A Pilgrim's Journal

This is a fictionalized account of the story of Adam and Eve, written back in May 2010, as I imagine it might have happened based on various hints I've seen in the Bible and my own life experience. It is not scripture. This story is not complete without the footnotes at the end. If your copy does not contain the footnotes, visit foursquare.net/cdfrey/blog, under "fiction" for the full version. A PDF version can be found here.

How would it have started? I would think that opening your eyes for the very first time and staring into the face of God would be the best way to wake up ever. It wouldn't matter where you were, for the Creator had just breathed life into you.

Talk about new beginnings. Adam was likely fully formed when he was made, because shortly after coming into existence, there was a garden to take care of and to enjoy. Yet how much knowledge does one have when first formed? There was enough knowledge to communicate with God, and to listen to Him. He got to learn his grammar straight from the first Father.

Adam's first job was as a gardener. And it was an inherited position. He probably got to follow around beside his Father, watching Him plant the trees and create beauty right in full view. Every question Adam had about the trees and the garden would have been answered. I'm sure that his Father didn't just tell him how to manage the garden, but He showed him, too. If there was digging to be done, God would have done it first. If there was a tree that needed watering, God would have shown Adam how.

The laughter and happiness would echo through the newly growing trees as Father and son worked together, and enjoyed the fruits of their labour.

Some trees would have edible fruit. Some not. But wow! The way the trees were arranged, and the way the sun would shine through the leaves, was just perfect. And as the sun started to set, and the heat subsided, Father and son would chat and eat some of the fruit they worked for that day. And Adam would learn. Ask questions. Like a little kid in a grown body: fascinated by everything his Father would show him and teach him and give him.

Eventually Adam was capable of running the garden on his own. At least mostly. There was always some new challenge, or some new plant to discover. And even if God was not walking visibly right beside him, Adam knew all he had to do was call out, and He'd be there. Adam tried to be faithful with the garden. He loved to see the pleasure in his Father's eyes at a job well done. Sometimes he would save his questions for the evening, when his Father would come to walk in the garden in the cool of the day.

As time went by, Adam got pretty good at gardening, if he did say so himself. He got into a routine. He had memorized the flavours of most of the trees in the garden. Some had knock-out bursts of flavour, and some were subtle hints of sweetness that would linger in your memory all day as you worked. But there was one tree that was special. Each time he ate some fruit off that tree, it would be like a boost of energy, as if he had been reborn. Each bite would send life and vitality coursing through his veins. His Father called it the Tree of Life.

There was another tree in the garden, though. It was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This one scared him a bit. His Father warned him -- no, He told him in the strongest language possible -- that if he ate any fruit off that tree, he would surely die. As much as life would course through his veins when he ate of the Tree of Life, Adam didn't want to feel what death would be like.

Whenever Adam would need to tend to that tree, he would use special precautions. If a cluster of ripe fruit would fall from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and land on the ground underneath, Adam would diligently store it in a basket close by, so that there would be no danger of accidentally mixing up the fruits and eating some by mistake. He was always very careful when handling it, and would breathe a sigh of relief when that part of his job was done.

But other than that, life was wonderful. All his work was quite easy, his body was strong for every task he had to do. If ever he fell and scratched himself, his Father would mend it right away, either directly or with a plant specially made for healing. Adam knew all the healing plants by now, and hardly ever had to bother his Father for such things anymore. There were always new questions to ask, anyway. Why waste time on things he already knew?

One day his Father arrived even earlier than usual. There was excitement in the air. By now Adam was a gardening expert, and knew almost everything he needed to know about maintaining it. If he was honest with himself (and Adam was always honest with himself, and his Father), he was starting to wonder what he might do next. How would he occupy his time? Was gardening all there was? It was great fun, but something seemed lacking.

As usual, just before Adam had a chance to get bored, his Father arrived with a brand new project. Animals! His job was to examine each one, name it, and determine whether it was suitable as a companion. Standing on the top of a hill with his Father, he could see thousands of unique animals on the plain. As far as the eye could see. There would be no chance of getting bored with a project like this!

Of course, his Father helped him get started. Like He always did. He would guide Adam through the interview process, talk to each animal, discuss its likes and dislikes, ask it about its habits and instincts and nature, and so on. His Father also taught him what to look for in a companion. What should he look for, really? This was all new to Adam, and the idea of a companion was pretty exciting. With each animal processed, new knowledge of mating and characteristics and personality and form and function was gained.

Some days got a little long, but a quick trip to the Tree of Life would solve that. There were always new surprises. Like when he had to name the Skunk. You had to have a sense of humour in this job.

But there were days that were awe inspiring too. Like his lengthy conversation with the Donkey. The Donkey seemed like such a humble animal, but there was a confidence in him that God would use him for great things in the future. It was almost as if the Donkey knew something he wasn't letting on... something that might have been revealed to him that nobody else saw. And it filled the Donkey with joy and patience for his role in the world.

Such confidence was inspiring to Adam. But he felt that he didn't fully understand it yet. And that feeling motivated him to keep on with his task.

But there was another reason that motivated him. Each night as he lay on the grass under the stars, he would remember what his Father told him. That the purpose of this project was to find a companion for him. Someone suitable for him, that would match him, and help him. And the more that he learned from his experience with the animals, and the more he saw their joy with their companions, the more he longed for a companion of his own, and realized how good his Father was to him, for knowing what he needed before he even realized it was a possibility.

The project rolled on for what must have been, oh, maybe 10 moons or more. He was getting to the end, though! He could see the end of the line of animals as they queued in the plains for him, chatting amongst themselves and eating the fruit of the garden.

One day, his Father arrived early again, to tell him that this project had to be completed that day. Adam was a bit surprised, but with diligence and effort, he knew the remaining queue could be finished. And with that his Father went back to His business, and Adam pressed on, now with a deadline to meet.

The closer he got to the end of the line, the more concerned he got. He knew that his Father was taking care of everything, but after all these thousands of animals, he had not found one that was suitable for a mate. Had he been too harsh? Had he followed the rules too closely? Had he overlooked something? There was still hope. There were only ten more to go.

But once the last animal was interviewed and named, Adam knew that he had not found his mate. It was hard not to be a little disappointed. He thought back to all the work he had done, and he was sure that he had followed his Father's guidance perfectly. And yet, here he was without a mate. Without a companion. Without that joy that he saw in all the other animals.

When his Father came around in the cool of the day, Adam blurted out all his concerns. He confessed that he did not find the mate that he was supposed to be looking for, and he asked his Father: had he failed somehow? Where did he go wrong?

But his Father just smiled and calmed him down, and told him to relax, to trust Him, and to sleep, for it had been a long day. And Adam obeyed, greatly reassured that he had not let his Father down.

When he opened his eyes this time, though, things were a whole lot different. This time, there were two faces looking at him!

What he saw was the most beautiful animal he had ever seen. How could he have missed this one?? He stared in shock, looking in a happy daze between the two happy faces.

Then his Father explained it all to him. There was no companion found, because there was no companion yet. His Father had made a companion for him, specifically for him, out of the very bone of his own body, to match him perfectly, and meet all the requirements for a mate that Adam had learned about during the project.

This was Woman. She was Eve.

The days after that were exquisite. If he thought he was in paradise before, it was nothing compared to now. He could talk to Eve about anything, and she was as happy and thrilled to be there as he was. They would spend hours staring at each other. Adam would tell her of his adventures with his Father, and of the hundreds of funny stories that happened during the animal naming project.

And everyday Adam would learn something new about Eve that delighted him to the core. At the cool of the day, he would go running to his Father to tell him of the wonderful new things he had discovered about Eve. Thanksgiving and joy and worship would flow out of Adam like a fresh spring, new every moment. He couldn't imagine how he could be any happier.

And Eve was the same. She would listen in awe at the stories Adam would share, and she would learn eagerly from Adam's experiences. And she would tell God everything she learned, always close to Adam, always there to help him, always ready to help him learn something new.

For the first year or so, the garden seemed to take care of itself. Which was a good thing, because Adam was too busy learning about his new wife, and teaching her all that his Father had taught him. He told her of the healing plants, and the methods for keeping the garden in order. And she would ask questions that he never thought of, and would find insight in old lessons that he never saw before.

When it came to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, Adam was especially careful. He strenuously told Eve that this was the gateway to death, and the loss of all the goodness they were enjoying. He told her to stay away from that tree, and not even touch the fruit. Just let him deal with it. He would protect her and he didn't want anything bad to happen to her. She readily agreed, and smiled up at him trustingly.

The times spent alone with Eve were the best. Whenever she was around, the garden seemed to light up to ten times its normal brightness. He knew he was never alone with his Father always close by, but somehow the intimacy with Eve made his Father appear even more generous and good to him. He saw the relationship that he had between himself and his Father, and saw that same kind of relationship between himself and Eve, only this time he was the one giving! It filled him with awe and courage and a solemn state of mind, to never do anything to disrupt these relationships he had on both sides. He determined to treat Eve as well as God treated him.

As the years went by, every inch of Eve captivated him. Her hair was beautiful in every light. Her smile would send shivers of delight through his soul. Her voice was like laughter and music and a carress all in one. And whether he looked at her from across the garden or from within his arms, every curve and dimple in her body proclaimed to all that she was the jewel in this garden, and that she was all his.

But it wasn't just her body that melded their souls together. It was her mind, her heart, her own soul. It was her thoughts, and her compassion, and her true honest love for him. It was their joyful worship of God together, when they sang His praises each morning by the Tree of Life. It was the look in her eyes as they sat on the grass, listening to his Father teach them. Adam would sometimes glance over to make sure she was ok, to make sure she understood, and was always reassured by her clear joy at the Father's words.

And it was the playful times that also wove them together. The jokes and the laughter and the teasing. Playing tag and running from tree to tree until they were panting and laughing so hard they had to collapse in the clover until they caught their breath.

It was all this that made her one with him.

That's why the choice was so hard.

He wasn't sure how it happened, but one day, after gathering some grapes for winemaking, he looked up, and saw Eve standing by the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil with the Serpent. A chill ran down his spine.

She was holding the fruit.

And then he saw her take a bite.

Panic ripped through him. His Father told him that they would surely die if they ate that fruit. He waited for a second. Two seconds. Ten seconds. She didn't fall over. She didn't disappear.

Then she turned around, and his heart broke.

He saw her running toward him, with that same joy and eagerness. That urgency to share everything with him. But it was a shadow of what was there before. She didn't realize it, but she had been tricked.

His beautiful Eve. Tricked into eating the forbidden fruit. He could see the effect on her already. He could feel the distance between them. He could feel the bonds between their souls tearing. And he could see the urgency in her eyes, and the growing panic in her face as she saw the tears brimming in his eyes.

She told him everything that the Serpent had said to her. How the Serpent had pushed her against the tree to prove that she would not die just from touching it. Adam groaned in his soul. He had wanted to protect her, and now that extra precaution had been used against his beloved.

She told him that the Serpent told her that the fruit was supposed to make them wise, like God Himself. She told him she was already seeing new things, and held the fruit out to him, hopefully. Almost desperately.

What should he do? Should he obey his Father, who had never lied to him? Or should he join his wife, who had never wanted anything but the best for him? She didn't understand that she had been deceived. But he saw it. He saw it as clear as day. Anger burned in him. How dare the Serpent meddle between him and his wife! How dare he trick such an innocent being into sin and death!

Adam's heart bled. How could he forsake his only companion? How could he leave her to die, alone? How could he sever the bonds of love that had formed so strongly over the years? His Father had never forsaken him. How could he forsake his wife?

Adam didn't know how to fix this. His Father had not told him how. There had never been any hint that there was a way to fix it. But now, faced with the loss of his wife, and the increasing pain in her eyes, and the desperation in her look, he stumbled, and forgot who his Father was.

Hadn't his Father always supplied his every need? Hadn't his Father known his needs before he did himself? Hadn't his Father been gentle and merciful and kind in every way imaginable? Hadn't his Father created everything around him? Surely his Father could fix this.

But he forgot it in his moment of crisis. And with full knowledge that he was crossing from life to death, Adam took the fruit, and ate it.

Footnotes:

1. Apology - I realize I am treading on very dangerous ground with this story, because, if you look at it from a certain perspective, I might be pretending to add to the Bible. But this is not my intention, and I both encourage the reader to read his own Bible for himself, and beg the reader's forgiveness for planting ideas that may not be scriptural. I have written these footnotes in an attempt to encourage more Bible study, and to explain why I wrote the story the way I did. I suspect this is somewhat like John Bunyan's dilemma with the book Pilgrim's Progress but at least he did not embellish an actual Bible story, but wrote his own story based on Biblical truths.

But like John Bunyan pointed out, Jesus used parables to teach as well. And sometimes a personalized fiction can help drive home the truth, like when the prophet Nathan confronted David after his adultery with Bathsheba (2 Samuel 12). May you read this story with caution, like a flawed parable that requires care, yet may inspire new questions to study.

This story is not scripture, but let it point you toward scripture.

I had the idea for this story a while back, when going through some personal struggles of my own. I started to sympathize with the choice that Adam had to make, which was greater, more difficult, and had greater consequences than any I have had to make. I do not envy Adam, but may God have mercy on him. Jesus says that offenses must come, but woe to the man through whom they come. (Matthew 18:7) I suspect Adam's sin might count as an offense. Thank God for Jesus as the second Adam! (Romans 5)

And finally, there has been at least one other critically acclaimed re-telling of the story of Adam and Eve by Jonathan Goldstein. It is my hope that this story shows that there are plenty of hints already in the Bible for how the story of Adam and Eve may have unfolded. There is no need to cast Adam as a simpleton.

2. Order of creation - It was unclear to me in Genesis 2 whether the garden was created first, and then Adam, or whether Adam was created first and then the garden. It is clear that Adam was to tend to the garden, and therefore would have needed some instruction on how to do it.

I don't know if the garden was planted and Adam got to watch everything grow over time, or whether it was created before his very eyes in a flash, or perhaps prepared before Adam even got there. Considering how strict God was with the Israelites who had witnessed his awesome terror on Mount Sinai when He gave the 10 Commandments (Deut 5:23-33; Numbers 15:32), I don't know how much power God showed Adam. Perhaps the less power God showed, the more merciful God could be later on.

3. God digging in the garden - I did not think this was too much of a stretch. Jesus is our example, and He washed the diciples feet (John 13). God does not expect more of us than He does of Himself. He shows us how to live, by giving the Law, and then rescues us from death by fulfilling it for us.

4. The stretched time frame - Some may be surprised that I stretched the "6th day" of creation into months and even years. This is because, when reading Genesis chapter 1, I notice that the sun was created on the 4th day, after the first day when light was created, and even after the 3rd day when plants were created. Also, each of the 6 days have an evening and a morning, and the first 3 days have this without the sun. Then the 7th day has no specific evening or morning. So I can't be dogmatic that the 6 days of creation were 24 hour days, and I suspect that they were not. I know God can create everything in six 24 hour days, but He doesn't have to.

