FOOLISHNESS & WISDOM

                                                                Foolishness & Wisdom

Picture from Web

Foolishness was feeding some pigeons when he asked Wisdom to sit down. ‘Not so fast’ replied Wisdom. This bench has just been painted!’ ‘How did you know?’ replied Foolishness as he stood up to check his clothing. There were stripes on the back of his shirt. ‘Situational awareness,’ said Wisdom, ‘Benches sometimes can be wet with rain or paint! Better not to rush in without first checking. Besides, I just passed a painter!'

As they began walking Foolishness asked Wisdom how he had become so wise. ‘As I already said, situational awareness. What do you expect to see, taste, and smell at a coffee shop?’ ‘Coffee?’ replied Foolishness. ‘That is your second step towards becoming wise.’ ‘What was the first step?’ ‘It was in your asking the question.’ Foolishness pondered this as he tried to figure out which sort of coffee to have. The roar of the coffee-grinder and steamer helped him decide. They sat down and like a kid with a cream cake, Foolishness used his finger to sample his cappuccino’s chocolate. ‘We have five senses’, said Wisdom. Foolishness had a quizzical look on his face. ‘What does that have to doing with becoming wise?’ ‘Situational awareness’ was Wisdom’s terse reply. ‘Please elaborate.’

‘The sign says, “Coffee Shop”. You were able to hear your coffee being made, and you could see, smell, taste, and even touch it. That’s situational awareness. Next, you’re aware that someone made your coffee. The ingredients didn’t all bump into each other accidentally to form a coffee just to your liking. The waiter simply followed your order.’ Foolishness sipped his coffee and nodded for Wisdom to go on. ‘Likewise, chemicals didn’t accidently mix together to create you.’ Foolishness rashly interjected, ‘I don’t like the word “create”. It makes you sound like once of those closed-minded people.’ ‘But Foolishness, you are the one walking around in prison stripes!’ He almost sprayed coffee on Wisdom as they both had a good laugh at this observation. ‘My use of the word ‘create’ automatically makes you think of the Creator. But He opens minds and transforms them. For only the fool says in his heart that there is no God! Therefore, it is the fear of the Lord that is the beginning of wisdom.’ You’re living in God’s world. He owns it.

‘What does God have to do with this situational awareness you keep on speaking about?’ asked Foolishness. ‘Well, it’s a closed mind that lacks any sense of its surroundings. Picture your five senses as pigeons bringing you little messages.’ Foolishness liked this idea. ‘Well, it’s God the Holy Spirit, the Heavenly Dove, that brings God’s Word to wherever He is welcome to roost. But, like a window, the mind, must first be opened.’ ‘You mean like the Noah’s ark story where the dove returned with a freshly plucked olive leaf? What then does God offer me?’ ‘An olive branch, peace! A pardon and freedom’ ‘You’re making me feel like the Birdman of Alcatraz!’ They laughed again. ‘How do I escape this prison that you see me as being in?’ ‘Situational awareness! See yourself as one who has sinned against God. Receive His full pardon by repenting and believing in His Gospel.’ ‘And what is His Gospel?’ ‘In brief it’s that Jesus died to take away the sins of everyone who believes in God. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.’

It was then that Foolishness began to realise that the people in café were in groups and he could hear them praying to God – for his salvation. ‘You do know,’ said Wisdom, ‘that this is our church’s coffee shop? I was asked to invite a friend.’ ‘Me?!’ Foolishness began to become aware of his situation.      

Creation, Incarnation, Redemption, and Exaltation

 Creation, Incarnation, Redemption, and Exaltation The Unfaithful Bride and the Faithful Groom: The Biblical Story of Covenant Making, Breaking and Renewal: McKinlay, Neil Cullan, Schwartz, D. Rudi: 9798375129211: Amazon.com: Books

CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien were two founding members of a reading group called The Inklings that began in the 30s and wound up in 1949. They met in various places, the most famous being a pub called The Eagle and Child or affectionately known as The Bird and Babe or just The Bird. They would read and discuss pieces of literature, including bad prose to see who could last longest without laughing! These two are famous today for some of their books, now also movies.  

