Grace Depicted

[Beetow]

~
● Gen 3:21 . . And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife,
and clothed them.

Precisely what species of animal God slaughtered in order to make the Adams their
first suit of real clothing is unknown.

That day, humans learned something about the advantages of leather goods. Most
of it is produced from cattle hides: calfskin, goatskin, kidskin, sheepskin, and
lambskin. Other hides and skins used include those of the horse, pig, kangaroo,
deer, crocodile, alligator, seal, walrus, and of late; python. Humans have used
animal skins for a variety of practical purposes since ancient times, and to this good
day leather is still a useful material all around the world.

The exact cut and design of their garments isn't specified; the Hebrew words just
indicate a shirt, or covering; as hanging from the shoulder.

A garment hanging from the shoulder indicates that Eve's topless days were over;
although that wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility that she may have
become the Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel of her day and created some interesting
necklines.

The garments actually facilitated the people's association with God. They were
uncomfortable around their maker in the buff, even in the semi-buff, and that was
principally the reason they hid from The Lord when He came calling. However, fig
leaves aren't very durable; they're merely an expedient. God showed them a much
better way-- actually a way they would never have thought of all by themselves
because who would have guessed that animals could be killed and stripped of their
hides for clothing until God showed them?

We should note that God wasn't indifferent to the Adams' situation. Their feelings of
disgrace in the nude was a barrier between themselves and their maker, so God
showed them a really good way to overcome it: a way that not only improved the
quality of their association with God; but also greatly enhanced their limited
survival skills.

The point to note is that the clothing that humanity's maker crafted for the Adams
didn't cost them one red cent nor did they have to contribute even the slightest bit
of labor to its construction. God slaughtered the animals, treated the hides, and
fabricated the garments Himself; and gave the clothing to them totally free of
charge and no strings attached. However, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the couple
watched how God went about the whole business so they'd know how to do it for
themselves.

They'd eventually have to know how to make a knife and start a fire; I suspect God
showed them how to do that too.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
● Matt 5:5 . . Blessed are the meek.

The Greek word translated "meek" basically means mild.

Webster's defines "mild" as gentle in nature or behavior; viz: temperate; in other
words: agreeable, approachable, reasonable, calm, mellow, and self-controlled.

Non-temperate people could be characterized as moody, grudging, irritable,
emotional, thin-skinned, belligerent, militant, pugnacious, brawling, defensive,
confrontational, and reactive; around whom everybody has to walk on egg shells all
the time to avoid setting them off.

A temperate person, though mellow in demeanor, should never be assumed lacking
in strength, courage, conviction, or self confidence. Anybody who's studied the lives
of Moses and/or Jesus can easily testify that neither of those men were either timid,
wimpy, or vacillating; yet both are characterized as meek. (Num 12:3, Matt 11:29,
and Matt 21:5)

Jacob and his dad Isaac were temperate men; but could be assertive when the
situation called for it. Temperate people like Jacob and Isaac pick their battles
carefully, and avoid getting all riled up over trifles.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
There is what's known as the letter of a law written in black and white. And there's
the spirit of a law, viz: the principle underlying a law.

For example: on occasion Jesus' opponents accused him of breaking the sabbath
because they were unable to discern the principle upon which the sabbath is based.
(e.g. Matt 12:1-7, Mark 3:1-5)

Here's another:

● Lev 19:14 . .You shall not curse a deaf man, nor place a stumbling block before
the blind

The principle underlying that law is very simple: it is cruel to amuse one's self by
taking advantage of another's disadvantages; so there is no need to make a specific
law for each and every handicap when the principle underlying Lev 19:14 applies to
them all.

A gracious person of course knows all that without being told, and need not be
restrained by law to prevent them from toying with handicapped folks.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
● Matt 7:1-2 . . Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you
judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured
to you.

I don't think that passage is saying God judges folks based upon their own personal
standards, rather; It's saying what goes around comes around.

This is particularly applicable to online forums where cyberspace fault-finders have
an annoying propensity to point out every perceived mistake, whether significant or
insignificant; and usually do so with very little consideration for either tact or
diplomacy.

● Rom 13:10 . . Love does no harm to its neighbor.

● 1Cor 13:4 . . Love is kind.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
In the 25th chapter of 1Samuel, the story is told of David's disappointment with a
very wealthy man whose employees he good-neighborly protected free of charge or
obligation. David humbly requested a favor in return. However, unknown to David;
the man for whom he did the favor was an ill-bred clod.

● 1Sam 25:14-17 . . But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying:
Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he
railed on them.

. . . But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we
anything as long as we were conversant with them, when we were in the fields:
They were a wall unto us both by night and day, all the while we were with them
keeping the sheep.

. . . Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined
against our master, and against all his household: for he is such a son of Belial,
that a man cannot speak to him. (1 Sam 25:14-17)

* A son of Belial is quite the opposite of a son of God (Matt 5:9)

David was very close to behaving himself in a manner unbecoming for a son of God
until the wealthy man's wife Abigail-- whose graciousness complimented her
amazing courage -- talked David down from his impious intentions, plus also
provided him with the assistance he requested, and even offering to substitute her
own life for the life of a husband in very grave danger. As a result: Abigail saved
the day for her evil spouse, for Israel's future king, and the future king's regime.

* Abigail's story has to be read from start to finish before someone can fully
appreciate her value as one of the Bible's primo examples of grace in shoe leather,
i.e. grace in words and practices.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
● Matt 15:21-28 . . Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. A Canaanite
woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out: Lord, Son of David, have mercy
on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession. Jesus did not
answer a word.

. . . So his disciples came to him and urged him: Send her away, for she keeps
crying out after us. He answered: I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.

. . .The woman came and knelt before him and said: Lord, help me!.

. . . He replied: It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs.
She replied: Yes, Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their
masters' table.

. . .Then Jesus answered: Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.
And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

Jesus' meeting with that woman wasn't happenstance.

● John 6:38 . . I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will
of Him who sent me

● John 10:30 . . I and my Father are unified.

Nor was his response impulsive.

● John 8:26 . .He that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things
which I have heard of Him.

● John 8:28 . . I do nothing on my own initiative, but I speak these things as
the Father taught me.

● John 12:49 . . I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me,
He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.

● John 14:24 . .The word which you hear is not mine, but the Father's who
sent me.

So then, I think we may safely assume God was right in the middle of that meeting
and coached His son thru the whole scene. Which means of course God deliberately
maneuvered Jesus to a location where that woman could intercept him with her
greeting and with her request.

NOTE: The woman-- a Canaanite --greeted Jesus as "son of David" It's a mystery
how it came about that she was aware of Jesus' genealogy but had she, a Gentile,
been indifferent about it, that would've been understandable. Back then; a non
Jew's faith in that respect was indeed remarkable.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
There's a 1945 photo in circulation of a serviceman standing atop a car amidst a
large crowd in San Francisco celebrating the end of war in Europe. There's a guy
sort of like that in the Bible.

● Luke 19:1-6 . . Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. A man was there
by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. He
wanted to see who Jesus was, but being a short man he could not, because of the
crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus
was coming that way.

. . .When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him: "Zacchaeus, come
down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and
welcomed him gladly.

That man didn't know it but he was on Jesus' itinerary even before the Lord started
out that morning on his day's travels; and Jesus knew his name before anybody
told him or introduced him to Zacchaeus.

● Luke 19:7 . . All the people saw this and began to mutter: "He has gone to be the
guest of a sinner."

Yes; Jews who collected taxes for Rome were definitely considered sinners but what
was Jesus to do when it was his superior officer in Heaven who filled out the Lord's
contact list.

● John 4:34 . . My food, said Jesus, is to do the will of him who sent me

● John 6:38 . . I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will
of Him who sent me.

● Luke 19:9-10 . . Jesus said to him: "Today salvation has come to this house,
because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and
to save what was lost."

Would to God everyone was singled out like that; but alas such is not to be.

● Rom 9:15-17 . . He says to Moses: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy,
and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." It does not, therefore,
depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

Well; Mr. Zacchaeus-- a traitor in the eyes of patriotic Jews --surely needed mercy;
so there he was person-to-person with a very good source.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
When people survive long enough, two situations eventually befall them all, to wit:
they get old, and their parents die.

Young and beautiful,
But someday your looks will be gone.
( Love Will keep Us Together, Neil Sedaka and Howard Greenfield )

Though my father and mother forsake me,
The Lord will receive me.
( Psalm 27:10, David ben Jesse )

My dad passed away in 1972 when I was 28 and he 62. His death left me staring
into an abyss and feeling adrift with no anchor even though at the time I had a
good job and was independent.

My dad had always been available when I was down; he was a resource I could
count on to prevent my ending up on the street alone, in poverty, and homeless,
i.e. he was a very dependable safety net. So I lost more than a parent when he
died: of a sudden I was an insecure child.

So I turned to religion for strength and in time became a serious student of God's
ways via the Bible, bible-study books, radio programs, and church attendance.
Time and circumstances have proven my dad's replacement a wise choice; at least
for me anyway. Others may have better success in other directions.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
In ancient Israel, a man's eldest son was automatically his principal heir for
perpetuating their father's estate. Daughters were typically not included among a
man's heirs because their destiny was with a husband and his family away from
their father and their family.

However, a special case arose in the 27th chapter of the book of Numbers where a
man with five daughters died leaving behind no sons to perpetuate his estate: and
the covenant that the Moses' people agreed upon with God contained no
instructions for fathers lacking male heirs.

