Sunday's Repose

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Of Oracles and Burdens.

To speak as the oracle, you must carry the burden.

According to the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia the Hebrew word massa carries two distinct yet related meanings.

1. In the OT: (1) massa', from a root nasa' "he lifted up." Thus literally any load is called massa' (Ex 23:5; Num 4:15,24,27 ff; 2 Kings 5:17; 8:9). Figuratively, people are a burden (Num 11:11,17; Deut 1:12; 2 Sam 15:33; 19:35). A man may be a burden to himself (Job 7:20). Iniquities are a burden (Ps 38:4). Taxes may be a burden (Hos 8:10).

2. In both the King James Version and the Revised Version (British and American) massa' is translated "burden," as applied to certain prophetic utterances; but both the American Revised Version, margin and the Revised Version, margin have "oracle." Examples are Isa 13:1; 14:28, and often; Jer 23:33,36,38, no marginal reading; Ezek 12:10; Nah 1:1; Hab 1:1; Zech 9:1; 12:1; Mal 1:1. As was natural under the circumstances, such oracles usually denounced judgment upon place or people. Hence, probably the translation "burden." But some of these prophetic utterances do not contain denunciation or threat (Zech 12). The passage in Jer, moreover, implies that the prophet used the term in the sense of "oraele," for scoffers are reproved for perverting the word and giving it the meaning "burden." Massa', therefore, means something taken up with solemnity upon the lips, whether threatening or not.

"An oracle concerning Babylon that Isaiah son of Amoz saw:
Raise a banner on a bare hilltop, shout to them;
beckon to them to enter the gates of the nobles.
I have commanded my holy ones;
I have summoned my warriors to carry out my wrath--
those who rejoice in my triumph." Isa 13:1-3 NIV

"Say to them, 'This is what the Sovereign LORD says: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and the whole house of Israel who are there.' Say to them, 'I am a sign to you.'
"As I have done, so it will be done to them. They will go into exile as captives." Ezek. 12:10-11 NIV

"An Oracle
The word of the LORD is against the land of Hadrach and will rest upon Damascus-
for the eyes of men and all the tribes of Israel are on the LORD..." Zech. 9:1 NIV

"An Oracle
This is the word of the LORD concerning Israel. The LORD, who stretches out the heavens, who lays the foundation of the earth, and who forms the spirit of man within him, declares: 2 "I am going to make Jerusalem a cup that sends all the surrounding peoples reeling. Judah will be besieged as well as Jerusalem." Zech. 12:1-2 NIV

My point in illustrating the above is simply this. Those who claim or desire to speak as the oracle of God, i.e. proclaim the will of God for a people or prophesy (speak forth) the heart of God in a situation, to a specific people or about a specific event, must first have been willing to lay down their lives, their own agendas, their own pride and take up the burden, the concern, the love that the Father has for those to whom the oracle is spoken or written. If they are not willing to die to self, cry out for grace and the salvation of those to whom the word is directed then they become guilty of beating the sheep or a hypocrisy based in a vile self-righteousness thereby bringing unnecessary ridicule upon themselves and more importantly upon the word.

Even though the truth contained in a word is not dependent on the character of the speaker, e.g. Balaam in Numbers 23:7 and the fortune teller in Acts 16:17, the validity of that same word may be discredited as a result of the lack of integrity in the one who would speak.

Therefore, those who would speak as the oracle of God, whether in be on a nationally televised broadcast, from the pulpit of a so-called “mega-church” or written in blog on the Internet, must be willing to pay the price to speak with authority.

Paul illustrated for us the manner in which Jesus came and spoke in his letter to the church at Philippi.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself
and became obedient to death- even death on a cross! Phil 2:5-8 NIV

"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”
Mark 8:34

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Recommended Reading: End of the Spear

The sequel, if you will, to "through the Gates of Spendor" is entitled "End of the Spear".

Description:

Steve Saint was five years old when his father, missionary pilot Nate Saint, was speared to death by a primitive Ecuadorian tribe. In adulthood, Steve, having left Ecuador for a successful business career in the United States, never imagined making the jungle his home again. But when that same tribe asks him to help them, Steve, his wife, and their teenage children move back to the jungle. There, Steve learns long-buried secrets about his father's murder, confronts difficult choices, and finds himself caught between two worlds. Soon to be a major motion picture (January 2006), End of the Spear brilliantly chronicles the continuing story that first captured the world's attention in the bestselling book, Through Gates of Splendor.

From Publishers Weekly
In this heartfelt memoir, Saint writes about growing up with the Ecuadoran tribe whose members killed his father in 1956, and about taking his wife and teenage children back to Ecuador in the 1990s to live among them again. Many of Saint's readers will be familiar with the spearing deaths of five American missionaries by Auca Indians a half-century ago, a story recounted by Elisabeth Elliot in Through Gates of Splendor (1996 revised edition). Saint, who was four years old at the time of the murders, adds to that familiarity with this account of his deep, familial bond with his father's assassin. Specifically, Saint debunks myths about the tribe. He explains that Auca, which means naked savage, is a derogatory name given to the tribe by outsiders, and that they are actually called the Waodani. While he does not dispute that they were vicious killers before they converted to Christianity soon after they murdered Saint's father, he takes pains to help his readers understand what led the Waodani to their murderous worldview. In a long passage, he tells the story of the 1956 murders from the Waodani perspective. Most of the book is devoted to his latest experiences with his Waodani family. Although Saint is not a very accomplished writer, his voice is authentic and humble, and his story will undoubtedly inspire many. (Dec.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

In theaters, starting January 20th, 2006.

Go here to see the web site for the movie.

Behind the scenes look at the movie.

Interesting site from Every Tribe Entertainment.

Every Tribe Entertainment Home Site.

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Recommended Reading: Through the Gaste of Splendor

If you have not read it yet, it is about time to do.
In Through The Gates of Splendor, five young men dared to make contact with a stone-age tribe deep in the jungles of Eduador. The Goal was to establish communication with a people whose only previous response to the outside world had been to attack all strangers. The men's mission combined modern technology with innate ingenuity, sparked by a passionate determination to get the gospel to a people without Christ. This new edition of the book offers fresh information about subsequent developments in Ecuador and in the lives of the five missionary familes that began in autumn of 1955.

The story is also available on VHS or DVD.

"Beyond the Gates " is a feature length documentary film experience about the Waodani Indians and the missionary men and women who have given their lives to reach them. This powerful emotional journey begins with the Waodani describing their way of life before the missionaries visited them in 1956. Narrated by the son of one of the missionaries and each of the wives of the men who died, the audience takes a nostalgic trip back in time to see how the men and women came to meet up with each other in Ecuador, An inspiring story of forgiveness and love.

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The Retreat of Reason

A writer for the Times of London says in a report that the "soft totalitarianism" of political correctness and the intellectual dishonesty driving it are doing more harm than good to society.

Writing for the think tank Civitas, Anthony Browne says that a concept that began as a well-intentioned effort to prevent discrimination and give voice to the powerless is poisoning the well of debate in the United Kingdom.

"It [political correctness] has now become a hindrance to social progress and a threat to society," Browne said. "By closing down debates, it restricts the ability of society to tackle the problems that face it."

The full text of the report, titled "The Retreat of Reason: Political Correctness and The Corruption of Public Debate in Modern Britain," is available as a pdf file here.

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Happy New Year! Welcome to 2006!


But those who wait on the LORD
Shall renew their strength;
They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
They shall run and not be weary,
They shall walk and not faint.
Isa 40:31NKJV

May this new year find you
mounting above the storms,
running the good race,
and walking in integrity
as you rest in He who is our all in all!

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