Webcrawlers

The mystery surrounding this last verse in the proverb of the four small but wise creatures makes it the most interesting.

It's unclear what type of creature is referred to and how it demonstrates wisdom. Some translations render it "spider" and some "lizard" and at the risk of oversimplification there are two concepts; "the creature grasps" or "the creature is easily grasped". If you, or someone you know, speaks ancient Hebrew or Chaldee I hope you will tell me exactly what creature is spoken of and unlock the secret of the mysterious virtue the creature possesses. Until then I have, of course, gone back to the original document to uncover the truth...

huh?

What did you say?

No, not the original hebrew, the King James version of course.

The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings' palaces - Proverbs 30:28

God has, throughout history, placed spiders in palaces. Joseph, Moses, Esther, Daniel, Nehemiah. These people demonstrated skill, wisdom and integrity and while different and foreign to their surrounds they were regarded as extremely useful and God was able to use them to further His purposes.

The spider is regarded by many to be ugly, sometimes frightening, even evil. It's an unfair characterization and I personally am offended for spiders everywhere. Here are the facts, and they are undisputed; spiders are extremely efficient at pest control, they weave beautiful webs, the silk they create is one of the strongest fibers on earth, what's not to like?

So the takeaway for us should be whenever you feel like an ugly, eight legged, arachnid remember, wherever your place in the world is, God wants you to use your skill and be prepared that He may lead you into a palace of sorts. If that happens remember Mordecai's warning to Esther.

For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall there enlargement and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place; but thou and thy father's house shall be destroyed: and who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this? - Esther 4:14

Jesus is coming back... Look busy

The locusts have no king, Yet they all advance in ranks; - Proverbs 30:27

The locust is a tiny creature and demonstrates wisdom in coordination. Swarms of them move together like an airborne army. What makes this so amazing? The fact that no one is directing them. I'm so tired of hearing people complain, "I don't know what God's will for my life is". Have you read His Word? It's pretty simple. When He comes back will He find us working, or will He see us scurrying out of our comfortable holes trying to look busy?

The Terrible Visitation

Blow a trumpet in Zion,

and sound an alarm on My holy mountain!

Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble,

for the day of the LORD is coming;

Surely it is near, a day of darkness and gloom,

A day of clouds and thick darkness

as the dawn is spread over the mountains,

So there is a great and mighty people;

there has never been anything like it,

Nor will there be again after it

to the years of many generations.

A fire consumes before them

and behind them a flame burns

The land is like the garden of Eden before them

but a desolate wilderness behind them,

And nothing at all escapes them.

Their appearance is like the appearance of horses;

and like war horses, so they run.

With a noise as of chariots

they leap on the tops of the mountains,

Like the crackling of a flame of fire consuming the stubble,

Like a mighty people arranged for battle.

Before them the people are in anguish;

all faces turn pale.

They run like mighty men,

they climb the wall like soldiers;

And they each march in line,

nor do they deviate from their paths.

They do not crowd each other,

they march everyone in his path;

When they burst through the defenses,

they do not break ranks.

They rush on the city, they run on the wall;

they climb into the houses,

They enter through the windows like a thief.

Before them the earth quakes,

the heavens tremble,

The sun and the moon grow dark

and the stars lose their brightness.

The LORD utters His voice before His army;

surely His camp is very great,

For strong is he who carries out His word

The day of the LORD is indeed great and very awesome,

And who can endure it? - Joel 2

The picture I see is similar to the Battle for Minas Tirith in the Return of the King. All Mordor is arrayed against the white city and it's teetering and threatening to fall. Suddenly a swarm of pale green sweeps towards the city. The oathbreakers, the previously idle Army of the dead. They had been ignoring their duty but now they're leaping over the walls, pouring into every building, cutting a swath through the Mordor horde. Why can't we be like that now? Working together and busy. Does Jesus have to come back before we'll work together?

If Joel was alive today instead of destroying locusts he might've compared the Day of the Lord to the present financial plague sweeping the earth. We've sat around all smug and fat. Stuffing our selfish faces with more and more and when we ran out instead of cutting back we borrowed. We borrowed for houses and cars. We borrowed for TVs and comfy couches. Paid for with lines of credit and plastic. We got second mortgages and paid the interest only. Not just individuals but companies and governments too. We can have whatever we want, just run a deficit. Perfect. Except when Uncle Guido comes to collect his money. And if we can't pay we'll never walk again. Or maybe we'll get to try out his new concrete shoes.

It's a scary time, even for Canadians. Yes our government has been running with a budget surplus and we've been reaping the benefits of the high oil prices but if the US falls they will take 60-70% of our exports with them.