5. God eating the fruit of the garden - This is just a guess, but Jesus ate food. If God can be walking in the garden in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8), presumably literally, then surely He could eat too. But the Bible does not say one way or the other.

6. Like a little kid in a grown body - Jesus says that the kingdom of heaven belongs to those like little children. (Matt. 19:13-15) How do children approach their parents? They ask questions constantly, they assume parents will have the answers, they assume their parents will take care of them and meet their every need, and they love and accept with innocence. God obviously expects us to behave the same way with Him.

7. Saving his questions for the cool of the day - The way Genesis explains it, it sounds like God was not always in the garden at every moment, watching over Adam and Eve, in person, like a hawk. God knew what was happening, of course, but Adam and Eve seem to have "time alone." So it makes sense that questions would be saved for when God would arrive.

8. Eating of the Tree of Life - I think this is a safe assumption. They could eat of every tree in the garden, but one. If they spent more than 24 hours in the garden, then surely the Tree of Life was one of the meals. After eating the forbidden fruit, only then was the Tree of Life guarded and blocked. The Tree of Life shows up again in Revelation 22:2, where even the leaves are for the healing of the nations, and new fruit appears every month. It seems to me to be a tree to eat of regularly.

9. All his work was quite easy - Jesus says that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. (Matthew 11:30) And it was only after Adam's sin that the ground was cursed and "painful toil" was introduced. (Genesis 3:17)

10. Healing plants - The Tree of Life in Revelation 22:2 already talks about healing, but we also know of plants today that help heal. I believe that God wants us to gain knowledge and grow and be able to help ourselves, not to be continually helpless. There is a theme of growth throughout the entire Bible. This does not mean that we are supposed to do everything in our own strength though. The Sabbath law shows us that to "keep it holy" we need to avoid doing our own work. What is left? God's work. Somehow there is a balance of us doing good in Him, not in ourselves.

11. Adam being honest with himself and God - Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6). The devil's native language is lying. (John 8:44) Truth is of God, and to live in God, in His Way, means to live in Truth.

Imagine what it will be like in heaven when you never have to worry about someone lying to you. Everything you ever hear will be the truth. What a different world that would be.

12. Animal interview process - This was just made up. I see how God works in our lives, and see how often seemingly unrelated things turn out to be preparation for something bigger later on. This idea is the only basis for this part of the story. The Bible doesn't tell us much except that Adam named them, and that God brought the animals to Adam. Maybe God was creating them at the same time as Adam was naming them. The "forming" and the "naming" are in the same verse: Genesis 2:19. But perhaps this was like Noah, and the animals had to be gathered by some effort... it was Noah's job!

Short summary: don't take this part of the story too seriously

13. Talking animals - This is based on the talking serpent in Genesis 3, and the talking donkey in the story of Balaam in Numbers 22. Also, there is a change in man's eating habits after the flood. Before the flood, mankind was vegetarian. After the flood, "everything that lives and moves" (Genesis 9:3) was given by God to man for food. And the animals now feared and dreaded man. (Genesis 9)

This suggests some kind of change in the animals at the flood, and also suggests that animals were much more friendly and trusting before the flood. Which explains how Noah could get them all into the ark.

Also, in Genesis 11, the story of the tower of Babel is told, and how God confused the languages of men. If God confused the language of men, is it beyond possibility to think He could confuse the communication between man and animal?

With two examples of talking animals in the Bible, and this change in the status of animals, and some of the scientific studies I've heard about regarding animal communication today, I would not be surprised if animals could talk originally. But I must stress that this is only conjecture, based on the above information.

14. Learning about relationships from watching animals - This is based on the verses in Romans (1:20) how mankind is without excuse because of nature's testimony about God. If nature is supposed to point us toward God, then it does not seem far-fetched to find other truths in nature as well.

But always compare the "truths" you think you find in nature with the Bible, to make sure you are not deceiving yourself. No sense trying to learn lessons the hard way when there's a book right in front of us.

15. The Donkey's confidence - This was a fanciful extra based on the story of Balaam (Numbers 22), the story of Samson (Judges 15), and Jesus's triumphal entry to Jerusalem (Matthew 21:5). Also, the tradition is that a donkey was with Mary and Joseph in their travels, but I can't find a verse that says that.

Also, there is no verse that says the donkey had any knowledge of what was to come. It was just a way to point out that even humble animals have a plan from God.

16. The sudden deadline - It did seem uncharacteristic of God to impose a sudden deadline on Adam to finish the work of naming the animals, but the Bible does say that God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep. (Genesis 2:21) What better way than through hard work? But this is again a guess, and part of the fiction.

But God does set deadlines sometimes, even though He is patient. He tells us that "Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as you did in the rebellion." (Hebrews 3:15). Also, there was some pretty definite direction from God, through dreams, to Joseph, when he was supposed to move to Egypt and back. (Matthew 2) And when Israel missed God's deadline of entering the promised land, through unbelief, they had to wander for 40 years.

17. God being Adam's Father - This is from Luke 3:38 where Adam is referred to as the "son of God" at the end of the geneology.

18. Description of the "lovebirds" Adam and Eve - This is based on the New Testament guidance of family order in various places, where the husband is to love his wife as Christ loved the church, and the wife is to submit to her husband. And how in 1 Corinthians 11:9 it says that man was not created for woman, but woman for man, and how because of that, the woman needs a sign of authority on her head.

So I tried to frame the story in such a way that it showed how Adam needed to teach Eve, since she came after. And how Eve would be submissive to Adam, especially in the presense of God, but that there would be nothing coming between her and God either. Adam was not her priest. He was only her head. And Adam cared for her in love. And how Eve, as the ideal wife, was a helpmeet for Adam, even helping him learn things that were beyond him before she arrived. I believe being a helpmeet is more than just physical labour, it is everything about the intimate relationship. The honesty, the comfort, the companionship. It is the wife unlocking the potential of the man, and vice versa.

19. Adam telling his Father all about Eve - Perhaps similar to how the disciples reported to Jesus everything they had done on their mission in Mark 6:30. I think God definitely wants us to tell Him everything on our hearts, just like little children.

20. Garden taking care of itself for the first year - This is based on the Old Testament law that said that a newlywed husband did not have to go to battle for a whole year. (Deut 24:5)

21. "every inch of Eve captivated him" - This is from Proverbs 5:19 where the Bible tells man to be captivated by his wife's love, not by any other woman.

22. Eve being the jewel in the garden - In Genesis 6:4, there is a puzzling passage about the "sons of God" having children by the "daughters of men" and that the "daughters of men" were beautiful (6:2). It is unclear whether "sons of God" refers to spirits or to godly men who were drawn away from God by beautiful women. But the idea that women were beautiful is an obvious fact today, and it does not seem to be a stretch that Eve was the jewel of the Garden of Eden. She was certainly Adam's jewel.

23. Adam telling Eve not to touch the fruit - This is based on Eve's own words in Genesis 3:3 where she both adds the "not touch" command and lessens the "surely die" part. I don't know if this was changed by Eve herself, or whether Adam told her that. If I were in Adam's shoes, I could easily see myself trying to put a hedge around Eve to protect her. But this is not stated in the Bible explicitly.

24. The serpent pushing Eve against the tree - This comes from Jewish tradition, speculating that, since Eve changed God's command in her quoting it, it gave the serpent an opportunity to twist the words, or push her against the tree to prove she wouldn't die.

This is not mentioned in the Bible though.

25. Was Adam beside Eve or not? - Genesis 3:6 says that Adam was with Eve. I don't know if that means right beside her, or in close proximity. Also, the Bible does not mention any pleading or arguing between Eve and Adam, so my story certainly adds there. From the Biblical account, Adam did not need any convincing to eat the fruit!

26. Adam eating in full knowledge, while Eve was only deceived - Eve's part of being deceived is confirmed in the New Testament in 1 Timothy 2:14. It was definitely sin, just as Adam's eating was definitely sin too. But there was an element of deception for Eve, that Adam can't seem to claim. And there is an element of relationship for Adam, that Eve can't seem to claim either. Eve was not married to the serpent.

27. Winemaking - There is no evidence they knew how to make wine at that point. But squeezing some of the fruit would be logical to try...

28. When did Eve know she had been deceived? - She uses it as an excuse pretty quick. So it must have been soon. Perhaps I'm retaining her innocence in the story a bit too long, when I wrote that she didn't know she had been tricked. It was still sin, she knew the command, even though her memory of it was flawed. Yet she broke the command anyway.

29. Surely his Father could fix this... - And God did fix this through the second Adam: Jesus Christ. I sometimes wonder how God would have saved Eve if Adam had refused to sin. Perhaps Adam would have had to die for her instead. But as 1 Corinthians 1:28-30 says, no one may boast before God. All men and women are guilty of sin. Only God can save us. Only God can make us holy to enter into his Sabbath rest.

All scripture quotes taken from the NIV.

He took it, glanced at it briefly, then looked back at the gentleman with a confused look on his face. "What's this for?" he asked.

"It's for you! Use it!" said the gentleman, eyes twinkling with glee.

"What for?" the man asked again, even more perplexed.

"Because I want to give it, and because I'm sure you'll have some use for it!" exclaimed the gentleman again.

The man started shaking his head, "No, this is too much. I don't even know you. Who are you? Why would you give me $100 out of the blue? It doesn't feel right."

The gentleman merely beamed his smile back in return.

The man finally moved, handing the $100 bill back to the gentleman, shaking it a bit for emphasis, "Really, I can't take this. You'll have to take it back."

"It's too late!" said the gentleman, holding up both hands in the air. "I won't take it back. If you give it to me, I'll drop it on the ground."

"Well, surely you want something in return, and I can't afford that."

"Nothing! I don't want anything in return," said the gentleman, still smiling like he was fit to burst with joy.

"What if I spend it on booze?" the man asked.

"It's yours."

"What if I give it to the mob?"

"It's yours."

"What if I throw it away?"

"It's yours."

The man was stymied. Did this gentleman seriously not want it back? Was this truly a gift with no strings attached? So he asked, "How do I thank you?"

At this, the gentleman's smile seemed to brighten even more, and said, "Use it to your own best benefit."

The man furrowed his brow. "You mean I can just blow this on lottery tickets or something?"

"Of course, if you think that is to your best benefit."

The man shook his head, but slowly accepted that there were no strings, and that the $100 was his. "Well, thank you very much," he said quietly.

"You're welcome!" the gentleman said, and continued on his merry way.

The man stood there and pondered a while, going through a long list of possibilities in his head, considering where he might spend this windfall. In the end, he decided there was no better place to spend it but to buy school supplies and a coat for his son.

This is of course a fictitious story, but what would you do if you encountered a gentleman like that?

What if you insisted, and tried to put the $100 bill back into the pocket of his suit coat, but he just plucked it out, dropped it on the pavement, and kept on walking?

Do you realize that you are meeting this gentleman every day?

When I realized this just now, it was an amazing insight to me. God is giving me gifts like this every day, and there is no way I can give them back. He gives me air, light, health, skill, knowledge, wisdom, love, friends, family, even money. And there is no way I can return any of these gifts back to Him as if I didn't receive it.

I can waste it. Throw them on the ground and walk away. But they will remain wasted. God doesn't take them back.

	For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance.
	   Romans 11:29

What does this mean? It means that God has given me much, and the only way I can truly thank Him, and the only way I could even symbolically try to give anything back to Him is to use His gifts according to His will.

And what is His will?

	This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare
	unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
   
	   1 John 1:5
   
   
	17 But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother
	have need, and shutteth up his bowels [of compassion] from him,
	how dwelleth the love of God in him?
  
	18 My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue;
	but in deed and in truth.
  
	   1 John 3

Let us be gentlemen.

	The days of our years [are] threescore years and ten;
	and if by reason of strength [they be] fourscore years,
	yet [is] their strength labor and sorrow;
	for it is soon cut off, and we fly away.
	   Psalm 90:10

Generally, 70 years, but if unusually strong, 80 years.

Interestingly, when Moses was 40 years old, he tried to lead the Israelites in his own strength.

	23 And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart
	to visit his brethren the children of Israel.
   
	24 And seeing one [of them] suffer wrong, he defended [him], and
	avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian:
   
	25 for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that
	God by his hand would deliver them; but they understood not.
   
	   Acts 7

This didn't please Pharaoh, and he tried to kill Moses. Moses fled to Midian, and lived out the next 40 years there.

That makes 80 years that Moses lived, by reason of strength. By all earthly measures, his life was over.

But God is just getting started when our life ends.

At 80, Moses met God at the burning bush, and spent the next 40 years leading the children of Israel out of Egypt, in God's strength.

Can you imagine what a bloody revolution it would have been, had Moses gained popular support for rebellion? But instead, the Israelites walked right out of Egypt, carrying riches, not having to lift a finger in battle.

Man's way? Protracted bloody rebellion. God's way? Rest, obedience, and victory.

Jesus also calls us to the same thing. He calls us to pick up our cross daily and follow Him. He tells us that the man who finds his life will lose it, but the man who loses his life for Jesus's sake will find it.

God starts where my life ends.

When I read the New Testament, I see example after example of faith before healing. Usually it is the sick who have the faith. They confess that Jesus is able to perform the miracle, or the very act of picking up their mat shows that they believe enough to even start the process.

And then there are reports of places that Jesus would visit where He could do no great works. All he could do was lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. And the reason was because they didn't believe Him.

So when it comes to the story of Lazarus, who had the faith for this work?

It wasn't the Jews, for they didn't understand why Jesus wept.

It probably wasn't the disciples, because they aren't even mentioned once they arrive to the site of mourning.

I'm guessing it wasn't even Mary, because she was weeping at the feet of Jesus.

I doubt it was Lazarus, since he was dead.

But it could have been Martha.

She even hints very strongly that even now, after Lazarus was dead, God would give to Jesus anything He asked for. She doesn't quite come out and ask for him back, but she sure hints! And strongly!

And she confesses Jesus as the Christ, as Lord, and as the Son of God.

Martha tends to get a bad rap in the Bible, working hard and complaining about Mary not helping her. But when it comes to Lazarus, maybe she was the only one with tiny faith enough to bring him back.

Jesus of course carries her along, even as her faith falters a bit in verse 39. But she believed enough to state the seemingly impossible.

Praise the Lord! It's as if God is looking for any reasonable excuse to do us good, even a sideways hint that Jesus should raise the dead.

	21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first
	   to go and bury my father.
 
	22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead
	   bury their dead.
 
	   Matthew 8

I confess that when I have read these verses in the past, I have thought that they are hard sayings. Yes, in my head I could understand. Jesus is worth more than social niceties. He is worth more than my own pet desires. He is worth more than my own family.

But my heart would be thinking, "Wow, that seems harsh. Doesn't Jesus, Who loves so much, care about those that lose loved ones?"

