July 31, 2015

Reminders

During my consultation with a nutritional/fitness professional she recommended I get a pedometer in order to understand and document my physical activity…or lack thereof. The goal she sets for her clients is to take 10,000 steps a day. I have to admit the pedometer is making me acutely aware of my sedentary life style. I can now, in a worldly sort of way, relate to the Jews who wear phylacteries strapped to the forehead and left arm as a reminder for them to keep the law. “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. … Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads” (Deut 6:5-6; 8 NIV)

1 comment:

Steve Corey said...

Gail;

-----I find it interesting that God is into bumper stickers. And I feel kind of kin to Him. During the Clinton years, when the press was disproportionately apologetic for the Administration, and during the following Bush years, when the press was disproportionately accusatory towards the Administration, when I was naïve and thought maybe something could be done about the resultant deceit, I was forever being struck by another quippy thought I wanted to paste on my vehicle and express to the community. If you remember my old ‘59 Willys of those days, every available spot of the tail-gate was taken up by a bumper sticker. I often thought about making a dainty frame and attaching it so that I could just slip different bumper stickers in and out, speaking to whatever consternation the next current event dictated. The Lord could have told His people to tattoo the Law on their hands and foreheads, like permanently affixing a bumper sticker. He left His command malleable enough for His people to come up with the precursor to my interchangeable bumper sticker idea.
-----The Seventh Day Adventist side of my heritage was always sure to inform me that tying the Law to your hand and binding it to the forehead meant to always do your work and stuff within the bounds of the Law by shaping your thoughts by the Law. I thought that was far cooler than just pasting up your body with bumper stickers. I was sure the Pharisees missed the boat on this one until I read your presentation of Deut 6:5-6; 8 NIV. I’m not sure if your editing verse 7 out of the presentation or your use of the Not Inspired Version (ok, ok, NIV patrons, no version is actually inspired except the original quill to paper one,) whatever it was - that the Lord told them to tie the Law to their hands as symbols jumped out at me like never before. Maybe He really did mean to attach those little box-like things to their wrists like low-tech Dick Tracy s, and to their foreheads, well, like, well, idiots (glad we don’t have to live by the Law.)
-----Seems this is not the only bumper stickering the Bible serves up. The Great Harlot riding the back of the beast sports a cute little sticker across her forehead, “Babylon the great, mother of harlots and of earth’s abominations.” And for a short time, before she takes it in the shorts, Satan’s people will be bumper stickered with the number of the beast. When all this turmoil is right next to its end point, the Lord returns, all bumper stickered with a name no one knows except Himself and with “King of Kings and Lord of Lords” on His robe and thigh. I suppose sometime hereabouts those of us who love this blessing on the horse will be stickered with the name of His God, and of the new Jerusalem, and His own new name. So if the Deuteronomy thing still works, all of this is in addition to that, and gee, we’ll be all stickered up as bad as my old Willys was. Too bad those chumps who followed the beast only had one sticker on either their hand or their forehead. It seems that doing evil always leaves you short changed.


Love you all,
Steve Corey