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| and a mist goeth up from the earth, and hath watered the whole face of the ground. |
In Genesis 2 we are now given a name for God as Sarah pointed out on her blog some time ago.
I wonder why not from the very beginning?
The theme of man and woman , Jehovah as the husband of Israel, and Christ and the bride came to mind when reading the rest of the chapter.
And Adam said, This [is] now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
I think about Adam and Eve and as Christ the second Adam:
And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. 1Cor 15:45
And the wife of Adam and bride of Christ.
In Ephesians 5 Paul tells wives and husbands how to behave. Husbands are the head of the wife and are to love as Christ loved His church (which is also His body- for no man ever hated His own body). And wives are to be subject to the husband as the husband "represents" Christ in the (ideal) family model.
Paul says this is a great mystery...indeed. That is something to chew on for awhile.
For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. (Ephesians 5:20)
Hi Ma, As you are already aware the Lord is dealing with me about the bride. Thank you for your post as it is so timely!
ReplyDeleteAs you noted above--in the same way that husband and wife become one flesh....
Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Gen 2:24
we become one with Christ and the Father...
Jhn 17:23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;
It's a wonderful thing!!
But sadly there are unwise virgins who do not want a relationship with the Holy Spirit (they have no extra oil in their vessel. Mat 25:3) How can these unwise ones be one with Christ and the Father if they do not have this? They can't. And that is why Jesus said He does not know them. And therefore they cannot be a bride.
The parable of the 10 virgins is so important to understand in these days.
Be blessed! Sarah
Hi Sarah,
DeleteThis is interesting timing, hmmm?:)
I followed your new blog a couple of days ago, but I haven't really had a good look around yet. I'm rethinking so many of my previous opinions about different things, so I look forward to getting in to it with fresh eyes. I will make some time to get over there in the very near future.
The parable of the 10 virgins is very puzzling to me, I will think on this, too!
Ma it has taken me 4 years to understand it. But that was God's timing as it is the Holy Spirit that has been "unsealing" it for me.
DeleteGod bless!
I once heard someone (I forget who, sorry whoever you are) say that he was kind to his wife out of selfishness because his kindness comes back to him 100 fold.
ReplyDeleteGod gives and gives and gives (His blessings are new every day), but like the situation with the 10 lepers, only one returns to thank Him (I know I don't thank Him nearly enough, I often find myself grumbling, sigh), so the above model doesn't quite fit all of us...and we shouldn't turn it around either, thinking that any good we do will be returned to us 100 fold (I've heard this "method" preached, ugh) so the more we give the more we will get. There is something terribly wrong with a relationship that is focused on getting as much as possible...yeah, I've been there too.
One day while in California recently, a young lady came into my mom's hospital room (which was very crowded, shared with two other patients). She had a broom. I had seen her in the hallway on a previous day, she had a beautiful smile. She came to my mom and said "How are you today, mama? You look very nice! You are so blessed by the LORD, you will have many days of blessings, and full of joy, God be praised...I love the name of Jesus, His name is above all names and worthy to be praised" in her wonderful Trinidad accent. She then told us how the Lord has been so good to her, and about a recent incident where the Lord saved her from two pit bulls that wanted to attack her (while she was walking to work) but couldn't, they came right up to her and she said it was like they were stopped and could come no further. Her face shone as she told the story, a peace and a sweetness as she told of her savior's love and protection. Then she continued sweeping, and left the room. She really looked like a new bride talking about her sweet love of her life, and makes me think of the 7 letters to 7 churches, and that bit about first love.
That is interesting how God's name fits what He is and does, and also people in the OT used to name their children by events that were part of what was happening to them at the time. Have you ever looked at all the names of God throughout the Bible, Ma? When I look at His many names, it lifts me up:
This one is most extensive, unfortunately doesn't give references:
http://www.characterbuildingforfamilies.com/names.html
This one does give the Bible verses where they are to be found:
http://www.eons.com/groups/topic/1595765-AZ-Names-of-God-with-Verses
I have looked at that names of God site, it is so encouraging.
DeleteI loved the story about the lady at the hospital and how God can shine brightly just when we need Him most.
I had a run in with a very nasty person on Saturday and while in the grocery store, it hit me and I started crying in the deli department when the nice lady who is always there started talking to me. She is such a sweet lady and for some reason the goodness of her contrasted with what I had just been through just made me lose it! Then a customer standing next to me asked if I needed a hug and I did. They both gave me encouragement and said to give it to God and He would make it right, and He will of course. It's so nice to run into His children (our sisters and brothers)and we know each other right away:)
Aww, You are right about the Lord always sending someone when you need it most :)
DeleteI've been thinking about this lately, about the "nasty people" and how I always want to set the record straight, that they need correcting......sigh......Jesus said He would set it all straight in His time, no pushing from me needed (but I'm just trying to help!!!) yeah, so anyway, why am I so impatient? When I push it shows that I'm not believing that God is going to handle it.
Something thought provoking for this morning. This is a gorgeous misty picture with the sun setting amidst the dark clouds.