But maybe there is more to this than meets the eye. Maybe this verse reveals something about my base assumptions about life. And even about Jesus.

Here's another verse that I may have misunderstood:

	35 Jesus wept.
	   John 11

This is in the middle of the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead. When you read the whole chapter, you'll notice that Jesus is alone in not worrying in the slightest about Lazarus's health. For He knows what is to come. Those around Him are hoping for Lazarus's recovery (the disciples), or are wishing that Jesus had arrived sooner to heal him (Martha and Mary), or are weeping with and trying to comfort those that have lost a loved one (the Jews).

Jesus arrives on the scene, and starts asking some interesting questions:

	21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here,
	   my brother had not died.
 
	22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God,
	   God will give [it] thee.
 
	23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again.
 
	24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in
	   the resurrection at the last day.
 
	25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life:
	   he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
 
	26 and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
	   die. Believest thou this?
 
	27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the
	   Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.
 
	   John 11

Then Mary arrives, and basically says the same thing, wishing that Jesus had arrived sooner.

	32 Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell
	   down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here,
	   my brother had not died.
 
	33 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping
	   which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
 
	34 and said, Where have ye laid him? They say unto him, Lord,
	   come and see.
 
	35 Jesus wept.
 
	36 Then said the Jews, Behold how he loved him!
 
	37 And some of them said, Could not this man, which opened the
	   eyes of the blind, have caused that even this man should not
	   have died?
 
	   John 11

I have for a long time assumed the same thing that the Jews assumed. Wow! Look! Jesus is crying! He must have really loved Lazarus! Too bad He didn't get here earlier.

But I think Jesus wept for a different reason.

Here is the Resurrection and the Life, standing in the midst of a funeral, and everybody is weeping as if Lazarus was gone for good.

Logically, what is this saying? It implies that everyone else there (except perhaps Martha and the disciples) believed that while Jesus was great enough to heal the sick, and heal everyone He touched, that when it came to death itself, death was more powerful than Jesus.

Their weeping either testified to their belief that the Creator of the world was limited to its laws and to death itself, or that they didn't really believe that Jesus was the Creator of the world.

They were weeping because of the pain of Death, while Life stood right beside them.

I think that's why Jesus was weeping.

Is Matthew 8:22 making more sense yet?

I must be dim, because even after seeing John 11:35 more clearly, I still didn't get Matthew 8:22.

Then recently I was watching TV and happened to hear a snippet of a sermon by Joseph Prince, and he pointed out that nobody ever died around Jesus.

People were healed. Multiple people were even raised from the dead. But nobody ever died.

Even the men who were crucified with Him only died after Jesus did.

Now it started to make more sense. Indeed, it was the only logical thing to say. Why spend any more time following Death when Life is right in front of you? When Life calls you to follow Him, there's no time for anything else. Isn't it rather dumb to postpone Life in order attend to death? Why mourn over the dead when Life has work for you to do?

And Paul says the same thing:

	13 But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,
	   concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as
	   others which have no hope.
 
	14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
	   so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
 
	15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that
	   we which are alive [and] remain unto the coming of the Lord shall
	   not prevent them which are asleep.
 
	16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a
	   shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God:
	   and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
 
	17 then we which are alive [and] remain shall be caught up
	   together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air:
	   and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
 
	18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.
 
	   1 Thess. 4

Here's Luke's version:

	59 And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord,
	   suffer me first to go and bury my father.
 
	60 Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go
	   thou and preach the kingdom of God.
 
	   Luke 9

So what are we supposed to do? Paul tells us that we are not supposed to sorrow like those who have no hope, because we are supposed to be the ones who believe! And with this belief we are to comfort one another when our loved ones die. For this is real hope and glorious hope.

And from what Jesus says, I believe that we are not to waste our time mourning the dead when we are alive, when we have the promise of life in Him, and when we have this message of hope which the dead need to hear.

Believing that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life should energize us right now. We don't have to wait for the last day, like Martha thought.

The kingdom of God is a kingdom of life. Believe and enter!

Ever wonder what Paul was thinking when the same Jesus who calmed the storm later rescued him, and still allowed the shipwreck?

Ever wonder if Peter wished that Jesus had taught him about the temple tax before he promised to pay it, instead of after?

Or how about Sodom and Gomorrah? Ever wonder why they were punished so quickly when many others have had more time to repent?

Ever wonder if Elijah questioned why he was sent to a foreign widow's home instead of someone in his homeland?

I find that this is an easy aspect of Bible stories to overlook. Here we are, gaining such benefit and teaching, while reading about trials and seeming misfortune of others. And we are encouraged to trust in the same God that allowed them to go through these things, and indeed carried His people through those same situations.

Sometimes we even overlook the lesson. "Oh, that doubting Thomas," we say, only later to realize that his doubt added evidence for us to believe. "Oh, that sign-seeking Gideon," we say, only later to realize that even asking for a sign is a pretty bold act in itself.

The trials that we are going through may make no sense to us right now. We probably won't see the full implications. But I think we also need to be open to the idea that God can use our life to teach lessons to someone else. He might not deliver us right away, and it may be that His reason is to help save another person down the road, who hears our story, and who we may never meet in this life.

It's not just about us.

Joseph was a big tribe. Very fruitful. And apparently, the land they got was not big enough for them, in their own eyes. So they complained to Joshua.

But from the sound of their request and/or complaint, it sounds like they wanted more land, and wanted it just given to them. And Joshua gives them the same answer, twice, but in different tones. The first time it is a slightly chiding suggestion. The second time it is a fatherly command, with the assurance of success if they would just believe and obey. But the message was the same:

You're certainly strong enough. So, if you really want it, go get it!

It's easy to expect things to be handed to us when things have been going well... so well that we now have a lot to lose if things went bad.

But if our blessings mean we need even more blessings (a wonderful state to be in!), it's time to get out the axe and start clearing some new land.

This is a message for me. I'm big. I've been blessed. When it comes to even more blessings, it's time to get out my axe and "Go Get It!"

Please keep in mind that this is only as far as I understand the law. I may be wrong in the details, and I encourage you to double check the Bible and correct me, preferrably with scripture, if I'm wrong.

Imagine for a moment that you are a rich judge, who loves equality and justice.

One day, two men come before your bench, and they are obviously angry with each other. One man is missing a tooth.

The man without the tooth holds up a video tape, and submits it as evidence, along with a number of witnesses. When you watch the video, you see clearly how the one man punches the other in the mouth for no apparent reason, and a tooth flies out.

You question the witnesses rigorously, and confirm that these two men are perfect strangers, and the puncher has an anger management issue and decided to take out his frustrations on the closest victim.

After hearing all the evidence, you clearly see that the one man is in the wrong, and the other is in the right. You feel some justice coming on! You feel righteous indignation in your belly! You are just about to open your mouth and pronounce the verdict when the strangest thing happens.

These two men start to argue right in front of you. Their voices get louder and louder, and soon the toothless man takes a swing at the offender. You personally hear the crack of a tooth, and the soft skittering sound it makes as it slides across the hardwood floor of the courtroom.

Your shoulders sag. Your work here is done. They have taken matters into their own hands, and justice is finished. There's no more you can do here, so you bang your gavel and yell, "Next!" The men slink away, somewhat embarrassed.

The next case is surprisingly the same. There was a fight, one man was blinded in one eye, there's a video showing the evidence, the case is crystal clear.

You start to feel that familiar feeling in your belly again. Justice is about to be served! Woe to the man who breaks the law and comes before you unrepentant! Just as you are about to open your mouth to pronounce the verdict, an even stranger thing happens.

The offender hangs his head and asks for permission to speak. You grant it, and he says, "Your Honour, I know I have done wrong, and will pay the debt, whatever you decide. I am very sorry for my behaviour. There is no excuse."

You take his statement into consideration. He is now repentant, so your wrath is now abated. But the injustice still stands, and the victim's eye still does not work. Justice must be served.

Then the man with the patch over one eye asks for permission to speak. You grant it, and he says, "Your Honour, I know this man is in the wrong, and he has damaged my eye, but I also know he is a poor man, and cannot possibly repay me. So I forgive him the debt, and claim no damages. Please do whatever you think is right."

Now you smile. This hardly ever happens. But it is as if the entire courtroom lights up with a heavenly light.

You examine the case again. The man was clearly in the wrong for having damaged his neighbour's eye. But the neighbour has forgiven him! Therefore, there is nothing you can do to the offender. Yet there is still an injustice. The man is still without a working eye. Since you can't punish the offender, there is only one avenue of justice left.

You reward the victim.

Since you're a rich judge, you pay for the treatment yourself. You add extra for pain and suffering, and for any lost work that was incurred because of the incident. The men leave, both very happy.

This is why I love this law. For I believe that if the law works in one direction, that is, in the direction of death, then I believe it should also work in the other direction, the direction of life.

We, as men, see this law, and start breaking teeth out of the offender, since that is all we can do. But God can look at this law with the bountiful riches of His grace, and restore what was broken.

Indeed, if the other laws are anything to go by, where the offender is ordered to pay double or even 4 times the amount stolen, then perhaps God will even restore double the teeth, and double the eyes, to His children who have suffered wrong.

And what will such children do with an extra tooth? Why, give it back to God, and to someone else who may need it.

Over and over we are told in the Bible that God loves justice and righteousness. Over and over we are given examples that God is a very careful accountant, and keeps things equal in His dealings with man. And over and over we are told that God expects the same of us.

So that's how I view the "eye for an eye" law. It is a law of equality. A law of justice. If a wrong has been committed, it needs to be made right. As men, we can either take matters into our own hands, and effect justice in this life, with human methods. Or we can do good to the offender with the view that God will reward us later with even better riches.

But either way, we can be sure that God will make things equal and just in the end.

I've been studying various aspects of the Sermon on the Mount, found in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. I've been wrestling with the idea of non-resistance, or in the words of Tolstoy: "non-resistance of evil by force."

I'm not sure I agree with everything Tolstoy writes, but one thing I have found insightful: when resisting evil using force, we are returning evil for evil.

It's that Old Testament law coming into play again. An eye for an eye. A tooth for a tooth. And while I love that law for heavenly reasons (I'll have to explain that later), when it comes to the Law, it is hard for people to look at the Old Testament and the New Testament and see the same God at work.

In some cases, "eye for an eye" seems harsh. Can't we all just get along? Can't we show each other some mercy? Can't we rehabilitate the poor law breaker? This all sounds so uplifting and enlightened, and we happily nod our heads in agreement with the New Testament.

That is, until we are wronged personally. Then we want justice! How dare my neighbour steal my car! How dare he trespass on my property! How dare he knock out my tooth! Knock out his in return! It's only fair! I want justice, man!

In these cases we nod in agreement with the wisdom of the Old Testament. Justice is a good thing. God was right all along. We can't just let the wicked run free. And so goes the logic.

And so we are confronted, whether consciously or not, with the crux of the matter. It is a choice Adam made in the garden of Eden. And it is a choice we make every day.

When God first created the garden of Eden, everything was good. He called it very good.* What is interesting to note, is that this included the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil was good.

This is confirmed by the verses afterward, where God says:

	And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us,
	to know good and evil:
	   Genesis 3:22a

So simply the knowledge of good and evil can't be evil if God also knows it.

So what was the problem?

The problem was eating its fruit. The problem was living on that knowledge. Living on the basis of the Knowledge of Good and Evil results in death.

In my mind, this resolves perfectly the apparent difference we see in God in the Old and New Testaments. For God was just giving us what we asked for. And woe to us when God gives us what we ask for, against His command for good.

So God setup a nation in the kingdom of earth, called Israel, and gave that nation a righteous law. He began by being the King for that nation, but the nation rejected Him as King, and so He gave them a human king, just as they asked for.

And the righteous law used evil against evil, to achieve justice.

The problem is that God had already told us that this would kill us. He told us this way back in the garden of Eden. The Law cannot save us, no matter how righteous it is, no matter how good it is. It cannot save us because we are living on the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. When someone does evil, we do evil in return in order to "make it right." In order to balance the scales.

It is a race to the bottom. It is a race toward death.

So when Jesus comes along, declaring the Kingdom of Heaven, and preaches His Sermon on the Mount, He is basically asking us if we've had enough yet. And when I read His sermon, I notice something striking, which I should have noticed a long time ago.

He is preaching a Heavenly Law, for a Heavenly Kingdom, ruled by a Heavenly God, for a Heavenly People.

And nowhere, in the entire sermon, are we told to return evil for evil. In fact, we are told to "resist not evil." Just like Paul writes in Romans 12:

	17 Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in
	the sight of all men.
   
	18 If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably
	with all men.
   
	19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but [rather] give place
	unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance [is] mine; I will repay,
	saith the Lord. [Deut. 32.35]
   
	20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst,
	give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire
	on his head. [Prov. 25.21, 22]
   
	21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
   
	   Romans 12

This is the Heavenly Law! And there is not a trace of evil in it. The only weapon we have against evil is good! This is the restoration of creation, before the Fall. This is the heavenly life.

So when people scratch their heads, and wonder why it seems like God had a personality change between the Old and New Testaments, point back to creation. It is us that needs the personality change. God is right all along. And to prove it to us, sometimes He gives us exactly what we ask for. But even then, He is able to work things out to our good.

	3 And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God,
	command this stone that it be made bread.
   
	4 And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall
	not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.
   
	   Luke 4

Let us believe every word of God.

* (footnote added on 2011/04/09) The declaration that God's creation was "very good" is in Genesis 1, while the garden of Eden, and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, is in Genesis 2. While the accounts are slightly different in these chapters, I believe that the "very good" declaration still applies.

This was so inspiring to me that I need to quote the Beatitudes right here.

I'm being bold here, and titling this post "Jacob's Ladder" because of the following verse:

	And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you,
	Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God
	ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
	   John 1:51

In cross-references, this verse is linked to the story of Jacob's ladder, where angels were "ascending and descending" on the ladder. This seems to me like a picture of Jesus as the Way to heaven, the Way to God.

And when I read the Beatitudes in this light, I see it as a ladder as well. This is the path that Jesus walked. This is the example He gave us. He is our ladder to heaven and back -- to heaven ourselves and back again to bring more folks with us. And He is the One that works these steps in us. There is no other Way.

	3 Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   
	4 Blessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.
   
	5 Blessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
   
	6 Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness:
	for they shall be filled.
   
	7 Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
   
	8 Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
   
	9 Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called
	the children of God.
   
	10 Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake:
	for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
   
	11 Blessed are ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you],
	and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
   
	12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great [is] your reward
	in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
   
	   Matthew 5

I had little interest in the King James Version until I understood some of the following points. It was only then that the peculiarities started to make sense to me, and even started to be useful. The light first started to dawn when I read Berend de Boer's article on the King James Version.

So for those who are interested, here is a list of helpful facts that I have learned over time, which may be enlightening to the new reader.

