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Tag: Psalms

Gardener, Shepherd and Hunter: 7 Scenes Unseen by Man

ACT 2 – Scene 1 – in an unseen place

Where am I?

I have brought you to a place unseen by man.

You showed me a scene I had never seen of the death of Abel.. and Eve mourning the loss of her son murdered by her other son… and about sin in Eden. Was this story of Moses true?

I have shown you scenes revealed to Moses from near the beginning of time. His story was true, though Moses was not there.

Tell me, why did Moses leave Egypt?

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter..
[Click here to read NASB in context]
Hebrews 11:24

By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king; for he persevered, as though seeing Him who is unseen.
Hebrews 11:27 NASB

Moses was sort of a shepherd then, wasn’t he?

Yes, in a sense.. But a later shepherd led his followers to the right answer from Scripture to your question. Do you recall what David said?

מִזְמוֹר לְדָוִד יְהוָה רֹעִי לֹא אֶחְסָֽר׃

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Moses followed the unseen Shepherd as he led the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt.

So is this place like when you showed me what happened east of Eden?

These scenes take place in the unseen places above the heavens — or beneath the earth — places connected to the timeline of man yet separate from the mortal life of any one man or woman.

I don’t think I understand, I thought as my Guide explained unseen places where He has evidently led me.

Allow me to show you one such unseen scene from around the time of Moses. The actions here impact a righteous man who lived in a different land. But this scene does not take place there.

Unseen in Uz

One day the angels [sons of God] came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan [the adversary] also came with them.

The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

Job 1:6-7 NIV

Do you know this story?

Yes. It’s about Job, who suffers all kinds of evil without knowing why.

Is Job part of this conversation with the LORD in the unseen place? So who is the main character in this story of Job?

I knew the obvious answer. Job was clueless about God allowing him to suffer severely for some time.

Satan.. And didn’t you also say that Moses called him the Serpent?

You yourself recognized the Serpent as the hunter. And what prey does he hunt?

Souls! The soul of Cain.. the soul of Eve.. the soul of Adam..

So too is Satan hissing at God when he calls for evil to tempt Job’s soul toward the pit of darkness.

So the Serpent’s name is really Satan.

שָׂטָן

śāṭān – noun

superhuman adversary, הַשּׂ׳ :
a. of Job, one of בְּנֵי אֱלֹהִים Job 1:6, 7 (twice in verse); Job 1:8, 9, 12 (twice in verse); Job 2:1, 2(twice in verse); Job 2:3, 4 (twice in verse); Job 2:6, 7.
b. of high priest of Israel before י׳, Zechariah 3:1, 2(twice in verse); Greek Version of the LXX. ὁ διάβολος.
c. as proper name שׂ׳ Satan 1 Chronicles 21:1 (interpret 2 Samuel 24:1), Greek Version of the LXX διάβολος (Greek Version of the LXX σατάν 1 Kings 11:14, 23; Σατανᾶς Matthew 4:10; Mark 1:13; Luke 10:18 + 33 times NT).

Source- [Lexicon :: Strong’s H7854 – śāṭān

And as Moses said, this Tempter is cunning; and as a spirit shepherding evil in the unseen places he has many names, sometimes even appearing as a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

שָׂטַן

śāṭan – verb

Outline of Biblical Usage
(Qal) to be or act as an adversary, resist, oppose

Strong’s Definitions
שָׂטַן sâṭan, saw-tan’; a primitive root; to attack, (figuratively) accuse:—(be an) adversary, resist.

Strong’s Number H7853 matches the Hebrew שָׂטַן (śāṭan), which occurs 6 times in 6 verses in the WLC Hebrew.

Job seemed helpless; not able to do anything about the evil.

Satan requested permission from God to contend with him on earth.

My thoughts and countenance were really quite dejected by now..

Remember what David said about the valley of the shadow of death? .. It is the place of evil.

I recalled briefly the Lord’s words to Cain before he murdered Abel.. The LORD cautioned Able BEFORE he turned against his brother and against the LORD who was with him and leading him along the valley of the shadow…

So how can any man resist evil from these unseen places and remain faithful to the LORD?

Do you know how David petitioned the LORD when God was angry at him for his sin?

Just like Moses, I thought, David had murdered a man. He had blood on his hands.. NO LESS THAN CAIN!

A psalm of David. A petition. NIV

LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath.
Psalm 38:1 NIV

Some prayers are praises to God who we cannot see, while others are petitions from our place near the valley of the shadow to the unseen place — a place above time and circumstance where the Lord sits on the Throne of justice and the Mercy Seat of redemption.

Psalm 38 NASB, KJ21, OJB, WLC

Yᵊhōvâ

Hashem, rebuke me not in Thy wrath; neither chasten me in Thy hot displeasure.

2 (3) For Thine khitzim (arrows) pierce me, Thy hand presseth me sorely.

