Bible Lens—November 7–13, 2016
Subject: Mortals and Immortals
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever.
Exploring Bible Verses
An exploration of Bible citations from the Christian Science Quarterly® Bible Lessons
“. . . a lesson on which the prosperity of Christian Science largely depends."—Mary Baker Eddy
from the Golden Text
I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: … That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been.
Here the writer of Ecclesiastes depicts the unchanging nature of God’s being. Now and already are translated from the same Hebrew adverb (kebar, meaning length of time)—another indicator of the continuity of Spirit.
One source compares these verses to God’s revealing of Himself to Moses as “I AM THAT I AM” (Exodus 3:14). Another offers, “Every thing is as God made it; not as it appears to us.”
from the Responsive Reading
Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me.
To gird one’s loins alludes to readying for work or battle. In ancient times, long, loose garments were tucked into a belt or girdle, making it easier to run or move quickly and to hold tools or weapons. In this verse, God is demanding of Job mental readiness for His probing questions.
Centuries later, Jesus introduced his parable of the watchful servants with these words: “Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning” (Luke 12:35).
from Section 2
6 | I Samuel 17:50
David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David.
Expertise with a sling was common in Bible times. The book of Judges, for example, describes seven hundred left-handed Benjamite soldiers: “Every one could sling stones at an hair breadth, and not miss” (20:16). One of the earliest weapons, a sling could project a stone with great force several hundred feet.
from Section 3
10 | Luke 12:24
Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
In Matthew’s account, Jesus’ words are generic: “Behold the fowls of the air” (6:26). Luke specifically mentions ravens to underscore God’s all-embracing care, as they were deemed among the least valuable of birds.
Despite their lack of worth, God designated ravens to bring food to the prophet Elijah in the wilderness (see I Kings 17:4, 6). And Noah sent a raven from the ark to search for dry land (see Genesis 8:7).
from Section 4
12 | Matthew 16:24
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Living under Roman rule, early Christians were very familiar with the Roman practice of crucifixion—and the requirement that a man sentenced to crucifixion carry his cross to the site of his execution. The disciples did not yet know that Jesus himself would be crucified, but these words clearly foreshadowed the trials that would face followers of Christ.
from Section 6
19 | Matthew 11:29, 30
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
Zygós, the Greek word for the yoke put on draft animals, represents bondage, servitude, or obligation. To Jews listening to Jesus, yoke was a symbol of obedience to God’s law. With tenderness and humility, Jesus now draws his followers to teachings refreshingly free of the religious strictures of the Pharisees.
“Rest unto your souls” echoes Jeremiah 6:16: “Thus saith the Lord, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find rest for your souls.”
Resources quoted in this issue
GT: Gill, John. Exposition of the Old and New Testaments. London, 1746–63. Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.
Henry, Matthew. Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible. London, 1706.
Also available at biblehub.com/commentaries.
Related Healing Ideas
A five-stone pause
By Sandi Justad
From the August 26, 2013, issue of the Christian Science Sentinel
David paused. He had been listening carefully to God as he prepared for this showdown with the feared warrior called Goliath. When King Saul offered David his personal armor, David quickly knew that restrictive, unfamiliar armor wasn’t part of his mission. He declined the king’s generous offer, took his sling, and found a brook (see I Samuel 17:38–50).
He paused long enough to pick up five smooth stones. And he didn’t just grab any handful. Perhaps he paused to carefully select exactly the right stones, five of them. The slingshot was a weapon he wielded with authority. He had proved it over the years by protecting his father’s sheep against lions and bears.
What I like to call a five-stone pause is a specific retreat from the hustle of events in order to ask God’s guidance. It’s listening for the exact attitude, words, approach, that will contribute to taking right steps, to acting on right ideas.
Divine Mind’s all-knowing kindly delivers us from the temptation to be responsible for coming up with every solution. Pausing may mean having the grace to give someone else the opportunity to offer a good idea. Pausing may mean being a better listener.
One time I was going to visit a friend. The extended drive provided wonderful opportunity to really think and pray about this relationship. The yearning to put our friendship on a more solid basis was deep. As uncomfortable memories surfaced of words I had spoken in tones of arrogance and self-importance, what came to me was, “When you get there, just listen, be supportive, and keep your mouth shut.” Those very words.
In the course of conversations and activities, when temptations arose for me to react in old ways—which they did!—I paused long enough to hear, “Keep your mouth shut, and be supportive.”
I did, and I found many opportunities to recognize and praise ongoing good, opportunities that would have been lost in the old pattern. And one by one, the old habits fell on the battlefield of my own thinking, until just being kind ceased to be an effort.
The whole episode was so transformative—there had been such a consistent yielding to the ever-present Christ—that I had to ask, So, did Jesus pause? If so, how? Perhaps his most obvious breaks were to pray. We read in the Gospels of hours and nights spent in prayer. His smooth stones were conversations with his Father, God, that prepared him to go forward and face serious conditions in need of healing as well as the Pharisees—the Goliaths of his day, whose cherished traditions he was constantly challenging.
The greater our desire to stay close to God, the more likely we are to pause. Listening for Mind’s direction, we’re receptive to inspired approaches, course adjustments, recognition of outgrown habits. Mary Baker Eddy explains the purpose of this mental halt: “Beholding the infinite tasks of truth, we pause,—wait on God. Then we push onward, until boundless thought walks enraptured, and conception unconfined is winged to reach the divine glory” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 323).
This article has been shortened to fit this page. To read the entire article, go to jsh.christianscience.com/a-five-stone-pause.
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