Why Decrease Your Average?
Why Decrease Your Average?
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WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT OUR LEVELS OF ANGER?
The King James version of Matthew 5:22 is "But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, "Raca!" shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, "You Fool!" shall be in danger of hell fire."
Here Jesus talked about 3 levels of corrosive anger. I understood this verse better by translating Matthew 5:22 using "On Line Bible 6.0" program. It has a lexicon that uses Strong's numbers for each Greek word. I printed out the definition of each Greek word and then asked my higher power to inspire me as to the meaning for the highest good of all concerned.
This is what came up:
The first level was "Now I emphatically teach you how everyone who is angry at your fellow humans without success, it shall come to pass that you shall desire a separation."
This anger without success that separates people defines failure.
This also defines success ,to have an anger that has success. Jesus cursed a tree that was not fruitful, cleared a temple that was not fruitful, and accepted the consequences of the corrosive anger he triggered with his authentic anger, to bridge the gap between God and man.
So now we have the definition of authentic anger by the success it brings. We also have the definition of the first level of corrosive anger that produces separation.
The second level was "Anyone who spoke in the past a name of reproach it shall come to pass that you shall desire counseling by the council." This corrosive anger is at the level of a separation from the community.
The third level was "Anyone who spoke foolishness, it shall come to pass that you shall desire to experience the stench of your speech like the stench of the fire in the Jerusalem garbage dump."
This corrosive anger is at the level of a separation from the self. All have fealt the feeling of very uncomfortable anger.
This separation from the self is a metaphor for the separation from your Higher Power.
WHAT ABOUT THE 10 COMMANDMENTS?
The Thou Shall Not's in the 10 Commandments may be the cause of much of the black and white thinking in our world. Black and white thinking is one form of mental madness. This madness causes much of our corrosive anger and blame in our world.
What if the 10 Commandments were miss translated by the priest class? Could they have done so because of their best intentions to control society, spread guilt, and make work for themselves. Would you like to read a new translation of the 10 Commandments that has deeper meanings? What if all those Thou shall not's were about thou could have a deeper relationship with your higher power? What if this translation could put you on the way to solving your anger challenges?
THE TEN OLD COMMANDMENTS AND OR THE 10 NEW COMMANDMENTS FOR SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Exodus 20 verse 1 starts out "And God spake all these words, saying,".
My translation of Exodus 20 Verse 1 was "God sang the promise of the totality of these sayings in his heart."
This began to give me a different picture of God. I began to hear with new ears. I began to feel the existing one's song in me.
Then I began to learn more from Ex 20:2 "I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage."
My translation was "[I am] the Existing One God which leads out of the earthy Egyptian slavery."
For me, this is the God that leads to freedom. This is the God that can assist me in finding my land of milk and honey, my promised land. But before we get to our promised land let's explore what new is hidden in the old 10 commandments.
The first commandment in Ex 20:3 is known as "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." The first commandment is a wonderful commandment. It is even a wonderful commandment to me. The first commandment suggests to me that there is only one God, for all of us. That is the good news, the gospel. The bad news is that some have misunderstood this commandment in the past. They have hurt others trying to get others to believe what they misunderstood in the first place. I resolved to understand so I looked deeper.
I found even more good news when I looked deeper. When I went to church, I took my notebook computer along to use as its bible program. I had my program "On Line Bible 6.0" loaded on my computer. This bible also had its Hebrew lexicon loaded. My lexicons helped me to better translate what was written in the original Hebrew. On a few Sundays when the pastor was speaking about the ten commandments, I was surprised to find that there were very few "Do Not's" in the actual Hebrew words.
So, I set out to translate the ten commandments the best I could using the Hebrew lexicon in On Line Bible 6.0 and whatever level I could be inspired by the Holy Spirit. I have found that not all sources have the same information and may have been doctored over the years. The existing one I know approves of what I have found, so far.
To my delight I found that the commandments were even more meaningful and rich words from God than a bunch of "Thou Shall Not's".
My translation of the first commandment was from Ex 20.3: "Nothing [is] different from God."
Of course I would have no other God before me with one that sang that they are everything. There is no way to have anything else before me, everything is all one, the whole is one.
What else might we learn about this one God? Let's see what we learn from the old and the new translations of the rest of the existing one's "10 commandments".
The second commandment, Exodus 20:4 is known as "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:".
My translation is a lot more positive. It is "Make image of the totality representation of the abode of the stars above the whole earth, instead of the earthy waters below." To me this is just a way to remember the vast magnificence of the universe while living on the earth. This is just a key to remember and connect to the vast free magnificence of God while we live in a limited earth.
