Pattertwigs Pal wrote:Oops. I forgot about that part in Job.
I didn't do my research very well did I?
It's okay! We've all been there!
And thanks for the passage in Revelation 12.
12:11 is one of my favorite verses in the entire book! "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." Yeah, good stuff.
Regarding the passage in 1 Kings, you'd have to read the whole chapter to understand what's going on. King Ahab [Israel] wants to fight Syria with King Jehoshaphat [Judah]. He wants to know whether or not he should fight Syria. All the false prophets say "yes," that God will be with him. But Micaiah, the only prophet of the Lord, says "no," that God won't be with Ahab and that he'll die. And Micaiah also says he saw a vision of God sitting on his throne looking for someone to hoodwink Ahab into going to battle so he'll die [since he's a really bad king]. And a [demonic?] spirit appears before God and says he'll be a lying spirit in the false prophets' mouths. And that's what happens. Ahab believes the false prophets and is mortally wounded.
Okay, Emeth! “Lord, is it then true, as the Ape said, that thou and Tash are one? The Lion growled so that the earth shook (but his wrath was not against me) and said, It is false. Not because he and I are one, but because we are opposites, I take to me the services which thou hast done to him, for I and he are of such different kinds that
no service which is vile can be done to me, and none which is not vile can be done to him. Therefore if any man swear by Tash and
keep his oath for the oath’s sake, it is by me that he has truly sworn, though he know it not, and it is I who reward him. And if any man
do a cruelty in my name, then, though he says the name Aslan,
it is Tash whom he serves and by Tash his deed is accepted.” [
The Last Battle, 156]
Notice what I put in bold. Emeth’s actions show who he really serves. Because of this, Aslan draws him to himself and when Emeth sees him he loves him. He is transformed. I think Emeth resembles Cornelius, "a devout man and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God alway. He saw in a vision ... an angel coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. ... Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God." Then the angel tells him to send for Peter who "tell thee what thou oughtest to do." -- Acts 10:2-6
Cornelius did what was right. He was faithful and just. His deeds are accepted with God so that He shows Cornelius the true way: salvation in Jesus Christ. His good deeds weren't enough. He still had to hear the message of salvation in Christ from Peter. But I think his good works opened the door to God's gracious offer. The same is true with Emeth. Aslan saw that he did what was right, but for the wrong god [sort of like Paul]. So he rewarded Emeth for his good deeds by revealing himself. Emeth still had to see Aslan face to face, with the possibility of accepting or rejecting him. There was still only one way: Aslan. Note that once Emeth saw Aslan and bowed down to him as the one true god, he gave up on Tash! “It is I who reward him” – with true salvation. Good deeds can’t save but God can show mercy and point us in the right direction.
Also consider this passage: "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me, and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love him and wll manifest myself to him. . . .If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." -- John 14:21, 23