So the man's daughters consulted Moses for a legal solution to their deceased
father's dilemma, and Moses in turn consulted God. That all resulted in the creation
of a new rule (thus far unheard of) allowing a man's daughters to become his
principal heirs in the absence of a son. The only caveat was that the daughters had
to marry men within their deceased father's tribal affiliation so that his tribe's land
wouldn't be lost to outsiders. (Num 36:1-12)

My point is: God took the daughters' side in the matter and Himself personally
stepped up and did right by them; which should help towards convincing certain
women that God isn't the total sexist bigot that the world sometimes makes Him
out to be
_

 

[Beetow]

~
● Num 35:9-13 . .Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying; "Speak to the sons of
Israel and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then
you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer
who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. And the cities shall be to
you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer may not die until he
stands before the congregation for trial.

The thing to note is that cities of refuge are not intended for harboring murderers in
the first degree; only when someone's deed is a manslaughter: defined by
Webster's as the unlawful killing of a human being without express or implied
malice.

For example: my eldest nephew ran over a 30-year old bicyclist late one night back
in Dec 2008 while driving under the influence. He was convicted and sentenced
12½ years in prison for gross vehicular manslaughter. The killing was unintentional,
but nevertheless it was an unlawful killing under California State law due to
operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with an unacceptable level of alcohol
in his blood at the time.

The "avenger" is translated from a Hebrew word that basically pertains to payback
by the deceased's kinfolk taking the law into their own hands, for example;

Oh, The Martins and the Coys,
They were reckless mountain boys,
And they scarred the mountains up with shot and shell.

There was uncles, brothers, cousins,
Why; they bumped them off by dozens,
Just how many bit the dust is hard to tell.
( Ted Weems and Al Cameron, 1936 )
_

 

[Admon Mikha'el]

~
● Num 35:9-13 . .Then Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying; "Speak to the sons of
Israel and say to them: When you cross the Jordan into the land of Canaan, then
you shall select for yourselves cities to be your cities of refuge, that the manslayer
who has killed any person unintentionally may flee there. And the cities shall be to
you as a refuge from the avenger, so that the manslayer may not die until he
stands before the congregation for trial.

The thing to note is that cities of refuge are not intended for harboring murderers in
the first degree; only when someone's deed is a manslaughter: defined by
Webster's as the unlawful killing of a human being without express or implied
malice.

For example: my eldest nephew ran over a 30-year old bicyclist late one night back
in Dec 2008 while driving under the influence. He was convicted and sentenced
12½ years in prison for gross vehicular manslaughter. The killing was unintentional,
but nevertheless it was an unlawful killing under California State law due to
operating a motor vehicle on a public highway with an unacceptable level of alcohol
in his blood at the time.

The "avenger" is translated from a Hebrew word that basically pertains to payback
by the deceased's kinfolk taking the law into their own hands, for example;

Oh, The Martins and the Coys,
They were reckless mountain boys,
And they scarred the mountains up with shot and shell.

There was uncles, brothers, cousins,
Why; they bumped them off by dozens,
Just how many bit the dust is hard to tell.
( Ted Weems and Al Cameron, 1936 )
_

Mr Beetow I've read this whole thread and I still fail to see what you mean by Grace. I blame that on me because of my cognition problems.....Could you clarify for me please? What is grace, in your opinion?

 

[Beetow]

Mr Beetow I've read this whole thread and I still fail to see what you mean by
Grace. I blame that on me because of my cognition problems . . Could you clarify
for me please? What is grace, in your opinion?

The information you seek is located in post No.2
_

 

[Beetow]

~
Jesus was left alone in this next scene as his men had gone into town in search of
food.

● John 4:3-9 . . He left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.

. . . Now he had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called
Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob's well was
there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well.

NOTE: Sychar (a.k.a. Shechem) wasn't located in a foreign country. It was actually
situated in Israel within the territory assigned to Joseph's son Ephraim. (Josh
21:21)

. . . It was about the sixth hour when a Samaritan woman came to draw water.
(That would've been +/- mid day per the Jews' time as their civil day began half
way between midnight and high noon per Roman time whether the sun was up or
not.)

. . . Jesus said to her: Will you give me a drink? The Samaritan woman said to him:
You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?"
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

That scene was an excellent means for testing Jesus' prejudices which, if he was
motivated by any; didn't factor into this meeting at all. In point of fact, he
discussed with this woman-- ordinarily a religious and cultural outsider --some very
important facts of life relative to everyone desiring to associate with God no matter
what their age, race, gender, economic level, and/or ethnic distinctions.

