"Lamech took to himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah"
The First Polygamist?
This marks the first mention of polygamy since creation - which most commentator have taken to imply that he was the first ever polygamist. And although it's never explicitly mentioned it seems to me a safe enough assumption given that Adah and Zillah are the only wives mentioned throughout this list of descendants (verses 17-22).
(This verse would take on added meaning in my next related post regarding Lamech)
Numbers Syndrome
I have to admit that I completely missed this point upon first reading. Why? Let's just call it "Numbers Syndrome".
When I first started this blog, I figured I'd crawl through question-laden books like Genesis but joked that I would likely blow right through a genealogy book like Numbers without being able to conjure up a single question.
In short, I missed this point because I had arrogantly (albeit subconsciously) decided that I knew better than God and was quite capable of deciding on my own which verses in the Bible required examination and which - in this instance, those on genealogy - could be skimmed over. That I caught myself doing this while reading for my blog whose expressed purpose is to carefully study the Bible line-by-line was an extremely humbling experience. By God's grace, I hope it's a lesson that I'll take to heart, especially when I get around to reading Numbers - which, at the rate I'm going, will also require a heaping amount of God's grace!
(back to Genesis 4)
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pride. Show all posts
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Thursday, July 3, 2008
GENESIS 4:8 - The Tragedy of Pride's Competitiveness
...And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.
The Tragedy of Pride's Competitiveness
Reading the story of Cain & Abel this time around, I was struck by how particularly tragic and wasteful Abel's death, which is to really just say that I was reminded of the tragedy of the inherent competitiveness of pride.
"Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But Pride always means enmity - it is enmity. [...] Pride is essentially competitive — is competitive by its very nature — while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident." (Mere Christianity - The Great Sin)
Cain could have examined himself, questioned his offering and the heart behind it, or at least turned his anger against his direct antagonist, God, but instead he chose the easiest, most convenient, and most innocent of targets, his brother, who's only sin was that he loved God and as such wanted to give Him the best of what he had.
The story was a cold reminder of how even the noblest of ambitions can sometimes - ironically - increase your chances of being hated by others. How messed up is that? Then again, that thought is moderated by the fact that this is something we're all guilty of to some extent and the story of Cain & Abel is a solid cautionary reminder of that.
(back to Genesis 4)
The Tragedy of Pride's Competitiveness
Reading the story of Cain & Abel this time around, I was struck by how particularly tragic and wasteful Abel's death, which is to really just say that I was reminded of the tragedy of the inherent competitiveness of pride.
"Other vices may sometimes bring people together: you may find good fellowship and jokes and friendliness among drunken people or unchaste people. But Pride always means enmity - it is enmity. [...] Pride is essentially competitive — is competitive by its very nature — while the other vices are competitive only, so to speak, by accident." (Mere Christianity - The Great Sin)
Cain could have examined himself, questioned his offering and the heart behind it, or at least turned his anger against his direct antagonist, God, but instead he chose the easiest, most convenient, and most innocent of targets, his brother, who's only sin was that he loved God and as such wanted to give Him the best of what he had.
The story was a cold reminder of how even the noblest of ambitions can sometimes - ironically - increase your chances of being hated by others. How messed up is that? Then again, that thought is moderated by the fact that this is something we're all guilty of to some extent and the story of Cain & Abel is a solid cautionary reminder of that.
(back to Genesis 4)
Friday, June 13, 2008
Meekness as Pride
In studying the topic of pride as it relates to Christianity, I’ve found that all the material I’ve encountered has pretty much followed the same progression: i) teach people how pride is truly the worst of sins, ii) tell them to be humble (and that it’s only possible with Jesus’ help), iii) caution them not to fall prey to false humility which can be equally destructive.
Last week however, while attending Ottawa Christian Counsellings "Relationship Intelligence" seminar with Krystle, I heard a rather enlightening twist on this matter. The speaker followed the previously stated progression but ended off bringing things around full circle by stating that one of the essential components of true humility is a solid foundation of self-worth! Wow, that’s usually the one thing they try and steer way clear of.
