Turtledoves

   I've recently discovered reruns of Touched by an Angel on our cable network. At the end of each episode, a dove usually comes to represent God's presence in the resolution of the conflict.  Did you ever wonder why the dove is used to symbolize the Holy Spirit?  Of course we know that at Jesus' baptism "the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove...."*. That alone is reason enough.  However, I've come to understand how much more symbolism is packed into that image. (Plumbing the depths of God's imagery in Scripture is definitely a lifetime process.)
   I was unaware that in the time of Abraham a contract was ratified between two people when they walked together over the blood between the halves of the animal sacrifice. 10 witnesses stood on either side to serve as 'enforcers' of the agreement in the future, should either side renege. However, when God made the covenant with Abraham, only He passed between the halves of the sacrifice. He already knew we wouldn't keep our side of the covenant and that He Himself, through His Son, would have to pay our penalty for us.
   The dove** was not divided, however, as were the other animals. It remained whole. Chaim explains that the word for dove or pigeon (tsiphar) in the Hebrew carries a second meaning of a humble or soft voice bringing the presence of the Holy Spirit.  The second word used for bird in this passage is gozel, which can mean 'to pass over.'  Hmmmm, where have I heard that passover thing mentioned before in Scripture?  Ah yes, the angel of death passed over the Hebrews when they put the blood on their doorposts in Egypt. Yeshua, Himself, was the Lamb at the Great Passover. Wow, the whole Trinity of God was represented in the Covenant ADONAI made with Abraham. (Why am I surprised?)
   Another meaning for the word tavar, whose first meaning is turtledove, is to search out one's heart to discover the truth, which, indeed, is a function of The Holy Spirit according to Scripture.  The wonderful thing is that ADONAI knows it all, every beautiful and ugly detail within our hearts, and yet has provided Himself to stand in the gap between who we are and who we should be. He made the Walk through the sacrifice, and He is the Sacrifice. He presents us with one of two interlinking turtledove ornaments as a remembrance and presses the other close to His heart. May we do the same.

*Luke 3:22
**Chaim explains why the singular, versus the plural, of the word(s) for bird might be more correctly used, in his Study 68 of Hebrew Word Study:  Revealing the Heart of God. The chapter includes other insights as well.

Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good

Loving rereading my favorite modern author Jan Karon's  Somewhere Safe with Somebody Good* in anticipation of her newest book coming out next week.  Here's a sampling:

"I ask you to give Timothy your words, and to anoint all that he says and does to draw Sammy into the circle of your astonishing grace.  May it be a tender time, somehow transforming in ways we can't know."  [p. 226]

"At the altar of defeat, he laid the stick of grace.  Then he turned and went home to the yellow house where he had been given everything and more, none of it especially deserved."  [p. 228]

"He wept face forward, then, into the gale of those aghast at what was happening, wept for the wounds of any clergy gone out into a darkness of self-loathing and beguilement; for the loss and sorrow of those who could not believe, or who had once believed but lost all sense of shield and buckler and any notion of God's radical tenderness, for the ceaseless besettings of the flesh, for the worthless idols of his own and of others; for those sidetracked, stumped, frozen, flung away, for those both false and true, the just and the unjust, the quick and the dead....
He wept for himself, for the pain of long years and the exquisite satisfactions of the faith, for the holiness of the mundane, for the thrashing exhaustions and the endless dyings and resurrectings that malign the soul incarnate...."