• Thee, Thy, Thou, Thine - These are the singular forms of personal pronouns. For example, if I were talking directly to my friend, in modern English I might say: "I think I have your magazine." But in reality, I am only talking to one person, so the use of your is somewhat ambiguous. I could be more specific by saying: "I think I have thy magazine." This extra care to separate singular pronouns from plural is important, because the original languages that the Bible is translated from have these same distinctions.

• Ye, Your, You - These are the plural forms of the same pronouns. If I were talking to an angry mob outside my barn, I might say: "I am hoarding my grain, and you can't have any!" In modern English, it is unclear whether I am talking to a single person or a mob. But in King James English, it is obvious I am talking to a group, because you is plural.

• Thy, Thine, and My, Mine - When used in connection with another noun to show possessive, these are similar to the articles a and an. For example: "a tree" and "an apple." You will often see things like: "thy land" or "thine eye"; or "my land" and "mine eye." This rule doesn't always hold true, such as in Genesis 16:11 where you read "thy affliction." But it mostly holds, and gives the wording a more flowing rhythm when read out loud.

Here's a brief summary of the above pronouns, and how they relate to each other. You can see another table on Wikipedia.

• -eth, -est - In modern English, when using a singular pronoun, the verb will end with an s to match in number. For example, "He receives the payment daily" vs. "They receive the payment daily." In KJV English, there are now two forms of singular pronouns: Second Person and Third Person. Modern English only has Singular Third Person. So in KJV English, the endings of the verb now also must match the person of the subject. For example, instead of the modern style of "He speaks loudly," the KJV would say "He speaketh loudly" in order to match the third person. But if I were speaking directly to the man, using the singular second person, I would say: "Thou speakest loudly." This holds true for many verbs that are used in connection with "Thou." For example, "Thou art," or "Thou hast" or "Thou receivest," or in the past tense "Thou receivedst." These all end with a t or st, because they are being used with the subject Thou. Likewise, when used with singular third person pronouns, you will see examples like: "He is," or "He hath," or "He receiveth," or the past tense: "He received."

• Imperitive commands - In modern English, I could give you a command by saying, "Go into the store and buy me a loaf of bread." The subject you is implied, and not written. This is the case in KJV as well, but sometimes you will see a pronoun right after the verb, similar to the "buy me" above. For example, "Go thou into the store and buy me a loaf of bread."

• Punctuation - Pay special attention to punctuation in the KJV. Sentences tend to be longer in KJV than other translations, and the punctuation is more important than the verse markers. Much more important, since a single sentence, and therefore a complete thought, often spans multiple verses. Also, take note that the colon is used liberally in the KJV, not in the usual way that we are accustomed to today, to present a list of items, but very often to explain the section that came before. For an example of colon usage, read the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20 and pay special note to how the sections before and after the colons explain each other. In my reading and understanding, I have also found that the colon seems to take precedence over the comma and semicolon. For example, see verses 4, 5, and 6 of Exodus 20, where the final section of the sentence comes after the second colon and contains a semicolon of its own. There appear to be 3 main parts to the sentence: The details of forbidden graven images: the forbidden action with regard to graven images: and the reason why, which contains the two ways God treats those that love and hate Him.

• Extra words - Where the translators were unable to translate exactly word for word, or even word-into-many-words, sometimes an extra word needed to be inserted to retain the meaning in English. When this happened, the words are normally printed in italics, or sometimes put in square brackets. These words are not strictly in the original text, but can be faithfully implied by the context. In many cases, it is possible to read the sentence without the inserted word, and it still makes sense and has the same meaning.

You may wonder why so many pains were taken to translate so precisely. It depends on your view of God. If you believe that God's words are precise, and that every word and connotation and implication has meaning, then the more precise the translation, the more meaning you can gather from God's words.

I believe this was Jesus's perspective. (Matthew 4:4, and 5:18)

Yet even with this high level of care, it is hard to translate everything from the original texts into English. Take for example Numbers 25:

	1 And Israel abode in Shittim, and the people began to commit
	whoredom with the daughters of Moab.
   
	2 And they called the people unto the sacrifices of their gods:
	and the people did eat, and bowed down to their gods.
	   Numbers 25

According to Nelson's King James Study Bible, the gender of the word they in verse 2 is feminine, although it is not possible to distinguish that from the English they. This gender implies that it was the women of Moab that lured the Israelites toward other gods. This is also clear from the context, but sometimes it takes an alert mind to see it, or (more likely) a helpful footnote.

Other translations, such as the NIV, may change the sentence structure in order to bring such points out more clearly in everyday English. And indeed, this is done in this passage. This is very useful. But in changing the sentence structure, sometimes the precise wording of the original is lost, and logical connections between passages are harder to see.

For example, the KJV may translate certain phrases directly, like "sons of Belial," while the NIV might translate the same phrase as "wicked men." Knowing both is helpful to understand what the phrase means, but seeing the KJV translation also allows you to make connections to Old Testament examples when reading Paul's question in 2 Corinthians 6:15: "And what concord hath Christ with Belial?" Suddenly now you have a few Old Testament examples to think back on.

In the end, it is helpful to compare multiple translations whenever you run into a difficult passage.

Now for some specific word differences:

• Meat and Flesh - In KJV English, the word meat is used to mean food in general. It can mean grain, bread, fruit, etc. If speaking specifically about the meat of an animal, the word flesh will be used. For example, in Leviticus, there is a particular offering described, where no flesh is given, but just grain in a certain prescribed manner. This is called a "meat offering" in the KJV, but does not actually contain any flesh. Also, you may read things like "when you sit down to meat," which is referring to sitting down to eat a meal.

• That and What - The KJV uses the word that rather heavily, compared to modern English. Many places we might use the words what, or which or even who where the KJV uses that. This can be confusing until you get used to it.

• Would and Want To - The KJV uses the older meaning of the word would which means want to, intend to, desire to, etc. The clearest example of this is to compare Romans 7 with the KJV and the NIV.

Here's the NIV:

	19 For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil
	I do not want to do -- this I keep on doing.
   
	20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I
	who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
	   Romans 7 (NIV)

Here's the KJV, which shows the older usage of both the words would and that:

	19 For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I
	would not, that I do.
   
	20 Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it,
	but sin that dwelleth in me.
	   Romans 7 (KJV)

• Wherefore and Why - The KJV often uses wherefore where we would use why. In almost all cases that wherefore is used as a question, you can read why instead. (For example, Genesis 26:27: "And Isaac said unto them, Wherefore come ye to me, seeing ye hate me, and have sent me away from you?") In other cases, such as in explanations, it is similar to therefore but with a more explanatory connotation.

• Conversation - Note that this word is very often used with the old meaning of "conduct or behaviour," not as two people talking. For example, 1 Timothy 4:12: "Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity." Here, "word" covers the speaking, and "conversation" covers the behaviour, that Timothy was to show as an example.

I hope this HowTo has been of help. Just writing it down has been a learning experience for me! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me, and perhaps I can update this document at a future date.

Edit #1: - added "conversation" section

	Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue
	in my word, [then] are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know
	the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
	   John 8:31-32

Do we believe this?

Are these verses the truth?

I believe they are a partial glimpse of the whole truth, like looking at the doorway of a house. And we can know more. Indeed, in these verses, we are invited to know more truth.

How?

I think the sequence is important:

1. Be Jesus's disciples...
2. By continuing in His word...
3. This will enable us to know the truth...
4. Then the truth will make us free.

It's one thing to listen to the words of Jesus, nod our heads, and think "that's a lovely saying... so true! so true!" It's another thing to listen to the words of Jesus and actually obey them.

In the practical obedience of Jesus's sometimes seemingly radical words, we can encounter some real eye opening experiences.

I think this is how we come to really "know the truth." And since Jesus is the Truth, I also think this is how we really come to know Him, and He us.

	46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
   
	47 Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them,
	I will show you to whom he is like:
   
	48 he is like a man which built a house, and digged deep, and laid
	the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat
	vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it; for it was
	founded upon a rock.
   
	49 But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without
	a foundation built a house upon the earth; against which the stream
	did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that
	house was great.
   
	   Luke 6

For some reason, I idly wondered a silly thought: why is it called a "Get"? Shouldn't it be called a "Put"?

There is no special meaning to the word "Get" that I know of. One interesting idea, from the above wikipedia article, is that the two letters that spell the word in Hebrew, gimel and tet are "the only letters of the Hebrew alphabet which cannot make a word together." Interesting way to look at divorce!

Using the plain English meaning of the word "get," it got me thinking that perhaps we have our notions of love and relationships backwards.

After all:

	I have shewed you all things, how that so labouring ye ought to
	support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus,
	how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.
	   Acts 20:35

To really "get" a happy marriage, you have to give. You need to try to put out more love than you receive. And if you do, you end up with blessings that just don't come from being selfish.

Sacrifice is love in action.

When I look at it this way, perhaps it is not so strange to think of divorce as a "Get." For if we "put" ourselves into our relationships, we gain a home. But if we "get" only, we end up alone.

There you go. A silly word play for a silly holiday. Happy Valentine's Day! Go do some putting!

He gave the example of the temptation of Jesus in Matthew:

	5 Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth
	him on a pinnacle of the temple,
   
	6 And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself
	down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge
	concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up,
	lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
   
	   Matthew 4

This is a quote from Psalm 91. But note which part is missing (italics added):

	9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the
	most High, thy habitation;
   
	10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague
	come nigh thy dwelling.
   
	11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee
	in all thy ways.
   
	12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy
	foot against a stone.
   
	   Psalm 91

What does a man's ways look like if he makes the LORD his habitation? A man's ways are not his own ways, but God's way. A man who is walking in the LORD is not walking in his own footsteps, but in footsteps that were created in advance, just for him.

	For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
	good works, which God hath before ordained that we should
	walk in them.
	   Ephesians 2:10
   
	For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do
	good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
	   Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

So the devil was leaving out the key ingredient for God's protection! We need to walk in God's ways that He has prepared for us in advance. Then we can be confident, and trust in God's mighty protective power.

The truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. It goes for Bible verses too.

	17 And unto Adam he [God] said, Because thou hast hearkened unto
	the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I
	commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the
	ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days
	of thy life;
 
	18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
	thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
 
	19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return
	unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art,
	and unto dust shalt thou return.
 
	   Genesis 3
   
  
	Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities;
	all is vanity.
	   Ecclesiastes 1:2
   
   
	18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are
	not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed
	in us.
  
	19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the
	manifestation of the sons of God.
  
	20 For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly,
	but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope,
  
	21 Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the
	bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children
	of God.
  
	22 For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth
	in pain together until now.
  
	23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the
	firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
	ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of
	our body.
  
	   Romans 8
  
  
	Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
	that shall he also reap.
	   Galatians 6:7
  
	Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father
	in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;
	   Ephesians 5:20

When Adam was first created, he was given much. He was given a planet to live on, dominion over it, fellowship with God, a wife and hope of a future family, and blessings of every sort.

If anyone was worthy of being envied, it was probably Adam. And I'm assuming that Satan did envy him. For what happened next? Nothing less than the deception, trickery, and usurpation of Godly authority over the world. When Adam decided to obey sin instead of God, he became a servant of sin. And sin has none of the blessings that God does.

God allowed this to happen, but note what happens next. Authority changed hands through trickery and sin, but when it did, what did Satan get? Did he get the same blessed world that Adam had? Nope. He ended up with a world of vanity, a world of death, a world that was cursed.

Isn't that the same today? If a woman usurps her husband's authority, does she not receive a cursed home? If a man disobeys Christ and does not love his wife as himself, does he not receive a cursed home? If a man steals a car or robs a bank, does he not end up under the curse of the law, with goods he cannot easily use? If an employee deals treacherously with his employer, does he not live under the dread of getting fired, and eventually the reality of it? The blessed thing we covet, when ill-gotten, turns into a curse in our hands. The shine is lost, the pleasure is gone, and it comes with a load of work and worry. Stolen grass is never as green under your own feet compared to when it was under your neighbour's feet.

So when Jesus says:

	And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the things
	that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's.
	And they marvelled at him.
	   Mark 12:17

Isn't that a damning statement? For what does Caesar have dominion over? He can only rule over the cursed world, the world that is vanity, the world that is dying, the world that has no future.

Praise God! For even in the midst of our rebellion, even in our punishment, even in the midst of the curse that we rightly receive for our own sin, God is working for our good in the future. He has a plan to redeem! The world that Satan stole dominion over is now wasting away, and it will eventually pass away. But there comes a new heaven and a new earth for the children of God, the servants of obedience.

	And we know that all things work together for good to them that
	love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.
	   Romans 8:28

So in obedience to Ephesians 5:20, I thank God for the curse. I thank Him that in His wisdom, He is reserving marvelous good things for us, out of His grace and mercy. I thank God that He cannot be mocked. I thank God that He uses both obedience and rebellion to glorify His own Name. Praise be to God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ for ever and ever!

	He that diggeth a pit shall fall into it;
	   Ecc. 10:8a

In the sermon on this passage, the focus was on lack of preparation, and not watching where you were going. The idea being, "Fools Rush In."

While I believe this is valid, I found it helpful to view the verse inside out. What would happen if the man did not dig the pit in the first place? Of course, he would not be able to fall into it.

This has such a practical and spiritual application, that I find myself starting to apply it to new areas.

For example, if I don't get into debt, then I can't overextend myself and go bankrupt.

If I don't buy sweets, then I can't eat them and get fat.

If I don't put myself in compromising situations, then I can't fall into adultery or fornication.

If I don't listen to negativity, from myself or others, then I'm free to remember the positive.

If I don't sign a contract with terms I don't like, then I can't be manipulated later on.

If I don't give my private data to untrusted parties, then I don't have to worry about what nefarious sorts may do with it.

If I don't drink alcohol, I can't get caught drinking and driving.

And so on.

The idea being that the little things, the little risks, the small pleasures, can end up creating risks for ourselves later that are harder to avoid than the small ones.

Of course, there are external risks that we can't manage. And there may be pits that others dig for us, too. I may receive an unexpected bill or disaster and go bankrupt that way. I might find I have some disease that causes more drastic weight gain than normal. And our bodies naturally give us desires that cannot be easily ignored. But these things are hard enough to deal with without digging pits for ourselves to avoid as well.

I find that I've spent a good chunk of my life digging pits. I dug them because they were exciting, or fun, or experimental. Or even because I thought it was the lesser of two evils. I'd think, what harm is a little pit? I can easily see it and walk around it, right? But I've spent more time than I want to admit falling into them as well.

So what pits am I digging? And are they pits that I would like to fall into later on?

It occurs to me that the answer to that question could be yes! If I'm digging a pit of goodness, then indeed, I do want to fall into it.

So I can bait my future for good by digging pits of goodness.

I can save money for a rainy day, so if I need it, I don't need debt.

I can buy wholesome food and keep my cupboards stocked, so the easy food is the good food.

I can avoid secrets, in both friendships and romance, and keep relationships in the light of day.