To illustrate this, she used the example of a man who aspires to be a great writer but is scared to make any serious attempts at writing, and even when he’s encouraged by his friends he shies away from the prospect, usually with “humble” excuses like “oh, well, I’m not really talented”. On the surface, this man appears to be as far from prideful as can be, but he is very prideful indeed. His problem in fact is that he thinks too highly of himself. He knows that any attempt he makes brings with it the possibility of failure, and he can’t stand the thought of failing and looking like a fool to his friends and/or to himself. In other words, he thinks so highly of himself that he can’t stand the thought of showing any weakness and risk being ridiculed or embarrassed so he doesn’t try at all.
Undoubtedly, this point spoke to me so powerfully because I count myself among these pridefully shy people. As a society we’re accustomed to castigating openly prideful people, and even the unapologetic show-offs themselves are usually willing to admit that they shouldn’t be the way they are. On the other hand, pridefully shy people – such as myself – are left relatively alone. Sure, our friends might try and poke us out of shells for our own good but in general they’re willing to accept our shyness as an innate character trait that isn’t hurting anyone, but a sin is a sin, whether it’s a sin of commission (e.g. open pridefuleness) or omission (i.e. meek pride).
James 4:17 - Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Last week however, while attending Ottawa Christian Counsellings "Relationship Intelligence" seminar with Krystle, I heard a rather enlightening twist on this matter. The speaker followed the previously stated progression but ended off bringing things around full circle by stating that one of the essential components of true humility is a solid foundation of self-worth! Wow, that’s usually the one thing they try and steer way clear of.
To illustrate this, she used the example of a man who aspires to be a great writer but is scared to make any serious attempts at writing, and even when he’s encouraged by his friends he shies away from the prospect, usually with “humble” excuses like “oh, well, I’m not really talented”. On the surface, this man appears to be as far from prideful as can be, but he is very prideful indeed. His problem in fact is that he thinks too highly of himself. He knows that any attempt he makes brings with it the possibility of failure, and he can’t stand the thought of failing and looking like a fool to his friends and/or to himself. In other words, he thinks so highly of himself that he can’t stand the thought of showing any weakness and risk being ridiculed or embarrassed so he doesn’t try at all.
Undoubtedly, this point spoke to me so powerfully because I count myself among these pridefully shy people. As a society we’re accustomed to castigating openly prideful people, and even the unapologetic show-offs themselves are usually willing to admit that they shouldn’t be the way they are. On the other hand, pridefully shy people – such as myself – are left relatively alone. Sure, our friends might try and poke us out of shells for our own good but in general they’re willing to accept our shyness as an innate character trait that isn’t hurting anyone, but a sin is a sin, whether it’s a sin of commission (e.g. open pridefuleness) or omission (i.e. meek pride).
James 4:17 - Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.
Saturday, March 22, 2008
C.S. Lewis on Pride = There Will Be Blood
I am a huge fan of C.S. Lewis; reading Mere Christianity was one of the turning points of my spiritual life and of all the chapters in that book, the most revelatory one to me was his chapter on "the great sin":"There is one vice of which no man in the world is free; which every one in the world loathes when he sees it in someone else; and of which hardly any people, except Christians, ever imagine that they are guilty themselves [...] the vice I am talking of is Pride".
I am also a huge fan of film, and while I keep separate blogs for my film-related thoughts and my Bible/Christian ones, this is one of those occasions where I feel justified in putting a film recommendation here. Paul Thomas Anderson's There Will Be Blood is the greatest illustration of pride that I have ever seen committed to celluloid. It also happens to be one of the best films I have seen in a very long time and one that has stuck with me even weeks after seeing it - twice! (update: three times)
So despite film recommendations from cinephiles being a dime-a-dozen I'll still go ahead and say that I think this is a must see for any Christian and particularly those who think that the movies have nothing to offer but immoral entertainment. There Will Be Blood is likely one of the most powerful, intelligent and spiritually reflective films I have ever seen in my life. Go and watch it! And even if you've already seen it and didn't feel like you quite "got it", sit yourself down, read Lewis' chapter on pride, then go and watch it again!
