Issue 17.6

Glad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad Tidings

Volume 17, Issue 6 November/December 2013

2

Something To Consider ............... p.3

by Vince Finnegan

Seek Yahweh:

Aramaic-Part 1 .............................. p.4

by John Cortright

Approachable Lord ....................... p.6

by Vince Finnegan

Study The Word And Experience

The Word in Action .................... p.8

by Mary Ann Yaconis

Renewing The World To

Its Original Glory ........................ p.10

by Sean Finnegan

Glad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad TidingsGlad Tidings

November/December 2013

Glad Tidings Glad Tidings Glad Tidings Glad Tidings is published six times per year by

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Office 518.785.8888

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American Standard Bible unless otherwise noted.

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3

As the sun was setting, we launched from our Lake George island campsite in a two-man boat

with a sail. Jerry had pleaded with his father to trust us since we were “seasoned sailors”

already (at the age of 15)! “We will be gone only for a short time,” he bartered. Lake George

has huge rocks right under the surface of the water that are marked with colored buoys. The

danger is easily recognizable and avoidable for those with half a brain. However, we did hit

some rocks; the wooden stabilizers that were on each side of the boat popped up out of the

water; and we immediately flipped upside down. The sail went under water, and the two of us

held onto the bottom of the boat until hours later when Jerry’s father found us. Before the

rescue, that night seemed long, and after, it seemed even longer. Jerry’s father was not happy.

Gratitude and compassion are the two stabilizers that keep us afloat as we journey with God

in this world. The rocks are always right under the surface, but if we see the warning signs and

respond quickly, we can avoid the consequences. Feelings of entitlement revealed by

statements such as: “I deserve it;” “Why is this happening to me? I deserve better;” “Why am I

always the last one to get the blessings;” oppose gratitude and compassion. Look to the cross

to see what we deserve. What Jesus received for our sin is all that we deserve, and by God’s

grace and mercy, we do not get what we deserve. We have every reason in the Word to be

thankful all of the time.

Indifference, coldness, and lack of involvement in the face of humanity’s suffering indicate

that compassion is waning if not completely gone. Kindness, concern, and involvement are

normal for the compassionate one. When people failed to respond rightly to the care and love

Jesus shared, he never soured or grew cold because his acts of compassion were motivated by

love from and for God.

As we head into the holiday season, keep your stabilizers in the water so that you can float

through with gratitude and compassion.

God’s blessing to you,

Vince Finnegan

SOMETHING

TO CONSIDER:

Gratitude and Compassion

4

S cholars have debated

about the importance of

Aramaic in New

Testament Studies. While a

majority side with the idea that the

New Testament was originally

written in Greek, there is a faction

of theologians who subscribe to an

Aramaic primacy. They believe

that the New Testament was first

written in Aramaic and later

translated into Greek. The division

among these camps is often

riddled with statements of

absolutism. An example of such

extreme views which can be seen

is this statement from the head of

the Catholic Church of the East.

"... as the Patriarch and Head of

the Holy Apostolic and Catholic

Church of the East, we wish to

state, that the Church of the

East received the scriptures

from the hands of the blessed

Apostles themselves in the

Aramaic original, the language

spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ

Himself, and that the Peshitta

is the text of the Church of the

East which has come down

from the Biblical times without

any change or revision."

His Holiness Mar Eshai

Shimun, Catholicos

Patriarch of

The Holy Apostolic Catholic

Church of the East.

April 5, 19571

The truth is nobody knows for

certain, since there are no

surviving first century New

Testament manuscripts. However,

extant Greek texts are older than

known Syriac/Aramaic versions.

What do we know about the

Aramaic Language, and how is the

name of God handled in the

surviving texts?

The term “Aramaic” refers to the

ancient language of the Assyrians

and Babylonians. At the time of

Hezekiah, around 700BC, the Jews

requested Rabshakeh speak in

Aramaic (Hebrew word Aramiyth)

and not Judean (Hebrew word

Yahhudith). At the time, the

common people didn’t understand

Aramaic, and they didn’t want the

people to hear the Assyrian

propaganda (2 Kings 18:26). This

verse shows there is a difference

between Aramaic and Judean

(Hebrew), even though both

languages have Semitic origins.

When the Judeans were taken into

captivity in Babylon, they became

subject to a nation where Aramaic

was the dominant language.

