Blessed and Holy: Understanding it Better Through Exodus 34 (Train Actions - Part 4 of 5)

PREFACE

We hear people sing "take time to be holy" and "bless you".  Does anyone know what those 2 actions mean?  Christians say, "hallowed be your name" in the Lord's Prayer over and over.  Does anyone really know how to hallow or how to make holy a name?  Does anyone know why to hallow or make holy should happen?   I think those, who can answer one or both of these questions, are rare people.  If you can get me their addresses and phone #s, then please do so.  I'd like to sign them up for my ministry team!  Can anyone train me in how to be holy?  What does sanctified as an action look like?  So based on what I think are the answers out there, it looks like we do need some training. 

As a former coach of 5 different sports (and later an athletic director, as well), I cannot possibly overlook the need for the skill of training alongside other skills like teaching.  While great coaches can also be great teachers, the one thing that they absolutely must be is an effective trainer.  They must teach their players skills or know-how as well as offer motivations for those actions.  I cannot imagine being a successful coach without being able to do both.  In Scripture, we find both methods and purposes for actions.  One simple example, "We love [how] him, because [why] he first loved [how] us".   We even learned our training in love from his love of us. But when have we offered love classes?  I don't remember that training?  When both methods and purposes are taught well, then you find people eager to be trained and to act. 

That is what I discovered as a coach.  But I also learned a set of criteria for eagerness that was expressed in a real estate training magazine that I found, while I was a part-time real estate agent.  It was my way of earning money to pay for studying at Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA.  

                                              The Entrance to One of the Buildings at Fuller

In the business world, like in the sports world, you get paid for results.  The score is kept differently with the currency of money rather than the play money of points, but the goal was still to win.  When I ran across the article, I knew the article was a difference maker.  It was different from any other training that I had been trained in as either an athlete or as a coach.  I'd never even heard this set of words grouped together before like they were in this convenient set.  I'd obviously heard them separately many times.  Since first hearing the set then, I have repeatedly improved what I learned from the article and I have organized it to be a more effective training tool.  If anything, I wish I used it more often.

As a coach, you want players who are eager to play or better yet to work with you and not work against you.  As a real estate agent, you want clients who are eager to buy or better yet to work with you and not work against you.  In real estate, the criteria for a strong prospect is as follows:

1) ready,
2) willing, and
3) able.

                                                     What all Sales People Ought to Know


Back in the early 90s, they were likely in that neat order. I have the article still among my things somewhere. But also the list lacked a critical fourth element.  I'd learned to look for that fourth element following my training with Tentmakers, Inc. in Hopkins, MN.   There I learned a number of practical tools, but also how to identify complete ones.

                                       The Logo for the Tentmakers organization I am referring to


It took me a long time, but eventually in the last few years, I have added that a strong prospect is someone who is also aware or seeing.  They can't be blind to what they are looking for in the process.  A real estate prospect, who cannot envision or point to the kind of house they are looking for, could turn out to be a weaker prospect, even if they are ready, willing, and able.  In selling, agents are not given much time to train prospects, except by the very best prospects, so they usually get impatient with customers who are not strong ones or who are not able to become strong ones.  So I now say that a strong prospect consists of someone who is:

1) ready,
2) willing,
3) able, and
4) seeing.

That kind of prospect is a prime one, just as that kind of player is a prime player for a coach.  Both are eager to take action.  They are not there to study something more, but to act using the strength that they already possess.   That is why they are eager.  Strong people by nature are eager people.  Weak people by nature are not eager people.

The next closest to these kinds would be those who possess 3 out of 4 of the criteria and are eager to seek the last criteria, the next would possess 2 out of 4 with eagerness too seek the other 2, etc.  You get the idea.

I think Scripture also takes those who are eager and frees them for action or it trains those who cannot yet act on their own to act and to also act with a sense of motivation.  This is where a second tool (that again, I wish I used more frequently) becomes very useful.  It is a chart of pre-effect and post-effect with their respective non-action and action steps. 

In Exodus, which is a great action book, by the way, there are a number of actions that can be described in terms of pre-action, pre-effect, during action, developing effect, post-action, and post-effect.  I actually got this tool from a computer geek, who noticed how helpful this scheme was for breaking down computer processes.  I wish I knew it years ago as a coach.  (Since that wish is not possible, maybe I should just go back to coaching and do it better since that is possible.)


EXODUS: DIRECT APPLICATION


[This is being worked out and I will eventually be able to cut and paste to this entry a chart that lists each pre-effect, pre-action, etc.  I hope it is not too long before I get it up.  Much of what I am writing now is in a draft state, as is this piece, but still needs a little tweaking to even be a first draft.]


