of God, 16

O God, Thou Giver of All Good

515 O God, Thou Giver of All Good

1. O God, Thou Giver of all good;
   Thy children live by daily food;
   And daily must the prayer be said,
   Give us this day our daily bread.

2. The life of earth and seed is Thine;
   Suns glow, rains fall, by power divine;
   Thou art in all; not e’en the powers
   By which we toil for bread are ours.

3. What large provision Thou hast made!
   As large as is Thy children’s need;
   How wide the bounteous love is spread!
   Wide as the want of daily bread.

4. Since every day by Thee we live,
   May grateful hearts Thy gifts receive;
   And may the hands be pure from stain
   With which our daily bread we gain.
                         Samuel Longfellow
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a well-known hymn at all. It only occurs in about fifteen hymnals! I don't recall ever singing it or hearing it sung.
</idle musing>

You need to know the territory!

The value of the Torah for us does not consist in requiring us to do anything. The value is to see the reputation that Yahweh has established for himself, read through the lens of the ANE context. From the Torah, we can know that the God we worship is not petty, arbitrary, co-dependent, indifferent, or (conversely) cruel, tyrannical, or monstrous. The Torah and the covenant establish these qualities (reputation) in the context of the ANE cultural environment. This is useful to know because many modern people often do not know this. Unfortunately, misreading the Torah usually gives us the opposite impressions because we do not understand the context.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 228

Now, on Land and Sea Descending

505 Now, on Land and Sea Descending

1 Now, on land and sea descending,
   brings the night its peace profound.
   Let our vesper hymn be blending
   with the holy calm around.
   Jubilate! Jubilate!
   Jubilate! Amen!
   Let our vesper hymn be blending
   with the holy calm around.

2 Soon as dies the sunset glory,
   stars of heav’n shine out above,
   telling still the ancient story
   their Creator’s endless love.
   Jubilate! Jubilate!
   Jubilate! Amen!
   Telling still the ancient story
   their Creator’s changeless love.

3 Now, our wants and burdens leaving
   to our God who cares for all,
   cease we fearing, cease we grieving;
   touched by God our burdens fall.
   Jubilate! Jubilate!
   Jubilate! Amen!
   Cease we fearing, cease we grieving;
   touched by God our burdens fall.

4 As the darkness deepens o’er us,
   lo! Eternal stars arise.
   Hope and faith and love rise glorious,
   shining in the Spirit’s skies.
   Jubilate! Jubilate!
   Jubilate! Amen!
   Hope and faith and love rise glorious,
   shining in the Spirit’s skies.
                         Samuel Longfellow
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

Father, We Praise Thee (Gregory the Great)

504 Father, We Praise Thee

1 Father, we praise you, now the night is over,
   active and watchful, standing now before you;
   singing, we offer prayer and meditation:
   thus we adore you.

2 Monarch of all things, fit us for your mansions;
   banish our weakness, health and wholeness sending;
   bring us to heaven, where your saints united
   joy without ending.

3 All-holy Father, Son, and equal Spirit,
   Trinity blessed, send us your salvation;
   yours is the glory, gleaming and resounding
   through all creation.
                         Gregory the Great
                         Trans. by Percy Dearmer
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

Day is Dying in the West

503 Day is Dying in the West

1 Day is dying in the west;
   Heav'n is touching earth with rest;
   Wait and worship while the night
   Sets her evening lamps alight
   Through all the sky.

Refrain:
   Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Hosts!
   Heav'n and earth are full of Thee;
   Heav'en and earth are praising Thee,
   O Lord most high!

2 Lord of life, beneath the dome
   Of the universe, Thy home,
   Gather us who seek Thy face
   To the fold of Thy embrace,
   For Thou art nigh. [Refrain]

3 While the deep'ning shadows fall,
   Heart of Love, enfolding all,
   Through the glory and the grace
   Of the stars that veil Thy face,
   Our hearts ascend. [Refrain]

4 When forever from our sight
   Pass the stars, the day, the night,
   Lord of angels, on our eyes
   Let eternal morning rise,
   And shadows end. [Refrain]
                         Mary A. Lathbury
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
This hymn is by the same person who wrote Break Thou the Bread of Life. This hymn occurs in about 560 hymnals, but I don't recall ever singing it.
</idle musing>

What kind of a God is in Torah?

