(Gen 15:2-5 KJV) And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
There are many communication problems that arise because humans live in ‘sin’ and not in communion.
Firstly there is the separation and sensual fallibility which leads to a resistance of reality, such that communication is filtered, misheard or misread. Classically illustrated by the Monty Python team, in their famous: “Blessed are the cheese makers” from ‘The Life of Brian’.
Secondly is our dependency on our fallible memories, which often drop or associate other known things resulting in a changed recollection of events and the longer the delay the greater the loss or confusion.
Thirdly is our dependency of prior experiences (knowledge) to ensure correct translation of our perceptions and memories.
Lastly is our dependency on our own maturing capability to interpret and communicate the meaning of our perceptions, memories and translations... later on.
Stepping back, we can see how Babylon (or ‘Chinese whispers’) occurs… You say “ABCDEF”
1. I hear “ABCEF”
2. I recall “ABCF”
3. I translate as “BAFC”
4. I interpret in one of 3 ways.
i) Literally - I will accept it - As is.
ii) Association - I will look for a associated meaning.
iii) Reject - I will ignore it.
The Bible is a fascinating book, since it combines literal, metaphorical and allegorical writings that are designed to enlighten the reader. The danger with any ancient text that has been translated numerous times is the clarity of the scribe and the language of the day.
It would be foolish to take the above passage literally… our heirs do not come from our “bowels”, though seeds often do. Much is left to the reader to make the correct associations.
So who can explain the following passage spoken by Jesus that caused most of his Jewish followers to abandon him, because they took him literally:
(John 6:56-58 KJV) He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.
CONFOUNDED BY WORDS (PART 2)