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Small Bowls and Big Bows
One of the
fascinating things I have observed in life is the seeming helplessness
individuals manifest in the face of compromise, especially when the stakes are
high. It often feels like the pressure to give in, is always higher than the
strength to withstand the temptation. But how do people become strong? How can
believers innoculate themselves against the evil day? How really does God
deliver us from temptation? How do we ensure that when the day of adversity
comes, our strength does not fail?
Well, I discovered
a mystery! I realised that ever before there is a pressure to bow, a bowl will
be presented. The objective of the bowl is to suppress your sensitivities, so
that when the demand to bow comes, you will lack any form of resistance against
that demand. Only those who weren't fraternizing with the bowl, will be capable
of defying the command to bow. You can't eat of the bowl and suddenly choose
not to bow when the demand is made. I hope you see the carcass and the eagle
dynamic at play here?
Nebuchadnezzar will
not present the golden image to you, the first time you meet with him: he knows
better than to create a possibility for your rejection. He always wants to make
sure that when the golden image is set up, you wouldn't have any resistance
left in you. So he initiates a system where you become less and less
sensitive to what you're already
permitting into your space in incremental doses, then once he's done
desensitising you, he presents the golden image and can guarantee your
obeisance.
It took the Hebrew
boys who refused the bowl of Nebuchadnezzar to also refuse to bow to his golden
image. No one can really fake boldness in the face of a dire situation! You
either have it or you don't: and you don't build convictions on the day of trial!
You refuse to bow, by refusing the bowl!
So here are some
differences between the bowl and the bow.
The bow often has
high stakes attached and bowing typically shows an outright rejection of God;
The bowl on the
other hand, is a low stake "rationalisable" compromise,
and eating of the bowl hardly seems like
defying God outrightly. It's just a little deviation, a little searing of the
conscience, a little silencing of your morality, just a little. I mean, will
God want you dying of hunger in a strange land? And what does God want for His
children if not the best? The best food, clothes, houses and education! Riight?
Aftrall, kings will become my nursing fathers, innit?? How dare I reject the
delicate nursing of this faithful father Nebu?? 🤷🏽♂️
I know you're more
concerned about the big bow, but I'll say, be more worried about the small
bowls.
There are two kinds
of slavery:
One where Pharaoh
oppresses the people with hardship, suffering and high levels of human right
violation. The other is one where Nebuchadnezzar exalts the status of the
slaves to elite levels. Gives them degrees, grants them access to limitless
funds, appoints them into high offices and makes them sit at his table. Both
models are expressions of slavery, only that one is a lot more sophisticated.
Both Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar had the same objective; Worship! They both
wanted worship from God's people. Pharaoh deprived the children of Israel from
worshipping their God, because he was receiving that worship in the meantime.
Nebuchadnezzar was going to inevitably introduce the golden image for worship
as well. It's easy to spot the dysfunction in Pharaoh's model of slavery, but
do we even notice when Nebuchadenzzar's sophisticated model creeps in?
View all episodes
By Powerpoint TribeOne of the
fascinating things I have observed in life is the seeming helplessness
individuals manifest in the face of compromise, especially when the stakes are
high. It often feels like the pressure to give in, is always higher than the
strength to withstand the temptation. But how do people become strong? How can
believers innoculate themselves against the evil day? How really does God
deliver us from temptation? How do we ensure that when the day of adversity
comes, our strength does not fail?
Well, I discovered
a mystery! I realised that ever before there is a pressure to bow, a bowl will
be presented. The objective of the bowl is to suppress your sensitivities, so
that when the demand to bow comes, you will lack any form of resistance against
that demand. Only those who weren't fraternizing with the bowl, will be capable
of defying the command to bow. You can't eat of the bowl and suddenly choose
not to bow when the demand is made. I hope you see the carcass and the eagle
dynamic at play here?
Nebuchadnezzar will
not present the golden image to you, the first time you meet with him: he knows
better than to create a possibility for your rejection. He always wants to make
sure that when the golden image is set up, you wouldn't have any resistance
left in you. So he initiates a system where you become less and less
sensitive to what you're already
permitting into your space in incremental doses, then once he's done
desensitising you, he presents the golden image and can guarantee your
obeisance.
It took the Hebrew
boys who refused the bowl of Nebuchadnezzar to also refuse to bow to his golden
image. No one can really fake boldness in the face of a dire situation! You
either have it or you don't: and you don't build convictions on the day of trial!
You refuse to bow, by refusing the bowl!
So here are some
differences between the bowl and the bow.
The bow often has
high stakes attached and bowing typically shows an outright rejection of God;
The bowl on the
other hand, is a low stake "rationalisable" compromise,
and eating of the bowl hardly seems like
defying God outrightly. It's just a little deviation, a little searing of the
conscience, a little silencing of your morality, just a little. I mean, will
God want you dying of hunger in a strange land? And what does God want for His
children if not the best? The best food, clothes, houses and education! Riight?
Aftrall, kings will become my nursing fathers, innit?? How dare I reject the
delicate nursing of this faithful father Nebu?? 🤷🏽♂️
I know you're more
concerned about the big bow, but I'll say, be more worried about the small
bowls.
There are two kinds
of slavery:
One where Pharaoh
oppresses the people with hardship, suffering and high levels of human right
violation. The other is one where Nebuchadnezzar exalts the status of the
slaves to elite levels. Gives them degrees, grants them access to limitless
funds, appoints them into high offices and makes them sit at his table. Both
models are expressions of slavery, only that one is a lot more sophisticated.
Both Pharaoh and Nebuchadnezzar had the same objective; Worship! They both
wanted worship from God's people. Pharaoh deprived the children of Israel from
worshipping their God, because he was receiving that worship in the meantime.
Nebuchadnezzar was going to inevitably introduce the golden image for worship
as well. It's easy to spot the dysfunction in Pharaoh's model of slavery, but
do we even notice when Nebuchadenzzar's sophisticated model creeps in?