Our daughter is working as a missionary in Costa Rica, carrying out a discipleship ministry to children and youth in partnership with her friend Anita. Here is her latest blog update:
http://clayinthemakershand.blogspot.com/2011/12/new-season.html
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Why there is no peace in the Middle East
The September 14 issue of the Globe and Mail runs an article by Michael Bell entitled Israel's New World. (http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/opinion/israels-new-world/article2164867/) The central message of the piece is that it is in Israel's interest to show restraint and not always react to incidents with an iron fist. I don't disagree with that as a general policy, though I'm not sure how much difference it will make in Israel's specific situation.
The reason for my pessimism is expressed in a comment that Bell slips in as an aside but which I believe goes to the heart of the issue:
".........particularly in a region that finds it difficult to accept the legitimacy of any non-Muslim governing authority."
What this means is this (this is my personal understanding as an observer from outside of Islam and I stand subject to correction by others more knowledgeable): The territory of Israel (Palestine) is considered an integral part of dar al-Islam (roughly that's the Islamic counterpart to what we used to call Christendom). The establishment of a non-Muslim state on that territory is therefore experienced by Muslims as a violation. Its very existence is a permanent irritant. As a result, the only thing that Israel can do to make peace with its neighbours in anything other than a provisional and temporary sense is to either cease to exist as a political entity, or cease to have a non-Muslim majority.
Understand the above, and you will understand why there is a deep abiding hostility against Israel in other Middle East countries, even in ones that have cooperated with it such as Turkey, Jordan and Egypt, and in others that are separated from the Palestinians geographically and culturally, such as Iran. You will also understand why, as a condition of peace, the Palestinians insist on a full right of return into Israel proper even for those who have never set foot in the country.
As I understand its definition in Wikipedia, Israel should be able to be considered part of Dar al-Islam if Muslims are able to enjoy peace and security with and within the country. Given the history of conflict in the region however and Israel's sensitive location, I'm not sure it is possible in practice. In any case, as long as there is Israeli conflict with the Palestinians that condition of peace and security is not met. It is in Israel's interest therefore to avoid or defuse such conflicts but in the Palestinian interest to maintain a state of conflict. By doing so, they continue to enjoy the support of their fellow Muslims against the common enemy.
I believe that is why, whenever things seem to be in danger of settling into a peaceful status quo, someone initiates a new intifada or suicide bombing campaign or fires more rockets into Israel. From the Palestinian point of view, these actions, together with the responses they provoke from the Israelis, keep Israel in harbi status and prevent it from achieving acceptance in Islamic terms.
The reason for my pessimism is expressed in a comment that Bell slips in as an aside but which I believe goes to the heart of the issue:
".........particularly in a region that finds it difficult to accept the legitimacy of any non-Muslim governing authority."
What this means is this (this is my personal understanding as an observer from outside of Islam and I stand subject to correction by others more knowledgeable): The territory of Israel (Palestine) is considered an integral part of dar al-Islam (roughly that's the Islamic counterpart to what we used to call Christendom). The establishment of a non-Muslim state on that territory is therefore experienced by Muslims as a violation. Its very existence is a permanent irritant. As a result, the only thing that Israel can do to make peace with its neighbours in anything other than a provisional and temporary sense is to either cease to exist as a political entity, or cease to have a non-Muslim majority.
Understand the above, and you will understand why there is a deep abiding hostility against Israel in other Middle East countries, even in ones that have cooperated with it such as Turkey, Jordan and Egypt, and in others that are separated from the Palestinians geographically and culturally, such as Iran. You will also understand why, as a condition of peace, the Palestinians insist on a full right of return into Israel proper even for those who have never set foot in the country.
As I understand its definition in Wikipedia, Israel should be able to be considered part of Dar al-Islam if Muslims are able to enjoy peace and security with and within the country. Given the history of conflict in the region however and Israel's sensitive location, I'm not sure it is possible in practice. In any case, as long as there is Israeli conflict with the Palestinians that condition of peace and security is not met. It is in Israel's interest therefore to avoid or defuse such conflicts but in the Palestinian interest to maintain a state of conflict. By doing so, they continue to enjoy the support of their fellow Muslims against the common enemy.
