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Is the King Enthralled by Your Beauty?

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Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as elaborate hairstyles and the wearing of gold jewelry or fine clothes. Rather, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God’s sight. – 1 Peter 3:3-4

There’s nothing wrong with external beauty or making yourself look nice. It’s just not important in anyway. A well-dressed businessman is not more than a mismatched cashier is not more than a filthy homeless woman. “Cleanliness is next to Godliness,” is not a Biblical verse, and just because you walk into a church with your Sunday finest, you’re not morally superior to the milk-stained-torn-shirt lady sitting in the back row. You both showed up to learn, and only your fruits can tell you apart.

Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting; but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised. – Proverbs 31:30

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” – 1 Samuel 16:7

Consider God the Father’s appearance. Yes, think upon what He looks like. Can you imagine Him? Not the fake, white bearded man books and movies like to make Him appear to be. I mean, what does He really look like?

As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. – Daniel 7:9

Hmmm… maybe He does have white hair. Nothing much else is clear about His appearance.

Okay, but consider Jesus. He walked among us. We obviously would know what He looks like, right? No, not artist interpretations with the long brown locks. Do you know true His appearance? Surely, they described Him in detail in the New Testament… No?

For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. – Isaiah 53:2

Okay… doesn’t say much. We can assume some things. Jesus was a Jew in first century Judaea, and according to anthropology, Jews in Israel at that time were biologically closest to Iraqi Jews now. So, he probably was olive skinned with dark hair and dark eyes just like the rest of His family (Matthew 1:1-17). He blended in a crowd, easily lost when He desired in the masses (Luke 4:30). So, He probably didn’t look too different from everyone else. As a carpenter with first century tools, He was likely muscular, at least somewhat. That’s about all we got. Basically, He could look like just about anyone.

Yet, we “see” God everyday.

For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. – romans 1:20

But ask the animals, and they will teach you, or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you; or speak to the earth, and it will teach you, or let the fish in the sea inform you. Which of all these does not know that the hand of the LORD has done this? In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind. – job 12:7-10

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. – Psalm 19:1

We know Him by His “invisible qualities,” the fruit of His works, the love He bestows on us, and the beauty He suffuses the world with His power. Even the writers of the Bible knew that His literal appearance made no difference to the message He carries.

Yet He is said to have created us in His image.

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. – Genesis 1:26-27

So, we look alike? That’s hardly what this verse is saying. Maybe we do. Maybe we don’t. That’s unimportant. We were made in the spirit of His truth and love, and we are to follow Him in His ways. This is how we were made in His image. He expects us to continue as we represent Him here on Earth.

For you created my inmost being;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.- Psalm 139:13-14

I also want the women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, adorning themselves, not with elaborate hairstyles or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. – 1 Timothy 2:9-10

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. – 2 Corinthians 4:16

In a wedding song amongst the Psalms, we the church are compared to a bride marrying the king, in this case the King of the Universe:

Listen, daughter, and pay careful attention:
Forget your people and your father’s house.
Let the king be enthralled by your beauty;
honor him, for he is your lord. – Psalm 45:10-11

God isn’t enthralled in our outer beauty. He appreciates it, as with anything beautiful that He’s created, but that’s more for us than Him. The beauty He is enthralled by lives within you, in a heart filled with His hope and love for others.

You are altogether beautiful, my darling; there is no flaw in you. – Songs of Songs 4:7

The beauty of a life well-lived, serving others and spreading the good news of His salvation, is something we need to learn to appreciate more than external qualities. In many ways, the beauty that we see are shadows of what lives within us as Children of God.

“How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the one who brings news of peace, who announces good things, who announces salvation, who says to Zion, “Your God reigns!’ – Isaiah 52:7

Oh, for God to open our eyes to see the world as He does! Let us openly appreciate the enthralling, gorgeous light we see in others.

Sources other than Bible:
https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/what-did-jesus-look-like
https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/what-did-jesus-really-look-like-as-a-jew-in-1st-century-judaea-1.3385334

White-Washed Tombs – Biblical Cleanliness

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Cleanliness is next to Godliness.