I can seek out inspiration, from the Bible and from friends, and encourage others, so it will return to me.

I can learn how to negotiate, and keep my affairs in order so that no contract becomes a necessity.

I can minimize the amount of private data that matters to me, so I don't have to worry, and pay with cash where appropriate.

And I can seek out activities that do not involve alcohol; activities that are more creative fun than consumptive fun.

Looks like I'd better get my shovel after all...

So. Honesty, eh?

I'm sure there are non-Christians who look at some Christians and wonder: are they really that happy, or are they faking it? I'm fairly sure, because I'm a Christian, and I wonder that myself.

There are, of course, ups and downs in life, and Christians are not exempt from that. For various reasons. Sometimes circumstances just seem to whack you over the head. Sometimes it is our own foolishness that gets us in trouble.

So I need to be honest as well. I don't want to be someone who fakes it. I don't want to be someone who makes it look like the Christian life is all roses and honeydew. We may be on our way to the promised land, but there's often a lot of desert along the way.

My own personal desert these days is loneliness. I strongly suspect that it's my own fault to a large degree. Actually, it is definitely my fault, because I don't work hard enough at life and I don't work hard enough at finding good friends.

I'm often very good at not doing something, even if I really want to. I can be an unmovable object at times, and sometimes that personality trait comes in handy. But I'm not very good at the "unstoppable force" side of things. Actually doing something, even when I know I should, seems to require a personal nuclear reaction to overcome that initial inertia.

So there are many factors in my life, stemming from that inertia, which create a recipe for being alone. And that recipe, when fully cooked, lands me in a dish of solitude that I cannot escape from when it finally becomes too much for me to handle.

This is the way of the fool.

I was recently reading Proverbs 26, and the interesting thing is that there are a group of verses at the beginning, that really give the fool a going-over. It talks about a whip for the back of the fool. It talks about how to handle a fool, and how to speak to him, or not speak to him. It tells how stupid it is to trust a fool, or to listen to a fool. It tells how fruitless it is to honour a fool.

And then it slowly turns the discussion to someone wise in his own eyes.

	Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope
	of a fool than of him.
	   Proverbs 26:12

Whoa! Now there's a whole new level of folly! Suddenly the fool, who has been taking a verbal beating for his folly, doesn't look so bad. Who could this new hopeless man be?

The chapter then launches into a new group of proverbs, talking about the lazy, slothful man. Uh-oh...

	13 The slothful man saith, There is a lion in the way;
	a lion is in the streets.

Apparently, he makes excuses.

	14 As the door turneth upon his hinges, so doth the slothful
	upon his bed.

I can hear the squeaking.

	15 The slothful hideth his hand in his bosom; it grieveth him
	to bring it again to his mouth.
 
	NIV says:
	15 The sluggard buries his hand in the dish; he is too lazy
	to bring it back to his mouth.

Even feeding himself is a burden.

	16 The sluggard is wiser in his own conceit than seven men
	that can render a reason.

There it is! The truth is revealed! Even a fool is better off than a lazy man.

To keep with the theme of honesty: I am that lazy man.

So it should come as no surprise to me that I am lonely. It should come as no surprise to me that I am in a desert of my own making. And it should come as no surprise to me that other people, regardless of their beliefs or values, are happier than I am.

The only faking that is obvious to me would be if I were to pretend to everyone that I am happy. Some days I am, certainly, but I am not all the time. And most often, those days that I am feeling the lowest are because of me. I am merely reaping my own reward.

	Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth,
	that shall he also reap.
 
	For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption;
	but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life
	everlasting.
 
	   Galatians 6:7-8

So why did I write this? It is not too flattering to bare my faults for all the world to see. But I'm slowly, ever so slowly, learning that faking it doesn't help anybody. It certainly doesn't help me, because not only do I have to invent something fake to project to the world, a fake life does not help me deal with my own problems.

Faking doesn't help anyone else either. How often have you been inspired by someone who seems to have everything together, and yet the "how to" part is missing? How do you get there from here? You only get that truth with honesty.

And finally, fake is repulsive, while honesty is attractive. I can't count the number of times I've found honesty in others to be pleasant, regardless of the truth that they are revealing about themselves. The real and the unguarded and the vulnerable is what disarms people. It is what defuses a tense situation. It is what adds humour to an awkward moment.

Honesty is freedom. You only have to worry about one instance of yourself, not many copies floating around the world that need management. And really, when it comes to honesty, others usually already know my faults. At times, I'm the last to know.

Fake comes from fear, and it usually happens without my conscious knowledge. It is way too easy to let fear twist me into a distorted little knot. Once I realize what has happened, a little honesty, even if it is just in my own journal that nobody reads, has an explosive liberating effect.

Honesty is the best policy.

This is the dilemma that Abraham faced many times in his life. There are two recorded instances of his dealings with such men, one in Genesis 12 with Pharaoh in Egypt, and again in Genesis 20 with Abimelech. I won't quote them here, since they are long, but you can read them easily in the version of your choice with the above links.

It is interesting that I often hear people looking down on Abraham, claiming that his deception indicated a lack of faith or trust in the Lord. In fact, even the footnotes in my KJV study Bible seem quick to point out the deception and basically call Abraham a liar.

But I cannot escape the fact that one Person seems silent on the matter. The same God that had no trouble cross-examining Job, who in God's own words was "a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil," (Job 1:8) does not say a thing to Abraham about this craftiness. God has a lot to say to Abraham. He blesses him, establishes a covenant with him, tests him, but doesn't seem to rebuke him. Abraham seems to pass God's tests each time.

When I ponder the story of Abraham and Abimelech, I start to see both a great show of faith, and a practical lesson for myself, from each man respectively.

Let's start with Sarah. This was a beautiful woman. So beautiful that men would kill for her. And she was not just beautiful to look at, but she had an inner beauty that came from trusting God. She was strong, willing to travel with her husband to who-knows-where. She was submissive, willing to do anything her husband commanded her, even to the point of calling him "master" or "lord". (1 Peter 3:6, depending on the translation)

And all this in a woman who was over 90 years old at the time! (Genesis 17:17)

So here comes Abraham, rich with flocks of animals and many servants, with this beautiful wife on his arm, marching into Abimelech's country. And Abraham can tell right way: there is no fear of God in this place. (Genesis 20:11) He can see that look in men's eyes, and knows that in their hearts, they are secretly sharpening their knives.

What would be the prudent thing to do? Get out of Dodge! But here's the problem: apparently there are many places just like this (Genesis 20:13), and Abraham has no choice. God has commanded him to be on the move. There is no going back to his father's household.

So plan A is out. What's plan B? Guards! He could hire lots of armed guards, and provide his wife with 24 hour protection. These guards would be highly trained, and they would all be female, since he couldn't really trust the guys with such a delicate task. The chuckwagon would be heavily armoured, and his wife's location would be known at all times.

That takes care of Sarah's security. But wait! The real threat is to Abraham! He is the one they want to kill, in order to take all his possessions, and his wife! So more guards are in order. This time the biggest, strongest Hebrew lads around, highly trained in martial arts, with sword, spear, and arrow. Abraham would go nowhere without his armed guard. He'd even send some ahead to make sure there were no booby traps.

Is this what Abraham does? No.

Instead, he uses crafty wisdom. Both practical wisdom and Godly wisdom.

He, and his wife, behave like brother and sister, and tell everyone that fact. (Genesis 20:12, Proverbs 22:3)

I see three reasons why this shows great faith and wisdom on Abraham's part.

First, by proclaiming Sarah as his sister, he turned all his enemies into his friends. Now, these "friends" were not any better men than when they were his enemies, except with one difference: they weren't looking to kill him anymore. Instead, they were trying to get into his good graces, and giving him gifts to get on his good side, hoping they would be the one to win the fair hand of Sarah. This is what happened in Egypt.

It may look like Abraham was too afraid to take a stand here, but remember that this is a rich man. He is not a pushover. He can easily round up 318 men of his own and go to war at the drop of a hat, which is what he did when his nephew Lot was kidnapped in Genesis 14. If the need was for war, Abraham would have been ready.

But this happens at all cities, and even though God told him to wander, and even though God promised him the land of Israel to his descendents, this was not the time to put God to the test and run into a hasty conquest. In fact, in so many ways, Abraham was a meek and humble man. (Genesis 23:7, and Genesis 12:4)

So this crisis called for a more subtle solution. Not just a practical and risky solution, but Godly solution. So...

Secondly, by proclaiming Sarah as his sister, he was placing huge and secret faith in God.

His best defence is no defence. This boggles the mind, for he opens his wife to the risk of another marriage!

When Abimelech hears of this newcomer, his eyebrows shoot up. He's the king, and no lesser man will have this woman as his wife! Sure, she's 90 years old, but have you seen her? She's a knockout.

He sends for her, and takes her:

	And Abraham said of Sarah his wife, She is my sister: and
	Abimelech king of Gerar sent, and took Sarah.
	   Genesis 20:2

The word "took" is the same word used between Isaac and Rebekah:

	And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah's tent, and took
	Rebekah, and she became his wife; and he loved her: and Isaac
	was comforted after his mother's death.
	   Genesis 24:67

The Hebrew word, according to Strong's numbers, is Laqach, and can mean marriage. It doesn't always mean that, but in the context, I think the implication is strong. I don't know about you, but if I were Abraham, I'd want some different word used right about now...

But what does Abraham do?

He lets her go! What kind of man would do this? What kind of woman would? This is not the natural reaction for a man who has the means to defend his house and home.

It doesn't say if Abraham was present when Abimelech's men show up, but this was the logical conclusion of his original plan, so he couldn't be that shocked when it happened. And Sarah goes along, because that is what Abraham asked her to do.

It doesn't say what Abraham was doing while Sarah was gone, but God does call Abraham a prophet (Genesis 20:7), so it would make sense if Abraham prayed to God for help.

And what are the results?

Thirdly, by quietly trusting in God, Abraham puts the whole situation in God's hands, not man's hands, and God is glorified.

In the same country where there was no fear of God, suddenly Abimelech and his men are scared of Abraham, and terrified of God. The same men what would have thought nothing of killing Abraham to take what he had are now fearfully giving him gifts of recompense, giving Sarah gifts to clear her name, and either telling him to leave, like Pharaoh did, or pleading for a truce, like Abimelech did (Genesis 21).

All this without fighting, without bloodshed, and without the stress of trying to defend what's yours. This looks like wisdom in rough circumstances to me. The big question is: do I have that kind of faith? (Matthew 5:39-42, Romans 13:1-2)

There's one more lesson that I see in this chapter, and this is from Abimelech. He pleaded with God, saying that he had taken Sarah with integrity in his heart. He did not know she was married, so how could he be held to blame? God agreed with this analysis, but only to a certain extent. His integrity was enough to prevent his death, and enough to receive a direct warning from God, but it was not enough to keep him out of hot water. He still had to pay Abraham and Sarah for what he had done, even though by all human accounts, he couldn't have done things any better.

What's the lesson? I think the lesson is in the words of Job.

	5 If I have walked in falsehood
	  or my foot has hurried after deceit
	6 let God weigh me in honest scales
	  and he will know that I am blameless
	7 if my steps have turned from the path,
	  if my heart has been led by my eyes,
	  or if my hands have been defiled,
	8 then may others eat what I have sown,
	  and may my crops be uprooted.
	     Job 31 (NIV 1984)

I was nearly blown away when I stumbled on verse 7 the other day, because it describes me, and this world, so well. We let the desires of our heart be inspired with what we see. And this opens us up to all kinds of risk, and even manipulation by external forces. Advertising, temptation, even innocent looking things may have danger underneath, as Abimelech discovered the hard way.

What would you do if your eyes were closed? Doesn't that change your perspective? What would you do with your eyes closed, your ears plugged, your mouth shut, and your sex drive gone? Would your life suddenly be calmer? More peaceful? Would there be a different focus? Perhaps a better focus?

	39 And Jesus said, For judgment I am come into this world,
	that they which see not might see; and that they which see
	might be made blind.
	40 And some of the Pharisees which were with him heard these
	words, and said unto him, Are we blind also?
	41 Jesus said unto them, If ye were blind, ye should have no sin:
	but now ye say, We see; therefore your sin remaineth.
	   John 9:39-41
 
	Who is blind, but my servant? or deaf, as my messenger that
	I sent? who is blind as he that is perfect, and blind as the
	Lord's servant?
	   Isaiah 42:19

Jesus was the ultimate blind man, seeing God and not letting His heart be led by His eyes. He is perfect: blind and deaf to the temptations of the world.

Is there a way to avoid Abimelech's error? Even in the face of a crafty defence?

	5 Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto
	thine own understanding.
  
	6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
	   Proverbs 3

Oh Lord, let me be similarly blind and deaf, so that I may see You!

Edit: It occurs to me that, in light of Romans 13, it could be argued that God did rebuke Abraham through the king, Abimelech, in Genesis 20:9: "thou hast done deeds unto me that ought not to be done." How much of this message was God speaking to Abraham, and how much was just Abimelech's fear and injured pride, I'm not sure. Abimelech was the one who assumed Sarah was not married. A woman can be a sister and still be married; she might not wear a ring, and still be married.

It still seems odd to me that God, Who often talked directly to Abraham, would not have told him to stop this practice before now if it was indeed wrong. But perhaps this was the final time for Abraham's ruse, for after this came the convenant between Abraham and Abimelech, and they lived peacefully together for some time.

This was written back in April, in my work-in-progress queue, but in re-reading it, it seems complete as-is. Time to post it.

Every now and then, I pick a month and try to read through the book of Proverbs at the pace of one chapter a day. This is very convenient, since there are 31 chapters in Proverbs, and often 31 days in a month.

This practice has, over the years, caused many Biblical Proverbs to pop into my mind at random times when the situation warranted it. Despite this amazing and beneficial result, there are many parts of Proverbs that have just not sunk in yet. The benefit of reading Proverbs regularly is that you remember what it says. The danger is that you start to gloss over the parts that are poetically familiar to you.

Chapter 5 is one of those parts for me. I can almost quote the chapter in the NIV translation, it is so familiar to me. Yet there are new things to find in it when I take the time to study it with an open mind, instead of speeding past the flowing lines.

So this blog post is primarily for myself, to remind my feeble brain of the things I've discovered, so I don't forget them later.

Word #1: Ponder

The first word to consider is found in verse 5:6.

	Lest thou shouldest ponder the path of life,
	her ways are moveable, that thou canst not know them.
	   Proverbs 5:6

	She gives no thought to the way of life;
	her paths are crooked, but she knows it not.
	   Proverbs 5:6 (NIV)

It is unclear whether this verse is talking to the reader (i.e. the man that could potentially fall into adultery) or whether it is talking about the adulteress. I think both are useful (and both might be accurate), but I'll focus on the first translation.

