Gadfly's Muse

1 Samuel 12: What Could Be More Reasonable?

Image: Color Textures, 2019, Lancaster Co., Pa

1 Samuel 12:6–7 (NKJV) ⁶ Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt. ⁷ Now therefore, stand still, that I may reason with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to you and your fathers:

1 Samuel 12:20–22 (NKJV) ²⁰ Then Samuel said to the people, “Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. ²¹ And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. ²² For the Lord will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people.

On various occasions I review a bunch of my images to cull some to clear up disk space or for some other reason.  As I do this I try to rate those the "keepers" and assign them a relative "value" from 1 to 5.  At some point I will group the "5's" together, look at each individually and ask myself "Why do I like this one?  What is it that makes it stand out from the rest, at least to me."  I ask the same type of question to other people when they think one is really special.  "What is it about it that makes it special?"  

This has lead me to understand that there is much more to producing a good image than just "point and click."  Not that I didn't already know this but it is an area where I am constantly growing.  Photography, like any good art, is a "rational" activity.  A person may pick it up intuitively and just "see" the image they want to record, certainly.  But when that happens, even then, when examined it will be seen to conform to some general principles.  In other words... there is method... order... intentionality... in the organization of beautiful things.  

This is true even when there is apparent chaos at first impression.  In the above image there is certainly chaos.  But you might notice that I have tried to bring out the "primary colors" to produce internal contrast.  Red & Green, Blue & Orange especially.  Yellow is present but there is only a small bit of purple/violet.  I did not see this when the image was first taken it was only in development that I brought it out, but .... that's photography.

The point of all that rambling was to illustrate that what is beautiful is, necessarily, reasonable.  Method, order and intentionality are not opposed to impulsive intuition (which often is mistakenly taken to mean "creativity") but rather are the subjects which an intuitive person recognizes.  Some people have to think their way to the final product.  Others just "see" it.  One is not better than the other and both can err.  But, in the final analysis, "come, let us reason together..." is the lens through which that which is beautiful can be comprehended and understood.

I love this chapter in 1 Samuel.  It is so full of pathos as old, tired Samuel is striving to establish his people on solid ground so that they may prosper before the Lord.  Samuel saw, with divine insight, that a truly beautiful life in this world is not only possible but it is what God desires for His people.  It is a life lived in community because beauty, as in the image, requires contrast, diversity, individual contributions to the final product.  The idea that a perfect man/woman is like a solitary Greek statue - pristine and faultless - with nothing missing, is a completely pagan idea.  God has designed mankind to not be "alone" but rather to live in blessed community with others.  The "image of God" that He wants mankind to reflect is a corporate image, filled with many diverse colors and forms and productive in total of that "image" with each individual making a necessary contribution.

Samuel doesn't explicitly lay this out in this chapter but it is implicit in his appeal to Israel.  "Stand still so that I may reason with you!" he says.  "Come let me show you a beautiful picture.  Look in your history!  See your fathers, the corporate reality of Israel as it existed then, and look at how God treated you with righteousness and justice.  Look at all the great acts that He has done.  Let this image fill your mind!"

"Now, think rationally.  What does this all mean?  What elements comprise this 'picture' and how do they show us 'beauty?'  Is it not this:  That God has declared, for His own great name's sake, that you are His people?  If this is true, is it not clearly reasonable, logical, that He will continue to watch over you and to form you into a people who truly shine more brightly than all the stars in the sky?"

"Form this image in your mind:  see yourselves, as a community, serving the LORD with all your heart (vs. 20).  Think of how life would flourish if you mutually help each other stay focused, that you restrain each other from going after empty things (vs. 21).  Does it not stand to reason that God would so encourage you and strengthen you and preserve you that, in hind sight, all of the difficulties that you may encounter would be seen to make the overall picture even more beautiful?"

"Be reasonable... consider what great things He has done for you.  What could be more logical that to fear the LORD and serve Him in truth with all your heart." (vs. 24)

What a beautiful picture of God's people is presented to our minds here.  The greatest thing about it is that it is not "abstract" art like the image above... rather it is as concrete as our own lives and the fellowship of our congregations.  They can be truly beautiful... if we just observe the structures or elements that contribute and lead to beauty.  

 

On The Work of Man's Hands...

Thoughts on reading Barth (C. D. I-2, p. 304)

".. Yahweh is not zealous against (idols) only for the sake of His own honor, because He is the one God of the people of Israel.  On the contrary, they are "other" (Isa. 44:9ff) and "strange" first of all to Himself.  They are of a different nature and kind.  And for this reason, that they can have such representatives and substitutes in the images which are made by human hands, whereas He, Yahweh, cannot be rrepresented by any human work.  For His name is Holy. .... "

Barth is on to something here.  God is not threatened by competition with 'other gods'... whatever man attributes to such beings is simply a reflection of his own present interests and hungers.  Man is threatened by the vagaries of agricultural production, war, fertility, etc. and he fashions images or statues that provide an outlet for those things.  God is not immediately threatened by this... for they reflect man's ignorance of His own Person and Sovereignty.  It is when man presumes to erect idols representing Himself or the occupants of His Heaven that God takes fierce umbrage. 