Lewis’s Tales or Chronicles of Narnia and Tolkien’s The Hobbit, and The Lord of the Rings are well-known allegories in which Christ and Biblical principles of good and evil are depicted. These are more overt in Lewis’s work, while in Tolkien the focus is more on good versus evil. 

Novelists get to create characters, give them certain personality traits and looks, and can move them around in all sorts of different situations, good or bad. Novelists sometimes enter into their own creations, having the characters they create reflect themselves, how they would behave in peaceful times or react when faced with evil. Of course, the writer knows the end from the beginning, or at least, where they are trying to get their story to. Yes, perhaps some authors make it all up as they go along, but it is hard to imagine CS Lewis or JRR Tolkien being of that sort. 

So, Lewis and Tolkien invented different worlds, various characters, stories containing romance, war and peace, (Tolkien, a linguist, even invented other languages, such as Elfish for his novels!). 

What if we were all part of someone else’s story? What if we were unconsciously performers in some cosmic drama? It has been said the history is His-story. A human being becomes conscious that he or she is part of God’s grand plan only after being converted by God’s grace. It is then the following Shakespeare quote takes on a deeper and fuller meaning,  

“All the world’s a stage, 

And all the men and women merely players; 

They have their exits and their entrances; 

And one man in his time plays many parts, 

His acts being seven ages.” 

Satan, of course, would like to remove God from the equation or at the very least make Him less or insignificant. Thus, false religion, atheism, etc. However, Christians struggle here too, especially understanding theology and putting that theology into practice. Some have a man-centred theology, one in which God, though He is present, merely sits like a spectator watching the movie, rather than sovereignly acting in and directing every aspect of it. 

Let us remind ourselves of three important things before we proceed:  

• God created creation (Gen. 1:1)  

• God entered His creation (John 1:14) and  

• God redeemed His creation (Dan. 7: 13-14)  

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So, we see that it is true that history is His-story. It is all about Him. We are just bit-players in His cosmic drama. E.g., Judas Iscariot had the very important role of betrayer, a walk-on role of betraying Jesus to death. “As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him. So Jesus told him, ‘What you are about to do, do quickly’” (John 13:27; see also 17:12).  

The triune God, Father, Word, Spirit, created creation. The Word came from Heaven, and entered His fallen creation to redeem it from the effects of sin by becoming a human being. Then He went back to Heaven. Thus, creation, incarnation, redemption, and exaltation, in that order. 

So, there he is, always skulking around in the shadows, “the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world” (Rev. 12:9), with his willing partner who had just sold his own soul for the love of money, even 30 pieces of silver. Is Judas the only actor who got paid for his part in God’s great drama? Did Satan make Judas do it? Or worse, did God create us as automatons, as robots to do his will? God forbid! God holds Judas, and the rest of us, fully responsible for our own actions. Therefore, Judas, of his own free will and accord, did what he did. However, how free was his will? Well, like the rest of us, his will was in bondage to sin, self, and Satan. In other words, he remained unregenerate, unconverted. God had not set him free. Being set free is what we mean by conversion. 

Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). With this verse, Jesus tells us that, like Nicodemus, we are all blind to the things of the Kingdom of God. We need a new life through the Holy Spirit. It comes “from above”. Nicodemus desired to talk to Christ as teacher to teacher. He too was a teacher of the Scriptures. But Christ made it clear – to understand anything about the Kingdom of God, something “out of the world” had to happen – he had to be born from above (or born again). Without this work of the Holy Spirit, he would remain blind to understanding the teachings of Christ. 

Among other things, post-conversion, the Christian has the ability to see spiritual things, including the things that are behind good and evil in the world, such as God and Satan, the forces for good and the forces of evil. It is about knowing your own heart and what God would have you do and have you not do. Conversion includes the ability to believe and understand God’s written Word, and to apply it to your every situation. Of course, due to a residue of sin that remains in every Christian’s heart, none of us will act perfectly in accordance with the Word of God in this life. However, we will be able to study the Scriptures and learn to “reject the wrong and choose the right” (Isa. 7:16; see also 1 John 5:3-5). The simplest way to accomplish this is to properly understand God’s covenant, the stipulations to keep it, and how to give it expression in everyday life as God’s holy nation (Exod. 19:5-6). 

