Back with more stuff

A couple of minor new posts at St. Celibart: “Benediction of St. Jude,” new music that you may hear again somewhere else, and a drawing based on Galatians 6:11. Come and visit, and spread the word.

He said, She said

Today I was watching the news and heard a female anchor ask Franklin Graham a question: "If there is a God, why would He — or She — ..." The rest of the question doesn't matter. I have two thoughts on this issue of applying gender to God; please read both before rolling your eyes and slamming your keyboard.

The first is that gender is a limitation of created beings. To apply this, or any human limitation, to God is to insult Him (and I say "Him" because that's how "He" chose to describe "Himself" in Scripture, and that's the only reason.) To think He is limited in any way, including gender, is to have a low perception of Him. He is all things to all people, Father and Mother, male and female.

The second point is that women who think the Judeo-Christian tradition demeans them need to remember this one thing: God has elevated them high above all other created beings. The purpose of creation is to facilitate the work of Christ, and that work began in a physical way with the Incarnation. Womankind was absolutely essential to the Incarnation; mankind had, by necessity, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with it. What more do you want?

Music and stuff

New posts at St. Celibart: An oldie but goodie, “To Your Holiness,” and a combination of homilies on Christ’s words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”

On Sunday St. Celibart received its 5,000th hit, in just over six months of existence. Probably about 10% of these were me, so they don’t really count, but I send a shout out to all of you who have visited and thanks for your support. I hope you will continue to come by every now and then, and that the material is a blessing and exhortation to you. Please pass the word: Arts for Christ’s Bride, free and available to all.

1 Chron. 4:9-10

Almost nothing is said in scripture of Jabez, and yet a few years ago he still became a cottage industry. I confess I never read the book concerning his prayer, but I have seen the bumper stickers. I was reading through this little passage the other day, and the recent hoopla about it struck me as just more health-and-wealth gospel, which goes against all the rest of scripture. So I did a little digging. Here's a literal translation of the passage, from Young's Literal Translation of the Bible (third edition 1898):

“And Jabez is honored above his brethren, and his mother called his name Jabez, saying, ‘Because I have brought forth with grief.’ And Jabez calleth to the God of Israel, saying, ‘If blessing Thou dost bless me, then Thou hast made great my border, and Thy hand hath been with me, and Thou hast kept me from evil—not to grieve me;’ and God bringeth in that which he asked.”

So the structure of this prayer indicates that it's not a petition at all, but an acknowledgment of God’s blessing already applied to Jabez; God then continues to bless. The blessing would be an indication of the honor God held Jabez in, rather than a reward for whatever honor Jabez had earned. God blesses those whom He will bless and curses those whom He will curse, more in line with their belief than their behavior (Ex. 33:19, Rom. 9:13), but regardless by His sovereignty. This reading of the prayer is much more in line with the testimony of the gospel, and of scripture as a whole.