Before the time of Alexander the

Great, Aramaic was the lingua

franca of the Middle East.

However, the Jewish language

continued to be taught among the

exiles. After the return to the land

of Israel, Nehemiah strongly

reproved Jews who had married

foreign women. Their children

knew the languages of “Ashdod,”

but they did not know Judean (Neh

13:24 – Again, the Hebrew word

Yahhudith). Nehemiah then

purified the people from this

foreign influence (Neh 13:30). A

few centuries later, the Greeks

ruled the known world, and there

was a strong push to Hellenize the

Jews. This finally resulted in the

Maccabean revolt, and from about

140BC to 63BC, Israel was again an

independent nation under the

Hasmonean dynasty. Evidence

suggests that Hebrew was the

primary language of the Jews living

in Israel at this time in history.

Also, it seems that the Hebrew

language continued as a vital

language in Judea until the time of

Christ. The vast majority of

manuscripts found at Qumran

were Hebrew, not Aramaic.

There are a few surviving Old

Testament Aramaic documents.

These are referred to as

“Targums.” As well, some sections

of the books of Daniel and Ezra are

written in Aramaic, not Hebrew.

However, none of the New

Testament manuscripts surviving

today are truly this ancient, biblical

“Aramaic.” Rather, the proper

term for these translations is

“Syriac.” Syriac is a dialect of

Middle Aramaic, which didn’t come

around until late first century AD.

Syriac became a major literary

language from the 4th to the 8th

centuries among Christian

communities in the Middle East.

The Syriac/Aramaic script used at

this time was Estrangelā.

Aramaic and Hebrew share the

same alphabet. Biblical Aramaic

from the first century (and earlier)

is very similar to Hebrew

characters. However, Estrangela

Syriac script is very different. This is

(Continued on page 5)

Seek Yahweh: Aramaic-Part 1 By John Cortright

5

the Aramaic that was popular from

the 4th

to the 8th

Century AD. This

chart shows a comparison of these

different styles of the Aramaic,

Hebrew, and Estrangela scripts.

* See Chart Below

Before we consider Syriac New

Testament translations, what

about Aramaic Targums? How

was the name of God used in

Aramaic Old Testaments? From

the over 900 manuscripts found in

the collection known as the Dead

Sea Scrolls, there are only a few

fragments of Aramaic Targums of

the Hebrew Bible. One is from the

book of Leviticus (Lev 16:14 and

16:20). There are no usages of the

name of God in these verses. The

other Targums found at Qumran

are from the book of Job. There

are six usages in these Targums

where the Hebrew text has a

corresponding usage of Yahweh.

The following chart shows the

Aramaic translation.2

* See Chart on page 7

The Aramaic word for God is hla (Alah). In these Targums, the

letter alaph (a) is added to the end

of the word or “Alaha” when the

equivalent word “Yahweh” is used

in the Hebrew. Perhaps this is an

emphatic form of the Aramaic

word for God and as such is a

designation for Yahweh in old

Aramaic. It is interesting to explore

the use of this four-letter word in

the Aramaic sections of Daniel and

Ezra in the Hebrew Bible. In the

translation of the Jewish Tanakh,

Daniel 2:4 – 7:28 is written in

Aramaic. Also, Ezra, chapters 4:8-

24; 5:1-17; 6:1-18, and chapter

7:12-26 are all in Aramaic. There

are no Hebrew versions of these

sections of Scripture, and the

name of God does not appear in

any of these verses. There are two

uses of the Aramaic word for Lord

(mari) in the book of Daniel (Dan

2:47; 5:23). The word mari is

simply a title meaning Lord,

Master, or ruler. The practice of

using the title “Lord” as a

surrogate for the name of God

does not occur in any of these

Aramaic sections of the Old

Testament. Nor is it ever used as

such in ancient Aramaic Targums.

This practice does not show up

until the late second century AD in

Greek Old Testaments produced by

Christians. The Aramaic word for

God (hla) occurs 79 times in

these Aramaic sections of the Old

Testament, and 28 times the use of

Aramaic Alaha occurs with added

letter “a.” Could these 28 uses be

understood as an Aramaic

surrogate for the name of God?

Comparing the Aramaic Targums

from the Dead Sea Scrolls with

these Aramaic sections of Ezra and

Daniel is very interesting.

However, this author does not

have sufficient understanding of

the Aramaic language to make

much more than an observation.

