Reading Reflections on the Psalms C.S. Lewis (The Cursings), with a heavy heart for my friend struggling in family conflict. There is a real danger in unresolved conflict. Hurt feelings from childhood can have a destroying effect on adulthood. How can we teach our children and ourselves to live in the light of forgiveness? What does forgiveness result in? What is the fruit of forgiveness? Talking with my mom this morning she brought up http://peacemaker.net/project/the-four-gs/ .
C.S. Lewis said, "But this is one of the rewards of reading the Old Testament regularly. You keep on discovering more and more what a tissue of quotations from it the New TEstament is; how constantly Our Lord repeated, reinforced, continued, refined, and sublimated the Judaic ethics, how very seldom He introduced a novelty."
Forgiveness - not hatred (Leviticus 19:17,18)
Helping another, even your enemy (Exodus 23:4,5)
Don't celebrate in your heart when enemy falls (Prov 24:17)
If your enemy is hungry give him bread (Prov 25:21)
He goes on, "The Light which has lightened every man from the beginning may shine more clearly but cannot change.The Origin cannot suddenly start being, in the popular sense of the word, 'original'."
"(General rule in the Moral Universe) 'the higher, the more in danger'"... "It is great men, potential saints, not little men, who become merciless fanatics. Those who are readiest to die for a cause may easily become those who are readiest to kill for it....For the Supernatural, entering a human soul, opens to it new possibilities both of good and evil. From that point the road branches: one way to sanctity, love, humility, the other to spiritual pride, self-righteousness, persecuting zeal. And no way back to the mere humdrum virtues and vices of the unawakened soul. If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. Of all created beings the wickedest is one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God... It gives new application to Our Lord's words about 'counting the cost'."
C.S. Lewis said, "But this is one of the rewards of reading the Old Testament regularly. You keep on discovering more and more what a tissue of quotations from it the New TEstament is; how constantly Our Lord repeated, reinforced, continued, refined, and sublimated the Judaic ethics, how very seldom He introduced a novelty."
Forgiveness - not hatred (Leviticus 19:17,18)
- Correction from Moses, when the second sons advocated for escalating vengeance (Gen 4:15,24). Jesus emphasized forgiveness over vengeance (Matthew 18:21,22, Luke 17:4).
- God seemed to be clarifying the mark of Cain given in Gen 4:15 through scriptures (seven times) notably; Jacob bowing seven times to Esau (Gen 33:3,4), Sprinkling of blood before the Lord (Lev 4:6,17; 8:11).
- Psalm 12:6; "And the words of the Lord are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times."
Helping another, even your enemy (Exodus 23:4,5)
- "love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. (Matt 5:44-45)"
Don't celebrate in your heart when enemy falls (Prov 24:17)
If your enemy is hungry give him bread (Prov 25:21)
He goes on, "The Light which has lightened every man from the beginning may shine more clearly but cannot change.The Origin cannot suddenly start being, in the popular sense of the word, 'original'."
"(General rule in the Moral Universe) 'the higher, the more in danger'"... "It is great men, potential saints, not little men, who become merciless fanatics. Those who are readiest to die for a cause may easily become those who are readiest to kill for it....For the Supernatural, entering a human soul, opens to it new possibilities both of good and evil. From that point the road branches: one way to sanctity, love, humility, the other to spiritual pride, self-righteousness, persecuting zeal. And no way back to the mere humdrum virtues and vices of the unawakened soul. If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst. Of all created beings the wickedest is one who originally stood in the immediate presence of God... It gives new application to Our Lord's words about 'counting the cost'."
