Unicorns Bearing False Witness

Not much sang to me today.

Of interest is the Old Testament - Numbers 23:22 in particular. Throughout the Bible, many things are attributed to God, mostly in comparison to Him. As an example, in Job 40:9, it asks "Hast thou an arm like God? or canst thou thunder with a voice like him?" This kind of this is fairly common - not that He's commonplace, but that He's the standard to which we can expect to compare, and in comparing, to fail.

So it is interesting to me when Numbers 23:22 compares God to a unicorn, suggesting that God has the strength of a unicorn. Of interest is a discussion about unicorns located here ... visit it if you like - it tries to reconcile the descriptions of the unicorn, with the original Hebrew and Greek, and arrive at a theoretical idea of what animal the Scriptures are referring to.

Also, from Proverbs 11:13, we have someone being wicked because they are a talebearer. It hearkens back to my meandering question about the Commandment "Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness" - what does this mean? The simple definition is to translate that to common English to mean "Don't lie". But then, that's a small legalistic step to always telling the literal truth, and that directly contradicts Proverbs 11:13 - " ... but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth the matter." There is a kind of discretion associated with being a wise and faithful servant, separate but connected to not bearing false witness. What does it mean?

I have to wonder, with our cultural obsession for wording, if we haven't perverted (and I'd be surprised if we hadn't) the original intent of that particular Commandment on the basis of our own understanding about what a lie is. I understand clearly what the phrase "Don't bear false witness" means ... it means don't misrepresent something you've personally experienced. It doesn't go in to "lies of omission and commission" and all the other word games we play as educated fools. It simply means you should use the most clear words to convey your own experiences. And, much like our cultural obsession with being nice (and politically correct) instead of being earnest and faithful, it is easy to corrupt a propensity for appearing nice into actions are truly nice, and whose motivations, instead of being faithful stewards of God's grace and providence, are alternatively focused on being nice and accepted by others who are also ... nice.

what's up with that? Where is the fire for the Lord that causes people to be meek, faithful, of enduring character and spirit? Where is that personal righteousness, and affinity for God's love and joy, that causes many early believers to be gently shut down, because they are on fire for the Lord, and it happens to be inconvenient to those around them? Where is that passion, that dissonance, between the late pseudo-maturity that appears to come to those believers who define their life by a faith, and the life who is obviously, to even the least observant, someone who is HOT and COLD, instead of the lukewarm faith that seems to embody so many members of the church?

So I'll get off the podium - but know that we are called! Each of us! And if you know you're calling, share with me how your calling is being expressed! Give me praise reports that I can join you in thanking God for! Give me prayer requests that I can agree with your prayers for! Give me needs that I can intercede for! Give me accountabilities that I can be blessed to share my own reports with yoU! Let anyone reading these words be blessed by any form of faithfulness, and help me recognize when I'm not being faithful - for I want to see each of you, my readers, in heaven. I want to cry Holy Holy Holy is the Lamb with you, while seeing the face of Jesus, and being unable to function for the joy of knowing His face!

Join me!