To my knowledge, there has not

been much written on this subject,

but this could prove to be a very

interesting research topic.

Syriac, or middle Aramaic, came

around after the beginning of the

Common Era and offers additional

insight into a study of God’s name.

The Peshitta version, written in

Estrangela Aramaic script in the 5th

century AD, sheds tremendous light

on this subject. This will be explored

in part II of this study on Aramaic. �

(Continued from page 4)

1 Preface of the Holy Bible From the

Ancient Eastern Text (A.J. Holman Co,

Copyright © 1968), pg ii.

This chart lists the first seven letters of the Aramaic, Hebrew,

and Syriac Alphabet. Both the Aramaic and Hebrew letters

are similar in style. This style of classical Aramaic dates to the

first century and earlier. However, Syriac is quite different.

Syriac Estrangela script was not used until late first century

and was popular between the 4th

and 8th

centuries. New Tes-

tament manuscripts which are called Aramaic are not written

in the “Hebrew” style script, but rather are in Estrangela and,

as such, are from a much later date.

2 This chart was compiled by viewing

information from the NASB Bible; the

chapter on “Aramaic Bible Translations

(Targums)” by Geza Vermes, The Dead

Sea Scrolls in English (Penguin books,

London, 1962), pgs 463-471; and an

article called “The Tetragram and the

New Testament,” by George Howard in

the Journal of Biblical Literature, 1977,

pg 69 and 70.

6

Approachable LordApproachable LordApproachable LordApproachable Lord By Vince Finnegan “S top clowning

around!” he

yelled again.

Shortly thereafter, Father De-

laney’s tone and volume intensi-

fied as he barked out his final

reprimand, but this time it fol-

lowed with, “Finnegan, get over

here!” Delaney was the supervi-

sor for the Catholic boys gathered

at the gym for a fun night. Like a

guilty dog to its master, I slowly

and cautiously creep over to him,

muttering to myself, “Oh crap! I

am going to get it now.” I knew

all too well Delaney’s physical

reactions from past encounters.

To me, this man with the typical,

black-hair, Irish features was a

giant, the meanest priest in our

church, and maybe the meanest

adult in my life. When I got near

enough, he lunged at me like a

lion on its prey. Grabbing my

shirt, he swiftly pulled me closer,

then he wrapped his huge hands

over each of my ears, squeezed

my head, lifted me off the

ground, and shook me back and

forth as I went up. I held onto his

forearms endeavoring to ease the

pain as I hung in the air with my

legs dangling until he made his

point. The remainder of the eve-

ning, I timidly obeyed.

The priests’ everyday attire of

black pants, shirt, and coat with

the starched white collar slightly

showing under the Adam’s apple

and the religious flamboyant

robes worn during Mass along

with their usual austere manner

to many appeared fitting for

those in the exalted station as a

representative of Christ. How-

ever, for this impressionable boy,

I always felt fearful, intimidated,

and certainly inferior in their

presence. Tragically, this view-

point carried over into my rela-

tionship with Jesus. I believed

that they as Christ’s ambassadors

on earth represented him well;

therefore, I concluded that Jesus

must be like them.

My experience howbeit unique to

me is not unlike the impressions

many hold about Jesus formu-

lated by their experience and not

Scripture. The Gospels present

Jesus in a much different light. He

is gentle, approachable, forgiving,

and compassionate to those who

sincerely seek him. His manner

with the religious hypocrites was

indeed severe and stern but not

so with the lost, genuine, peni-

tent sinners. He is a complete

contradiction to the religious

pharisaical way.

His consistent dealing with chil-

dren illustrates his gentle way. In

Matthew 18:1-6, we see him em-

bracing and exhibiting a child as

the standard for the disciples to

follow. Additionally, he warns

them of the consequences for

those who harm children and disci-

ples who have become childlike.

Another time, the disciples re-

buked the children that were

brought to him, according to Mat-

thew 19:13-15, but Jesus said, “Let

the children alone, and do not hin-

der them from coming to me; for

the kingdom of heaven belongs to

such as these.” Jesus was en-

deared, not annoyed, by the oft-

foolish tendency of children to

invade private space. I imagine

they stuck their faces in his and

received a smile with a kiss. The

Bible holds no historical records of

Jesus lifting wayward children off

the ground by their ears!