Where's your treasure? Does it hurt to see your investments and pension evaporate? Will it fill you with fear as more and more resource and trade dependant jobs collapse? We need to repent as a nation of our gluttony. We need to pray for forgiveness. Whatever happens God is in control. Our hope is in Him, He can do anything. We must not break ranks, whatever comes at us we will stand our ground, we are His children.

Global warming and bacon wrapped dates

About three years ago my cousin was getting married and somehow while the family was gathered and enjoying appetizers and light conversation, the topic turned to "global warming". You may or may not remember this as the predecessor to what we refer to today as "climate change". Anyhow, her fiance said that he believed that the polar ice caps were melting and that in five years most of Vancouver Island would be underwater. Everyone smiled politely and continued enjoying themselves and the tasty appetizers. To me this was an extraordinary statement and I couldn't believe my ears. "Do you really believe that we will be underwater in five years?", I asked incredulously. He looked me right in the eyes and without any doubt he said, "Absolutely" and then he ate another bacon wrapped date. (Which by the way might sound strange but is actually very delicious)

I sat there silently pondering the enormity of what he had said. I kept waiting for him to notice me watching him, and then look at me and laugh, "Naw! I'm kidding!" We would've all had a good laugh and then carried on but that never happened. We never discussed it again.

To be honest, even today, I don't know what to think about his dire prophecy. You may be reading this and thinking "You moron, of course the sea level is rising and if you're smart you'll buy a cabin in the mountains because soon it's going to be worth a lot more when it becomes oceanfront property". Or maybe you're thinking, "It's happening slower than five years but it's happening nonetheless". Ok, ok, I won't argue that. However, what I find extraordinary is that even though my cousin-in law believed it so definitively, he didn't seem to be acting like he believed it. I mean, they bought a house in Parksville. Which is on Vancouver Island. Probably no more than five feet above sea level. And if you do the math we only have two years left before everyone who lives on the coast who doesn't have a set of Kevin Costner waterworld gills is going to have a really bad day.

I personally don't think it would be sufficient to move to higher ground on Vancouver Island. If his prediction comes true, this whole coast will be chaos and pandemonium. There will be no ferry terminals, no airports, few dry roads. No way on or off the island.

Maybe he's still planning to move. Yeah, maybe he's trying to decide between becoming a Tibetan monk or working in the oil sands. Calgary is the city with the highest elevation in Canada so that would make sense. Mount Ararat would be another good place to lay low and chill until things to settle out.

This brings me to number two on the list of "Wisest creatures on earth"...

The rock badgers are a feeble folk, Yet they make their homes in the crags;- Proverbs 30:26

If we believe something shouldn't our actions back up what we believe? Why do we say we believe God's Word but don't act like it? We trust our money, our friends, our physical strength. This is the comforting, soft field we make our little nests in when we should be hidden in the Rock. It's probably a lot harder work every morning and night after gathering food and water to climb back up into the crags. It's definitely not as comfortable, but when storms and predators come it's safe and definitely wiser.

The result of all this? Well, after digesting a date wrapped in something I completely didn't expect and after my self-righteous critique of my cousin-in-law's beliefs and resulting actions about the physical world I realised I had my own contradictory issue to deal with... My beliefs and actions about the spiritual one. Argh.

Bulletproof wisdom

I have some ants living under my patio in the backyard that are extremely industrious and persistent. Obviously I've tried to encourage them to move. First I started by covering up their holes, I quickly stepped up my efforts by flooding the entire area with a hose... no good. Finally, when I had exhausted all conventional means at my disposal, like a pompous dictator with a itchy finger on the button of doom, I resorted to chemical warfare. There, I've said it, I'm not proud of it but there it is nonetheless.

That was one year ago and they are still there. An indefatigable, unstoppable insect force, marching inexorably on. I can almost see the laughter in their beady little eyes (frustrated growling and teeth grinding noises). Why won't they give up, move to happier climes? Why won't they break?

There are four things which are little on the earth, But they are exceedingly wise:
The ants are a people not strong, Yet they prepare their food in the summer; - Proverbs 30:24-25

This is one of my favourite passages of scripture. To me it is such a powerful image of how we should live as Christians. Whenever I see "bread" or "food" written about in the Bible, I translate that to "scripture" in my mind. We are in the summer of our spirituality, a day is coming when the Word will be scarce, possibly branded "hate literature" We would be wise to store up everything possible now.

In that day we'll have to search harder for the Word then we do today and we'll likely be persecuted for it. We would do well to be as wise as the ant today and, Lord willing, as unbreakable tomorrow.