Well, that’s not exactly true, at least in the way it’s typically used. Although, that was a debatable idea to the Pharisees who were sticklers about pre-dinner hand washing. In fact, you may have heard of a Jewish book called the Talmud, rabbinic teachings that “explain” the Torah. You can find all sorts of discussion over how clean one should be, but the basis for these modern-ish conjectures began with the Pharisees themselves, a Jewish sect founded in ancient times. They were focused on maintaining a pure Judaism: So much so that they delved into Leviticus laws in such agonizing depth that the Pharisees probably would be diagnosed with OCD today. It wasn’t even all about HOW clean things were; it was also about the RIGHT WAY to clean things.

Although the Bible itself does mention cleanliness, it never makes God out to be quite as obsessive about it.

Leviticus 11-16 details clean and unclean meats, physical cleanliness and disease of body and home, and ceremonial cleanliness for the Day of Atonement which would be the precedent for much of the Tabernacle procedures.

Why? Some of it is obvious. Many unclean meats are refuse eating or carnivore animals that could spread disease easily. Physical cleanliness was a model for the modern age of separating our own refuse from our living quarters and isolating communicable illnesses. However, some of it is vague. Some unclean meats can be prepared differently to avoid illness, and ceremonial laws are, well, very ceremonial but hardly pertain to our everyday lives.

Therefore, many people dismiss Leviticus and cut through to the moral laws that they understand.

There’s much debate over the “whys” and “wherefores” “whether-all-this-still-applies,” and has been since the days of Jesus. There’s something that has been made very clear, however. Cleanliness, whether it pertains to foods, health, or ceremonies, has nothing to do with your internal cleanness or purity.

“Hear me, all of you, and understand: There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him…He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.”” Mark 7:14-23

God is actually very obsessive about internal cleanliness.

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

“Hide Your face from my sins And blot out all my iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me…” Psalm 51:10

“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.” Ezekiel 36:25-27

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me.” John 15:1-4

“But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees rose up and said, “It is necessary to circumcise them and to order them to keep the law of Moses.” The apostles and the elders were gathered together to consider this matter. And after there had been much debate, Peter stood up and said to them, “Brothers, you know that in the early days God made a choice among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us, and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. Now, therefore, why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear? But we believe that we will be saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, just as they will.” Acts 15:5-11

He’s obsessive about internal cleanliness because it’s a sign of your salvation, and He’s obsessed with YOU.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside may become clean as well.

Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside, but on the inside are full of dead men’s bones and every impurity. In the same way, you appear to be righteous on the outside, but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.” Matthew 23:25-28

So, what’s up with all the clean vs. unclean described in the Old Testament? There are numerous theories.

Some purport that many of the animals forbidden were used in pagan rituals. Also, simply by having so many food restrictions, it set up the Israelites to physically separate themselves from the nations around them. If you can’t even touch a pot an unclean food has been cooked in, how can you sit down and commune with the people who have eaten from it? The gentiles were considered “unclean” because of this and many other reasons.

Others state there are health reasons for only eating certain foods. Of course, there definitely are many physical and mental benefits in eating certain foods and keeping one and one’s environment clean.

Still others hold that the animals are symbolic in how clean and unclean are attributed to them. Most of the unclean clean up waste, eat rotting carcasses, or kill others in order to eat. They stand for death and disease.

There’s also another theory: that it’s all truly arbitrary. This theory states that in the same way clean and unclean are arbitrarily attributed to animals, the Israelites were arbitrarily considered the chosen people by God as opposed to the unclean pagans surrounding them. The Israelites were no better than any of the others, yet God called them out of the world. They failed God innumerable times. Their faith wavered. They worshipped pagan Gods. They sinned as much as if not more than the gentiles. Yet, they were saved.

“And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.” Acts 13:46

As all true Christians, Jews and Gentiles alike, are sinners and yet are saved today. We’re saved through God’s grace and mercy and not our own strengths.

When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised…” Matthew 27:50-52

The barrier between the clean and unclean was torn. God was done with the temple, its system, and a building created by human hands. His believers no longer had to become ceremonially clean to approach God as He has made us all clean. We no longer have to go through other humans to communicate with God, as Jesus is our High Priest. The Holy Spirit no longer lives in a tabernacle or human-made temple, He lives within us, so we must live as an organic temple.