I believe that is why, whenever things seem to be in danger of settling into a peaceful status quo, someone initiates a new intifada or suicide bombing campaign or fires more rockets into Israel. From the Palestinian point of view, these actions, together with the responses they provoke from the Israelis, keep Israel in harbi status and prevent it from achieving acceptance in Islamic terms.
Friday, July 29, 2011
His purpose
I was looking at Romans 8:28 the other day, which reads,
I was thinking, what does it mean that all things work for our good? That's a very sweeping statement. As part of God's Word I'm bound to accept it as it stands, but I want to understand it right. What is "good"? Evidently not a painless, stress free, healthy, conflict free, prosperous life, because none of those things is available to us in all circumstances. In other words, the "good" that is worked for the believer in all things is not necessarily what we would naturally consider good, but it is based on some other criterion.
The key to what this good is I believe is found at the end of the verse:
The for at the beginning of verse 29 means that what follows is an explanation of what preceded it in verse 28. So if I read this back into verse 28 I can construct a fairly simple declarative statement:
To someone who has never tasted the utter balance and peace and rock-solid stability of God's nature, God's idea of good might seem less than compelling, but for someone who has answered His call, there can be nothing better.
If you love the Lord,
you will love His will for you.....
- Keith Green
.......we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
I was thinking, what does it mean that all things work for our good? That's a very sweeping statement. As part of God's Word I'm bound to accept it as it stands, but I want to understand it right. What is "good"? Evidently not a painless, stress free, healthy, conflict free, prosperous life, because none of those things is available to us in all circumstances. In other words, the "good" that is worked for the believer in all things is not necessarily what we would naturally consider good, but it is based on some other criterion.
The key to what this good is I believe is found at the end of the verse:
who have been called according to his purposePerhaps this good is identified with God's purpose for us? And what is His purpose? Verse 29 continues,
For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. 30 And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.
The for at the beginning of verse 29 means that what follows is an explanation of what preceded it in verse 28. So if I read this back into verse 28 I can construct a fairly simple declarative statement:
.....in all things God works to conform those who love him to the image of His Son....
To someone who has never tasted the utter balance and peace and rock-solid stability of God's nature, God's idea of good might seem less than compelling, but for someone who has answered His call, there can be nothing better.
If you love the Lord,
you will love His will for you.....
- Keith Green
Anita's Blog
Anita is a friend of our daughter Rachel in Costa Rica and her partner in ministry. For anyone who visits this site, I encourage you to take the time to read her blog. It contains a powerful story of how God has worked in her life to bring her to faith and purpose.
http://mightyawakenwithchrist.blogspot.com/2011/07/david-turkey-friend-of-mine-who-asks.html
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Jacob I have loved.....
The proverbs of the Bible are presented as a series of actions/consequences; i.e., do this and good things will happen; do that and bad things will happen. On the surface they are couched solely in terms of self-interest. Yet at their heart I believe that they are really signposts to the character that God wants to develop in us. The references to self-interest are inducements to someone who does not yet have wisdom. To someone who is pulled between doing the "right thing" and doing the "smart thing" its message is: the right thing to do is also the smart thing. Obeying God's direction is in your long term interest. Taking a short cut may seem to benefit you in the short term but in the long term it will lead to destruction.
This may seem like an unspiritual means of leading someone into God's ways but it is spiritual to the extent that accepting this direction requires faith that God is in control of one's destiny and will bring these consequences to pass. That is why it is written in the beginning of Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the end of it by any means, but it is a necessary starting point.
It was the beginning of character development for Jacob. He did a lot of unsavoury things to obtain the inheritance and blessing that properly belonged to his older brother. He extorted the inheritance from Esau through taking advantage of his extreme hunger, lied and cheated to get his blessing from their father; yet he had this that Esau lacked: faith in God's promise to Abraham and Isaac. For that's essentially what the inheritance was - a promise from God to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants. An IOU.