Three distinct incidents with

women anointing the Lord exem-

plify his gentleness and approach-

ability. When I first read the

many occurrences of our Lord’s

dealing with sinners, my impres-

sion of him radically changed

causing my heart to rejoice with

acceptance and loving possibili-

ties for me a sinner.

The woman of Luke 7, a known

sinner in the community, appar-

ently was deeply moved by Jesus.

She entered Simon the Pharisee’s

home while he entertained Jesus

so that she could honor and love

him. Luke 7:38 states, “Standing “Standing “Standing “Standing

behind behind behind behind himhimhimhim at his feet, weeping, she at his feet, weeping, she at his feet, weeping, she at his feet, weeping, she

began to wet his feet with her tears, began to wet his feet with her tears, began to wet his feet with her tears, began to wet his feet with her tears,

and kept wiping them with the hair of and kept wiping them with the hair of and kept wiping them with the hair of and kept wiping them with the hair of

her head, and kissing his feet and her head, and kissing his feet and her head, and kissing his feet and her head, and kissing his feet and

anointing them with the perfume.”anointing them with the perfume.”anointing them with the perfume.”anointing them with the perfume.”

The courage, determination, and

humility of this woman were ex-

ceptional. The willingness of Jesus

to allow her to touch him in this

way is likewise remarkable. The

spiritual arrogance and dullness

of Simon to judge them critically

also stand out. Jesus stood up for


7

Seek Yahweh: Aramaic-Part 1 Continued...

her when Simon condemned. The

sinner (me) had access to him

while the religious one excluded

himself from intimacy with him.

Mary, the sister of Lazarus

and Martha, anointed his

feet with oil according to

John 12, and the unnamed

woman of Matthew 26 in

Simon the leper’s house

anointed his head. Both

women were criticized for

their actions, and Jesus stood

up for them. He allowed

these women to love and

touch him.

According to Luke 8:1-3, he

allowed the women to minis-

ter unto him, and in Luke 10,

we see Mary sitting at his feet.

At the last supper, according

to John 13, one of his disciples

is leaning on his bosom as

they sat and ate together.

Our Lord encouraged his disciples

in Matthew 11:25-30 KJV “to come “to come “to come “to come

unto me, all unto me, all unto me, all unto me, all yeyeyeye that labor and are that labor and are that labor and are that labor and are

heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

Jesus is nothing like the childhood

priest who wrongly dealt with

me. Jesus has always been

approachable − far more so than

those who represent him. He

cares for all of God’s children

with a gentleness and indeed

at times sternness but always

with love and compassion.

Hebrews 4:14Hebrews 4:14Hebrews 4:14Hebrews 4:14----16161616

Therefore, since we have a Therefore, since we have a Therefore, since we have a Therefore, since we have a

great high priest who has passed great high priest who has passed great high priest who has passed great high priest who has passed

through the heavens, Jesus the through the heavens, Jesus the through the heavens, Jesus the through the heavens, Jesus the

Son of God, let us hold fast Son of God, let us hold fast Son of God, let us hold fast Son of God, let us hold fast

our confession. For we do not our confession. For we do not our confession. For we do not our confession. For we do not

have a high priest who cannot have a high priest who cannot have a high priest who cannot have a high priest who cannot

sympathize with our weaknesses, sympathize with our weaknesses, sympathize with our weaknesses, sympathize with our weaknesses,

but One who has been tempted but One who has been tempted but One who has been tempted but One who has been tempted

in all things as in all things as in all things as in all things as we are,we are,we are,we are, yet with-yet with-yet with-yet with-

out sin. Therefore let us draw out sin. Therefore let us draw out sin. Therefore let us draw out sin. Therefore let us draw

near with confidence to the near with confidence to the near with confidence to the near with confidence to the

throne of grace, so that we may throne of grace, so that we may throne of grace, so that we may throne of grace, so that we may

receive mercy and find grace to receive mercy and find grace to receive mercy and find grace to receive mercy and find grace to

help in time of help in time of help in time of help in time of needneedneedneed. �


Qumram

Manuscript ID

Verse Reference Name of God

in Hebrew text

Aramaic

Equivalent

English Translit-

eration

English

Translation

11Q10 Job 42:9 (1st) hwhy (Yahweh)

Aahla Alaha God

11Q10 Job 42:9 (2nd

) hwhy (Yahweh)

Aahla Alaha God

11Q10 Job 42:10 (1st

) hwhy (Yahweh)

Aahla Alaha God

11Q10 Job 42:10 (2nd

) hwhy (Yahweh)

No usage No usage No usage

11Q10 Job 42:11 hwhy (Yahweh)

Aahla Alaha God


Aahla Alaha God


Aahla Alaha God

8

M y mother was a

great cook. She

and my grand-

mother taught me a lot about

cooking terms and how to prepare

different kinds of foods. When I

was eight years old, I decided to

help my mother by making dinner

for the family. She was running

late getting home from errands,

and we always had dinner at 5

o’clock sharp. So I decided to

make a tuna and noodle casserole.

