There is no word in Hebrew for nature. All events in the world were a direct result of the hand of God - so there was no need to distinguish between the realm of God and realm of nature.
For instance, they believed God held store houses for rain, hail, and snow, (Deut 28.12, Job 38.22ff., Jer 51.16) in heaven and would open the storage containers when the earth needed them. They also held that God's direct hand would carry the sun through the sky (Ps 19).
In this way, every event in the world was a testimony to God's direct involvement. Rob Bell has some interesting comments on this way of looking at the world:
In this way, every event in the world was a testimony to God's direct involvement. Rob Bell has some interesting comments on this way of looking at the world:
What does it look like to think of God permeating every area of our world? Is such a concept reserved for the ignorant pre-modern world or does it have implications for us today?
As always, please leave you comments below.
3 comments:
First: concepts like this are ignorant in our modern world... and thats the one of the chief issues with contemporary worldviews. To disregard spirituality in general and reduce everything to psychology or bio-chemistry is an injustice and in my opinion, is trespassing onto an area of life those schools of thought are not aloud on.
The early church used to say that theology was "queen of the sciences." Theology is not reduced to sociology or psychology, but rather, the data of those sciences are only interpreted correctly through a theological lens. God completes the picture.
As for the everything being spiritual...
I believe Luther approached this very well by stepping back from Catholic transubstantiation and using a very basic christological syllogism: God is everywhere, Christ is God, Christ is everywhere. Though its a different context, its the same basic concept.
Also, Bell did a Numa video where he mentions Moses' encounter with God, where he was told to take off his sandals. Bell said it wasn't that the land had suddenly become holy... but that it was a change in perception, an awakening to reality.
As you and I discussed years ago, the scriptures play with this theme in his mocking of the Egyptian Gods. Egypt says Gods are here and here... Yahweh stats that he is being, the definition of existence.
Man, I haven't seen something from Rob Bell in awhile, haha. Good reminder.
Thanks so much for your comments Lance. Very solid observations!
I love that DVD - its been a while since I revisited it. Our churches are definitely furthering the idea of a spiritual life - by labeling certain acts like scripture reading, prayer, worship to be spiritual ones - which I understand but as Rob says that comes at the expense of other things being considered spiritual.
I think I just repeated everything Rob said.
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