The word "ponder," according to Strong's concordance, is from the Hebrew word "palac" which means: properly, to roll flat, i.e. prepare (a road); also to revolve, i.e. weigh (mentally):--make, ponder, weigh.

The same word is used in the two other verses close by. Here they are in different translations, as well as a cross reference:

	Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
	   Proverbs 4:26

	Make level paths for your feet and take only ways that are firm.
	   Proverbs 4:26 (NIV)

	And make straight paths for your feet, lest that which is lame
	be turned out of the way; but let it rather be healed.
	   Hebrews 12:13

	For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
	and he pondereth all his goings.
	   Proverbs 5:21

So the wise man will:

1. ponder the path of his feet
2. remember that the Lord sees all his paths, whether good or evil
3. remember that the Lord also ponders the man's paths, whether the man does or not (in fact, other verses in Proverbs indicate that the alternate translation of "ponder" is also accurate, in the sense that the Lord directs, limits, or blesses men's paths as well: see Proverbs 16:9; 20:24 and Lamentations 3:37)
4. realize that one of the main dangers of the adulteress is how hard it is to ponder his own path, let alone finding the path of life, when the woman he is joined to is not firm, stable, nor established

Word #2: Captivate

Okay, on to the fun word. But there's a life and death choice in these passages as well.

The word, translated "captivated" in the NIV, or "ravished" in the KJV, is from the Hebrew word (again, from Strong's concordance) shagah. This word means:

	to stray (causatively, mislead), usually
	(figuratively) to mistake, especially (morally) to transgress;
	by extension (through the idea of intoxication) to reel,
	(figuratively) be enraptured:--(cause to) go astray, deceive,
	err, be ravished, sin through ignorance, (let, make to)
	wander.

Now, I'll quote Proverbs 5:15-23, and insert a marker every place that the word shagah is used, in verses 19, 20, and 23:

	15 Drink waters out of thine own cistern, and running waters
	   out of thine own well.
	16 Let thy fountains be dispersed abroad, and rivers of waters
	   in the streets.
	17 Let them be only thine own, and not strangers' with thee.
	18 Let thy fountain be blessed: and rejoice with the wife of thy youth.
	19 Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts
	   satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished [shagah] always
	   with her love.
	20 And why wilt thou, my son, be ravished [shagah] with a strange
	   woman, and embrace the bosom of a stranger?
	21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,
	   and he pondereth all his goings.
	22 His own iniquities shall take the wicked himself, and he shall
	   be holden with the cords of his sins.
	23 He shall die without instruction; and in the greatness of his
	   folly he shall go astray. [shagah]

Here, God is telling us that he knows perfectly well that a man can and will be captivated by a loving woman. This was the way He designed it.

But the choice put before us is this: do we allow ourselves to be captivated by the path of life, or by the path of death?

The path of life is to be captivated by your own wife: create your own home, your own family, and receive your own blessings from the Lord.

The path of death is to be captivated by sin, by the very same bond of marital love, but with the wrong woman. The wrong woman can be another man's wife, or an unbelieving woman. The word used for "adulteress" or "strange woman" is also translated "stranger" or "alien." If your potential wife is a stranger from God, by whom are you being captivated?

And just as the cords of marital bliss are a powerful force of captivity for good, the cords of sin will hold the sinner and the wicked man, with a powerful force for evil. His own folly will captivate him with the same kind of strength and power that is meant to hold a godly couple together in marriage.

Employee:	It was theoretically impossible for me to work this week. Everything I needed to do required me to do something else first, until it all looped back on itself like a mobius strip.
Boss:	Maybe you should make a to-do list.
Employee:	As if I had a pencil.

I was reminded of this when reading Proverbs 15 earlier this week:

	The way of the slothful man is as an hedge of thorns:
	but the way of the righteous is made plain.
		Proverbs 15:19

I can attest to this. When I have a todo list of my own, and things don't get finished, they often become roadblocks later. And not just scheduling roadblocks, but mental roadblocks, where all my pending tasks become like a brain cloud that holds me back from starting. The todo list gets bigger, things pile up, and it gets overwhelming.

On the flip side, when I'm able to focus on just one thing, and finish it, and cross it off my todo list, it is like a breath of fresh air to my schedule. It gives me a boost, a near exhilaration of accomplishment (especially when the task involves some complex programming issue that got solved in an elegant way). It almost makes the other todo list items easier.

Very often the key is focus. I'm currently working on a feature for Barry that, due to interruptions from other more important projects, has taken over a month. The feature is not that complicated, but it is basic to the architecture, and requires careful thought and planning. When interrupted, the jungle path must be re-cut again later.

But focus is not the only key. Sometimes just plain old dogged diligence will get the job done when elegance and focus don't. That sometimes rubs me the wrong way, as a programmer, but it's true, and therefore something I need to accept. I've seen it in action in my friends, and it is an inspiration to behold.

	Vanity of vanities, saith the Preacher, vanity of vanities;
	all is vanity.
	   Ecclesiastes 1:2
 
	Then I looked on all the works that my hands had wrought,
	and on the labour that I had laboured to do: and, behold,
	all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and there was no profit
	under the sun.
	   Ecclesiastes 2:11
 
	Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable,
	always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know
	that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
	   1 Corinthians 15:58

We can't take it with us when we go, as they say. Everything is meaningless, as Ecclesiastes says. The riches we store up during our long lives, through painful toil and sweat and tears, will all disappear and will profit us nothing in the long run.

But the Lord's work is not in vain, and we may participate in it. Therefore the Lord's work is profitable in the long run. We benefit, as well as others, and we glorify God through it.

	"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener.  He cuts
	off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch
	that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more
	fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have
	spoken to you.  Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch
	can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither
	can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.
 
	"I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me
	and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do
	nothing.  If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch
	that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up,
	thrown into the fire and burned.  If you remain in me and my
	words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given
	you.  This is to my Father's glory, that you bear much fruit,
	showing yourselves to be my disciples."
  
	   John 15:1-8 (NIV 1984)

One guy shared a story about how he had someone prune his trees a while back. After the pruning, there were so many branches cut off that he was rather disappointed with the results, but he was assured that more air could flow through the tree, and he would get more fruit.

Sure enough, the next year he got a terrific amount of fruit. He called up the pruner to tell him, and the next stage in pruning was to take off the smaller fruit. Otherwise the tree would be overloaded. To get large juicy fruit, the tree had to be pruned yet again, even of its beginning fruit, so it could focus on just the good ones.

Except for an odd illness. Strangely, the people of this town tended to get severe lung illnesses, which would kill them within 12 to 18 months. Nobody knew why the number of cases were higher there, or what caused the illness.

Then one day a doctor, about 50 years old, came to town and started to investigate. He studied the evidence. He compared it to known diseases. He figured out why tuberculosis treatments weren't working.

The answer? It was the land and the rock itself. There was a mineral in the rock that, when inhaled, became worse than asbestos. The only solution was to leave town.

At such news, the housing prices took a bit of a hit. Tourism started to decline a little as it became known as a 'cancer town'. Some people didn't believe him, and wanted him to go away. Why let him affect their livelihoods with his theories?

Thirty years passed by, and the rates of illness remained as high as they ever were. Some people wanted to leave, but they were poor, and believed that they were trapped by economic circumstances.

What if you were stuck in such a town? Would you leave everything and start fresh, without any money or home, in a new town, based on one doctor's evidence? Would you wait 30 years, and raise a family first, and hope that perhaps a government program would come along to help?

I don't know what I'd do, but in retrospect, it would seem like a tragedy if there were people who got sick needlessly just because they felt trapped.

As you might have guessed, this is a true story. I heard it on CBC radio on my way home from work. What a story: good and bad news all wrapped into one. Finally, the answer why people were dying, but that answer basically took away everything they had. And such consequences for disbelief.

You can read more about this town here.

The Bible is right when it tells us to "Prove all things" (1 Thes. 5:21). I'm sure the doctor would have been happy to show people the scientific evidence and prove that it really was the rock dust that was killing them. According to the CBC radio report, he's in his 80's now, and he's still trying to get people to move and leave the town deserted.

	20 And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he
	awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other
	times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the LORD
	was departed from him.
  
	21 But the Philistines took him, and put out his eyes, and
	brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brass;
	and he did grind in the prison house.
  
	22 Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he
	was shaven.
  
	   Judges 16:20-22

One of the saddest, and one of the happiest verses in the Bible, in my opinion, within two verses of each other.

I'm sure the story of Samson is well known. From his birth, he was set apart by God. God gave him life. God gave him the special Nazarite covenant, where he was not to shave his head. God gave him super-human strength. And God gave him the very hair that he was not supposed to cut.

All Samson had to do was not throw it away.

God honoured that covenant, even when Samson married a foreigner, even when he took revenge for wrongs done to him personally, and even when he visited a prostitute. Samson was chosen by God, and God used him to accomplish His plan.

Yet, in spite of all this favour, Samson let down his guard, and in a way, threw away the hair, the covenant, and the strength God had given him. And he did not know what he had lost until it was too late.

But God does not give up on him. Even though Samson suffers defeat due to his choices, God keeps giving. God gives him more hair. The enemy thought they had won. They thought the job was finished, and that the battle was over. I think Samson even started to believe those lies as well. All he wants at the end is to die with the Philistines. But even in the middle of defeat, God is laying the foundation for future victory. God makes his hair grow again, God renews the covenant, and God sends more strength even after Samson fell. And the victory at Samson's death was greater than all the victories through his life.

Praise God, who does not give up on His people! Who produces Victory even with our own defeat! Who turns death into life, and heals our brokenness!

Did I help because the Bible told me to, or because I really wanted to?

This is a quote from the book The Year of Living Biblically by A.J. Jacobs (2007). The book chronicles the life of Jacobs in his attempt, and exploration, of living according to the Bible as literally as possible. For a year. The results are amusing and thought-provoking.

Don't read this book for answers. This is more like a diary filled with questions and internal puzzlings, and while it is very honest (which I enjoyed greatly), there are not a lot of solid answers in the book. If you take some of the text too seriously, you could make some serious mistakes, in my opinion.

That said, you probably shouldn't read this blog for answers either, since this is just as much a diary filled with questions and puzzlings, although maybe not quite as honest as the book.

Anyway, enough with the disclaimers.

The above line comes near the end of the book, where Jacobs is remembering an earlier question from his next door neighbour Nancy, when she was asking for a favour. She wanted to be sure that he was helping her because he really wanted to, and not just because it was part of his year-long project to live according to the Bible.

This line is probably the hardest hitting line in the book, for me. It's a hard question, because, when in the right state of mind, it is easy to get caught up doing things for God, and enjoying the process thoroughly. In that state of mind, you want to do good, but for God.

But from the human point of view, there is something different about having someone do something for you because they really want to. It is a totally different dynamic than someone just doing you a favour because they are in a good mood, or rich, or feeling pious that day. It is personal. It feels more like being in love than being a charity case.

There's a warm comforting feeling when someone does something for you just because they have a burning in their heart for you. It sort of takes you off guard. It makes you feel like you're not alone.

Is it possible to treat more than one or two people this way? It takes commitment and energy and some intimacy, I think.

What do you see in a person when you truly want to do something for them and not just for other external reasons? I think it is a personal value you place on the person. Someone that you don't fear at all. Someone that you don't mind getting close to. Someone that you want to hang out with. Someone that you want to talk with. Someone that you want to trust, and that you would not betray.

Does this happen with someone you meet for the first time? I don't think so. We fear strangers. We guard ourselves. We wonder what they are up to if they ask too many questions. We don't want to have our personal space invaded. We don't want to catch their cold, or whatever other bugs they might have. We don't want to spend our whole day with them, since we have things to do, people to see, and places to be. And we don't reveal our deep secrets to someone we just met.

How can we truly love with guarded attitudes like this? This is why I wonder if we can really love more than just a few people this way. This seems beyond what one person can manage to sustain.

Think of the closest person you know. Can you treat a homeless person with the same energy? I wonder. Is it possible? I know I can't do it now. Yet I know how badly I need to feel that warmth of real love, and if I feel it, then I know the homeless are also bitten with the cruel teeth of loneliness. It's probably why they are so happy when services like Out of the Cold open again for the winter. The warmth of love that the volunteers are able to share with the guests is so fleeting, so small, so short. Serving a meal, or playing a game, or smiling. But it seems like it is one of the warmest places that the homeless have in their lives.

Loneliness is a hard, cold monster to deal with, and the battles usually happen at our most solitary moments. At times like that, people would give almost anything to get a bit of warmth. Second hand warmth is ok. It's better than nothing. But there's a purer warmth that really comforts. And it's the kind that comes from an honest, pure desire. Because they really want to.

In the end, Nancy died of heart failure and asthma, caused by her closest friend that was with her every day: her dog. It's a sad story, and perhaps motivation to love our neighbour as ourselves.

Kids being kids, they promptly start to obey, but soon forget the details in their exuberance for life. Soon there is running, which causes some fine china to break. One child takes the other's toy or book, and crying ensues. Chores are left for later, and the house is a mess. When you arrive on the scene and question them about it, they deny any wrong doing. When the logic hits them and they see you can't be fooled, they start pointing fingers at each other, making sure you know that the other is the worse.

When you confront your children of their error, what behaviour would you rather see?

Suppose you are a judge, listening to a divorce case. The case is rather brutal, and you've had to use your gavel a number of times when the husband and wife cannot contain themselves and start shouting at each other across the aisle. You hear many stories, some inflated, some true, of infidelity, ignorance, backstabbing, and revenge. Each spouse knows their partner's faults by heart, but are blind to their own.

During the trial, what realization would you rather see?

Suppose you are driving to work. You're a little late, so you're speeding, but still being careful. You roll through some of the stop signs on the way, but you don't put anyone in danger.

While cruising down the highway, you look over to the car next to you and see someone talking on their cell phone. As they pass you, they turn on their signal and nearly cut you off, trying to get to the exit that they almost missed. Muttering under your breath, you swing out into the passing lane to avoid this unconscious driver. As you do, another car catches up to you and begins tailgating you, flashing his lights urgently trying to get you to pull over. There is about a foot of space between your bumper and his.

The stress takes over and you lose it, tapping the brakes and slowing down steadily, trying to teach this guy a lesson. You make sure that there are cars beside you so he cannot pass, slowing down to a crawl, while he creeps ever closer to your back bumper, lights on highbeam.

In this series of driving infractions, what realization should you have kept in mind?

Suppose you are a king, and you have a servant who owes you 10 million dollars. You summon him before you, and demand that he repay at least 25% of the amount owing. You remind him that he hasn't made a single payment since he borrowed the sum. He confesses to you that he doesn't have that much yet, but if you would be patient, he is sure that his business strategy will turn around and he will be able to pay you in full. You suspect that his business strategy is not going so well, and you note that he has already built himself a nice house, taking care of himself before his debts. So you give the order that his house, his car, his pool, his bank account, and his business be sold to pay the debt in full.