How arrogant of man to think that He can "create" anything to accurately express fundamental truths transcendent to himself and all creation.  What handiwork of his could reflect the "otherness" of God?  Even the glorious angels are not accessible to him.  Man must receive whatever knowledge of God and heavenly things as he can assimilate as a child receives milk from his nursing mother.  Apart from God reaching out to us we are blind and dumb and lame.  We are not only lacking in knowledge we are physically, spiritually and emotionally impaired.  

(Joh 3:6 NKJ) " 6 "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." 

God stands above man and calls him to knowledge of Himself... from that awakening, all of which is God's initiative, man first is able to have even a glimmer of true light shining in his life.  From that point all that was "old" now becomes tawdry and cheap in comparison.  What matter is the "new", the joyous discovery of the Kingdom that was hidden but present all along.  There is first the cringing shame of self-discovery, the awareness of sin.  Then there is the incredulous news that those sins are not only forgiven but washed away through the blood of Christ and then, in crowning trumpet sounds, the glorious news that he is adopted as a son (or daughter) and is a joint-heir with Christ.

What of man's hands could do justice to this?  All our best works are nothing but caricatures communicating error more than truth.  But the Gospel... the Word of God which is the Kingdom of God and its King... that is all.

Wildlife Management

Every once in a while Nature reminds us that we need to be a bit more humble.  It really isn't up to us to fix everything.  Perhaps we ought to be open to the idea that some of our "solutions" are only the foundation for some other, different problem.

The beaver dam in the foreground was about as impressive as I have ever seen.  The water drop was at least three feet.  Also, if you look closely you can see two beaver condominiums which were hundreds of yards behind the dam.  This whole flat land had been converted into a wonderful little wildlife habitat by some of nature's best engineers.  So, maybe we ought to learn that wildlife management might be best attained by letting the wild life manage.

I recall the oath that stretches all the way back to Hippocrates (I think)... Physician, do no harm.  Maybe if we adopted that for our own individual and corporate lives in the beautiful land God has given us, then we might see some improvements for both us and the creatures.   It really shouldn't be that hard.

It's a Bird! It's a Moth! It's a Moth That Looks Like A Shrimp!

(Hummingbird Moth, JAVanDevender, 2008)

Click for larger image

for more info on these insects go HERE
Hemaris Thysbe - Sphingidae family
Snowberry Clearwing Hummingbird Moth.

Here is the first of these creatures I have ever seen.  I did not even know they existed until I started hearing stories about one feasting on our butterfly bush.

They are more restless than even hummingbirds and it was not easy to get even this picture.  I thought the curved spout was extraordinarily interesting.  This little guy was not very afraid of me and I was able to get closer than my lens would focus on a couple of occasions.  I had to stay with the large lens though because he moved so much that a shorter, faster lens would not have given me many opportunities.

Anyway... this one was just fun and I thought you might get a kick out of it also.

Mornin' Glory.... His mercy is new every morning.

(Mornin' Glory, 2008 JAVanDevender, Click for larger image)
 
Exodus 16:4-8  
4 Then the LORDsaid to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you. And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not.  5 "And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily."  6 Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, "At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt.  7 "And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us?"  8 Also Moses said, "This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. And what are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD."

Ipomoea nil (Ipomoea is New Latin from the Greek ips (worm) and homoios (resembling) = resembling a worm, perhaps referring to the plants tubers) is an unlikely name for a common flower.  This one is easily bypassed and not often really noticed exactly because it is so common.  And yet, when we pause to look at it, growing in enthusiastic profusion amidst the other weeds along the road, there is a bit of perfection in it.  The shade of blue is somewhere deeper than a robin's egg but still delicate and unobtrusive.  The petals surround the white center and the stamen is almost invisible in its blending.  Truly it is a morning glory.  All too often we take glory for granted.

Perhaps the Morning Glory can teach us to remember the Lord and His blessings in the awakening hours of the day.  The Israelites were told they would see the glory of the Lord when he poured forth the blessings of food, manna from heaven, in response to their complaint of hunger.  Pretty soon they grew tired of that same manna when it too became common, yet every day the miracle was renewed, every morning gave witness to the love of God for His people.

Each day the Lord continues to furnish us with what we need.  Each day there is the miracle of His restraint in withholding judgment on our sin, allowing us opportunity to repent (Rom. 2), and beyond that, opening the treasures of heaven to furnish us with the invigorating nourishment of His Spirit as well as His Providence.  Truly the Glory of the Lord is beautiful every morning.  How much better would our day progress if we started it humbly, on our knees, opening our hearts like the Morning Glory flower to the awakening day and the Son who rises in it in our lives?  Perhaps, like that flower, in doing so, our lives might become beautiful also, living testaments of thanksgiving to our awesome Creator, Savior and Lord.

And Now... Stepping Into The Spot Light....