3 There is no soundness in my flesh, because of Thine anger; neither is there any rest in my bones, because of my sin.

4 For mine iniquities have gone over mine head; as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me.

5 My wounds are foul and corrupt because of my foolishness.

6 (7) I am bent down; I am brought low

I go in mourning all day long.
7 For my sides are filled with burning,
And there is no healthy part in my flesh.

8 I am feeble and sorely broken; I have groaned because of the disquiet of my heart.

David pleads for mercy, confessing his guilty deeds by which he deserves the WRATH OF GOD.. He then bows down to God acknowledging:

Lord, all my desire is before You;
And my sighing is not hidden from You.

I know now after seeing these unseen places that I have NO right to expect anything from God…

David is quiet before the LORD, then pleaing:

Yes, I am like a person who does not hear,
And in whose mouth are no arguments.
¹⁵For I wait for You, Lord;
You will answer, Lord my God.

AND listen to David’s plea to the Judge of all men. Read it:

(WLC 38:21) וּמְשַׁלְּמֵי רָעָה תַּחַת טוֹבָה יִשְׂטְנוּנִי תַּחַת רדופי־ טֽוֹב׃

They also that render evil for good are mine adversaries; because I follow the thing that good is.
Psalm 38:20 KJV

Eve encountered an adversary opposed to God! As did the first adam and the sons of adam.. Job.. and David.. And yes, so have you. And WHY? David tells us.

Because those who follow God and do what is good suffer evil by the hand of the adversary of the LORD God lurking in the unseen places. For Satan is an enemy of all Light which overcomes the darkness.

21 Do not abandon me, Lord;
My God, do not be far from me!
22 Hurry to help me,
Lord, my salvation!

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
Gospel of John 1:5 NIV

To be continued…

May 14, 2022
INTRO to our Story of The Gardener, the Shepherd and the Hunter
INTRODUCTION: Once upon a time...

I love a story that begins, Once upon a time, don’t you?

Your parents may have used different names for stories like this:
- Fairy Tales, Fables, Adventures, Fantasies, Science fiction. (I think Disney has a ‘LAND‘ for every one of them.)
- Romances… (You know, “.. AND THEY LIVED HAPPILY EVER AFTER.”)
- SuperHERO stories, cartoons, comics, games, and movies.
As a parent if I were to tell you our secret about any ‘Once upon a time‘ STORY, then I must confess that even though we call them CHILDREN’S STORIES, almost EVERY parent loves these stories too.

‘Once upon a time‘ STORIES are FICTION.

That is to say, they are NOT TRUE. And even some grown-ups forget that.

BUT.. these stories may tell an important truth to us.

ANY STORY may include an illustration of times in life beyond the bounds of time and place – a picture of some person at some time in some place that we cannot see, hear or touch.

These stories may have men or women, boys or girls..

sometimes even animals we might like to be like.. or must be careful not to be..

or worse yet, those people, creatures and things we must stay away from altogether.

HEROES or VILLAINS (good or bad) may have been like someone we know (or don’t want to know). They may be just like real people who lived ‘once upon a time’ who we have never met.

THIS ‘once upon a time’ story, although it is FICTION, also includes some NON-FICTION characters at times – men and women who teach us good things for these times from their REAL lives a time long ago.. or even a time after any of us can imagine.

Parables, Allegories, Myths and more
```
As part of my introduction to The Gardener, the Shepherd and the Hunter my intent is not to instruct you in literature, but rather to provoke additional thought about Scripture and my serial story which follows. - Roger Harned
```
a Parable

You have read or heard many parables, especially those told by JESUS, written down for our instruction in the Gospels of the Bible.
- DID JESUS REALLY SEE THESE THINGS HAPPEN?
  - NO, I think. (I cannot be certain.)
- DO THE PARABLES OF JESUS illustrate TRUTH?
  - YES, Jesus paints pictures in His Words of absolute inviolable truths.
```
I will open my mouth in a parable;
I will tell riddles of old,
Which we have heard and known,
And our fathers have told us.
We will not conceal them from their children,
But we will tell the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His power and His wondrous works that He has done. 
```
CLICK HERE FOR ALL of Psalm 78 – A contemplative, moral instructive song of Asaph.
Listen, my people, to my instruction;
Incline your ears to the words of my mouth.

an Allegory
- a story, play, picture, etc. in which each character or event is a symbol representing an idea or a quality, such as truth, evil, death, etc.
  - – source: the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
Some Bible Stories are allegories.

The Holy Bible also contains fictional truths told as allegories in addition to many oral (or verbal) histories — each told, then later recorded in writing, as accounts of TRUE history, i.e. non-fiction.
```
I believe that Moses' creation narrative may be an allegory -- a most accurate illustration of the truths of God and creation, good and evil; 
a screenshot outside of time (to update his picture) of THAT WHICH NO MAN can see of life (eternal or otherwise) and death.
```
Theologians have debated such truths of the Bible for millennia; but we must not dismiss God’s Truth by any misconception of man which debates the literal and symbolic of any of God’s Scripture. – RH
Your COMMENT is welcome about God, Creation, Moses, JESUS or the Bible.
Roger@TalkofJESUS.com

The Gardener, the Shepherd and the Hunter

The story I introduce here today is neither parable or allegory, but quotes Biblical truth.

