Friday, 05 December 2008
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The Bible Never Asks Us To Do the Easy and Natural...
by miss iris 
This was our weekly message from the patriarch of the family ... I found it VERY interesting. What do you think!?
Shalom Mishpochah…
When I was working with the Immigration Service, I was often amazed to hear the reasons and excuses presented by applicants on why they should be naturalized as citizens of this great country. I would say that maybe 90% had no idea that this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. In my office, I had a painting of Normal Rockwell showing a woman and her son in a restaurant praying – Saying Grace, and occasionally, I would glance up as if to remind them to look and ask a question or two, but like I said many did not.
I, too have gotten in the habit of - Saying Grace before I eat a meal, regardless if it is at home, on the road or in a restaurant. I have checked and could not find anywhere in the Bible where I am instructed to pray before I eat. However, in Deut. 8:10, we read that we are to eat and then pray –“and you shall eat, be satisfied, and bless the Lord your God.”
Nowhere do we find an instruction to bless the Lord before we are satisfied, let alone before the first bite. Yet that is exactly what so many of us quite appropriately do.
You see, the Bible never asks us to do the easy and the natural. In fact the Bible made the western civilization possible by introducing this revolutionary idea. It is not only possible, but vital to overcome nature, particularly our own.
When we potty train a toddler we make important progress in the quest to teach a young human that doing what is right is better than doing what comes naturally. When a young person makes the holy commitment to remain chaste until marriage, he or she is doing what is right rather than what is natural. When a man shows up for work every single day – on time—he is doing what is right rather than what is natural. Soon after we are born, our parents direct us toward doing what is right. For the rest of our lives, our goal should be to elevate ourselves above the natural.
Since hunger induces spiritual awareness, most sensitive humans feel the need to say a blessing before satisfying hunger. Thus, we can be counted on to do so without instruction. This, is in fact what both Christian and Jews do. But it is unnatural for the satiated diner with bulging belly to pause prior to staggering away from the table, in order to express profound gratitude to the Creator. That is precisely why God demands it of us, through His words in Deuteronomy. It may not be the easiest thing, but we should strive to be good rather than to be natural, and to teach our children to make the same analyses.
Shabbath Shalom everyone…
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Comments (15)
Wow... really interesting. I have never heard this before. Thanks for posting about it, and I would like to look into it more.
What about Luke 22:19? And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."
Jesus gave thanks, presumably to God - and talking to God constitutes prayer, no?
@klhg_godsdaughter@xanga - yep ... in accordance to the Jewish passover tradition ... which he was observing here
"I would say that maybe 90% had no idea that this nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles."
...It wasn't.
So couldn't you say accepting gays would be surpassing the natural too?
And this country was not founded on Judeo-Christian principles. In fact, many of the founding fathers were deists, as in they believed we were created by a God, but then we were discarded like trash and left to fend for ourselves. Many governments have similar laws to America all over the world, and yet, many of them are not Christian nations. The only difference is how those laws are enforced. This misinformation of America being founded on Christian principles stems from right wing talk shows and evangelicals trying to revise history.
I'm sort of confused. I don't find praying before I eat easy or natural. I think it's torturous! Then again I have an eating disorder so that may throw it off...
Jesus gave thanks before meals.
This was mentioned in the miracle of feeding 5000.
Matt. 14:19
"And after commanding the crowds to recline on the grass, He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds."
John 6:11
"Jesus then took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed to those who were reclining; likewise also of the fish, as much as they wanted."
Also in the miracle of feeding 4000.
Matt. 15:36
"He took the seven loaves and the fish, and giving thanks, He broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples to the crowds"
Mark 8:6
"And He charged the crowd to recline on the ground. And taking the seven loaves, He gave thanks and broke them, and gave them to His disciples to set before them, and they set them before the crowd."
Also during the Last Supper.
Matt. 26:26
"And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and He broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is My body."
Mark 14:22
"And as they were eating, He took bread and blessed it, and He broke it and gave it to them, and said, Take; this is My body."
Paul gave thanks before meals.
Acts 27:35
"And when he had said these things and had taken brad, he gave thanks to God before all; and he broke it and began to eat."
1Cor. 10:31
"Therefore whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God."
@happylily2@xanga - none of those are instructions though ... also, for passover you bless the food before ... jewish custom.
"When we potty train a toddler we make important progress in the quest to teach a young human that doing what is right is better than doing what comes naturally."
I have doubts about this statement. What is right? Does this mean that doing what comes naturally is wrong?
That's really interesting! Good post!
wow i love this post. It really made me think about alot of things.
Why do ppl pray befor eating? well i for one 'had to growing up tho there was no heart in it and now days i hardly ever pray befor(or "bless my food") befor eating. Not that im not thinkful for having it(i really am) i just don't think its a heart felt "thank You" when i pray befor eating and what is the point in that?
Tho i have thanked God out loud (at lest at home) aftore eating because i was so happy to eat and be thinking about God and His will i just could'nt contain it aftore dinner(or didn't want to ha)
And how many times have i done what was easy and natural insted of sticking up for what God as blantinly told us(Me) to do? far to often when i was younger. i hope God would agree i have been better at following the hardist path to follow..(hardly good at it tho~)
I agree the nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principles/ideals. but the the times have chandged and i don't think i could say we(the nation) still are. We are off on our own and not really pleasing to God as we have been so full of our selfs.(even us Christians) ..
Sushi
@coolmonkey@xanga - @la_faerie_joyeuse@xanga - Thank you for saying the first thing that popped into my head when I began reading this.
@shanella - As Christians we are called to be like Christ and to do whatever he did so if he looked up to the heavens and gave thanks then we should do that too. It doesn't have to explicitly say "Thou shall pray before meals."
@happylily2@xanga - yes, we are called to be like Christ ... in that we also have to remember that Jesus followed jewish traditions in his life. Anyways ... that is not what the above was saying ... that Jesus did not bless the food before, it is just saying there was no instruction. all in the words and interpretation i suppose.
yep.