Explanation of John 1:17
വഴി Brian David
The Lord’s relationship with the earliest people – those of what the Writings call the "Most Ancient Church" – could be described as "heart-to-heart." His love could flow to them in very pure forms that acted directly on their emotions; the love they returned to Him and turned to each other was all but automatic. But they were free, and eventually turned away, wanting a greater sense of identity and a greater sense of controlling their own lives, desires that ultimately led them to appalling depths of evil. So the Lord raised up a second church, the Ancient Church. His relationship with its people could be described as "mind-to-mind." They had deeply symbolic stories, and could understand their spiritual messages; they could also see the Lord’s love expressed in all the details of the natural world. They understood the Lord, as much as human beings can. But pride of intelligence ultimately led to their downfall, as they turned that understanding away from the Lord toward idolatry and magic.
So the Lord raised a third church, among the Children of Israel. With this one, the relationship could be described as "body-to-body." The people were too selfish for the Lord to affect their hearts and too worldly for Him to affect their minds, but through punishment and rules He could govern their actions, forcing them into rituals and forms that had spiritual meaning, even if the people themselves did not understand. Through them He preserved some of the wisdom of the Ancient Church, and through them He created a new container for his divine truth in the form of the Old Testament.
This was done through Moses, of course, and in the form of what Jews called "the Law" – the most external form of the Lord’s truth.
When the Lord came as Jesus, though, he did it to start a return to more internal connections. He opened up the Law to show the love and caring inside, and led people to see that faith was a matter of embracing divine truth in the mind and the heart, not obedience to physical ritual. The container was necessary, but the contents were the point. He brought truth – real, internal truth – and grace, which represents the delight of truth.
Exodus 6
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Yahweh said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh, for by a strong hand he shall let them go, and by a strong hand he shall drive them out of his land."
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God spoke to Moses, and said to him, "I am Yahweh;
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and I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty; but by my name Yahweh I was not known to them.
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I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their travels, in which they lived as aliens.
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Moreover I have heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant.
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Therefore tell the children of Israel, 'I am Yahweh, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments:
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and I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and you shall know that I am Yahweh your God, who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.
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I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am Yahweh.'"
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Moses spoke so to the children of Israel, but they didn't listen to Moses for anguish of spirit, and for cruel bondage.
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Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying,
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"Go in, speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt, that he let the children of Israel Go out of his land."
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Moses spoke before Yahweh, saying, "Behold, the children of Israel haven't listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, who am of uncircumcised lips?"
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Yahweh spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a command to the children of Israel, and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt.
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These are the heads of their fathers' houses. The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the families of Reuben.
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The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the families of Simeon.
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These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, and Kohath, and Merari; and the years of the life of Levi were one hundred thirty-seven years.
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The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, according to their families.
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The sons of Kohath: Amram, and Izhar, and Hebron, and Uzziel; and the years of the life of Kohath were one hundred thirty-three years.
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The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their generations.
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Amram took Jochebed his father's sister to himself as wife; and she bore him Aaron and Moses: and the years of the life of Amram were a hundred and thirty-seven years.
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The sons of Izhar: Korah, and Nepheg, and Zichri.
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The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, and Elzaphan, and Sithri.
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Aaron took Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab, the sister of Nahshon, as his wife; and she bore him Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
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The sons of Korah: Assir, and Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the families of the Korahites.
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Eleazar Aaron's son took one of the daughters of Putiel as his wife; and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites according to their families.
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These are that Aaron and Moses, to whom Yahweh said, "Bring out the children of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their armies."
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These are those who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring out the children of Israel from Egypt. These are that Moses and Aaron.
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It happened on the day when Yahweh spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,
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that Yahweh spoke to Moses, saying, "I am Yahweh. Speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I Speak to you."
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Moses said before Yahweh, "Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips, and how shall Pharaoh listen to me?"