Jacob believed in God's promise enough to lie, cheat and steal for it. The belief in this promise alone qualified Jacob as the heir of these things even in the absence of any other virtue. It gave God a starting point to work in his life and begin the long wrestling that would transform Jacob.
Esau, other the other hand, believed so little in this promise that he was not willing to skip a single meal for it. The lack of this faith disqualified Esau spiritually to be the heir of God's promise even though he had every legal entitlement to it according to the standards of the time. This I believe is the interior justice of Jacob's success and reason behind God's statement in Malachi: "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." Jacob engaged God through faith in His promise; Esau did not.
This may seem like an unspiritual means of leading someone into God's ways but it is spiritual to the extent that accepting this direction requires faith that God is in control of one's destiny and will bring these consequences to pass. That is why it is written in the beginning of Proverbs that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Not the end of it by any means, but it is a necessary starting point.
It was the beginning of character development for Jacob. He did a lot of unsavoury things to obtain the inheritance and blessing that properly belonged to his older brother. He extorted the inheritance from Esau through taking advantage of his extreme hunger, lied and cheated to get his blessing from their father; yet he had this that Esau lacked: faith in God's promise to Abraham and Isaac. For that's essentially what the inheritance was - a promise from God to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants. An IOU.
Jacob believed in God's promise enough to lie, cheat and steal for it. The belief in this promise alone qualified Jacob as the heir of these things even in the absence of any other virtue. It gave God a starting point to work in his life and begin the long wrestling that would transform Jacob.
Esau, other the other hand, believed so little in this promise that he was not willing to skip a single meal for it. The lack of this faith disqualified Esau spiritually to be the heir of God's promise even though he had every legal entitlement to it according to the standards of the time. This I believe is the interior justice of Jacob's success and reason behind God's statement in Malachi: "Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated." Jacob engaged God through faith in His promise; Esau did not.
Friday, August 6, 2010
Signposts to character
Here are some fragments of a discussion I am having elsewhere on the significance of the book of Proverbs. At issue is the question as to whether the consequences described are to be taken as divine prescriptions or just as general observations which are usually but not always true. In other words, how normative are these sayings?
Ron August 6 at 3:41am
Hey Guys, it's 3 am, can't sleep so I'm reading proverbs. Here's a few examples of what I was talking about:
Prov 21:21 "An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end". I would say this is true most of the time, but not always. (Depending on your def. of blessed.
Prov 15:22 "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed". This is likely true, but I'm sure there are examples of the opposite.
Prov 23:20 "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor and drowsiness clothes them in rags." Again, I would say it's generally true, but there are (or seem to be) exceptions where people eat and drink for their whole lives and don't become poor. (Although this could be talking about the next life.)
Prov 19:15 "Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless man goes hungry." I think it would be pretty hard to argue that this is 100 accurate all the time
Prov 12:11 "he who works his land will have abundant food"...
Even during drought?
Anyway, I concede that there are many Proverbs that are fairly concrete in their instruction, especially when they speak of the Lord and his faithfulness. Obviously these are written in such a way that you either believe it or not.
Any, getting tired - lol
Blessings
RB
Phil Garber August 6 at 11:03am
Hi Ron, I guess you're a little tired today.
Prov 12:11 "he who works his land will have abundant food"...
Even during drought?
Yes, because he will have food stored up from the previous year's crop. (ref. Egypt under Joseph). The point as I take it is not that the diligent will have a bumper crop in every year.( I doubt the writer of this proverb was ignorant of agricultural cycles.) It is that those who work their land diligently from year to year will have a surplus available for the lean times (at least compared to their more lazy, shiftless, gluttonous neighbours!).
The way I take these proverbs is that they describe principles of cause and effect as immutable as the law of gravity. To point to cases where the consequence was avoided through other factors does not invalidate the principle, anymore than the existence of an airplane invalidates the law of gravity. The downward pressure is always there.
