The Water and the Word

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Isaiah 55:10-11

The water and the word do not derive from man, but come down from God out of heaven. God’s thoughts and ways are distinct from man’s thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8-9; and man’s need to be repented of, verse 7; also cf. Proverbs 14:12). “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning” (James 1:17).

The water and the word serve God’s sovereign purpose. “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased” (Psalm 115:3). The “Father which is in heaven…maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45). Compare 1 Samuel 12:18, Job 5:8-10, Psalm 107:20, Psalm 147:15-18. “The Lord gave the word: great was the company of those that published it” (Psalm 68:11).

The water and the word bring life, refreshing, and sustenance. Compare Psalm 65:10, Isaiah 57:15, John 6:63, John 10:10, Acts 14:17, and Ephesians 5:26. As the rain and the snow nourishes the earth that it may bring forth life and the sustenance of life, so does the word of God as he sends it forth. “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live” (John 5:25).

The Farmer and the Viper

One winter a farmer found a snake half-dead, stiff and frozen with cold. He had compassion on it, and taking it up, placed it in his bosom. The snake was quickly revived by the warmth, and resuming its natural instincts, bit its benefactor, inflicting on him a fatal wound.  "Oh," cried the farmer with his last breath, "I am rightly served for pitying so villainous a creature."  

This old story of "The Farmer and the Viper" is attributed to Aesop's Fables. Variations crop up in other times and places. Its moral is usually given as something like: "The greatest kindness is wasted upon the evil." As such it would seem to advise against following Jesus's admonition to "Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you." Another lesson we might take away from it is: "Don't be surprised when things act according to their nature." Johnny Rivers captured this angle in a song that was popular when I was a kid, titled The Snake.

On the way to work one morning

down the path along side the lake

A tender hearted woman

saw a poor half-frozen snake

His pretty colored skin

had been all frosted with the dew

"Oh, well" she cried, "I'll take you in

and I'll take care of you."

Chorus:

Take me in tender woman

Take me in for heaven's sake

Take me in tender woman

Sighed the snake.

She wrapped him up all cozy

in a comforter of silk

and then laid him by the fireside

with some honey and some milk

She hurried home from work that night

and as soon as she arrived

She found that pretty snake she'd taken in

had been revived.

Chorus

She clutched him to her bosom;

"You're so beautiful," she cried,

"but if I hadn't brought you in

by now you might have died."

Well she stroked his pretty skin again

and then kissed him really tight,

but instead of saying thanks

the snake gave her a vicious bite.

Chorus

"I saved you!" cried that woman

"and you've bitten me but why?"

"you know your bite is poisonous

and now I'm gonna die."

"Ha, ha, shut up, silly woman."

said that reptile with a grin.

"You knew darn well I was a snake

before you took me in."

Chorus

Oh, you better take me in sighed the snake.

Random thoughts...

...on homosexuality, choice and nature.

Last week I read Mark Baer’s The Cause of Homosexuality Is Irrelevant, an articulate writing that fails to meet the expectation of its title. You can read it for yourself, but I want to highlight two points.

First, failure to prove what the title asserts. Baer says that the cause of homosexuality is irrelevant. He writes that “[m]any people seem fixated on the fact that the actual cause of homosexuality has not yet been established with any degree of certainty.” But his point that the cause is irrelevant only applies if we accept his dismissing of certain causes, leaving only the “right” causes as being possible causes and therefore irrelevant. In Baer’s mind the cause of homosexuality is genetic, environmental, or some combination of the two. It cannot be a “lifestyle choice.” He seems willing to allow it to be a choice in the case of bisexuality, but will not allow it in cases of heterosexuality and homosexuality. How strange.

Baer points to a story by Lee Thompson telling of his father’s point that no one would “choose a lifestyle that included discrimination or being subjected to violent acts.” That is just foolish, and contrary what anyone might easily observe – human beings regularly make choices that they intellectually know can and will yield bad results, even discrimination and violence toward them.

Contra Baer and Thompson, choice is clearly and explicitly relevant to all our sexuality, as far as acts are concerned. Inherent and learned behavior may affect how one thinks about sex, but whether and with whom one has sex is a choice – usually a consensual one made by two or more parties (except in cases of rape, in which case the choice in only made by the perpetrator.)

In addition to his comments about cause and choice, Baer ventures into the field of nature, writing, “If something is occurring in nature and cannot be changed, I'm afraid that it is natural.” Supporting this, he references Arash Fereydooni in Yale Scientific Magazine, "Currently, homosexual behavior has been documented in over 450 different animal species worldwide."

Nature does not determine what is spiritual or moral. Without contradiction, heterosexual sex is “natural” in a way homosexual sex is not and can never be. Heterosexual sex is as natural as parking your car in the garage rather than the bathroom or the kitchen. Beyond that, Christians err in establishing heterosexuality as moral and homosexuality as immoral based on nature. As a purely physical act, sex with an opposite sex (hetero) prostitute is just as “natural” as sex with an opposite sex (hetero) spouse. It may be just as natural. It may be just as consensual. But it is not just as moral. Morality is not established by a simple appeal to nature.

So, one argues that since homosexual acts are found in nature, so it is natural. And so it may be, in that sense of the word “natural.” It may also be natural for a bull to take his fill of all the cows in the pasture, if he is the biggest and baddest. But do we wish to take that as our guide for human relationships? It may be natural for a dog to hump his master to relieve his sex drive (it’s probably not consensual!). But do we wish to take that as our model? Nature alone cannot be our model for proper sexual morality. We must look elsewhere. In the Christians’ case, we must look to the Bible as our rule of faith and practice. When we do so, we are bound to come up with different results from those who look elsewhere.

Beauty of creation

Sometimes in this busy world we don't take the time to slow down and breathe in the beauty of God's creation. Last night about 9:30 p.m. I went outside at my Mother's house. Her house sits on a hill, and to the south is a creek bottom. The night was dark but a dim light from a hazy quarter moon. Looking down the hill to the south gave something of the impression of a bowl or maybe a amphitheatre. The trees made a sort of semi-circle around an open bit of field, and I could vaguely make them out. Against this backdrop God had dozens of his little lightning bugs turning their lights on and off. The scene made it appear they were in the trees, but I really couldn't tell. A light went on and off here and there, then seemed almost electric at times when dozens would light up almost simultaneously.

What we call lightning bugs are lampyridae, known to many as fireflies. This one little bit of God's creation alone makes us stand in awe. The mathematical impossibilities of just this one creature evolving are mind boggling. And it is just one.

The book of creation

The book of creation.

The book of nature open lies,
With much instruction stored;
But till the Lord anoints our eyes
We cannot read a word.

Philosophers have pored in vain,
And guessed, from age to age;
For reason's eye could ne'er attain
To understand a page.

Though to each star they give a name,
Its size and motions teach;
The truths which all the stars proclaim,
Their wisdom cannot reach.

With skill to measure earth and sea;
And weigh the subtle air;
They cannot, LORD, discover thee
Though present everywhere.

The knowledge of the saints excels
The wisdom of the schools;
To them his secrets God reveals,
Though men account them fools.

To them the sun and stars on high,
The flow'rs that paint the field,
And all the artless birds that fly,
Divine instruction yield.

The creatures on their senses press,
As witnesses to prove
Their Savior's pow'r, and faithfulness,
His providence and love.

Thus may we study nature's book
To make us wise indeed!
And pity those who only look
At what they cannot read.

John Newton (1725-1807)
Olney Hymns, 1779