Sincerely,

Jon

Holy: Understanding it Better According to Genesis 1:1-2:4a (Transfer - Day/Step 2 of 5)

PREFACE

When dealing with relationships it is important to orient oneself through the transfer of place and time.  Far too often an interpretation of a text can be off the mark, because the person doing the interpreting is not understanding either their place and time or worse yet the place and time of others.  This is also where context can be either very important or very distorted.  Our task is to find the where and when of the past and transfer its story into our this place and time.  We need to understand its relevance to us, but also not at the expense of a prior generations place and time.  We have to stay oriented, true and humble, in the face of place and time. 

This need to be oriented and not disoriented begins at a young age with a child asking their parents, while they are driving, "Where are we going?" and "Are we there yet?"  It all boils down to: 1) "Where?" and 2) "When?". We also see this in the adult question for any relationship as to whether another person is "there" for you "when" you need them. 

Genesis is a book that begins with the where and when.  It begins with "In the beginning, God created the heaves and the earth".  It begins not just with a time - "in the beginning", but also with a place - "the heavens and the earth".   It orients us for our travel through the history of who we are and who others were, who came before us, - the "generations".   

There are three broad places where we can be and there are three broad times where we can be.  For place, we can be either "there, or here, or elsewhere".  For time, we can be either "before, during, or after".  The places fit well with the real estate advice and mantra: "location, location, location".  The time fits well with the decision makers rule that "timing is of the essence".   

We see too the tragedy of their neglect.  Think of the sad story of Amelia Earhardt, who likely perished in the middle of the Pacific Ocean maybe less than 100 miles from her destination.   There are four basics to flying: 1) calculate (ex. fuel needs), 2) navigate (ex. by the stars and maps), 3) aviate (ex. know how to fly a plane), and 4) communicate.  The experts believe that she and her navigator got somewhat off course due to the errors of maps they were using and the invisibility of celestial markers during bad weather.  Only then it appears that they likely exceeded her calculations for fuel due to extra time required to reach their destination.  It was also true as well that they had not realized the kind of communication equipment needed on board to communicate with those on the island they were attempting to reach.  But all would likely have been OK, if only their navigation got them to the right place and the right time. 

I'm afraid that too often Genesis 1:1-2:4a, is not used for its primary purpose to orient us in place and time to help us navigate as in Genesis 1:1, but rather is used to calculate (how old is the earth), or how to aviate (how does God create), or how to communicate (what are things it says we are to eat).   All these things are not invalid concerns, but the primary questions of where and when are often lost in terms of focus by the device called distraction. 

 

OPENING

So to begin, let me say this about transfer from one place and time to another.  The best way to discover the relevance of the past is to lay out the connections that are made explicit in a passage.  Below you will see a diagram that does just that.  It highlights not the measures, not the actions, not the things or persons, but the connections by placing each line in a context where the connecting words come first.  

I have found over many years of its use going back to 1979, that it is a very helpful tool for the one purpose of highlighting the connections between things, people, etc.  I will later this week be adding what is a more detailed way of seeing the connections, but let me say this at this point.  The break up of sentences below, should help you see the bonds and breaks between things better.  That is my goal in helping us be oriented to the actual context. 

This is not the only reason that is important, but the meaning of words can be greatly enhanced by understanding the context or the connections and disconnections far better.  It orients us and that is part of what makes up meaning.  So whether you think holy means "moral wholeness", or "purity", or "set apart"; pay attention to context. 

 

 

 

Genesis 1-2:4

New King James Version (NKJV)

The History of Creation

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the

 

earth.

² The earth was without form, and void;       

and darkness was^[a] on the face of the deep.

And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the

 

waters.

³ Then God said,     

                                                    

“Let there be light”;  

                                               

and there was light.  

                                                 

 ⁴ And God saw the light;                                                          

that it was good;

and God divided the light from the darkness.

⁵ God called the light Day,

and the darkness He called Night.                             

 

So the evening and the morning were the first day.

⁶ Then God said,

“Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters,

 

and let it divide the waters from the waters.”

⁷ Thus God made the firmament,

and divided the waters

which were under the firmament from the waters

 

which were above the firmament;

and it was so.

⁸ And God called the firmament Heaven.

So the evening and the morning were the second day.

⁹ Then God said,

“Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together

 

into one place,

and let the dry land appear”;

and it was so.

¹⁰ And God called the dry land Earth,

and the gathering together of the waters

He called Seas.