Without the establishment of a particular divine-human relationship in the Torah—one based on loyalty to a suzerain rather than codependence—the natural reaction to the moral instruction of the New Testament is to psychologize the Great Symbiosis. This means we would imagine that God requires specific actions on our part to meet his emotional and psychological needs—that we are expected to make God happy by satisfying his craving for worship and moral punctiliousness—and that failure to do so will bring horrendous consequences. Indeed, a great many Christians today, having neglected the Torah or failed to understand it, believe exactly this, usually justified by a misinterpretation of Hosea 6:6. At the same time, however, the value of the Torah is not primarily to convey the theological fact that the God of Israel has no needs. Many worldviews already believe that God or the gods have no needs, but the Torah has value for them as well. The primary value for the Torah outside of the original context of covenant Israel is the role it plays in helping us make sense of the New Testament.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 216

Sun of My Soul, Thou Savior Dear

502 Sun of My Soul, Thou Savior Dear

1 Sun of my soul, Thou Savior dear,
   it is not night if Thou be near;
   O may no earthborn cloud arise,
   to hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes.

2 When the soft dews of kindly sleep
   my weary eyelids gently steep,
   be my last thought how sweet to rest
   forever on my Savior's breast.

3 Abide with me from morn till eve,
   for without Thee I cannot live;
   abide with me when night is nigh,
   for without Thee I dare not die.

4 If some poor wand'ring child of Thine
   has spurned today the voice divine,
   now, Lord, the gracious work begin;
   let him no more lie down in sin.

5 Watch by the sick; enrich the poor
   with blessings from Thy boundless store;
   be every mourner's sleep tonight
   like infant's slumbers, pure and light.

6 Come near and bless us when we wake,
   ere through the world our way we take,
   till in the ocean of Thy love
   we lose ourselves in heav'n above.
                         John Keble
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
I don't recall ever singing this hymn, but it occurs in almost 1500 hymnals. It does seem to fit my mood today, though…
</idle musing>

What kind of God?

We believe that the Torah also provides revelation for Christians today. As we have noted, however, since the Torah is situated in the ancient world, in the covenant with Israel, and in the context of sacred space, the revelation that we receive (we could call it the canonical revelation) takes on a different focus. The purpose of the Torah was to give Israel—and through them, the nations—an understanding of their God. If we want to understand the value of the Torah today, we might ask what our understanding of God would be if we did not have it. Imagine what Moses might have thought if confronted by Jesus and the New Testament writers in the second millennium BC. Without any further resources, he would have assumed that the God Jesus was claiming to be was more or less the same as the gods he knew from his culture—self-interested and exploitative, expecting Israel to provide for his needs but willing to offer benefits in exchange.—Walton and Walton, The Lost World of the Torah, 215

At Thy Feet, Our God and Father

498 At Thy Feet, Our God and Father

1 At Thy feet, our God and Father,
   Who hast blessed us all our days,
   We with grateful hearts would gather
   To begin this hour with praise:
   Praise for light so brightly shining
   On our steps from heaven above;
   Praise for mercies daily twining
   Round us golden cords of love.

2 Jesus, for Thy love most tender
   On the cross for sinners shown,
   We would praise Thee and surrender
   All our hearts to be Thine own.
   With so blest a Friend provided,
   We upon our way would go,
   Sure of being safely guided,
   Guarded well from every foe.

3 Every day will be the brighter
   When Thy gracious face we see;
   Every burden will be lighter
   When we know it comes from Thee.
   Spread Thy love’s broad banner o’er us;
   Give us strength to serve and wait,
   Till Thy glory breaks before us
   Thro' the city’s open gate.
                         James D. Burns
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

Now the Day Is Over (hymn)

495 Now the Day Is Over

1 Now the day is over,
   Night is drawing nigh;
   Shadows of the evening
   Steal across the sky.

2 Jesus, give the weary
   Calm and sweet repose;
   With Thy tenderest blessing
   May our eye lids close.

3 Grant to little children
   Visions bright of Thee;
   Guard the sailors tossing
   On the deep, blue sea.

4 Comfort every sufferer
   Watching late in pain;
   Those who plan some evil,
   From their sins restrain.

5 Through the long night-watches
   May Thine angels spread
   Their white wings above me,
   Watching round my bed.

6 When the morning wakens,
   Then may I arise
   Pure and fresh and sinless
   In Thy holy eyes.
                         Sabine Baring-Gould
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
This seems a good hymn for a new year!

The author of this hymn is the same person who wrote Onward, Christian Soldiers, which I posted on about a year ago. That hymn occurs in more than 1600 hymnals, but this one occurs in "only" about 950. He also wrote other hymns, but none were nearly as popular as these two.
</idle musing>