"...And the people wept with him, most of them.  Some turned away, and a few got up and left in a hurry, fearful of the swift and astounding movement of the Holy Spirit among them..."  [p. 252]

*from her Mitford series, beginning with At Home in Mitford

Frog in the pool

   Some might think I'm a little daft, but this morning I went for a swim in the housing development pool.  Right now there is only a gentle rain falling, and the pool water is still warm from the summer's heat.  No one else was swimming (of course), so I enjoyed the peace of the moment, with the trees gently swaying (calm before the storm). It turned out to be a great place to talk some things over with the Love and Lord of my life.
   Along with the leaves blown into the pool, there was also a small frog, swimming and floating, swimming and floating around the perimeter.  I wanted to rescue him, but the question arose in my mind, 'Was he better off in the pool than on land tonight?'  What if, in trying to rescue him, I was actually sending him to his doom? Maybe the instinct God put in him sent him to the pool for safety. Perhaps the seeming water danger was not as bad as the greater danger on land?  Yet he was working so hard, I couldn't imagine him doing that all day and all night without drowning.  Finally, I went to get my flip flop to lift him out, only to completely lose sight of him in the pool. Perhaps he went into one of the drain vents as I went on my rescue mission.
   Does God ever refrain from rescuing us from the smaller danger because He knows a much greater danger is at hand should He save us from the first? The worst an earthly danger can do is kill the body. An eternity without God is a much bigger danger than a 5+ hurricane. If we don't even recognize the eternal danger of refusing His salvation, what good will it do to save our homes and possessions for the moment?  It could actually be, like my frog rescue, a harmful decision.
   Only He knows what's best for frogs in a storm, but I know for sure that nothing is more important than gratefully gripping His outstretched carpenter's hand and being pulled to safety for all time.

Shelter

   I have found it interesting to examine my own behavior in the midst of Hurricane Irma's threat to
the Tampa area.  I came over early, ironically, to get away from the threat to the east coast. I wanted to be sure, also, to be here for my daughter's baby shower and my son's wedding. Scripture has some interesting comments about man's plans, which I have tried to keep in my heart anytime people ask me about mine for the future.  Recently I have commented that 'my cup runneth over,' with happy fall events.
   I can still say that, no matter what happens over the course of the weekend, my cup runs over with my Heavenly Father's goodness to me and to my family.  He truly is a Good, Good Father.... Knowing His goodness is not dependent on circumstances going my way....although I most certainly pray for the protection of my family and the homes and provision He has provided to us. I am, indeed, praying for His miraculous intervention, something I have seen over and over since I've been in Florida dealing with hurricanes.  Meteorologists have repeatedly had no explanation for the way hurricanes have stopped in their tracks or moved in a completely unexpected direction.
   Yet how quickly many forget His intervention and begin thinking their lives are under their own control. How quickly we can forget the level of His grace involved in our very existence as we get
absorbed in our day to day activities and personal priorities.
   I have been a surprise to myself in a different way, however. Instead of my usual first-thing-in-the-morning prayer time, seeking Him early and eagerly, I have sought the distractions of busy activity and mind-numbing entertainment instead of running to meet Him in my prayer chair.  I would have thought it would be the opposite. But I find myself fighting my way to prayer in this time of severe crisis, struggling to bypass old television shows, jigsaw puzzles, baking, cleaning, organizing, and, worst of all, endless weather reports.  The Source of every bit of protection, power, and loving care is
patiently waiting to talk with me and give me the reassurance I crave. Why am I sitting on the floor playing with toys, instead?
   Proverbs 8:17 says that He will love those who seek Him early and that they will find Him. Chaim Bentorah delves into the Hebrew here and summarizes it as those who seek Him eagerly and as their first priority will discover His Presence, hidden knowledge, and understanding. It's rather like the person who arrives early to dinner and is able to talk privately and informally with the host (or the King, in the case of an ancient parable).
   Why wouldn't we desire to put on our sneakers and eagerly run out to meet Him in the dawn of the morning?  Even if morning isn't the best time for us to be alone with Him, due to the current season of our lives, do we wish it were? Do we open our eyes declaring our love for Him, whether we must hit the ground running or not? Do we hungrily seek a time that is ours alone, anticipating it and preserving it against the tyranny of the urgent, as my mother used to say?  His secret place is waiting, and its shelter is unsurpassed. There the winds quiet and the storm cannot be felt. Shalom waits there. His Name is ADONAI.
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Psalm 91
 

Does God have tattoos?