“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

So, what does all this mean?

Clean generally means life and unclean means death in the Bible, either figuratively or literally. God is the water of salvation to our souls, washing clean the sins of the world to bring us to salvation, not through who we are but who God is. I believe many of the clean/unclean theories surrounding especially the animals are all partially correct.

However, what it all really boils down to is the Holy Spirit tendency to be repulsed by the evils of the world and seek the clean light of all that is good, wholesome, truthful, and right. To be attached to love and soul-life and separate ourselves from being part of soul-death. The world was being re-taught the path of the Holy Spirit through the Israelites and all those Leviticus ordinates. Some, like the Pharisees missed the point, but we can understand that, as with everything, it’s a matter of the heart, from which all else flows.

Sources other than Bible:
http://www.wordofhisgrace.org/wp/unclean-meats/
https://bible.org/seriespage/8-clean-and-unclean-part-i-leviticus-11
https://www.gotquestions.org/temple-veil-torn.html

Commandment Series: The Sixth

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“You shall not murder.” Exodus 20:13

On the surface, this seems like an easy one. I mean, sometimes you might get angry at others, but you’d never exactly kill anyone unless you’re a psychopath… right?

Not so fast.

“You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.” Matthew 5:21-26

Um. So, is Jesus saying murder is equal to simply being angry and calling someone an idiot (the meaning of Raca in Aramaic “reqa”)? Yes.

Why?

Here’s the crux of the matter, and it’s an important one because it may change how you interpret the Bible in many other places as well:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.” Proverbs 4:23

Although it matters whether you literally kill someone or not, it also matters equally whether you are harboring the beginnings of murder in your heart. Both the seed of faith and the seed of sin lie within our hearts. We cultivate it with our thoughts and the external influences we allow in our lives.

There’s a good story attributed to the Cherokee tribe, and I’m sure you’ve heard it:

One evening, an elderly Cherokee brave told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, “my son, the battle is between two ‘wolves’ inside us all. One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

The other is good. It is joy, peace love, hope serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith.”

The grandson though about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “which wolf wins?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “the one that you feed.”

It’s natural to occasionally become angry. In fact, I believe every feeling is natural and not evil in and of itself. It’s whether you harbor it, whether you feed it, which determines whether you sin or not. I believe there’s a fine reason for every emotion, but there’s not a good reason for every emotion in every situation. If it’s not righteous anger, which does NOT attach it itself to an individual but rather to the sin itself, it is heading toward sinfulness.

What is sinfulness, but the potential of harm toward others and ourselves?

God doesn’t leave you to deal with your internal tempest alone. He gives many pointers throughout the Bible on how to not break his 6th commandment, how to starve the angry wolf within us.

“In your anger do not sin”: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold. Anyone who has been stealing must steal no longer, but must work, doing something useful with their own hands, that they may have something to share with those in need. Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice.” Ephesians 4:26-31

Here’s some advice on avoiding the feeding of anger. Don’t let it sleep in your bed with you, so that it may grow and turn into something uglier as you feed it angry thoughts. Another good idea is get busy, give yourself something to do to divert your mind for awhile and give yourself the ability to give help where needed. Charity will calm an angry heart fast. Don’t speak out of anger; when you open your mouth, let it be to build up others not tear them down. Speaking ill of others only breeds more anger within you and now within others.

“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” James 1:19-20

Here, it is suggested that we close our mouth and open our ears. It may help to slow our anger if we hear the whole story and consider another’s point of view.

“What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God.” James 4:1-2

One sin begets another. Stop it at the source. What is anger but the sense of not getting what we feel entitled to, be that respect, time, material things, etc.? We are entitled to nothing but what God gives us. Be humble and understand that we may not get all things we want from this corrupt, crumbling world. We have better things in store for us than that anyway.

“A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” Proverbs 15:1

Don’t you love when another person gets angry that you’re angry? Doesn’t that calm you right down and bring a shared connection with one another? Haha. Fight fire with cooling water, not more fire. This is easier to say than do, but it’s easier the more you practice it, believe me.