Perhaps all the rest of the "commandments" are keys. The usual translations are keys to living in peace on the earth and the deeper translations are keys to living in peace spiritually. I suspect that if we first learned to live in peace spiritually that the rest would follow. JC said to seek the Kingdom of God within first and all else would follow.
Now let's try Ex 20:5 "Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;"
This jealous God that visits iniquity to generations was not a God that I would have liked. I could come to understand that God in time, but not like or love.
So, I was happy to find the Hebrew words more enlightening. My translation was "Bow down before God, Bow down before God, Not as a servant of the Existing One God, jealous false god and judger of guilt of God as father of his people and sons to the third, fourth [generation] of haters."
Wow, what a God. Here they are pleading to be surrendered to and is warning about the false God to not surrender to. This false God I was later to find out was, our egos. That is Edging God Out [EGO] God.
On to Ex 20:6 where the traditional translation is "And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments."
My new translation is: "Offer lovingkindness [to] thousand beloved friends [to] preserve [my] precepts of wisdom.
Here God is suggesting that lovingkindness to many will preserve wisdom. This is the God of Love that is easy for me to like.
What about Ex 20:7? "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain."
Here I found a radically different meaning in the lexicon. It was: "[I Am the] Existing One God [of] nothingness, the Existing One innocent to lift up in exultation and forgiveness the reputation of nothingness."
Here I found a declaration of innocence with a description of how vast it is. Nothingness pervades the universe and us. We are actually mostly vacuum from a scientific point of view.
This was Not a God demanding that we not call Him a name. This was a God talking of innocence and forgiveness and nothingness that can have no name. An ancient Hebrew tradition was that the name of God could not be uttered.
On Ex 20:8 "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy." I found the traditional translation more similar.
My new translation was more challenging. It was "Keep in remembrance the day of atonement daily as the holy of holies."
It went from a weekly challenge to a daily challenge. It is a key to remember holiness daily.
What about those daily work days? Traditionally Ex 20:9 says: "Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:"
My new translation is again more challenging. It was "Six days serve me doing everything in your occupation." It was again remembering our source, our inheritance, our key.
What about that Sunday? n the old tradition, Ex 20:10 was "But the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates."
My translation was about a more inclusive God and Sunday. My new translation was more joyful: "[On the] seventh day of atonement the Existing One God celebrates everything of work of male children, female children, male servants, female servants, beasts, strangers, Heaven, Hell."
It was more inclusive. It was more lively. It rang more widely true for me.
In Ex 20:11 the traditional translation was: "For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it."
My translation was: "[In the] Sixth time the Existing One made heaven, earth, sea; everything permitted seventh time the Existing One blessed the day of atonement, treat time as sacred."
I got a sense of eternal blessing.
The traditional Ex 20:12 was: "Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee."
My new translation was "Be Rich and Honorable Mother, Father, today on all the earth which the Existing One God bestows."
I sense was one of God wanting us to lead a blessed and good life. By praying for a good life for our fathers and mothers we are praying for the same for ourselves.
The traditional Ex 20:13 was "Thou shalt not kill."
I found a much more radical and meaningful meaning. It was: "Be slain [by Me]." God was asking what seemed a hard thing. I can understand the early translators not wanting to translate this verse this way. However, there can be many positive interpretations of my translation. One would be that we can die peacefully if we are slain by God. Many of us died in pain and upset, so it would be wiser to be lovingly and mercifully and peacefully slain by God. Another interpretation is that it is wiser for God to slay our EGO. Then we can lead a good and peaceful life. Some traditions call it being slain in the spirit.
The traditional Ex 20:14 was "Thou shalt not commit adultery."
I found God's more radical point of view. My translation was: "Commit adultery [with Me], do idolatrous worship of [Me]."
Here was a plea to love God. One would not harm others by earthly adultery when we were in an adulterous relationship with God.
The traditional Ex 20:15 was: "Thou shalt not steal."
Again I found a deeper meaning. It was: "Be stolen away [by Me]."
Here God was asking us to be stolen away by Him. We would not be hurting others by stealing from them if we were stolen away by God. It reminded me of Enoch that was stolen away by God after walking with God for a time.
The traditional Ex 20:16 was: "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour."
The new positive translation I found was: "Answer the deceptions in testimony about intimate friends."
It was a plea for us supporting our friends when others try to deceive us about them. God was asking us to do positive gossip. To speak well of others. To prize them.
The traditional Ex 20:17 was: "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's. This was certainly good advice to get along in this world.