And God saw

that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said,

“Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb

that yields seed,

and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind,

whose seed is in itself, on the earth”;

and it was so.

¹² And the earth brought forth grass, the herb

that yields seed according to its kind,

and the tree that yields fruit,

whose seed is in itself according to its kind.

And God saw

that it was good.

¹³ So the evening and the morning were the third day.

¹⁴ Then God said,

“Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens

 

to divide the day from the night;

and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and

 

years;

¹⁵ and let them be for lights in the firmament of the

 

heavens

to give light on the earth”;

and it was so.

⁶ Then God made two great lights: the greater light

 

to rule the day,

and the lesser light to rule the night.

He made the stars also.

¹⁷ God set them in the firmament of the heavens

to give light on the earth,

¹⁸ and to rule over the day and over the night,

and to divide the light from the darkness.

And God saw

 that it was good.

¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said,

“Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures,

and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the

 

firmament of the heavens.”

²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living

 

thing

that moves,

with which the waters abounded, according to their kind,

and every winged bird according to its kind.

And God saw

 that it was good. ²² And God blessed them,

saying,

“Be fruitful

and multiply,

and fill the waters in the seas,

and let birds multiply on the earth.”

²³ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

²⁴ Then God said,

“Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to

 

its kind:

cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each

 

according to its kind”;

and it was so.

²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth according to its

 

kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that

 

creeps on the earth according to its kind.

 And God saw

 that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said,

“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our

 

likeness;

let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the

 

birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all^[b] the earth

 

and over every creeping thing

that creeps on the earth.”

²⁷ So God created man in His own image;

in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them.

²⁸ Then God blessed them,

and God said to them,

“Be fruitful

and multiply;

fill the earth

and subdue it;

have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of

 

the air, and over every living thing

that moves on the earth.”

²⁹ And God said,

“See, I have given you every herb

that yields seed

which is on the face of all the earth,

and every tree

whose fruit yields seed;

to you it shall be for food.

³⁰ Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the

 

air, and to everything

that creeps on the earth,

in which there is life,

I have given every green herb for food”;

and it was so.

³¹ Then God saw everything

that He had made,

and indeed it was very good.

So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

2 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of

 

them, were finished.

² And on the seventh day God ended His work

 

which He had done,

and He rested on the seventh day from all His work

 

which He had done.

³ Then God blessed the seventh day

and sanctified it,

because in it He rested from all His work

which God had created

and made.

⁴ This is the history^[c] of the heavens and the earth

 

when they were created, in the day

that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

 

 

Footnotes:

Genesis 1:2 Words in italic type have been added for clarity. They are not found in the original Hebrew or Aramaic.

Genesis 1:26 Syriac reads all the wild animals of.

Genesis 2:4 Hebrew toledoth, literally generations

I will be returning to this yet this week (as early as tomorrow) to put the passage into context.  Thank you for your patience and make sure you re-visit this post because its value will expand immensely.


In Christ,

Jon

 

Holy: Understanding it Better Through Translation

I know you are visiting this blog to learn about the biblical meaning that is translated as "holy" (mainly) in English.  I am working openly (out in public view) on my project for my post-graduate degree through this blog for defining holy in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek.  In this entry, I want to improve our understanding of holy through a better understanding of the principles of translation. 

Elsewhere ( in earlier blog entries) I have spoken about the need for greater clarity in translation.  For me, there are two principles for an excellent translation.  They are:

     1) clarity, and
     2) meaningfulness

Recently, a friend of mine on Facebook complained about the wording of a verse in the CEV (Contemporary English Version).  Knowing Greek as I do, I could not concur more.  The problem is that the translation was that it used a one-legged approach rather than a two-legged approach to translation.  It dealt with translation as though meaningfulness was the only leg or central principle of translation.  But rather than delve too deeply into either general principles of translation or into one entire Bible translation effort, let me narrow things down to a unit of Scripture that most Christians (and even non-Christians) will likely find familiar and that contains the word "holy".   

The place I want to suggest is that of the verses commonly referred to as the "Lord's Prayer" and usually recited according to the KJV and from my memory as (Matthew 6:9-15):

     Our Father, who art in heaven,
     Hallowed be thy name,
     Thy kingdom come,
     Thy will be done,
     On earth as it is in heaven,
     Give us this day our daily bread,
     And forgive us our trespasses,
     As we forgive those who trespass against us.
     And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
     For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
     Amen. 