(and if you're looking for someone to watch it with, I'm sure I'd be up for another viewing, and another, and another...)
Friday, March 21, 2008
GENESIS 3:7 - Why the Sudden Shame?
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
Why the Sudden Shame?
I had always found the logic of this series of events rather curious. A few verses back it's made clear to us that Adam & Eve are not ashamed to be naked: Genesis 2:25 - "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed". I can understand how eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a sin and caused the fall of man, but I don't see the direct relation between that and why nakedness suddenly becomes a bad thing or something to be ashamed of.
"Looking at self is a fruit of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [...] When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, they began to be self-conscious. They started looking at themselves. They knew they were naked. Until then, they weren't even aware of that. In fact, they were clothed with a kind of spiritual glory before they fell, and they lived in the presence of Almighty God without shame. After eating of the forbidden Tree, they lost that glory and began to be selfish and desire to escape from the presence of Almighty God." (Christian Faith - Tree of Life)
That makes a lot of sense. The nakedness wasn't so much the sin than the means through which Adam & Eve's self-consciousness manifested itself. It's funny how - besides the obvious disobedience of God's direct order - Adam & Eve's first sin was something we don't even see as a sin these days: self-awareness! But this article lays it out fairly well I think. Before they eat of the fruit, they were too busy being in constant fellowship with God to even think about themselves for a split-second. The second we start looking at ourselves we introduce the possibility for sinning whether it be through worry and dissatisfaction, or worse yet, pride.
"A really humble man will not be what most people call "humble" nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. [...] he will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all." (Mere Christianity - The Great Sin)
(back to Genesis 3)
Why the Sudden Shame?
I had always found the logic of this series of events rather curious. A few verses back it's made clear to us that Adam & Eve are not ashamed to be naked: Genesis 2:25 - "And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed". I can understand how eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was a sin and caused the fall of man, but I don't see the direct relation between that and why nakedness suddenly becomes a bad thing or something to be ashamed of.
"Looking at self is a fruit of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. [...] When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, they began to be self-conscious. They started looking at themselves. They knew they were naked. Until then, they weren't even aware of that. In fact, they were clothed with a kind of spiritual glory before they fell, and they lived in the presence of Almighty God without shame. After eating of the forbidden Tree, they lost that glory and began to be selfish and desire to escape from the presence of Almighty God." (Christian Faith - Tree of Life)
That makes a lot of sense. The nakedness wasn't so much the sin than the means through which Adam & Eve's self-consciousness manifested itself. It's funny how - besides the obvious disobedience of God's direct order - Adam & Eve's first sin was something we don't even see as a sin these days: self-awareness! But this article lays it out fairly well I think. Before they eat of the fruit, they were too busy being in constant fellowship with God to even think about themselves for a split-second. The second we start looking at ourselves we introduce the possibility for sinning whether it be through worry and dissatisfaction, or worse yet, pride.
"A really humble man will not be what most people call "humble" nowadays: he will not be a sort of greasy, smarmy person, who is always telling you that, of course, he is nobody. [...] he will not be thinking about humility: he will not be thinking about himself at all." (Mere Christianity - The Great Sin)
(back to Genesis 3)
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
GENESIS 2:9 - Forgotten Tree of Life, Pride
Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
Forgotten Tree of Life
Wow. I can't believe that despite having grown up in the church and knowing all the basic Bible stories front-to-back - or so I thought - I had totally forgotten that the tree of life even existed! I suppose this isn't much of a surprise considering how the entire fall deals mostly with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Or so it seems...