We had the ingredients except for

the noodles mom usually used. I

found a box of spaghetti, so I fig-

ured that would work just fine.

After mixing the tuna and canned

soup together, I put all the ingredi-

ents into the casserole dish mom

always used and plunked it right

into the oven at 350 degrees.

Yum. Couldn’t wait. When mom

arrived home, she was quite sur-

prised that I made the dinner. We

smelled something that was a bit

like something burning but figured

it was residue on the bottom of

the oven. Well, when we opened

up the oven, there was my beauti-

ful casserole with the ends of the

spaghetti stuck up like a broom

and lit up like candles. What a

mess. I did not know that I was

supposed to boil the spaghetti first

and then put it in the casserole.

The family ate the rest of the dish

with great gusto and applauded

my first attempt as a solo cook.

The burned spaghetti found its

way into the trash can, and all was

well. I learned it is one thing to

read a recipe and watch someone

do a task, but until I experienced

doing the task, I really didn’t “get

it.” I studied home economics for

four years in college and had a lot

of head knowledge about differ-

ent foods and how to prepare

them. Until I actually accom-

plished the task in the laboratory

setting, I did not have a true un-

derstanding of how to apply my

knowledge. It is important to

have accurate knowledge AND

apply it in order to experience the

knowledge in action.

Christians in general tend either to

be most interested in knowledge

of the Word or become convinced

that experiencing God is the only

way to know God. Neither end of

the continuum is what Scripture

teaches us. We need to follow the

example of Jesus Christ and apply

knowledge to our lives so that we

experience the power of God.

Jesus referred to the Old Testa-

ment Scriptures on a very consis-

tent basis. Utilizing the Scriptures

as a foundation, he taught the

Jews a new way of living. The

book of Acts contains chapter af-

ter chapter of taking this new way

of living and experiencing the re-

sults. The believers had faith in

the words Christ spoke and the

application of them, resulting in

the experience of healing, deliver-

ance, joy, and comfort. It is clear

we are to know precisely what the

Word instructs us to do. We are

also taught to apply it and experi-

ence the goodness.

Romans 10:17 So faith Romans 10:17 So faith Romans 10:17 So faith Romans 10:17 So faith comescomescomescomes from from from from

hearing, and hearing by the word hearing, and hearing by the word hearing, and hearing by the word hearing, and hearing by the word

of Christ.of Christ.of Christ.of Christ.

When we read the Word, we

“hear” it in our minds. As we re-

hearse that Word in our minds,

we take it in as true, believe it,

and have faith that what those

words mean is absolutely true.

Then, with faith, we act upon the

Scriptures and experience the

power of God in our lives.

Our lives are not mature Christian

lives if we are stuck in just hearing

the Word or, on the opposite end,

in eagerly looking for signs or ex-

periences to prove God loves us.

Our lives are mature Christian lives

when we hear the Word, have

faith that the words are true, and

then act on it to experience spiri-

tual matters. It is a whole package.

As an example, our thoughts can

appear to get the better of us.

Someone may say, “I can’t stop

thinking about ______ [fill in the

blank].” The Word tells us that

we are able to keep every thought

obedient unto Christ.


