"When Moses leads the Isrealites through the desert, the story begins with a tyrannical state. Then, it's the spirit of God that leads the Hebrews.. or maybe it's the spiritual of God that characterizes the Hebrew longing for freedom. But is it the tyranny of the state, or is the journey we impose on ourselves? I would say both. The story could be referring to both. We tyrannise ourselves with our own presuppositions all the time. Then we all ask ourselves, "Why?"
Why don't we just give up our tyrannical presuppositions? Because they're not worthy, and they're oppressive. But we don't give them up and we often celebrate them. I think the story itself has an answer for that. Because it's out of the tyranny into the desert. So it's like... is that better or worse? How about worse. So what if it's the case that even to escape from the tyranny of your own presuppositions that you don't go from the tyranny to the promised land.
You go from the tyranny to the desert. And who wants to do that?! The answer is.. no one with any sense. It's an open question in The Exodus narrative whether the desert is worse or better than the tyranny. The Isrealites were in the desert for 40 years. So they were wandering around in the desert was... the same thing that is happening with them is happening with us.
They're worshipping false idols like most of us are today. They're tempted, and it's no wonder they're tempted because it's not going so well. They're having a crisis of confidence. They are pining for the old days as are we, and they're not so sure that the God who informed them that being the subjects of tyranny was wrong because now here we are in the desert.
So... they just like we are.. lack faith, and it's understandable. But despite it being understandable, what does God do when he hears about their complaints? He sent poisonous snakes in there to bite them. First, they go through the tyranny, then they part and go across the Red Sea, and they wander around in the desert. Then God thinks the best solution is to send snakes in to bite them. Even if you're in the desert after a tyranny and you lose faith, then the snakes are going to bite you.
Because if you're in a little anolog of hell... and you lose your faith.. is that going to make it worse or better? Or what happens when you start looking for faith in the wrong directions? The answer is... hell gets a little deeper. The reason hell is a bottomless pit is because no matter how bad it is.. there is some bloody stupid thing that will make everything worse. Which is right. That is what's truly terrifying realization to understand that."
I wanted to paraphrase Jordan Petterson on the hidden message of this Bible story. Don't lose your faith. Don't look for faith in the wrong directions. God doesn't do what you would expect. God won't get rid of the snakes. You have to learn to contend with them. Cause it's better to learn to contend with snakes than it is to inhabit a world where there is no danger. If you look into the abyss, it will re-aquaints you with the wisdom and possibility of your tradition.
There are snakes that are in the hearts of your enemies. Those are always harder snakes to deal with. Then there's the snake that's in your heart. That's the hardest snake to deal with. That's where the equation between the serpent and the devil comes. Because the worst of all snakes is the serpent in your own heart. Your most vulnerable to the worst impulses within you. That's the worst predator of all.
Christ himself made a reference that makes himself in relationship to snake. Well, what's the passion? If the snake is what you're afraid of... in this concretized sense... then the passion.. is the sum total of all possible fears. The crucifixion was not the end of Christ's story.. the resurrection was. The tragedy is never the end of the story. The resurrection is the end of the story. He is the almighty definition of what we are all capable of bearing suffering and prevailing to the degree of confronting life and all of its suffering and prevailing forthrightly.
Randall "Worm" Thompson
"When Moses leads the Isrealites through the desert, the story begins with a tyrannical state. Then, it's the spirit of God that leads the Hebrews.. or maybe it's the spiritual of God that characterizes the Hebrew longing for freedom. But is it the tyranny of the state, or is the journey we impose on ourselves? I would say both. The story could be referring to both. We tyrannise ourselves with our own presuppositions all the time. Then we all ask ourselves, "Why?"
Why don't we just give up our tyrannical presuppositions? Because they're not worthy, and they're oppressive. But we don't give them up and we often celebrate them. I think the story itself has an answer for that. Because it's out of the tyranny into the desert. So it's like... is that better or worse? How about worse. So what if it's the case that even to escape from the tyranny of your own presuppositions that you don't go from the tyranny to the promised land.
You go from the tyranny to the desert. And who wants to do that?! The answer is.. no one with any sense. It's an open question in The Exodus narrative whether the desert is worse or better than the tyranny. The Isrealites were in the desert for 40 years. So they were wandering around in the desert was... the same thing that is happening with them is happening with us.
They're worshipping false idols like most of us are today. They're tempted, and it's no wonder they're tempted because it's not going so well. They're having a crisis of confidence. They are pining for the old days as are we, and they're not so sure that the God who informed them that being the subjects of tyranny was wrong because now here we are in the desert.
So... they just like we are.. lack faith, and it's understandable. But despite it being understandable, what does God do when he hears about their complaints? He sent poisonous snakes in there to bite them. First, they go through the tyranny, then they part and go across the Red Sea, and they wander around in the desert. Then God thinks the best solution is to send snakes in to bite them. Even if you're in the desert after a tyranny and you lose faith, then the snakes are going to bite you.
Because if you're in a little anolog of hell... and you lose your faith.. is that going to make it worse or better? Or what happens when you start looking for faith in the wrong directions? The answer is... hell gets a little deeper. The reason hell is a bottomless pit is because no matter how bad it is.. there is some bloody stupid thing that will make everything worse. Which is right. That is what's truly terrifying realization to understand that."
I wanted to paraphrase Jordan Petterson on the hidden message of this Bible story. Don't lose your faith. Don't look for faith in the wrong directions. God doesn't do what you would expect. God won't get rid of the snakes. You have to learn to contend with them. Cause it's better to learn to contend with snakes than it is to inhabit a world where there is no danger. If you look into the abyss, it will re-aquaints you with the wisdom and possibility of your tradition.
There are snakes that are in the hearts of your enemies. Those are always harder snakes to deal with. Then there's the snake that's in your heart. That's the hardest snake to deal with. That's where the equation between the serpent and the devil comes. Because the worst of all snakes is the serpent in your own heart. Your most vulnerable to the worst impulses within you. That's the worst predator of all.
Christ himself made a reference that makes himself in relationship to snake. Well, what's the passion? If the snake is what you're afraid of... in this concretized sense... then the passion.. is the sum total of all possible fears. The crucifixion was not the end of Christ's story.. the resurrection was. The tragedy is never the end of the story. The resurrection is the end of the story. He is the almighty definition of what we are all capable of bearing suffering and prevailing to the degree of confronting life and all of its suffering and prevailing forthrightly.
2 years ago | [YT] | 1