* Jesus counseled a very receptive audience as this woman not only knew about
Messiah's coming but was watching for it. (John 4:25) In other words: she trusted
in the reality of such a man; and Jesus said of her: "I have food to eat that you
know nothing about. My food-- said Jesus --is to do the will of him who sent me
and to finish his work" (John 4:32-34) viz: the meeting with that woman wasn't
happenstance; she was on Jesus' itinerary for that very day's activities.
_

 

[Beetow]

~
At Luke 15:11-24 the story is told of a privileged young man who grew up in a good
home but in time longed to go out on his own and make his mark in the world-- you
know: be independent and all that.

The thing is: Mr. Privileged Jr. didn't know how good he had it till setting out on his
own. Well; I rather suspect Privileged Sr. half expected the lad to fall on his face
and end up needing a safety net 'cause his youngest was permitted to leave with
neither resistance, nor lecture, nor complaint.

Long story short: Privileged Jr's venture out into the world ended badly and he
came to the realization that his ambition to be independent was all pie in the sky.
Sort of like it's said: The dream is better than the reality.

We might expect his dad to scold the lad upon dragging himself back home, but no;
his father was really glad to have him back and I think we can be reasonably
confident that Privileged Sr. guessed his boy had learned a thing or two about life
during his walk on the wild side; so to speak.

Ergo: that father's lenience, combined with patience, was a bit risky but in the end,
Privileged Jr. was a better man due to a father stepping back and allowing his son
space to try his wings.
_

 

[Beetow]

He looked beyond my faults,
And saw my need.
(Dottie Rambo, 2003)

NOTE: Solomon wrote 1,005 songs (1Kings 4:32) Dottie surpassed him with
+/- 2,500.

Anyway, that one brief lyric says quite a bit.

● 1John 4:9-10 . .This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and
only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we
loved God, but that he loved us and sent His son as an atoning sacrifice for our
sins.

Without Christ's crucifixion, mankind would have no safety net to rescue them from
facing justice with a very meticulous, unbiased jurist; and for sure the outcome
would not be to their advantage. But why would God go to the trouble?

The Greek word translated love in the above passage isn't necessarily relative to
affection. It mostly pertains to impersonal interactions, for example: kindness,
courtesy, charity, civility, tact, assistance, compassion, pity, and sympathy, et al.

Compassion plays a strong role in many of God's activities with mankind. It can be
defined as a sympathetic awareness of others' distress coupled with a desire to
alleviate it. A longing for sympathy is sometimes viewed as a character flaw; but
nonetheless, I think it's perfectly normal for people to crave it.

I've encountered folks on internet forums who actually resent Christ for doing
something for them that they didn't ask for. Well; the thing is; complainers don't
have to sign on for the benefit, after all; it is optional: sort of like the liberty that
homeless people exercise when they refuse a hand-out. But in this respect, we're
not talking about money and/or goods and services, instead, we're talking about a
man's life. i.e. an uncommon donation that's above and beyond the usual.

● Rom 5:6-8 . .At just the right time, when we were still helpless, Christ died for
the impious. Very rarely does anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good
man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love for us
in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
_

 

[Admon Mikha'el]

The information you seek is located in post No.2
_

Ok This gives several characteristics of God but it does not define WHAT grace is....Characteristics of grace but not grace itself

 

[Beetow]

This gives several characteristics of God but it does not define WHAT grace
is....Characteristics of grace but not grace itself

Have you tried Webster's?
_

 

[Beetow]

~
● Eph 1:4-5 . . He predestined us to be adopted as His sons through Jesus Christ,
in accordance with His pleasure and will

There are important differences between adopted kids and foster kids.

The latter have no inheritance rights, they have no right to be known by a foster
father's name, they have no right to a foster father's love, they have no right to
address their foster father with a filial vocative like dad, pop, or papa; and they
have no right to a place in his genealogy.

Plus, foster care is temporary. Older kids eventually age out of the foster system
and the State ceases to assist foster fathers to continue providing for them. At 18
the older kids are legally adults in my country, and the responsibility for their
providence is upon themselves. Ouch!

Adopted kids' circumstances are so, so much better. They are legally just as much
an adopted father's children as his biological offspring. Ergo: adopted kids have
inheritance rights, they have a right to be known by their adopted father's name,
they have a right to their adopted father's love, they have a right to address their
adopted father by a filial vocative, and they have a right to be placed in his
genealogy.

Plus, adoption is permanent. Older kids don't age out of their adopted homes so
they always have a family support base to fall back on should their circumstances
become difficult. (cf. Luke 15:11-24)

NOTE: During the +/- 27 years I've been active on nigh unto 50 internet forums,
I've seen quite a number of debates and discussions relative to something called
OSAS, to wit: Once Saved, Always Saved. Well; some folks really ought to get off
that tiresome treadmill and consider switching to OAAA, to wit: Once Adopted,
Always Adopted because Eph 1:4-5 is an astonishing degree of generosity rarely
mentioned; especially the part about legitimate placement in God's genealogy,
which is almost too remarkable to believe could ever be true.
_