Study The Word And Experience The Word In Action

By Mary Ann Yaconis

9

2 Corinthians 10:5 2 Corinthians 10:5 2 Corinthians 10:5 2 Corinthians 10:5 We areWe areWe areWe are destroy-destroy-destroy-destroy-

ing speculations and every lofty thing ing speculations and every lofty thing ing speculations and every lofty thing ing speculations and every lofty thing

raised up against the knowledge of raised up against the knowledge of raised up against the knowledge of raised up against the knowledge of

God, and God, and God, and God, and we arewe arewe arewe are taking every thought taking every thought taking every thought taking every thought

captive to the obedience of Christ,captive to the obedience of Christ,captive to the obedience of Christ,captive to the obedience of Christ,

We can experience the

power of God when we

pray and ask God to help us

with keeping our thoughts

captive so as to think His

thoughts, not the world’s

thoughts. How do I do

that? I can’t keep the

thoughts out!! Well, the

Word says we can stop

thinking about the things

that are evil and think on the

good things. It is supposed to be

a freewill choice we have. So, I

have faith that I can do this with

Christ. Then, I do “thought stop-

ping.” A thought comes in; it isn’t

godly; I recognize that; I stop that

thought and pray for help. Then, I

(with the help of the holy spirit)

take my mind and make it think

on godly things. After all, our

minds are a muscle that we are to

be in control of. (If you are saying

that the author is “nuts” at this

point, please go back and read 2

Corinthians 10:5 again and medi-

tate on it.)

As I experience 2 Corinthians

10:5, I am more and more con-

vinced that the Word IS true. The

more I practice other Scriptures,

the more I will experience the

power of God in my life. Taking

one verse, meditating on it, and

applying it in everyday situations

give us a well-rounded mature

Christian life.

As some become obsessed with

just reading and studying the

Word, we can be tempted to

worship the experience and

make that an idol. Israel fell into

this trap.

Numbers 21:6Numbers 21:6Numbers 21:6Numbers 21:6----9 The 9 The 9 The 9 The LLLLORDORDORDORD sent sent sent sent

fiery serpents among the people and fiery serpents among the people and fiery serpents among the people and fiery serpents among the people and

they bit the people, so that many they bit the people, so that many they bit the people, so that many they bit the people, so that many

people of Israel died. So the people people of Israel died. So the people people of Israel died. So the people people of Israel died. So the people

came to Moses and said, “We have came to Moses and said, “We have came to Moses and said, “We have came to Moses and said, “We have

sinned, because we have spoken sinned, because we have spoken sinned, because we have spoken sinned, because we have spoken

against the against the against the against the LLLLORDORDORDORD and you; inter-and you; inter-and you; inter-and you; inter-

cede with the cede with the cede with the cede with the LLLLORDORDORDORD, that He may , that He may , that He may , that He may

remove the serpents from us.” And remove the serpents from us.” And remove the serpents from us.” And remove the serpents from us.” And

Moses interceded for the people. Moses interceded for the people. Moses interceded for the people. Moses interceded for the people.

Then the Then the Then the Then the LLLLORDORDORDORD said to Moses, said to Moses, said to Moses, said to Moses,

“Make a fiery “Make a fiery “Make a fiery “Make a fiery serpentserpentserpentserpent, and set it on , and set it on , and set it on , and set it on

a standard; and it shall come about, a standard; and it shall come about, a standard; and it shall come about, a standard; and it shall come about,

that everyone who is bitten, when he that everyone who is bitten, when he that everyone who is bitten, when he that everyone who is bitten, when he

looks at it, he will live.”looks at it, he will live.”looks at it, he will live.”looks at it, he will live.”

Yahweh provided the figure of a

serpent on a standard for the

Israelites to look at for healing in

this instance. Yahweh never in-

tended for them to worship the

serpent standard because of the

experience. But, they did.

2 Kings 18:4 He [Hezekiah] re-2 Kings 18:4 He [Hezekiah] re-2 Kings 18:4 He [Hezekiah] re-2 Kings 18:4 He [Hezekiah] re-

moved the high places and broke moved the high places and broke moved the high places and broke moved the high places and broke

down the down the down the down the sacredsacredsacredsacred pillars and cut down pillars and cut down pillars and cut down pillars and cut down

the Asherah. He also broke in the Asherah. He also broke in the Asherah. He also broke in the Asherah. He also broke in

pieces the bronze serpent that Moses pieces the bronze serpent that Moses pieces the bronze serpent that Moses pieces the bronze serpent that Moses

had made, for until those days the had made, for until those days the had made, for until those days the had made, for until those days the

sons of Israel burned incense to it; sons of Israel burned incense to it; sons of Israel burned incense to it; sons of Israel burned incense to it;

and it was called Nehushtan.and it was called Nehushtan.and it was called Nehushtan.and it was called Nehushtan.

They originally experienced

the power of God through

having faith that what Yah-

weh said was true. They

were instructed to look at

the standard and be healed.