This command obviously shocks him, and he falls down on his knees, begging and pleading for mercy. He pleads with you that his wife and family would leave him if he became destitute, and he confesses that he has not managed this debt properly. He begs for a little more time.

You recall that he has always been a friend of the crown, and while his money management skills are lacking, his other qualities do shine at the right time. A wave of mercy overtakes you, and you cancel the entire 10 million dollar debt and send him on his way.

Overjoyed, he thanks you profusely, and leaves your palace with a spring in his step, a lightness of heart, and a hope for the future. He determines that he will never, ever, ever get himself into such debt again, and he rushes home and takes stock of his finances. He sees that one of his employees, his limo driver, owes him $1,000 for an old beat up car he had to buy in order to get to work. The man stands on his front steps, and meets his driver, holding up the I.O.U. and demanding payment. The driver pleads for more time, saying that he barely has enough to pay all his bills, but he is making progress, and will pay it all off as soon as he can. This doesn't satisfy him, though, and he fires the driver, and claims the jalopy as payment for the debt.

When you hear of this, as the king, what would you rather have seen?

And finally, suppose you are a Jew, a Muslim, or a Christian. Your holy book, which you read faithfully every day, contains great wisdom. It tells you how to live, how society should behave. It tells you how to treat your neighbour, and how your neighbour should treat you. It tells you the consequences for not living right, and sometimes even tells you the punishment that should be inflicted on those who do wrong. You try very hard to live by these rules, these laws. Your life is a glowing example. You give to the poor, you pay your debts, you tithe to your synagogue or mosque or church. You wear the right clothes, you say the right things, and you are confident and almost proud of your achievement. And while you know in your heart that you don't keep all the rules perfectly (but really, who can?), you content yourself that you're doing pretty well, overall.

You see in your same congregation another man who is not so successful at living the Jewish / Muslim / Christian life. This man drinks a little too much, has a lot of debt, gets fired from his job, or maybe even cheats on his wife. He has suffered a lot of embarrassment, when his faults become obvious to all. He keeps quiet, and doesn't talk much about his faith, due to the shame of his own failures.

One day, this man does something shocking. Maybe he steals from you. Or maybe he is found in a brothel, or with your wife. Whatever it is, his shame is complete, and his fellow Jews / Muslims / Christians are shocked, horrified, and tell him he needs to get his act together. They point to the scriptures from their holy books, and show him how he has sinned, how he has failed to live up to God's standards. Some even stay away from him.

You realize that you haven't obeyed your holy book perfectly either, but you burn with judgment against your fellow man, especially because he has injured you somehow, by stealing or adultery.

As all this is going on in your congregation, and you are doing your best to be forgiving, another congregation from a different Jewish, Muslim, or Christian sect publically claims to denounce your beliefs as wrong, and decides to burn your holy books on a special day. This infuriates you, and you get your fellow men together and decide to burn their holy books as well, and their flag. What follows is much back and forth, shouting, burning, and possibly looting.

As God looks down on all this, what do you think He would rather see?

If you are a child in the wrong, does it make sense to accuse your brother? If you are an unfaithful spouse, does it make sense to judge your wife or husband harshly? If you are in debt, does it make sense to encourage faster repayment conditions? If you are a criminal, does it make sense to demand the harshest punishment for other criminals?

And if you are a sinner, does it make sense to demand that God judge and punish other sinners, even if they sin again you?

If there is such a thing as mercy, and there is, then it should be the flag we wave the highest. If we are all in the same sinking boat, then mercy is the bail we use to empty the water out of the bottom.

I think it is a matter of what I am consuming and what I am producing.

	Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not? wherefore
	have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Behold,
	in the day of your fast ye find pleasure, and exact all your
	labours.
	   Isaiah 58:3

When I consume, I'm seeking my own pleasure. I eat to satisfy my hunger. I play to satisfy myself. I read to satisfy my brain. I spend money to buy things that I want. If I were rich enough to have employees, I would be expecting them to work hard for me to make me money, which I could then spend on myself.

In contrast, the fasting that God wants from us looks more like production. It looks more like the cessation of the very things that make our lives easier. "Fasting from pleasure" if you will. He tells us to untie the bonds of wickedness, relieve heavy burdens, set the oppressed free, break all yokes, feed the hungry, house the homeless, clothe the naked, satisfy the afflicted, and take care of your own flesh. He knows that we can't produce without consuming some fuel, but consumption should not be our goal.

Similar to how eating means we are "oppressing" plants and animals, doing well in business means "oppressing" employees and labourers and the environment. Indeed, in the drive for more profits, the lowest cost of labour is sought all over the world.

But God tells us to do the opposite, in order to fast for Him. Break those yokes, lighten those burdens, free those oppressed. Yes, we all must consume to produce, but to properly fast, we should be avoiding the food of selfishness. We should be limiting our appetite. We should be treading softly and leaving a small footprint on our neighbours and neighbourhood.

If consuming is our goal, are we not fasting from God? Are we not starving ourselves from the food of God and eating the food of the world? Living the life of a consumer harms our ability to live as a producer.

He tells us to stop speaking vanity, stop pointing the finger, and stop creating yokes for others.

I know I consume much. Not just in food, but in resources, and in pleasure. And while eating is not wrong, gluttony is. What else am I pigging out on in life? Pleasure? Entertainment? Laziness? Am I focusing on the latest gadget? Am I granting myself every desire that comes into my head?

Too often the answer is yes. I often have poor impulse control, and the world and advertisements encourage it every day. "Buy! Eat! Play!" they cry. And it is easy to follow along, especially when I know how fun it is. I consume too much, and often the wrong things.

Let me be a producer instead of a mere consumer, Lord, bearing Your fruit.

Another sermon I came across recently was one that talks about the prayer of Augustine:

"Grant what You command, and command what You will."

I find that prayer quite inspiring and liberating. You can read more here.

Usually there is some hero in the show, perhaps working for some secret arm of the American government, who has the backing of special ops and equipment. The generals and commanders get together and discuss the operation, the lay of the land, who has been captured, the political consequences if this gets into the news, etc. Secrecy is paramount, not just for the peace at home, but for the safety of the kidnapped victims as well.

So they suit up the hero and fly over the terrorist country with a stealth aircraft in the dead of night. The hero is covered in the latest gear: maps, night vision, weapons, supplies, radio. A rendezvous point and time is decided for pickup. All is set. The green light is given.

If this is an ultra-hero movie, then the hero hits a snag on deployment. Maybe his gear gets caught on the plane, and his only choice is to cut himself free from the gear and parachute into enemy territory with nothing but a knife and his wits.

Undeterred, he sets off in the direction of the hostages. Of course, he is somewhat off course due to the mid-air action, and now is behind schedule, without supplies, with little hope of success. We dig in. Can the hero overcome?

Of course, he dispatches the guards with ease, and sneaks into the camp otherwise undetected. He finds the hostages and crafts a plan to get them out of the camp in one piece.

When he reaches them, he looks disheveled, maybe a bit angry, and the poor hostages shrink back, worried that he is one of the terrorists.

What does he say? Usually something along the lines of: "I'm an American, and I've come to save you!"

There are a number of reactions that the hostages could take. They might not believe he's really an American. "Maybe it's a trick!"

Or they might believe he's there to save them, but maybe they like the terrorists, and don't really want to leave. The terrorists haven't hurt them that bad, and if they get the lingo down, there's opportunity for advancement!

Or they might believe he's there to save them, but are afraid that he's not enough to do the job. How can one man save all these hostages? Would the American government send a guy in without some equipment? What are the odds of success? The terrorists might catch us and kill us all!

Or they might believe he's there to save them, and expect him to take revenge right now, and somehow nuke the terrorist camp, and pay them back immediately for the hurt that the hostages have been through.

But in reality, the situation is none of the above. In reality, the hero is truly capable of getting the hostages out, but they will have to believe, and will have to work at it. They will have to follow the hero's instructions, and follow his timing, in order to be saved and return to their homeland.

So when Jesus tells his disciples to preach:

	Heal the sick who are there and tell them, 'The kingdom of God
	is near you.'
	   Luke 10:9 (NIV)

Which reality should we believe?

First, we have to believe that Jesus is really from the kingdom of God. He is not here to trick us. He is not here to condemn us. He came to save us.

	For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
	but to save the world through him.
	   John 3:17 (NIV)

Second, we need to realize that this world is a terrorist camp. None of this will last.

	... as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That
	day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire,
	and the elements will melt in the heat.
	   2 Peter 3:12 (NIV)
 
	Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
	   Matthew 24:35 (NIV)

If we clutch to the things of this world, we are clinging to what is not ours, and we are clinging to things that will pass away. We can take nothing of this world with us when we die, no matter how much we accumulate in this life.

Third, we need to realize that the kingdom of God is not like this world. The rules are upside down. The things we value highly today are actually worthless in heaven.

	What is highly valued among men is detestable in God's sight.
	   Luke 16:15b (NIV)

So if the rules of this world, which we are used to, are not what will save us, then why couldn't Someone from another world, much greater than this one, be able to save us all?

	For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through
	that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant
	provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in
	life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
	   Romans 5:17 (NIV)

Fourth, we also need to realize that Jesus did not come to setup a kingdom the first time. If He had, none of us would have been ready.

He came to show us that the kingdom of God is coming, and indeed, the first probes of infiltration are already here, in order to save those that do not belong to this present kingdom.

Does God's first infiltration come in war? Or in peace? In peace. Jesus tells all who follow Him to love, to give, to forgive, to absorb pain instead of inflict it, to use the things of this world to build riches in the next.

	While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a
	parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought
	that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.
	   Luke 19:11 (NIV)

Jesus goes on to tell the parable of the ten minas, which you can read here. Near the end of the parable, Jesus teaches:

	"He replied, 'I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be
	given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what he has will
	be taken away. ...'
	   Luke 19:26 (NIV)

I've often pondered what that could mean, but I believe I understand a bit of what it says today. Everyone who has something in heaven (in real riches, in heavenly riches, that cannot be destroyed) will have more given to him. But he who has nothing stored in heaven, even the things he has on earth (which he should have used to build riches in heaven) will be taken away from him.

And that only makes sense. For any hostage that stayed behind to build his house in the terrorist camp would suffer loss when the hero's army returns to defeat the enemy camp and make sure that no kidnappings ever happen again.

My response was, the fact that such a law is necessary shows how far men in general have fallen. And we're blind to it. It is easy to think we're riding high, when we're actually in the gutter.

One reaction to such laws, that is natural for men to have, is that sex is something that is kinda promised at the wedding. So both parties should have a right to expect it. In fact, even the Bible tells husbands and wives to not deprive each other, except for short "sex fasts" for the purpose of spiritual growth. But even those periods are to be short. Sex within marriage is to be the norm, whenever either partner needs it.

But it is easy to forget that such a command is for the top of the mountain. It is not the hammer you use when things are not going well. It is the result of doing things right in the first place.

The husband, as the head, has a duty and responsibility here. If his wife does not want to have sex with him, he'd better find out why, and find out yesterday! And then fix the root problem, which is probably in himself, or some external friction.

I think this is a part of a general principle. There are places where women are not God's first choice for leadership. It's not that they can't do a good job. It's not that their ideas are bad. But it is not their role. A wife is not called to be a husband. A woman is not called to be the head of a church.

So when women start taking the lead, working to repair what should be obvious as broken to all men, it is a sign that something is seriously wrong. I think it is a sign that there is something wrong with the men. Women's response may not always be ideal, but it's better than what the men are doing, often by a long shot.

When women must join together and rise up and work hard just to pass a law to protect them from their own husbands, something is seriously wrong.

What kind of leader does not listen to his subordinates? What kind of manager ignores the advice of his workers? What kind of employer cares not for the details of what makes his business tick?

What kind of husband not only ignores his wife's speech, but physically abuses her to get his own way?

There should be no such thing as marital rape. The idea should not even cross a husband's mind. The repulsion of a wife from her husband should not be an issue. A husband and wife should be in a state of eager union.

But it does exist, and the responsibility falls squarely on men's shoulders. Who will God judge for the wretched state of women in Africa? Will He not judge their own husbands? He will judge them for their emotional violence, as well as the physical. He will judge them for what they have done to their wives, as well as all the good that they could have done, but didn't.

And He will judge us the same way.

I do not recommend that approach.

Guess what? Jesus also pulled an all-nighter.

	And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a
	mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.
	   Luke 6:12

I wonder if He was tired the next day. There are places in the gospels that tell of how the disciples were tired and fell asleep, so perhaps this was a habit for Jesus. Maybe the only free time He had for prayer was at night when everyone else was asleep.

But I am not convinced that He was necessarily tired the next day. Oh, it might have been that way, and I'm sure Jesus was tired at various points, but somehow, I think Jesus was refreshed while talking to God. Recharged. So recharged that there was an abundance of power in Him as a result.

	45 And Jesus said, Who touched me? When all denied, Peter
	and they that were with him said, Master, the multitude
	throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou, Who touched me?
 
	46 And Jesus said, Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive
	that virtue is gone out of me. 
	   Luke 8

There's another spot in the Bible where hanging out with God ends up with physical side effects that are truly amazing. Did you know that Moses went without food and water for 120 days? That's how I understand these verses:

	When I was gone up into the mount to receive the tables of stone,
	even the tables of the covenant which the LORD made with you,
	then I abode in the mount forty days and forty nights, I neither
	did eat bread nor drink water:
	   Deuteronomy 9:9

That was the first round. The first tablets during the first 40 days and nights. Then Moses came down the mountain, saw the Israelites in the midst of idolatry, and smashed the tablets.

What did Moses do then? He fasted another 40 days and nights, pleading with God for mercy for the sinning Israelites, interceding on their behalf.

	And I fell down before the LORD, as at the first, forty days
	and forty nights: I did neither eat bread, nor drink water,
	because of all your sins which ye sinned, in doing wickedly in
	the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger.
	   Deuteronomy 9:18

So Israel was saved from utter destruction. But new tablets were needed. So up the mountain Moses goes again:

	And I stayed in the mount, according to the first time, forty
	days and forty nights; and the LORD hearkened unto me at that
	time also, and the LORD would not destroy thee.
	   Deuteronomy 10:10
 
	And he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights;
	he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon
	the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.
	   Exodus 34:28

So I would not be surprised if Jesus found more strength in praying to God all night than He would have gotten with a comfortable full night's sleep. In fact, as evidenced by the miracles that happen after all that prayer, Jesus certainly did find strength.

	But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by
	bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth
	of God.
	   Matthew 4:4

Here are the four levels as I see them:

1. Disbelief

The first, lowest level is disbelief. We do not hold the information we see or hear to be true, and we certainly do not trust it with our lives, or act on it in any way. If the information is a lie, then this is the right course of action. But if the information is the truth, we are harming ourselves.