ReplyDeleteIt's important to go back and re-read the instruction manual on marriage (as you have), to see how we "hitched folk" measure up and make adjustment to this imperfect soul now-and-then. God is in the restoration business, so restoring us to the model position, to that upright realtionship is the goal. Marriage and pro-creation is His invention and good when right ... thus the manual (the Holy scriptures for us to read and follow). When I get done chewing on your verses above Ma, I'm going to chew on Genesis 2:24 on marriage to think about what it exactly it means, the application, and implications for my life. It's good to evaluate as we seek the Lord and His will for us daily. Blessings Ma!
ReplyDeleteThanks Brain,
DeleteThe marriage model only works well if BOTH are doing their part. BUT if one is not and the other still is, we can win our spouse over at times...it's worked in my marriage. (I was the one won over;))
Lambert Dolphin's site has a good list of the names of the Lord and where that name is in the Bible...Your post is having me think on seeing how the name is used in each passage as to what that passage is talking about, thanks Ma :)
ReplyDeleteLambert's list:
http://ldolphin.org/names.html
I love the part where it says that God saw that Adam should not be alone. It is a beautiful testimony to God's generosity.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I think it is interesting to recall that "Adam" means something like "earth being", or "earthling", and that "Eve" means "life". This may not seem very impressive to others, but it has also struck me as profound.
Leslie, wow, that IS interesting! I love looking into the meanings of words and names. I knew Adam's name meant earth (coming from the ground) but I didn't know Eve's name meaning...I'm going to look into that some more. :) Love it!
DeleteInteresting, talking about first mentions, that Eve is called "woman" until ch 4 when it talks about her child-bearing or "life giving"
Delete2332 Eve:
chavvâh
khav-vaw'
Causative from H2331; lifegiver; Chavvah (or Eve), the first woman: - Eve.
H2331 life:
châvâh
khaw-vah'
A primitive root; (compare H2324, H2421); properly to live; by implication (intensively) to declare or show: - show.
Neat! :D
Sorry for all the comments Ma, I forgot to mention this one (a favorite website of mine):
Deletehttp://www.hebrew4christians.com/Names_of_G-d/names_of_g-d.html
This website has oodles of information!
Leslie,
DeleteThat is interesting about the names. I looked up Adam in Strong's and to my surprise, he says it's from a root word that means red. I can see that relating to the earth, too, but what I thought of was:
Though your sins be as scarlet, they will be white as snow...
or maybe I'm stretching it a bit;)
Susan, I will have a look at those other sites as time allows, to:)
DeleteI had heard that before, about Adam coming from the word for red, and heard it theorized that he was made from red clay. Red is symbolic color for blood, and also for flesh?
DeleteI thought Esau's name was for his redness, but I just looked it up:
Gen 25:25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
The word "red" in this verse is:
'admônı̂y 'admônı̂y
ad-mo-nee', ad-mo-nee'
From H119; reddish (of the hair or the complexion): - red, ruddy.
But Esau's name has to do with his roughness:
‛êśâv
ay-sawv'
Apparently a form of the passive participle of H6213 in the original sense of handling; rough (that is, sensibly felt); Esav, a son of Isaac, including his posterity: - Esau.
Good thoughts :)
I have always heard from Hebrew scholars that "Adam" as it occurs in e.g. Genesis 2:7 connotes earth or clay, the materials from which Adam was created, and that "Adam" is not even really a proper name but a count noun that means something like "earth being". I don't read much ancient Hebrew though, so I don't know for sure.
DeleteNow I'm thinking about pottery (the Lord referring to us as earthen vessels) and idols made of pottery, stone, or wood...all lifeless... and that God wrote the 10 commandments on stone, and talks about men's stony hearts, and that He will write His commandments on our fleshy hearts. There is some overlap on these. God is Creator, and man wants to replace Him with his own works/creations, but what God does cannot be duplicated, it might look the same on the outside, but it is lifeless.
Deletehmmm....
Good stuff. I was also thinking about how it is said that flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.
DeleteVery interesting thoughts. Great connections everyone!
DeleteBeautiful reflections. Adam and Eve compliment each other. I love it when hubby and I get glimpses of that perfection! God has brought us so far. I tell younger women all the time to lean more on Him, less on their own womanly whims. That being obedient doesn't mean being perfect... God will perfect the imperfect while we just try to obey, however clumsily that may be! :-)
ReplyDeleteGod has brought us so far, too:)
DeleteHave you read This Momentary Marriage by John Piper? Gary and I read it while traveling home from our vacation. It contains several of the important thoughts that you share here. We were encouraged, instructed, and challenged...
ReplyDeleteHey there Ma, Loved your post here and all the comments too. Here's something loosely connected, you could say VERRY loosely...........
ReplyDeleteYesterday during my visit to my sweet little mama we found a gem from her TV and watched the end of a Little House on the Prairie episode in which the characters Nellie Eva and Adam eloped, they were pursued by their parents and stopped before the consummation of their marriage. If you ever watched the show these 2 eventually do get married later on, but it was quite a fresh thing to see folks actually doing things in right order on TV of all places. :D