25 June 2022
Creation itself is feudal; the Hebrew approach to feudalism is God's own approach to everything.
So it's only natural that Noah is cut from the same feudal cloth. And that fabric emphasizes people as the real treasure, not real estate or other property. In God's view, nobody really owns territory or resources except Him. Any human activity in nature is by His permit. Otherwise, it's abuse and defilement. Earth is not some passive participant in what we do; it is God's servant. Unlike us, the natural world is not fallen, but it can be defiled by how we use it. That's what comes back to haunt us.
All my blather about nature being alive, sentient and willful was not some joke. This is fundamental to God's Law for the world today. Like God, the natural world is patient, but once stirred by God's command, He has granted it a lot of power of its own to execute His will. If you are disrespectful of that power, you will pay dearly in the long run.
Thus, it is part of the a priori assumptions that you must understand Creation as a person. Everything you encounter that grew or came into existence naturally must be treated with respect as a person. It has the desire to serve us effectively, but will not appreciate abuse and defilement. Creation is very generous, but there is a limit to its patience.
It's not as simple as anthropomorphism. Creation is not fallen as we are. Rather, it is a different kind of person in its own right. When Jesus commanded the storm to be silent, it wasn't a dramatic metaphor. He exercised authority over the natural world that should be ours, but we must first learn how to deal with it. So, for example, it's okay to extract and use petroleum for our needs, but it's not okay to spill that stuff in places that aren't capable of handling it. Thus, the crime is not in petroleum extraction and refining, but in the slapdash operations of petroleum companies trying to act like on oil spill is just a little accident. They are cutting corners out of disrespect for Creation.
You can disregard this all you like as the ranting of an insane guy on the Internet, but if you want to claim Christ's protection from Satan and His Father's wrath, you will have to embrace this approach. It's exactly how the Hebrews looked at things.
Creation is God's slave. Don't abuse the privilege He grants for getting it to serve our human needs. This is another of those underlying assumptions that we are missing on our way to God's Law and avoiding His wrath. Learn that your heart can actually hear these other persons talking: rocks, dirt, grass, trees, flowers, birds, animals, wind, sun, etc. Your heart operates on their wavelength; if you don't learn to operate that way, you will certainly never be able to command the storms the way Jesus did. Every miracle He performed was based on communicating that way. It's built into reality.
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