I’m sure if you look for it, you’ll find even more advice on how to starve the wolf of anger within you. At first, the wolf will howl inside and pace in what it’s not receiving. Keep going. The more you practice the above, the stronger you will become over it, and the weaker it will be become. This applies to more than just anger.

May you have peace today or as in Hebrew, “Shalom.”

Science vs Faith

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“A bit of science distances one from God, but much science nears one to Him… The more I study nature, the more I stand amazed at the work of the Creator.” – Louis Pasteur

Can we look more closely at the terms faith and science?

faith – complete trust or confidence in someone or something; strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.

science – the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment. (Webster)

At first glance, they may seem impossible to coincide. The need for proof and observation contradicts belief without evidence. However, there are many theories in science which are not purely based on observation and experiment such as:

1) The Big Bang
2) Macroevolution
3) Several Physics ideas (i.e. string theory)
4) Several Astronomy ideas (i.e. black-holes)

I believe a better definition of science would be an activity of study arriving at a logical conclusion, based on the available proof. In theory, this means that each person could come up with a different logical conclusion from the same evidence.

Many religions, but especially the Judeo-Christian faith, base their beliefs on faith. We don’t need proof to believe. However, what if God wanted us to study Him, not in order to believe but because of our already existent faith?

God formed us with a brain, eyes, and ears that He continually asks us to use:

“Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear?” Mark 8:18

Humanity has a natural, subconscious craving to follow God, whether we actively believe in Him or not. Yet, so many want to take the position that Christianity and science are two distinctly separate modes of thought. What is science but the study of God and His creations?

There are many arguments that advanced science is described in the Bible such as the belief that the Earth is suspended on nothing (Job 26:7), and possibly dinosaurs are described (Job 40:15 & 41:1). Some say that in Genesis 2:21, when God took one of Adam’s ribs to form Eve, the word in Hebrew is curve instead of just rib. They say this may be acknowledgement of DNA. All of these are debatable theories.

Then, of course the whole of Leviticus is a study in psychology, sociology, and medicine. Many cultures at the time had little knowledge of sanitation practices and quarantining infectious diseases, unlike the Hebrews. (On how this saved many Jewish people during the Black Death much later on in history will be discussed in another blog post – stay tuned!)

Nevertheless, it is my belief that to separate science and Christianity is a fallacy and a detriment to humanity. We are made to seek God in many ways, and one of those ways is science. The “natural laws” are a testament to the order God brought out of the chaos. You may find it interesting there are many scientists (Christians and non-Christians) who agree that faith and science can and should mutually exist:

“Sometimes people ask if religion and science are not opposed to one another. They are: in the sense that the thumb and fingers of my hand are opposed to one another. It is an opposition by means of which anything can be grasped.”- Sir William Bragg (physicist, chemist, mathematician)

“The gift of mental power comes from God, Divine Being, and we concentrate our minds on that truth, we become in tune with this great power.” – Nikola Tesla (physicist, inventor, electrical/mechanical engineer)

“Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind.” – Einstein (theoretical physicist)

“This most beautiful system of the sun, planets, and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being.” – Sir Isaac Newton (mathematician, astronomer, physicist)

“One arrives at the conclusion that biomaterials with their amazing measure of order must be the outcome of intelligent design. No other possibility I have been able to think of…” – Sir Fred Hoyle (astronomer)

“The reason that science works is because God upholds the universe in a consistent and uniform way.” – Jason Lisle PHD (astrophysicist)

There is so much that we don’t know about the world. We have yet to understand the complexities of the human brain, the depths of the oceans, or the outer limits of the solar system. We have not discovered all the plants, animals, insects, and microorganisms on Earth, and there are new ones all the time. We have not yet invented everything or solved the world’s many crises with our limited knowledge. Although we’re forever searching and learning, we will never discover everything as some things in this life are beyond our grasp. In those situations, we must live by faith.

Science is like the brain and faith is like the heart. We never say we only need one or the other; we need both to survive. In conclusion, my scientific theory is that God is the most logical reason for everything that exists, and I base that on, not only the many ways God has touched my life and those around me, but also – faith.