  (2008, Mantis_JAVanDevender, click for a larger image)

This little guy was TOUGH to shoot! He is perhaps 1 1/2 inches long and he kept hiding behind leaves. Positioning the camera so as to get a a full body pic took some doing since the entire plant is one of my son's bonsai efforts and is only about a foot tall. But finally, almost as if he was waiting for the cue, he stepped into a spot of light and gave me look as if to say... "OK, is this what you want?" Focus is not as sharp as I would like but I took what I could get.

Our backyard is flourishing this year and is awash in all kinds of colors. Some years are like that. In a previous year my wife has watched a Mantis throughout the whole Summer as he grew into a relatively huge sample. She nurtured him and as the winter approached and he declined and finally died, there was genuine regret. They are wonderful creatures and I would love to have about another hundred of them to help with the mosquito problem.

So, the spotlight is on... take a bow little guy and enjoy your short time here on this earth. I suppose that is something we all might do well to remember. We each step into the light for a time, do the works God has ordained from all eternity that we are to walk in (Eph. 2:10) and then pass on.  It's a good plan... as a wise man once said, it's even beautiful.

Ecclesiastes 3:10-13 10 I have seen the God-given task with which the sons of men are to be occupied. 11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also He has put eternity in their hearts, except that no one can find out the work that God does from beginning to end. 12 I know that nothing is better for them than to rejoice, and to do good in their lives, 13 and also that every man should eat and drink and enjoy the good of all his labor -- it is the gift of God.

"You're Nothing But A Common Tease(l)!

 (2008, JAVanDevender_Common Teasel& Bee, click for larger version)

I suppose, with some imagination, you could put those words in the bumblebee's mouth.  With a name like "Common Teasel" one wonders of what an uncommon one would consist?

I have been happy to observe multitudes of bees this year, both Bumbling and the real Honeys.  I know that Sudden Colony Collapse disorders as well as the various parasite infestations though out the nation have been causing quite a concern for honeybee populations.  I don't have any answers but if there is any insect on which the entire ecological system depends it probably is the bee.   I love to see them at work.

What interests me about the Teasel is its interesting shape.  Tall, awkward, prickly stalks suddenly explode into a bulbous flower/seed cluster.  Along the road (where else) where I took this shot, there was a mass of them.  They blend into the background fairly easily and if you are not specifically attentive to  the flora flowing past your windows, they would be easily missed.  Yet, when you take a moment and look a bit more closely at them, they have their own allure.  Interestingly enough the Teasel family has been used for a bunch of very practical things - a fuller's brush (for all you wool weavers out there), a natural antibiotic, treatment of Lyme's disease, aid for blood circulation, a cure for warts and an eyewash (from Wikipedia).  Now there's something worth keeping.

For me... it's another installment in the continuing wonder of God's creation.  All the different shapes and sizes... the variety of colors and the spectrum of hues within those colors... the interplay of flora and fauna, natural and mutually complementary... harmonious diversity as a single brush stroke in the Creator's Masterpiece.

But you gotta stop the car to see it.

Moth Mullein????

(2008-JAVanDevender)

I really am not sure about this one. It kind of looks like the Moth Mullein pics in my Field Guide but the stalk and leaf arrangements are a bit different.  The leaves are serrated and veined which does give further support for it being so, but I'm not certain.

There was a photographer who became famous by publishing a book of black and white photographs of Service Stations along Rt. 66.  I seem to be headed toward remaining unknown but cursed with a compelling desire to photograph weeds and flowers along the road. 

One of these days someone will find me with tread marks across my back and my camera smashed because I was intent on the shot and not on the traffic.

If it is the Moth Mullein it is a noxious weed, originating in Europe and finding a very conducive environment here.  The book says it will take over a lawn in nothing flat but I have not seen that many.  This one was around a curve and was nothing more than a flash of yellow when I first drove by.  On my return I stopped and looked and there it was, nestled in a whole passel (y'all know what a passel is don' ya?) of Poison Ivy.  I am not allergic to it but the beautiful flower surrounded by that mine field put me in mind of the old musical The Little Shop of Horrors.  See the pretty flower, step on in.... closer, closer....

Oh well, not much more than an observation about this one.  God can even give a pest a beautiful aspect.

Reflections

(click for larger image, JAVanDevender -2008)

If you look closely you will see the reflection / refraction of other flowers in the droplet.

There is a poignancy in the image that touches me at some level I really can't describe.  Perhaps it represents the manner in which the world can be comprehended and distilled into little bite size chunks so that we can understand little by little.  The rest of the garden is all around and yet at the same time it is there, within the droplet, not so much smashed together so as to lose its richness, but altered, arranged, fitted.  There is distortion... the flower does not appear in the drop as it is in direct sight - but it is recognizable, knowable.  Maybe all our comprehension of the world around us is something like this.  We see through a glass darkly, we know in part... one day we will know truly... face to face.  In the meantime though, it is still a beautiful world.  Even when it is only seen through a droplet.

Featured Photo - Cherry Blossoms