2. Uncertainty

This is the level where we just don't know. Perhaps there's not enough data to convince us. Or perhaps part of our heart is not ready to accept the evidence. Perhaps what we thought was true was called into question by new evidence. As long as we continue seeking the truth, this is a positive level, but if we are happy with our uncertainty, this becomes a dead end.

3. Certainty

This is the level where we know, intellectually. Perhaps very little evidence is required, or perhaps we have experienced something that confirms what we know. Or, perhaps more strongly, we have searched for the evidence we need, and we have many logical reasons and much evidence to back up our conclusion. Or perhaps we are told information from someone who is beyond reproach, who has no reason to lie, and who we trust.

This level is primarily a mental one. You can look outside, confirm the sky is blue, be certain that the sky is blue, but not do anything else with that certainty.

In terms of religion, many of us slide into this pothole. We claim to believe various things about God, but we don't let it change us.

Perhaps surprisingly, demons also fall into this category:

	You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons
	believe that -- and shudder.
   
	   James 2:19 (NIV)

4. Belief: Certainty that Motivates Action

This is the highest form of belief. Not only are we certain that what we know is right, but we are willing to let that knowledge shape our lives, even if we know that we only know part of the picture. We are willing to do things that seem risky to those who don't know what we know. If what we believe is right, we are rewarded. If what we believe is wrong, we suffer loss.

This is similar to the folks in Canada who took advantage of the home renovation tax credit. They believed the government enough to take a risk and spend money on their homes, even though the government didn't actually pass the legislation until late in 2009, as I recall. Whether that trust was warranted might be up for debate, but those that acted benefited from their belief.

In terms of religion, if you are certain that God is all-powerful, loving, just, and merciful, then this level of belief is the only one that makes sense.

Where is Doubt?

I was almost going to say that I thought that step 4 was the last step in putting doubt to death. But then I remembered the story of Jesus and Peter walking on the water. Peter saw Jesus, and asked:

	"Lord, if it's you," Peter replied, "tell me to come to you on
	the water."
     
	"Come," he said.
  
	Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and
	came toward Jesus.  But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and,
	beginning to sink, cried out, "Lord, save me!"
   
	Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him.
	"You of little faith," he said, "why did you doubt?" 
   
	   Matthew 14:28-31 (NIV)

So action is not the last step in putting doubt to death. Even in the middle of acting, doubt can pop up. And it's not the amount of faith we should be concerned about, it is the doubt:

	The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith!"
   
	He replied, "If you have faith as small as a mustard seed,
	you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted
	in the sea,' and it will obey you. 
  
	   Luke 17:5-6 (NIV)

Even the smallest amount of faith, in its pure form, uncorrupted by doubt, is enough to move trees around by command.

Put another way, Jesus called Peter (who actually walked on water -- more than most of us have done!) "of little faith." If our faith is so small, how can we afford doubt?

In the end, I have to ask myself: What am I certain about? And even if that encompasses a surprisingly tiny area of knowledge compared to the vastness that exists, if I am honest with myself there are things I am certain about. I think each of us has these areas of certainty. And if so, then my responsibility is to act on that certainty and to continue to search for more.

See also the parable of the sower in Mark 4, for a better way to look at these levels of belief.

The first 7 chapters of 1 Samuel, and a bit of chapter 8, tell the story of how God raised up a new leader for Israel once their old leader was falling away.

Eli was a man who respected God. He was a priest, and held the things of God in high esteem. But there was something missing. Even though Eli knew the voice of God, and even though God did speak to him through prophets, the Bible says that it didn't happen very often:

	And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And
	the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no
	open vision.
	   1 Samuel 3:1

Some translations use the word "rare" instead of "precious."

Eli had set his sons in authority over the people, and they were so corrupt that they would claim improper portions of the sacrifices, and they would have sex with the women who served in the tent of meeting.

When Eli heard of these things, he pleaded with his sons, but they would not listen to him (2:23). And that's all that Eli did. He could have corrected them, rebuked them more harshly, and removed them from office, but he didn't.

I wonder why he didn't. Verse 2:29 says that Eli honoured his sons above God. As far as I know, these two sons were the only sons that Eli had. It could be that he felt helpless in the face of his sons' disobedience and then did not trust God to provide another priest to follow, if he removed his sons from office.

Eli does seem very grateful for Samuel. Perhaps he saw in Samuel the eager and obedient son that he always wanted.

	And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, and said, The LORD give
	thee seed of this woman for the loan which is lent to the LORD.
	And they went unto their own home.
	   1 Samuel 2:20

In the midst of all this corruption was a woman who was barren: Hannah. She was married to a man (Elkanah) who faithfully paid his vows to the Lord each year. This man had two wives, and the success that the other wife had in bearing children was a source of friction between her and Hannah.

In great anguish of heart, Hannah asked for a son from the Lord, and promised that that son would be given back to God, and would serve him all his life. God answered her prayer, and Samuel was born.

I find this an amazing act of faith on Hannah's part. It was a bit desperate as well. But out of this desperation and faithfulness, all of Israel was blessed. To ask for a son, only to then give him up, and not see him except for the annual visit for sacrifices, would be a hard thing to do. But this is what Hannah promised, and this is what Hannah did.

God rewarded Hannah for her sacrifice and faithfulness: she afterward had 3 sons and 2 daughters.

The Lord spoke to Eli twice, warning him that what his sons were doing could not be ignored. And this punishment would come on Eli as well, for his line would be removed from the priestly service for this unfaithfulness.

What I see in Eli is something I also see in myself. He heard God's warnings, he knew what was right and wrong, he knew that something was amiss. But either he didn't know how to fix it, or he didn't have the strength to do it. Instead, he fatalistically threw up his hands, and waited for the inevitable.

When the second message came to Eli, through Samuel, Samuel didn't know who was talking to him, but Eli did:

	And Eli perceived that the LORD had called the child.  Therefore
	Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be,
	if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, LORD; for thy
	servant heareth.
	   1 Samuel 3:8b-9a

Even then, Samuel was cautious, for when the Lord came to him again, Samuel replied:

	And the LORD came, and stood, and called as at other times,
	Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant
	heareth.
	   1 Samuel 3:10

Samuel didn't call just anyone Lord, but he was willing to obey and listen. The next morning, Eli commanded Samuel to tell him what the Lord had said. Samuel was afraid to say it, but did anyway. It was a second message to Eli, that because of the vile acts of his sons and Eli's failure to restrain them, Eli's priestly service would end.

Eli knew Who was talking:

	And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him.
	And he said, It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
	   1 Samuel 3:18

Eli still threw up his hands. Yes, when the Lord speaks, we cannot change it. But even Ninevah's destruction was delayed when they repented at the preaching of Jonah. Wasn't it Eli's responsibility to repent, to change his ways, to obey, and to rebuke his sons? Surely God would have found a way to be merciful if he had.

Instead, Eli waited, with a trembling and a dread of what was coming, like a deer caught in the headlights. And the end came soon.

Israel and the Philistines then went to battle. There were a series of fights. The first time, Israel lost. They thought they were missing something, so they brought the Ark of the Covenant along to the next battle, trusting in the Ark instead of God:

	And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel
	said, Wherefore hath the LORD smitten us to day before the
	Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the LORD
	out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us,
	it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.
	   1 Samuel 4:3

Note they were trusting in the Ark to save them. Of course, this didn't work, and they were defeated again, and this time the Ark was captured and taken by the Philistines!

Imagine Eli at this point. He is staying at Shiloh, and knows Israel is heading out to battle #1. He is a priest, but has no word from the Lord, and does not know what to do or say to ensure victory. Instead, he has had two messages from God that destruction is coming to him personally.

Battle #1 is lost, and the elders come marching up and ask for the Ark of the Covenant. Three of Eli's most precious things then leave to go to the battle: the Ark of the Covenant, and his two sons.

Here's a striking picture of what dreading the future looks like:

	And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came
	to Shiloh the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth
	upon his head.  And when he came, lo, Eli sat upon a seat
	by the wayside watching: for his heart trembled for the ark of God.
	And when the man came into the city, and told it, all the city
	cried out. 
	   1 Samuel 4:12,13

Battle #2 was also lost. Eli's two sons, and Eli himself, all died that day.

Let us learn from Eli. What are we dreading? Is there something we know we can change, but haven't yet? Is there something messed up in our lives that gives us trouble in our souls when we think about it? Is there some hard decision or task that we have been avoiding? Has God sent us warnings about anything in our lives? from authority? from His Word? from friends or family?

Let us repent and turn to God and obey what we know to be right.

It can happen to anyone. Check out 1 Samuel 8:1-3. Guess who's sons also turned out bad?

The more I read the Bible lately, the more that little things pop out at me, that I hadn't seen before, and start to build into a general instruction that the whole of the Bible appears to be teaching me.

One of these instructions is that being a loner is not wise.

As I recall, the first verse that opened my eyes to this is from Proverbs:

	Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and
	intermeddleth with all wisdom.

	    Proverbs 18:1

Let's take a peek in a different translation to make that clearer:

	HE WHO willfully separates and estranges himself [from God
	and man] seeks his own desire and pretext to break out
	against all wise and sound judgment.

	    Proverbs 18:1 (Amplified)

It was an interesting correlation to me, that the seeking of one's own desire is connected so strongly with being a loner, separating yourself from God and man. This has definitely been true in my own life. Each side feeds the other. The more I follow my own desire, the less desire I have for fellowship with all kinds of people, and vice versa.

The other night, I was reading Psalm 107 (which is a beautiful Psalm... it is highly recommended to read the whole thing). The first section talks about two different ways: the solitary or desolate way, and the right way:

	4 They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary way;
	they found no city to dwell in.

	5 Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them.

	6 Then they cried unto the LORD in their trouble,
	and he delivered them out of their distresses.

	7 And he led them forth by the right way, that they
	might go to a city of habitation.

	8 Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness,
	and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

	9 For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth
	the hungry soul with goodness.

	   Psalm 107

Here, by implication, the "wrong way" is linked to desolation, or solitude. It is linked to having no dwelling place, to being stuck in a lost and wandering life.

Armed with these messages, I decided to do a quick search, to see if other writers came to the same conclusion. One search turned up an inspiring article by Walter A Henrichsen of the Navigators written in 1975, called Many Aspire - Few Attain (mirror). Again, it is a worthy read if you have the time.

Point #7 is "Avoid an Independent Spirit." He writes:

	The seventh reason why people will never finish the race is they
	have an independent spirit. They are mavericks, loners. They
	want to serve God, but in their own way. Perhaps you are like
	the fellow I asked about the Episcopal form of government. He
	answered, "Well, I'm against bishops unless I can be one."

	A lot of Christians have that attitude. They are against spiritual
	authority and leadership unless they are the authority and
	leader. But God says He will not give you that which is your
	own until you have been part of that which is another man's
	(Luke 16:12).

	    Walter A Henrichsen

Not only is being a loner unwise for the loner himself, but it is the wrong way to serve God. God gives us relationships with fellow Christians for a reason. We are stronger together than apart. (see also Being the Church)

This all speaks directly to me. While part of me loves friendship and social life, I have a natural loner tendency. It could just be laziness. I prefer the written word to verbal communication. I prefer my own sterile keyboard to handshaking with strangers. But this is not wise. It is not the right way. It is not the way to a "city of habitation."

What's a Berean?

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians,
for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the
Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
- Acts 17:11 (NIV)

I may be mistaken in my posts. I may not see things perfectly clearly. And I may miss things, or even read over them in my haste and joy.

So be a Berean, and think about what I write, and check it against your own reason and (most importantly) the Bible itself, and pray, before you accept what I say as truth.

And if I am wrong, or you know of something that would clarify a topic, please don't hesitate to write to me. It is better to be corrected than to continue blissfully in error.

You can find my contact information on the main page.

The difference is that Job had to somewhat blindly trust that God would work out his salvation in the end, somehow; while we can look into history and see God's work on our behalf, in the person of Jesus Christ. Job talked with God face to face in the whirlwind, but did not see his salvation finished. We see our salvation finished, but don't often get to talk face to face with God.

I sometimes wonder if that lack of face to face conversation is our fault. Of course, it is up to God whether we see Him or not, indeed whether we see anything or not. But if we choose not to repent when we have the opportunity, certainly God won't bless us. Anyway, that's a topic for another time.

Someone told me that they wondered how Job could talk so boastfully yet still be considered righteous.

It probably was boastful, but the interesting thing was that I think Job was just telling the truth, as far as he knew it. Even God pointed out in the beginning of the book that Job was exemplary.

It seems that Job did have a righteousness of his own, but the problem was that he was trusting in his own righteousness, instead of God's righteousness, which is better by far than ours.

That's how I understand it anyway. Job had a righteousness of his own, and trusted in it, and was even eager to argue with God about it. Yet before we judge Job, I think Job had great faith, greater than we do in many ways. He trusted in God for great things, and he had a determination not to give up on God, no matter what came his way. "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him." (13:15) He also trusted in God for his Redeemer. "I know that my Redeemer lives" (19:25 NIV) And he believed in the resurrection. "after my flesh has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God." (19:26 NIV)

He just trusted too much in himself, thinking that if he lived right, God would have no choice but to judge in Job's favour.

When his 3 friends saw his life, they assumed that it was because of his sin and that all he had to do was repent. They were flabbergasted at his defiance in the face of their criticism, and they tried multiple times to convince him, but ended up frustrated. But they were arguing on the same basis as Job: that God's reactions were based on man's behaviour. They argued that there were only two states: either man was righteous and was blessed, or was wicked and was cursed. And obviously since Job was suffering, they were convinced he must be harbouring wickedness in his heart. Yet according to Job's testimony, and God's testimony at the beginning of the book, he wasn't.

Then Elihu speaks. I don't see any correction to what he says. Job doesn't answer him, neither do the 3 friends, and God doesn't seem to include him in the condemnation of the friends. So I assume that Elihu was right, although rather angry. He argues that God is sovereign. God is not harmed by the wicked, nor does He benefit from the righteous. What God does is Just because He is God, not because of what man does. Man needs to conform to God; God does not react to man. God knows what man will do already.

In other words, there are more than just two states to a man's life. God is not a vending machine with blessing and cursing buttons on the front. God will do what is right, even if it doesn't look that way to us, regardless of what we do.

Then God speaks, and asks Job question after question after question, that Job cannot answer. Just like in Genesis, when Adam and Eve sinned and God asked them questions. But Job responds differently. Adam pointed at Eve, and Eve pointed at the serpent, but Job repented in dust and ashes. (42:6) Job's 3 friends don't seem to repent either. At least it is not recorded that they do.

And after Job humbled himself, then God lifted Job up, (James 4:10) first to the level of intercessor for his friends, offering a sacrifice on their behalf. And secondly, after he helped his friends, God lifted Job to double his former level of prosperity: double the sheep (14,000), double the camels (6,000), double the oxen (1,000), and double the female donkeys (1,000). And another 7 sons and 3 daughters, to match those he lost. And all this was not because of what Job did, but it was all a gift from God, like everything really is.