INTERLUDE

The Unfaithful Bride and the Faithful Groom: The Biblical Story of Covenant Making, Breaking and Renewal: McKinlay, Neil Cullan, Schwartz, D. Rudi: 9798375129211: Amazon.com: Books

Have you ever been at a movie theatre where they’ve had an intermission or an interlude at the opera? After sitting in the dark, the lights come on giving you opportunity to enjoy a “comfort break” or purchase some popcorn or have a cocktail. Well, during this break as our eyes adjust to the light, let’s use our time between Part One – The Unfaithful Bride and Part Two – The Faithful Groom to discuss some of the background to this book. Throughout this book we have used the term “piano man” as a device to engage the reader. Satan is a mysterious invisible spirit-being. The “piano man” anthropomorphizes him. It helps us to identify the Devil, to see the invisible.  The first reference is of course to a 1973 Billy Joel song by the same title. Piano Man, the lyrics of which describe a Saturday night in a busy bar whose patrons are asking the piano man to play them a song because he has them “feelin’ alright.” One can easily picture the scene. They’re all having a good time and he’s the one who’s making the revellers feel good as they have a drink. 

The second reference is not so easy to picture. It is of course Satan, an evil but invisible creature who capitalizes on our constant craving for “feelin’ alright,” our desire to feel good –whether we are at work, rest, play, yes, even at worship. The trouble for us, like some of those patrons mentioned in the Piano Man song, is that we all would like to forget about our troubles. In the case of the bar patrons, they do it through song. So, here’s where we drew our connection between Satan and “Piano Man.” Apologies, if you find it a little technical as we discuss the meanings of a couple of words, viz., “timbrels and pipes,” but we think it necessary to help your eyes adjust to the light so that you can more clearly see the evil creature that lurks around in the shadows. 

One of the many judgments the LORD brought upon Tyre for its wickedness was, “I will put an end to your noisy songs, and the music of your harps will be heard no more” (Ezek. 26:13 NIV). Isaiah speaks of the same, “The joyful timbrels are stilled, the noise of the revelers has stopped, the joyful harp is silent. No longer do they drink wine with a song; the beer is bitter to its drinkers” (Isa. 24:8-9 NIV).  No more “feelin’ alright” for the Tyrians!  

We shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that throughout Scripture the LORD may bring judgments on a people with a view to them repenting of their wickedness. However, the king of Tyre was the epitome of Satan, he anthropomorphized him, so much so, that the LORD said the following, 

Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you’ (Ezek. 28:12:15 NKJV). 

It would seem that in the garden of Eden there were precious stones all over the place! However, since their burial in the Flood, we now have to dig these gems (not to mention other blessings such as oil, gas, and coal) out of the ground. But let’s not distract ourselves (like fish going after a lure), with the sparkly things that the Devil may use to tempt us. Rather, let’s look at the words “timbrels and pipes” as they relate to Satan and his minion, the king of Tyre. For this is one of the places where we connect our “piano man” with Satan.  

A timbrel (tabret KJV), as it is used here, like a piano, is a percussion instrument, related to the drum. It is a tambourine. (See e.g., Gen. 31:27; 1 Sam. 10:5, 18:6; Isa. 5:12, 24:8, 30:22; Jer. 31:4 where the NIV, like the NKJV, translates תֹּ֧ף top as timbrel, as does Jay Green).129 The word translated as pipes (וּנְקָבֶ֙יךָ֙ neqeb) in Ezekiel 28:12 is a little more difficult. The TWOT alerts us to the difficulty, “The meaning of this noun, which occurs in Ezk 28:13, is uncertain. Suggestions include “pipes” (KJV), “engravings” (RSV)…”130 So, the NKJV’s “timbrels (tabrets) and pipes” is as an acceptable translation as the NIV’s “settings and mountings”. Anyway, that was just to let you know how we ended up with our “piano man.” 