Eg: The shiftless do not go hungry in our society, but that is only because we have welfare. But welfare is only possible in a society where the producers outnumber the consumers. A society which is shiftless as a whole will certainly have a declining standard of living.
Eg: Someone who gets an easy inheritance without learning to struggle may not die poor, but he will almost certainly die less wealthy than he began. The inheritance will not be blessed (ie will not increase) without qualities of self-control, prudence and diligence. Even if this person does not taste poverty in his lifetime, the principle will still be at work and the consequences generational. ("Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations").
Phil Garber August 6 at 11:09am
The proverbs which mean most to me go beyond general principles and contain explicit or implied promises (especially those in Prov 3). "He will direct your paths" is one of them. These I choose to believe.
But the problem with Proverbs I believe is not that Christians take them too seriously or literally, but that they don't take them seriously enough. If they did we would see a lot more fruit in the Body. Spiritual growth cannot be separated from growth in character and all of these proverbs are signposts to character.
Ron August 6 at 3:41am
Hey Guys, it's 3 am, can't sleep so I'm reading proverbs. Here's a few examples of what I was talking about:
Prov 21:21 "An inheritance quickly gained at the beginning will not be blessed at the end". I would say this is true most of the time, but not always. (Depending on your def. of blessed.
Prov 15:22 "Plans fail for lack of counsel, but with many advisers they succeed". This is likely true, but I'm sure there are examples of the opposite.
Prov 23:20 "Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor and drowsiness clothes them in rags." Again, I would say it's generally true, but there are (or seem to be) exceptions where people eat and drink for their whole lives and don't become poor. (Although this could be talking about the next life.)
Prov 19:15 "Laziness brings on deep sleep and the shiftless man goes hungry." I think it would be pretty hard to argue that this is 100 accurate all the time
Prov 12:11 "he who works his land will have abundant food"...
Even during drought?
Anyway, I concede that there are many Proverbs that are fairly concrete in their instruction, especially when they speak of the Lord and his faithfulness. Obviously these are written in such a way that you either believe it or not.
Any, getting tired - lol
Blessings
RB
Phil Garber August 6 at 11:03am
Hi Ron, I guess you're a little tired today.
Prov 12:11 "he who works his land will have abundant food"...
Even during drought?
Yes, because he will have food stored up from the previous year's crop. (ref. Egypt under Joseph). The point as I take it is not that the diligent will have a bumper crop in every year.( I doubt the writer of this proverb was ignorant of agricultural cycles.) It is that those who work their land diligently from year to year will have a surplus available for the lean times (at least compared to their more lazy, shiftless, gluttonous neighbours!).
The way I take these proverbs is that they describe principles of cause and effect as immutable as the law of gravity. To point to cases where the consequence was avoided through other factors does not invalidate the principle, anymore than the existence of an airplane invalidates the law of gravity. The downward pressure is always there.
Eg: The shiftless do not go hungry in our society, but that is only because we have welfare. But welfare is only possible in a society where the producers outnumber the consumers. A society which is shiftless as a whole will certainly have a declining standard of living.
Eg: Someone who gets an easy inheritance without learning to struggle may not die poor, but he will almost certainly die less wealthy than he began. The inheritance will not be blessed (ie will not increase) without qualities of self-control, prudence and diligence. Even if this person does not taste poverty in his lifetime, the principle will still be at work and the consequences generational. ("Shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations").
Phil Garber August 6 at 11:09am
The proverbs which mean most to me go beyond general principles and contain explicit or implied promises (especially those in Prov 3). "He will direct your paths" is one of them. These I choose to believe.
But the problem with Proverbs I believe is not that Christians take them too seriously or literally, but that they don't take them seriously enough. If they did we would see a lot more fruit in the Body. Spiritual growth cannot be separated from growth in character and all of these proverbs are signposts to character.
Wednesday, July 21, 2010
Fellowship, Freedom, and Stretch Marks
That is the title of our youngest daughter Rachel's latest blog entry which may be found here:
http://www.clayinthemakershand.blogspot.com/
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