   I don't know why I am often amazed at the way God uses phrases, images, and even slang, from our current culture when He speaks to us.  Why wouldn't He use our current world and circumstances to illustrate His point?  Any good teacher does so. Still, it always takes me by surprise (and usually makes me laugh).
   I've been reading two such examples in the oft-referred-to Hebrew Word Study book I continue to relish. I'll select just one for today to keep this post succinct, as I try to do in this blog so you can be assured you will be able to read the post as soon as you see it (and not wait until the later which never comes). 😉
   I've always loved Adonai's assurance that our names are written/engraved on His hand once we accept His invitation of adoption. What I didn't know was that many ancient cultures believed that one's 'heart' was centered in the palm.  Assyrian mothers often had their sons' names tattooed on their palms when their sons grew up and went into the army, to represent their continued love and care for them and the connection that would always remain. This tattoo on the hand kept their sons close to 'their heart.'
   The extended meaning of the word for forget ('I will not forget you') in Isaiah 49, says Chaim, is I will not leave or neglect you. Unfortunately, many with whom I've spoken cannot say that about their earthly parents, some of whom not only neglected them but caused them harm, physically or emotionally.
   Whether or not you had parents who loved, cared for, and nurtured you when you were growing up, Your Heavenly Father promises always to do so. Your name is tattooed in His palm through much pain and sacrifice. You are never distant from His mind.  In fact, He is aware of Your every move and thought and circumstance. He longs for you to be just as aware of His and of His tender heart towards you.
   When my children were small and I had to be away from them, it was like there was a band stretching from my heart to theirs. I could feel the pull, the tug on my heart every moment until I returned to them (or they to me). They were on my heart and mind. It isn't all that much different now that they're grown and live their own lives in God's care away from me. Our Heavenly Father still sees our name written in His palm no matter how old we are....raising our own little ones or dealing with the aches and pains of old age.
   Don't every forget how treasured you are, should you never have experienced it from a single other human being or even been betrayed by those who should have loved you the most. You can't even number the tender thoughts of love He has toward you.  Love Him back with as much whole-hearted abandonment as you're able, and you will find He is the embodiment of the perfect Parent of which you've always dreamed.
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Isaiah 49:15-16 Complete Jewish Bible (CJB)

¹⁵ Can a woman forget her child at the breast,
not show pity on the child from her womb?
Even if these were to forget,
I would not forget you.
¹⁶ I have engraved you on the palms of my hands,
your walls are always before me.”

Psalm 139: 1-18
Adonai, you have probed me, and you know me.
² You know when I sit and when I stand up,
you discern my inclinations from afar,
³ you scrutinize my daily activities.
You are so familiar with all my ways
⁴ that before I speak even a word, Adonai,
you know all about it already.
⁵ You have hemmed me in both behind and in front
and laid your hand on me.
⁶ Such wonderful knowledge is beyond me,
far too high for me to reach.

⁷ Where can I go to escape your Spirit?
Where can I flee from your presence?
⁸ If I climb up to heaven, you are there;
if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there.
⁹ If I fly away with the wings of the dawn
and land beyond the sea,
¹⁰ even there your hand would lead me,
your right hand would hold me fast.
¹¹ If I say, “Let darkness surround me,
let the light around me be night,”
¹² even darkness like this
is not too dark for you;
rather, night is as clear as day,
darkness and light are the same.

¹³ For you fashioned my inmost being,
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
¹⁴ I thank you because I am awesomely made,
wonderfully; your works are wonders —
I know this very well.
¹⁵ My bones were not hidden from you
when I was being made in secret,
intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
¹⁶ Your eyes could see me as an embryo,
but in your book all my days were already written;
my days had been shaped
before any of them existed.
¹⁷ God, how I prize your thoughts!
How many of them there are!
¹⁸ If I count them, there are more than grains of sand;
if I finish the count, I am still with you.