Now, just before the lights are dimmed so that we can we can view Part Two – The Faithful Groom, let’s make some more brief observations about Satan. Says Thomas Books, 

Satan hath cast such sinful seed into our souls, that now he can no sooner tempt, but we are ready to assent; he can no sooner have a plot upon us, but he makes a conquest of us. If he doth show men a little of the beauty and bravery of the world, how ready are they to fall down and worship him! Whatever sin the heart of man is most prone to, that the devil will help forward.131 

So, we see that our “piano man” temps us by appealing to our heart’s desires. After the Reformation had taken off in 1517, legend has it that Martin Luther threw an inkpot at the Devil who was constantly accusing him. Visitors to Wartburg Castle are shown a faded ink-stain on the wall where this supposedly happened. I have never seen it but, in my mind’s eye, and rather cartoon like, I picture an outline of the shape of the Devil. And what if the ink was red? In C.S. Lewis’s The Screwtape Letters, Lewis has a senior devil writing to his nephew, a junior devil, as he tries to teach him how to get and keep a Christian (“the patient”) side-tracked from his mission on earth, 

I do not think you will have much difficulty in keeping the patient in the dark. The fact that “devils” are predominantly comic figures in the modern imagination will help you. If any faint suspicion of your existence begins to arise in his mind, suggest to him a picture of something in red tights, and persuade him that since he cannot believe in that (it is an old textbook method of confusing them) he therefore cannot believe in you. 

And any notion that he is a half-blind fully-deaf (from ringing church bells!) Quasimodo-like Hunchback of Notre-Dame needs to be expunged from our thinking. Yes, like Quasimodo, he does hide himself in the church, but he is not some grotesque rag-clad seemingly cretinous creature, but is rather more like the smooth seemingly ubiquitous Phantom of the Opera who wears a disguise, stays out of sight but secretly listens to us while collecting intelligence as he sings The Music of the Night. And so the serpent approached the woman.  

“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Gen. 3:1). So, Satan makes his first appearance early on in the Bible. He deceives Eve upon which deception Adam is then tempted to eat the forbidden fruit and does. God curses the serpent and Satan in Genesis 3. Commenting on Genesis 3:1 Nigel Lee says, 

This particular serpent had been taken possession of by the fallen angel Satan (Gen. 3:1-4, 13, 15 & Rev, 12:3-4, 7-10 & 20:10). All of the angels had been created “very good,” and were apparently already in existence by the earth’s third day and possibly even earlier – c.f. Gen. 1:1-9, 31 & Ps. 104:4-5 & Job 34:4-7 (where the phrase “the morning stars” seems to mean the angels). Yet for His Own very good purposes, although God created Lucifer and the angels and man “very good” (Gen. 1:31 & Ezek. 28:12-15 & Jude 6 & Eccl. 7:29 & Luke 3:38), He nevertheless made them with the possibility of being able to sin, on the basis of their own responsibility (Gen. 2:16-17 & 3:14-15 & Rom. 5:12 ff & 6:23) – yet ultimately to the furtherance of Own glorious Kingdom (cf. Prov. 16:4 & Isa. 45:7 & 54:16 & Rom. 9:17-23 & 1 Pet. 2:7-9). The angel Lucifer once bore the light for Jehovah. However, apparently on God’s sabbath day, Lucifer disturbed the cosmic rest and dragged about one-third of the angels into rebellion against God (Gen.1:31 – 2:3,15 & Isa. 14:12-15 & Rev. 12:3-4, 7-12). For Lucifer and his angels fell into sin and became the devil and his demons – perhaps out of pride toward God and jealousy toward man as God’s image (Gen. 1:1, 31, & 2:15 & 3:1-15 & John 8:44 & II Pet. 2:4 & Rev. 12:1-4, 9-13).132 

Yes, Lucifer and his angels, a force to be reckoned with. Thomas Brooks offers this helpful advice. 

Now the best way to deliver poor souls from being deluded and destroyed by these messengers of Satan is, to discover them in their colours, that so, being known, poor souls may shun them, and fly from them as from hell itself.133 

So, after that brief interlude, we are now even better equipped to:  

• Recognize the wiles of the Devil and how he and the messengers try to tempt us 

• Discern what he’s up to in the church 

• Know that he operates only with God’s permission (Job 1:12) 

• Understand as much as you can of the purpose and use God has for him 

• Know that Satan is the master of disguise (2 Cor. 11:14)