When they believed that

the words of Yahweh were

true, they looked on the

standard and indeed were

healed. Those who did not be-

lieve the words, were not healed,

and many died at that time.

Later, this experience was made

into a “god,” and Israel burned

incense to this standard. The

experience became the object of

worship or a god. The take-home

message of the standard was that

God heals and provides. They

experienced the words as truth.

Every day, we think thoughts,

good or evil, and we have experi-

ences, good or evil. Our thoughts

and experiences must be founded

on the Scriptures. A godly

balance of having faith in the

Word, acting upon it, and thereby

experiencing the power of Yah-

weh will assist us greatly in living

for Yahweh now and having en-

trance into the Kingdom when

Christ returns. �


“When we read the Word, we “hear” it in our minds. As we rehearse that Word

in our minds, we take it in as true, believe it, and have faith that what those words mean is

absolutely true.”

10

T he Bible opens with audacity

and gusto, “In the beginning

God created the heavens and the

earth.” The statement is as terse as

it is powerful—God made the uni-

verse. This one grandiose proposi-

tion undergirds the faith of all Jews,

Christians, and Muslims. As God

speaks, water separates, land ap-

pears, vegetation sprouts, animals

multiply, and humans take shape.

Five times over, the magnificently

crafted creation poem resounds

with the refrain, “it was good.”

Then, on the sixth day, God surveys

all of His work and concludes “it was

very good.” The reader of Genesis

finds himself compelled to affirm

the inherent and primal goodness of

the universe. From the shining stars

to the flowing seas, all is the prod-

uct of a brilliant and beneficent

Creator who lovingly and powerfully

spoke them into existence.

Let us take a moment to consider

some of the elements of God’s

created order. Where do plants

come from? What is a seed? Is it

alive or dead? On the one hand,

seeds appear to be dead because

they can be stored for years in a

package and never change a bit; on

the other hand, they can begin

growing into massive trees just as

soon as they are activated. But,

how do we unlock the incredible life

-producing power of a seed? Do we

swallow it, crush it to pieces and

form a paste, hang it on an existing

plant, or affix it to the skin of an

animal? No, the mysterious gen-

erative force is unleashed by

putting it in dirt. Dirt. We put a

semi-dead husk in dirt and sprinkle

some water on it—which makes

mud—and that somehow trans-

forms an inanimate pod into a

growing baby plant. The plant

feeds on dirt, water, sunlight, and

carbon dioxide—four of the most

plenteous and un-endangered

resources on the planet—and grows

taller, produces leaves, emits

oxygen, and brings forth many more

seeds. If we take a moment and

really ponder this utterly common

and mundane process, we cannot

help but wonder how bizarre it

really is. What is more, God’s ingen-

ious seed idea is incredibly resilient.

Plants spring up everywhere, from

the spaces between sidewalk slabs

to the tiny cracks in asphalt parking

lots. If a road is not constantly

traveled by cars and repaved every

few years, weeds will quietly and

steadily spread the asphalt apart, bit

by bit, until the way becomes impas-

sible. This is just one aspect of

God’s creation, but it teaches us

something about the inherent good-

ness of God’s handiwork. When

God says, “let the earth sprout vege-

tation: plants yielding seed” the

result is a fantastic panoply of

resilient and stunning organisms

that continue their cycle of life eon

after eon. From massive redwoods

to little clovers to colorful roses,

creation resounds with God’s

creative genius.

The book of Genesis places God’s

shaping of the human body at the

end of His creative activity.

Although the Creator makes plants

and animals with a mere word,

Genesis uses different terms to

describe God’s act of making

humans. He formed us from the

dust and breathed into our nostrils

the breath of life (Genesis 2:7).

These words convey intimacy, as if

God bent over and blew our first

breath directly into our nostrils. The

scene bespeaks the care with which

God fashioned humanity. As medi-

cine and technology have improved

over the centuries, we have increas-

ingly come to understand just how

minutely crafted and magnificently

complicated we are. Containing

approximately 22 square feet of

skin, 206 bones, 25 feet of intes-

tines, 45 miles of nerves, and

100,000 miles of blood vessels, the

human body is nothing short of an

engineering marvel.

The human body is a masterpiece

capable of extraordinary versatility.

Humans live all over the globe from

icy regions where the snow never

melts to the tropical islands where

snow has never landed. Our skin

provides us with a waterproof bar-

rier against the external world,

temperature regulation, and

sensory input. Our fingers are capa-

ble of both finely-tuned maneuvers

like using a mouse as well as feats of

strength like swinging a hammer.