Significant?: The tree of life really only gets two mentions, both of which are tangential to the "story" of Eden and the fall, but of course the Bible is so much more than a narrative and from that perspective it becomes clear how important the tree is even from these two sparse mentions: 1) It's the only other thing given special mention in this verse alongside the soon-to-be-infamous "sin" tree, which must mean something. 2) Later on in Genesis 3:24 when God bars Adam & Eve from Eden, it doesn't say he's doing it to protect the nice plants, furry animals, or flowing rivers within, but specifically "...to guard the way to the tree of life."
Guard the tree of life? There's no mention of them ever having any interest in it in the first place. Ah, and therein lies the rub... (following quotes are all from this brilliant must-read article from Christian Faith)
If he had eaten of the Tree of Life, he would never have been interested in the forbidden tree. But having NEGLECTED the tree of life, it was really only a matter of time before he would fall to the temptation of eating the forbidden fruit.
A lot of times we get into trouble because we focus on the forbidden thing. We fight with temptation, and lose, because we focus on the temptation. God wants us to get our eyes off the temptation, and even off the moral rules of what would be right and wrong, so we can get our eyes onto what He is wanting us to focus on. We inevitably move towards our most dominant thought.
Sin in some form will always look attractive to us unless we get a new focus.
Reading this was like a splash of cold water. In forgetting about the tree of life I had put myself in the same precarious position that Adam & Eve placed themselves in. All this time I should have been focusing on God's goodness and attempting to emulate Jesus' love. Instead I've been doing what I thought was a righteous thing by constantly pondering questions of morality and how to fix my problems, without realizing that this ironically can only lead me away from my goal and towards the worst of sins:
Pride
Satan loves to get us to look to ourselves. A sure mark of a satanic religion is one that tells you to look inside yourself for the answer. There are many variations on this theme. One is the eastern meditation type thing, where you are told to get in touch with your own godhood. There is another variation, far more subtle, and far more likely to appeal to Christians. That is, to measure yourself up against certain moral or spiritual principles, and consider how well or badly you are doing, and resolving to improve. Multitudes of sincere people are doing this, and fail to realise that in this way they will never become what God wants them to be.
Looking at self is a fruit of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Just knowing good and evil doesn't give you the power to do what is right, however. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, they began to be self-conscious. They started looking at themselves. They knew they were naked. Until then, they weren't even aware of that. In fact, they were clothed with a kind of spiritual glory before they fell, and they lived in the presence of Almighty God without shame. After eating of the forbidden Tree, they lost that glory and began to be selfish and desire to escape from the presence of Almighty God.
If you look at yourself, judging yourself by your knowledge of good and evil, you will either end up congratulating yourself for your good performance (self-righteousness) or becoming depressed because of the guilt of failing to live up to those standards. Neither of these results is what God wants. God made us for Him, and He is not satisfied when we prefer to ignore Him and become wrapped up in our own righteousness or lack thereof. He wants us to enjoy Him, to trust Him, and that only happens when we dare to take our eyes off ourself, trust the power of His cross, and begin to get our eyes on Him.
It just goes to show you how conventional wisdom doesn't count for much when it comes to spiritual matters. In attempting to tackle my problems head-on I was only weakening my chances and allowing for pride to make its way in. "The devil laughs. He is perfectly content to see you becoming chaste and brave and self-controlled provided, all the time, he is setting up in you the Dictatorship of Pride - just as he would be quite content to see your chilblains cured if he was allowed, in return, to give you cancer. For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense." (Mere Christianity)
Who would have thought that in trying to simply investigate what the forgotten tree of life was all about that I would realize something so fundamentally significant that needs fixing in my life and I'm sure most people's lives. More important than focusing on how to fix sin - be it anger, immorality, pride etc. is to pursue the only one who can help us thoroughly defeat them, and that is Jesus Christ.
(back to Genesis 2)
Forgotten Tree of Life
Wow. I can't believe that despite having grown up in the church and knowing all the basic Bible stories front-to-back - or so I thought - I had totally forgotten that the tree of life even existed! I suppose this isn't much of a surprise considering how the entire fall deals mostly with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Or so it seems...