This passage is very familiar and yet that does not mean it is either clear or meaningful to us in the 21st century.  That is not a knock on the clarity or meaningfulness when the KJV was created, if it is not as clear and meaningful now as it was at that time.  So let me make this recited translation from the KJV (without consideration for textual criticism issues), in a more clear and in a more meaningful way.  I would in good 21st century translation into English, like it to say:

     Our Father, who is in heaven,
     Holy be your name,
     Your kingdom come,
     Your will be done,
     On earth as it is in heaven,
     Give us this day our daily bread,
     And forgive us our debts,
     As we forgive those who are our debtors.
     And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
     Because yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
     Amen. 

On first glance, you will notice that most of the changes have to do with updating "thy" and "thine" to "your".  This I have done on the basis of the principle of meaningfulness.  A second change, I make for the sake of meaningfulness, is that of going from "for" to "because", because this is how we connect these two clauses today.  We just don't use "for" very much at all in this way.  Back now to the first change, when we say "thine", we pretty much have to translate (my age and younger at least) in our heads from that older English to a newer form of English.  Sometimes when the Lord's prayer is recited in church, I even do this quietly under the louder voices around me, so I can say the Lord's prayer in its full meaningfulness for myself!

On the next glance, you will also notice some changes in words chosen that is more than just updating English.  These changes have to do with clarity more than meaningfulness.  The first change is from "hallowed" to "holy".  The second change is from "trespasses" to "debts". 

It is true that "hallowed" is also sort of meaningless, because the only other related word we use now is "Halloween".   That, of course, is not much help!  It is more confusing than anything.  The reason I switched over to "holy" is because then it is clear that this statement is connected to the Old Testament statements that God's "name is holy".  With "hallowed", because it is another word rather than the same word, we don't usually make the connection.  The interesting thing is that internally in the Bible's own translation of its prior words, it only uses one Hebrew word (or root), one Aramaic word (or root) and one Greek word (or root).  So I am in favor, for the sake of clarity, of using one English word across the board for all three originals to bring greater clarity and unity of message as was intended within Scripture itself.  We can se aside all the sanctification and hallowed language and just preserve it in theology and in footnotes.  They are historically valuable, but not for the sake of clarity are they valuable in our time frame. 

On the question of debts and trespasses, it is unclear to me why the KJV people chose "trespasses" for a word in Greek that is not related to the other word they translate as "trespasses" in the same context discussing prayer.  I, for reasons of clarity, think a different word must be used and I will go with "debts", unless I find someday a better option.  For now that is the best suggestion that I have seen from translators.  Again, why confuse people with one word for two words in the original, when that is not necessary?  Seeking clarity is the right leg of translation.  It must step out in tune with the left leg of meaningfulness. 

The implications for my efforts to define holy is this.  Let's go with holy or with one of its possible meanings in the English language: 1) pure, 2) set apart, or 3) moral whole; but let's stick to one of them not many of them.  One is clear.  Many is unclear.  Try this test.  If we all say the same word at once (ex. "yes") the message is clear, but if we split into thirds and each say a different word in each third at the same time ("yes", "no", and "maybe"), then the message becomes unclear.  That is what "hallowed" and "trespasses" are doing in the Lord's Prayer.  They are making things unclear rather than clear. 

So let's stop limping along with only clarity or only meaningfulness.  Say the Lord's Prayer with all the gusto we can all together in English (for English speakers).  Say it with clarity and with meaningfulness.  Why are we still walking with only one leg?  Let's walk on the two translation legs that God gave us to walk with!  I hope this has enriched your holiness and your saying of the Lord's Prayer. 

In Christ,

Jon

Holy: Understanding it Perhaps Better Through Two New Books

If you are looking to understand holy, there are two new books that may help.  One deals more directly with holiness as a topic and the other deals more directly with wholeness as its topic.   Wholeness is one of the top three candidates for the correct definition of holy.  That is why I recommend both of these for their potential insights. 

I have not read either of these two books as a whole, but I have read a summary on each.  My interest in both of them stems from my interest in the twin concepts of holiness and wholeness and in the possibility that holy means whole. 

The first book is: The Utter Relief of Holiness.  It is written by John Eldredge (who is best known for his book Wild at Heart).  Part of the summary of the book says that he deals with "how God makes us whole and holy".   I find this last connection interesting, because it follows closely the concept of "whole and holy" as taught at Bethel University and Seminary, where I attended in the 80s and 90s.  If you search on-line, then you can find Bethel's stance on this topic in their course catalog. 