Lamentation #3

The LORD is my shepherd I shall not want (Ps 23:1)
He has been to me like a bear lying in wait, like a lion in ambush (Lam 3:10)

Many believers assert that God intends for us to live healthy wealthy, and prosperous lives. These people will quote scriptures they believe supports this belief but tend to ignore others that don’t. Most people know the 23rd Psalm but how many know the 3rd Lamentation? Not as many I imagine and I can understand why. David in the 23rd Psalm described God as a shepherd who provided guidance, protection and fulfillment. Conversely, Jeremiah in Lamentations 3 described God as a hunter who attacked and injured him.

I know God has provided the deliverance and ultimate victory for our eternal souls through His Son Jesus Christ but our temporal bodies are dying every day. Moth and rust will decay every worldly possession that we have and if your heart is found with those treasures you’re in danger of losing your soul. It disturbs me when Christians say if you're sick or suffering that you musn't have enough faith or something. Jesus promised us that we would have trouble in this world. Recently, a Christian musician lost one of his children in a tragic accident. This affected me so keenly that I avoided listening to his music for awhile because I was uncomfortable with the feelings of sorrow and regret. Their family doesn't have that luxury and they have clung to their hope in Jesus Christ.

What is the reason for suffering? The best answer to that is found when you see the result of suffering. People who have everything they need don’t tend to go looking for God but when faced with terrible adversity they tend to either curse Him or cling to Him. Jeremiah also chose the latter.

This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him!" The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. - Lamentations 3:21-25

Praying to the dark

“I fell in love when I was seventeen… with God. A foolish girl with romantic notions about the life of a religious. But my love was passionate. Over the years my feelings have changed, He’s disappointed me, ignored me. We’ve settled into a relationship of peaceful indifference. The old husband and wife that sit side by side on the sofa but rarely speak” – Quote from the movie “The Painted Veil”

The words of an elderly Nun that had dedicated her life to working in a orphanage in China during a cholera outbreak. I’ve never forgotten this scene.

Next time you go to restaurant look around at the different couples there. Do you see a couple that sit and eat in silence? You might see a couple sitting together talking, hanging on each others words. Chances are today you’ll see two people sitting together and both of them will be talking to someone else on their cell phones.

I hardly know what to pray for anymore. My one-dimensional prayer life is getting old. I’m like the old nun, I still know He’s there but I sit silent, there’s no pressure to say anything and He doesn’t say anything to me. I don’t think it’s a good thing, I think I’ve reached a point where I need to take a new step if I’m going to experience a deeper level of communication.

Carl Sagan, when speaking about other dimensions, imagined that if a creature from another dimension wanted to speak to us it would actually sound as if their voice was coming from inside of us. It’s pretty difficult to ignore all the other distractions, stop for a moment and really listen.

“I turn it up inside my head
When I’m asleep on my bed

They try to say there is no God

People praying to the dark”
- Fallout, Bride

Starbucks courage

I don’t often drink Starbucks but when I do I always read the quotes on the cup, I figure if I’m going to part with $4 for a cup of coffee I better get every drop of caffeine and culture I can out of it. Here’s a recent quote that caught my eye...

“Why are we inspired by another person’s courage? Maybe because it gives us the sweet and genuine surprise of discovering some trace, at least, of the same courage in ourselves” – Laurence Shames

I recently watched a play about Joan of Arc. An amazing story of an illiterate, 17 year old, peasant girl who became commander of the armies of France and helped shape a nation’s future. No other person in recorded history did that at her age. Whether she was crazy or truly led by God one thing is certain; she possessed an incredible courage that spread to those around her. Her ideas that people were directly subject to God and King didn’t sit well with some in the church or the reigning feudal lords. She was sold to the English enemy and burned to death.

Now back to my coffee quote… “Why are we inspired by another person’s courage?”
Um… maybe it’s because we admire the person’s actions. The funniest thing about this quote, “The way I see it #11” is that Starbucks didn’t even have the guts to write it without attaching a disclaimer “This is the author’s opinion, not necessarily that of Starbucks.” Am I to believe that someone found this quote that they don’t agree with and had it printed in English and French on untold thousands of coffee cups? Or are they just afraid that it might offend someone?

Why can’t I be more like Joan of Arc and less like Starbucks? Why don’t I stand up for what I believe in, whether it’s someone making a racist joke, or using Jesus’ name as a curse word or the quiet holocaust of unborn children going on in our country. I do… nothing and I’m pretty sick of myself. Sometimes I act like there is a disclaimer on my Bible “These are the Author's opinions and not necessarily shared by me”