Tag: heaven

The Prophet’s Role

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Now therefore, restore the man’s wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you and you shall live. But if you do not restore her, know that you shall surely die, you and all who are yours.”
Genesis 20:7 (NKJV)

When “prophet” is first introduced, we are shown the prophet’s role:

1. To restore relationship
2. To plead on behalf of someone:
– a) So they may live
– b) So they may avoid destruction

The word “restore” is שׁוּב (shuv), and it’s the same as “repent” or “turn back.” It is a word that means to return to origin and start again. It is a word of healing and repair.

But restore back to what?

The phrase “man’s wife” is אֵשֶׁת־הָאִישׁ (ishet ha’ish). Literally “the wife of the husband.” These words bring us back to Genesis 2, when Adam first meets his wife, who is just like him, as though she’s made in his image and likeness.

And this points us back to Genesis 1: “Let us create mankind in our image.”

The prophet’s role is firstly one of restoration. To restore us to one anther, and to God. To bring us into oneness and wholeness and peace with God, like it was in the Garden.

And this is done through intercession, through praying on behalf of others.

Look at the words of life and death. God doesn’t say “if you don’t, I will kill you.” He says “if you do not שׁוּב (shuv), you will die.

In the hebrew, it is מוֹת תָּמוּת (mot tamut). “You will surely die.” (lit. dying-die)

Yes. The same words from the Garden.

In the first story of death, we were told if we ate from the tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil, we would mot tamut. But here: if we do not restore, we will mot tamot.

Can you see it? Can you see God’s desire? God wants the restoration of relationships: Ish and Ishah, God and humanity, we and our neighbors… as it was in the garden. As it is in heaven.

This is the prophet’s prayer.

Because everything else is death, chaos, destruction, hopelessness, emptiness, loneliness.

Vast Array

Posted on by jovial_cynic
Guest Author @Randallthetrue from Twitter/X:

So the heavens and the earth were finished with all their forces.
Genesis 2:1 (John Goldingay, The First Testament)

What I love about this translation (John Goldingay, The First Testament, A New Translation, is it uses the word forces.

This opens up many lines of thought.

First Question: What forces is it talking about? I can think of many such as gravity, air currents, electricity, life (breathing and so on), photosynthesis… there are many.

Next the Scripture states that says God rested. but what is interesting is the forces He instituted did not stop. When He spoke them into existence they were always there. They never stop for the Sabbath. Mankind was told to take a Sabbath and in a different way the fields of the earth were told to be Sabbathed as well.

Heaven and Earth, Earth and Heaven

Posted on by jovial_cynic
I’ve argued that “love God” is the same as “love your neighbor,” and that the order isn’t the point. Loving your neighbor is like loving God. The order doesn’t indicate priority.

Some of you think heaven is greater than earth, due to the order of creation. You’re wrong.

Look.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
Genesis 2:4 (NIV)

The Vault

Posted on by jovial_cynic
I just had this epiphany today. I’ve always wondered about day #2 of creation in Genesis 1, because it’s the only day God doesn’t say is “good.”

I think I have an answer. The focus isn’t the separation of the waters (chaos above, chaos below)… but about the “vault.”

Some bibles say “firmament,” and some say “vault,” but the image is this space created between the waters that separates the waters above from the waters below. And it’s inside this separation where God separates water from land. Inside this special place.

I often think about working against the curses of Genesis 3 & 4, and how we’re meant to shine as lights in the darkness. A part of our Christian prayer is “on earth, as it is in heaven.” And it’s a prayer to create a protected space in this life where God can be seen clearly…

This protected space is like a vault that holds back the waters of chaos & darkness. It’s space where water is gathered away from land, which represents humanity. And life flourishes on that land.

When we pray “on earth, as it is in heaven,” we’re praying for the firmament.

So why does God not say “it is good?”

Perhaps it’s because it isn’t good *yet.* It represents the good we MUST DO later, after the curse of sin. It WILL be good.

Create or Split

Posted on by jovial_cynic
The word “create” in Gen 1:1 includes a once-used alternate meaning. In Joshua 17:15, it is used to mean “cut down, or divide.” To split. To separate.

Heaven (masculine word); earth (feminine word). Separate, but perhaps made of the same thing.

It echoes.

“Splitting to create order” is the prevalent theme: heaven/earth, light/dark, waters-above/waters-below, water/dry-land.

I think “in the beginning, God split heaven and earth” can be a reasonable additional view of the text.