However, if you would like to sample a classic allegory from English literature, check out the best-loved Christian allegory of all time:

CLICK HERE to READ this classic English allegory,

“The Pilgrim’s Progress”

Myths and Fables
- myth –
- a story from ancient times, especially one that was told to explain natural events or to describe the early history of a people; this type of story; SYNONYM legend
  - ancient Greek myths
  - a creation myth (= that explains how the world began)
  - the heroes of myth and legend
    source: the Oxford Advanced Learner’s Dictionary
```
Permit me just one comment on this widely accepted definition of myth:  

Ancient Greek, Roman and eastern religion myths include gods (idols), legendary heroes (often gods or early icons of the faith), and a creation myth which includes one or more of the above. 

Many will attempt to dismiss ALL explanations of creation as false BECAUSE THESE ARE 'CREATION MYTHS;' however one explanation of creation must be TRUE (for the heavens and earth exist). 
```
The stories of the LORD GOD and creation describe life beyond the bounds of time and place;
therefore creatures that we are, man can neither prove nor refute the eternal and immeasurable beyond this brief mortal life.
Roger@TalkofJESUS.com
- fables
- a fictitious narrative or statement: such as
  - a legendary story of supernatural happenings
  - a narration intended to enforce a useful truth
    especially : one in which animals speak and act like human beings
  - FALSEHOOD, LIE
  - source: Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary,
Fantasies

Many will know of or have read a famous Christian fantasy:

visit Narnia.com

C.S. Lewis also tells a favorite of mine appropriate for teens and especially adults, a story about two devils: Screwtape and his bumbling apprentice, Wormwood.
```
C.S. Lewis delves into moral questions about good v. evil, temptation, repentance and grace. - source:
```
A TIMELESS CLASSIC ON ‘HELL’S LATEST NOVELTIES AND HEAVEN’S UNANSWERABLE ANSWER’.

our Story of Three Characters
```
It's up to you to solve the mystery of each to learn who they are.
```
The Gardener, the Shepherd and the Hunter

NEXT: ACT 1: The Gardener
March 26, 2022
Confidence in Troubled Times – Psalm 94
(from times Before Christ)

You give them relief from troubled times
until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.
Psalm 94:3 New Living Translation

Confidence in troubled times (even Before Christ)

WE THE PEOPLE of every nation have heard it before. ‘NO CONFIDENCE’

Australian Parliament debate in troubled times of COVID
```
Today's Short Take on Scripture for ASH WEDNESDAY in the year of our LORD 2022 may help your perception of confidence in these contemporary troubled times.

Our Scriptures from Psalm 94 and another context from history in 2 Chronicles 15 are linked to 5 language translations:
```
- English: Authorized (King James) Version
- Псалми Ukrainian Bible
- Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition
- 诗篇 Revised Chinese Union Version (Simplified Script) Shen Edition
- Псалтирь New Russian Translation
The Heavy Hand of Authority
```
Click here for Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition (incorrectly linked on link below)
```
Psalm 94:

O Lord God, to whom vengeance belongeth;
O God, to whom vengeance belongeth, shew thyself..

They break in pieces thy people, O Lord,
and afflict thine heritage.
6 They slay the widow and the stranger,
and murder the fatherless.
Yet they say, The Lord shall not see..

2 Chronicles 15:

Prophesy of Troubled Times:

And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded:

³Now for a long season Israel hath been without the true God, and without a teaching priest, and without law. But when they in their trouble did turn unto the Lord God of Israel, and sought him, he was found of them.

During those dark times, it was not safe to travel. Problems troubled the people of every land. Nation fought against nation, and city against city, for God was troubling them with every kind of problem.
2 Chronicles 15:5-6 New Living Translation

12 And they entered into a covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart and with all their soul; that whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death, whether small or great, whether man or woman.

BBC News TODAY: Babyn Yar: Anger as Kyiv’s Holocaust memorial is attacked

Confidence in Christ Jesus

“Teacher, look! What wonderful stones and what wonderful buildings!”

Things to Come from the Good News of Mark:

And Jesus said to him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.”

..

And Jesus began to say to them, “See to it that no one misleads you. Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and they will mislead many.
Mark 13:5b-6 NASB20 [Click for context]

“And the gospel must first be preached to all the nations.
“Watch out, stay alert; for you do not know when the appointed time is…
Mark 13:10 & 13;33 – The word of the Lord Jesus..

What’s your short take on these Scriptures and events of Ash Wednesday,

in the year of our Lord 2022?
March 2, 2022