Our wrists enjoy 160 degrees of

motion, enabling our hands to

accomplish complex tasks like

catching Frisbees and riding motor-

cycles. The ball and socket joint in

our shoulders enables 360 degrees

of motion, allowing us to lift objects

from the ground over our heads in

one fluid motion. Our hearts are

exceptional pumps, capable of

displacing 2,000 gallons of blood

each day without rest. Our stom-

achs produce hydrochloric acid so

powerful that it could literally digest


Renewing The World To Its Original Glory By Sean Finnegan

11

solid metal. Our bipedal design

enables marathon runners to

traverse great distances and balleri-

nas to achieve impeccable balance.

Our ears pick up sounds from the

quiet gurgling of a creek in the

distance to the raucous jamming of

an indoor rock concert. We are

capable of whispering, speaking,

yelling, and singing. Having two eyes

ensures depth perception and makes

available nearly 180 degrees of hori-

zontal vision. Our brains process the

sensory input of our skin, the

sounds our ears pick up, the

visual picture our eyes take in,

and the tastes and smells our

mouths and noses detect.

We are capable of advanced

cognitive functions like lan-

guage and love, comprehen-

sion and compassion, invention

and imagination. Humans have

produced gripping adventure

novels as well as precise legal

tomes. We have accomplished

architectural feats from the

Burj Khalifa, a skyscraper in

Dubai more than a half mile

high, to the Danyang-Kunshan

Grand Bridge in China, span-

ning more than a hundred miles.

We have mastered terrestrial travel

via bicycles, automobiles, and trains.

We traverse the high seas with sail-

boats, transport barges, and aircraft

carriers. We fly through the air in

balloons, helicopters, and jets. We

float through space on rockets,

shuttles, and space stations.

Humans have charted nearly a

billion stars, over a million species of

animals, and almost half a million

plant species. We write books,

paint canvasses, play sports, listen

to music, invent machines, make

love, explore creation, decipher

codes, build relationships, and think

abstractly. Humans have written

nearly 130 million books, composed

well over 28 million songs, and

produced more than two million

movies. We have penetrated the

vast distances of empty space with

powerful telescopes and peered

deep into the world of cells and DNA

with electron microscopes. What-

ever someone may think of our

origin, everyone must admit that

humans are remarkable creatures,

nearly unlimited in our potential.

One’s understanding of beginning

influences one’s belief about the

end. For example, consider the

Gnostics. They believed that physi-

cal creation was a demi-god’s act of

cosmic rebellion against the

supreme God. The true believers,

they said, were indwelt with a spark

of the divine that originated from

the pleroma beyond this physical

universe. The goal in this system

was to gain proper knowledge

(gnosis) so that one might ascend

beyond this realm at death. Thus,

the Gnostics believed all of history

would come full circle with the anni-

hilation of all matter so that the

chosen people could reunite with

the spiritual realm. The Bible,

however, offers a significantly differ-

ent storyline. Rather than beginning

in heaven, humans originate from

the dust of the earth. Rather than

the fall happening prior to creation,

it happens after creation. This one

fact is extremely significant. In the

Gnostic scenario, creation itself is

the consequence of rebellion,

whereas in the biblical narrative,

creation is God’s choice. Both

systems account for the rampant

wickedness and brokenness of

our present world, but their

ultimate solutions are very differ-

ent. Whereas the Gnostics seek

escape from the corporeal world,

the Christian Bible looks forward

to a future much like the paradise

enjoyed by Adam and Eve prior to

the fall. For this reason, the last

book of the Bible parallels the

first book in that once again we

see humans living in paradise on

earth, complete with the tree of

life and the presence of God—

just like it was in the beginning.

Between the first and last books

of the Bible, we find a winding

narrative, involving many significant

events whereby God eventually

works within His creation to restore

it back to its original glory. Isaiah

declares, “He established it [i.e. the

universe] and did not create it a

waste place, but formed it to be

inhabited” (Isaiah 45:18). God’s

design is not to evacuate the planet

but to fill it with people. He does

not intend for it to become a waste

place, but a thriving world teeming

with life.�


“...God eventually works within His creation

to restore it back to its original glory.”

458 Old Niskayuna Road, Latham, NY 12110

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Issue 17.6