The second book is: Solo: An Uncommon Devotional.  I am not yet clear on who authors this book from the summary that I read.  What I did read that interested me, was that: "The ancient practice of lectio divina or `divine reading' was all about wholeness - whole practice, whole Bible, whole God".  It just so happens that I have a classmate at Nashotah House (Seminary) who is writing on the topic of liturgy and the "lectio divina.  So this one caught my interest for that reason as well.  Maybe he and I will be able to collaborate on our writing! 

Anyway, I wanted to share these two titles with my readers and I plan to eventually own them both.  I think each may have something to say about the implications of holiness, especially if it does in fact mean moral wholeness. 

I hope you enjoy your reading.  If you would like, then you can leave your comments after reading either or both of these books on my blog and then you will have a chance to let others know your perspective.  Take care.

In Christ,

Jon

Holy: Understanding it Better Through Sound Method and Key Biblical Texts

I am willing to guess that you are visiting my blog to learn the meaning of holy.  I will not disappoint you.  The first question is how many (quantity) possible definitions are there and then of those which one is the right one?  The second question is how much (quality) is the support for each definition and can one gain all the support while the others lose their support?   My answer to the first question is three (out of twenty+) that deserve consideration: "set apart", "pure", or "whole".   The answer to the second question of how much (quality) is the support for each of these definitions is why I am writing posts for this blog.  The quality of support for one of these three definitions I believe can be higher.  I also am convinced that through a better exegetical method or word study or linguisic analysis, one definition can be presented with a higher quality of support rather than the worst case scenario of the wrong one, a little better option of still having three possibilities, or better still just two possibilities.  The one with high quality support is what I want.  This post will begin to answer the question of the definition of holy in the Bible at a higher level of quality by introducing the outline or arrangment of my method of exegeis or analysis that will increase the support for one of these three definitions. 

One of the five canons (rules) of rhetoric for public speaking is arrangment.  In grammar, the parallel rule for writing or journalism is outlining.  Mrs. Buchberger tired to teach me English grammar in junior high and Mr. Rass tried to straighten me out further on outlining in high school.  Today, I want to introduce a probable arrangment or outline for the thesis I am currently writing.

It is as follows:

Preface: The How Many and How Much

     The Scope of this Paper: Using One Method over All the Others

Part One: Method - The How and the Why

     Introduction

          Looking at the Total Picture: It is About More than Translation

               Nehemiah 8

     Unit One  

          Translation  and Semantic Analysis

     Unit Two
  
          Transfer and Structural Analysis

     Unit Three

          Total and Linguistic (or Grammatical) Analysis

     Unit Four

          Train and Syntactic Analysis

     Unit Five

          Teach and Lexical Analysis

     Conclusion: A Total Method is Superior to a Translation Method


Part Two:  Biblical Texts - The What and the Which: Testing Three Theories Not Just One

     Introduction: We Cannot Rely So Much on One Method

          Etymology is in the Bible?

          Introducing Complete Linguistic Analysis

     Unit One: The Linguistic Analysis of Isaiah 6 (and Revelation 4)

     Unit Two: The Linguistic Analysis of Genesis 2:1-3 (and Deuteronomy 5)

     Unit Three: The Linguistic Analysis of Leviticus 19 (and 1 Peter 1)

     Unit Four: The Linguistic Analysis of Exodus (?) (and Acts (?))

     Unit Five: The Linguistic Analysis of Deuteronomy (?)

    Conclusion:  One Definition from Multiple Possible Definitions for Holy


Part Three: The Significance and Implications - The Where and the When (Relevance)

     Introduction: The Defining of Significance and Implications
    
     Unit One: The Significance and Implications for Our Priorities

     Unit Two: The Significance and Implications for Relevance

     Unit Three: The Significance and  Implications for Yourself and Life

     Unit Four: The Significance and Implications for Work

     Unit Five: The Significance and Implications for Learning

     Conclusion: One Definition that is Biblical Can Change Many Things


Epilogue: The Who and the Whole

     Who is the Holy One (what is His name)? 

     Who are the Saints (the Holy Ones)? 




This I believe is the arrangement thats is growing within my thesis paper.  Throughout this blog you will be able to read preliminary parts and pieces of what eventually will be a complete mosaic or tapestry on the definition of holy.  Right now these bits and pieces do not have the advantage of full arrangement, but I am looking forward to the day to say that the above is complete.  In this blog, I am also trying to produce a better definition of holy in the sense of better support.  But part of that is keeping all the top possibilites on the table until my thesis paper is complete and reviewed by a committee.  May God grant me speed in this process!


In Christ,

Jon