Significant?: The tree of life really only gets two mentions, both of which are tangential to the "story" of Eden and the fall, but of course the Bible is so much more than a narrative and from that perspective it becomes clear how important the tree is even from these two sparse mentions: 1) It's the only other thing given special mention in this verse alongside the soon-to-be-infamous "sin" tree, which must mean something. 2) Later on in Genesis 3:24 when God bars Adam & Eve from Eden, it doesn't say he's doing it to protect the nice plants, furry animals, or flowing rivers within, but specifically "...to guard the way to the tree of life."
Guard the tree of life? There's no mention of them ever having any interest in it in the first place. Ah, and therein lies the rub... (following quotes are all from this brilliant must-read article from Christian Faith)
If he had eaten of the Tree of Life, he would never have been interested in the forbidden tree. But having NEGLECTED the tree of life, it was really only a matter of time before he would fall to the temptation of eating the forbidden fruit.
A lot of times we get into trouble because we focus on the forbidden thing. We fight with temptation, and lose, because we focus on the temptation. God wants us to get our eyes off the temptation, and even off the moral rules of what would be right and wrong, so we can get our eyes onto what He is wanting us to focus on. We inevitably move towards our most dominant thought.
Sin in some form will always look attractive to us unless we get a new focus.
Reading this was like a splash of cold water. In forgetting about the tree of life I had put myself in the same precarious position that Adam & Eve placed themselves in. All this time I should have been focusing on God's goodness and attempting to emulate Jesus' love. Instead I've been doing what I thought was a righteous thing by constantly pondering questions of morality and how to fix my problems, without realizing that this ironically can only lead me away from my goal and towards the worst of sins:
Pride
Satan loves to get us to look to ourselves. A sure mark of a satanic religion is one that tells you to look inside yourself for the answer. There are many variations on this theme. One is the eastern meditation type thing, where you are told to get in touch with your own godhood. There is another variation, far more subtle, and far more likely to appeal to Christians. That is, to measure yourself up against certain moral or spiritual principles, and consider how well or badly you are doing, and resolving to improve. Multitudes of sincere people are doing this, and fail to realise that in this way they will never become what God wants them to be.
Looking at self is a fruit of eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Just knowing good and evil doesn't give you the power to do what is right, however. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree, they began to be self-conscious. They started looking at themselves. They knew they were naked. Until then, they weren't even aware of that. In fact, they were clothed with a kind of spiritual glory before they fell, and they lived in the presence of Almighty God without shame. After eating of the forbidden Tree, they lost that glory and began to be selfish and desire to escape from the presence of Almighty God.
If you look at yourself, judging yourself by your knowledge of good and evil, you will either end up congratulating yourself for your good performance (self-righteousness) or becoming depressed because of the guilt of failing to live up to those standards. Neither of these results is what God wants. God made us for Him, and He is not satisfied when we prefer to ignore Him and become wrapped up in our own righteousness or lack thereof. He wants us to enjoy Him, to trust Him, and that only happens when we dare to take our eyes off ourself, trust the power of His cross, and begin to get our eyes on Him.
It just goes to show you how conventional wisdom doesn't count for much when it comes to spiritual matters. In attempting to tackle my problems head-on I was only weakening my chances and allowing for pride to make its way in. "The devil laughs. He is perfectly content to see you becoming chaste and brave and self-controlled provided, all the time, he is setting up in you the Dictatorship of Pride - just as he would be quite content to see your chilblains cured if he was allowed, in return, to give you cancer. For Pride is spiritual cancer: it eats up the very possibility of love, or contentment, or even common sense." (Mere Christianity)
Who would have thought that in trying to simply investigate what the forgotten tree of life was all about that I would realize something so fundamentally significant that needs fixing in my life and I'm sure most people's lives. More important than focusing on how to fix sin - be it anger, immorality, pride etc. is to pursue the only one who can help us thoroughly defeat them, and that is Jesus Christ.
(back to Genesis 2)
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