In addition I found a deeper meaning that was: "Take pleasure in preciousness of friend within. Delight in preciousness of companion wife, worshiper of God, concubine, bull, ass, totality, intimate friend."
Here was a key of seeing the preciousness of all that we experience. Here was God again saying that he was in all. JC said he was in the least of us.
Let's review the old ten commandments:
Ex 20:1 And God spake all these words, saying,
Ex 20:2 I [am] the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Ex 20:3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
Ex 20:4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the water under the earth:
Ex 20:5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God [am] a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] of them that hate me;
Ex 20:6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Ex 20:7 Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.
Ex 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Ex 20:9 Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
Ex 20:10 But the seventh day [is] the Sabbath of the LORD thy God: [in it] thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that [is] within thy gates.
Ex 20:11 For [in] six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them [is], and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Ex 20:12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Ex 20:13 Thou shalt not kill.
Ex 20:14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.
Ex 20:15 Thou shalt not steal.
Ex 20:16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
Ex 20:17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that [is] thy neighbour's.
Now let's review my new translations:
***ex20.1 God sang the promise of the totality of these sayings in his heart.
***ex20.2 [I am] the Existing One God which leads out of the earthy Egyptian slavery.
***ex20.3 Nothing [is] different from God.
***ex20.4 Make image of the totality representation of the abode of the stars above the whole earth, instead of the earthy waters below.
***ex20.5 Bow down before God, Bow down before God, Not as a servant of the Existing One God [acting as a] jealous false god and judger of guilt of God as father of his people and sons to the third, fourth [generation] of haters.
***ex20.6 Offer lovingkindness [to] thousand beloved friends [to] preserve [my] precepts of wisdom.
***ex20.7 [I Am the] Existing One God [of] nothingness, the Existing One innocent to lift up in exultation and forgiveness the reputation of nothingness.
***ex20.8 Keep in remembrance the day of atonement daily as the holy of holies.
***ex20.9 Six days serve me doing everything in your occupation.
***ex20.10 [On the] seventh day of atonement the Existing One God celebrates everything of work of male children, female children, male servants, female servants, beasts, strangers, Heaven, Hell.
***ex20.11 [In the] Sixth time the Existing One made heaven, earth, sea; everything permitted the seventh time the Existing One blessed the day of atonement, treat time as sacred.
***ex20.12 Be Rich and Honorable Mother, Father, today on all the earth which the Existing One God bestows.
***ex20.13 Be slain [by Me].
***ex20.14 Commit adultery [with Me], do idolatrous worship of [Me].
***ex20.15 Be stolen away [by Me]
***ex20.16 Answer the deceptions in testimony about intimate friends.
***ex20.17 Take pleasure in preciousness of friend within. Delight in preciousness of companion wife, worshiper of God, concubine, bull, ass, totality, intimate friend.
What do these new translations sing to you? These translations are more meaningful to me. They give me deeper clues to loving my God and his people. Your translations may be even more meaningful to you. I would suggest that you try and ask the Holy Spirit to assist you in your own translation experience.
How would you like to better know what the bible really says to us? I know that as I have matured as a follower of the anointed one, the Christ, the bible says more precious things to me now than the bible did before. I expect my enjoyment of my spiritual maturity to get better as I go along. That maturity has helped me to better enjoy the bible and to be comforted by what the bible now says to me. I would like the same maturity or even more for you so that you could be comforted by all that the bible says to you. That is why the Holy Spirit is also called the Comforter.
What is this maturity and how can you have even more spiritual maturity than me? This maturity is just growth after my spiritual birth. When I had my physical birth, I just grew as I let go and let God grow me. It is the same surrendering to God to grow after a spiritual birth. It is a form of letting God slay you like He says in Exodus 20:13. Perhaps you can surrender more than me.
How do you get this spiritual birth? By wanting your spiritual rebirth more than anything else. By having your intention to experience your spiritual rebirth. By taking actions towards your spiritual rebirth. By being willing to be slain by God as the Exodus 20:13 says. T he charismatic christians call that "Being Slain in the Spirit."
There is a story of how a Pharisee came to John the Baptist. He cried out "I thirst for Righteousness." John took him by the scruff of the neck and plunged his head into the river Jordan.
John held him under until he stopped struggling. John then pulled him up as he sputtered and struggled for breath. John said: "When you thirst for righteousness as much as you just thirsted for your breath, you will find righteousness."
Of course, the righteousness that he may have thirsted for may have been just filthy rags in God's eye, but that is another story.
Copyright 1995,6, & 7. Michael Foster, M. A.