Book Two, Chapter Four

FOUR

Does the Spiritual require the Corporeal?

In a previous section, we saw man lift a staff toward heaven with a similar stretching forth of the staff in God’s hand. We also saw man stretching forth his staff, and God performing. See as a further example Joshua 8:18, “And the Lord said unto Joshua, Stretch out the spear that is in thy hand toward Ai; for I will give it into thine hand. And Joshua stretched out the spear that he had in his hand toward the city.”

Of all the mechanics and concepts that have been put forth; of all that we are attempting to juggle competently, we need to keep the fulcrum theory at the forefront of our thinking. And, what exactly are we thinking? We are thinking that the high in the spiritual realm is the low in the corporeal. We are thinking of the shortest distance between two points. Our primitive bronze tool is not that much advanced over the old stone tool, but it does make a better cut. We don’t just compare, we imagine. Our thoughts turn spiritual eyes to spiritual possibilities. When, on earth, things are at their worst, we expect the most from God; but, that is simply more of the fulcrum theory. See Psalms 94:2 “Lift up Thyself, Thou judge of the earth: render a reward to the proud.”

Imagine for a moment that you are trapped in a cage. You have been there for days, and you ache with thirst. To make matters worse, just outside your cage, on the other side of the iron mesh and out of reach, is a small pool of water. Your head hangs in despair, then you are thrown a straw. You struggle to get the straw to the pool and you prevail; you sip the water and are refreshed. Leaning back in your cage, you lift your face to heaven. Here is another: you follow a path that should lead you to the mountains. Beyond the mountains is a river overflowing with cool clean water. However, you have had to go through the desert to reach the mountains. Your journey has wearied you and the heat of the day has drained you. But, that is past and you are glad as you cross over the mountain into the valley. You put your faith in the river; all your hope and expectation, but the path you follow seems to go on forever. Then you stumble across a small brook and gladly drink the icy waters that issue from the river’s source. Or: you labor six days and are allowed to rest on the seventh.

The three illustrations of the previous paragraph are meant to highlight the shortest distance between two points. Have you kept the fulcrum theory at the forefront of your thoughts? See Psalms 110:7, “He shall drink of the brook in the way: therefore shall he lift up the head.”

The Sabbath was meant as a brook of sorts, as a place to be refreshed and so lift the head. As a type, the Sabbath represents the relationship between the corporeal and the spiritual. We may understand the ‘brook’ to be something that is right and good on our side; the lifting of the ‘head’ is a spiritual response. We have previously noted that when something on the spiritual side is high or lifted up, something on the corporeal plane is low, or lowly. Note, now, that ‘brook’ as opposed to ‘river’ is, in a representative sense, more humble.

Christ, Himself, illustrated the fulcrum theory when He said in Matthew 11:29, “Take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (mind): and ye shall find rest unto your souls.”

He spoke of the humility of Jesus the man, but He said that the ‘learning of’ by being guided along the same corporeal path would produce an exalted spiritual response. That is the shortest distance between two points. That is the fulcrum effect. Impoverishment here is exaltation there; exaltation here is lowliness there.

I began this section by posing the question: ‘Does the spiritual require the corporeal?’. Does God require man? I think the very nature of the relationship answers that. Yes. A father requires a child to be a father. A wife requires a husband to be a wife. The actual state of any relationship, I think, defines the parameters of its requirements. A mirror only reflects because there is something there to be reflected. Perhaps, every success in the realization of a spiritual God in a corporeal existence may be viewed as a burst of spiritual energy that fuels the process. Who is to say that God does not draw from His successes on this plane? Who is to say that His successes do not increase His ability to make even more successes next time?

If we take a moment to examine intent, we may see that the remaking of our plane into a suitable habitat is a thing accomplished by the exaltation and magnification of everything spiritual; or, in other words, the humbling of all things corporeal. The spiritual plate is up when the corporeal plate is down; the spiritual plate is down when the corporeal plate is up. So why do we keep getting smacked?

See Daniel 5:23, “But hast lifted up thyself against the Lord of heaven.”

As to the extent of the plan, see Isaiah 14:26, “This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth: and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations.”

As to the cause for all the temptations, signs, wonders, terrors, and war, see Jeremiah 15:6, “Thou hast forsaken Me, saith the Lord, thou art gone backward: therefore will I stretch out My hand against thee, and destroy thee; I am weary with repenting.”

As to the ongoing process of remaking the corporeal plane; the urgency to remake it; the reason why it must be remade, see Isaiah 9:17, Isaiah 5:25, and Isaiah 9:12, “The Lord shall have no joy in their young men, neither shall have mercy on their fatherless and widows: for every one is an hypocrite and an evildoer, and every mouth speaketh folly. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. Therefore is the anger of the Lord kindled against His people, and He hath stretched forth His hand against them, and hath smitten them: and the hills did tremble, and their carcases were torn in the midst of the streets. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still. The Syrians before, and the Philistines behind; and they shall devour Israel with open mouth. For all this His anger is not turned away, but His hand is stretched out still.”

I have no doubt that it is a spiritual cause and a corporeal effect. But these interminable wars and terrors! They are a remedy to exaltation on the corporeal plane; the process of fueling the realization

of God on the corporeal plane; a throwing down and a lifting up.

See Amos 9:5, “And the Lord God of hosts is He that toucheth the land, and it shall melt, and all that dwell therein shall mourn: and it shall rise up wholly like a flood (water is a symbol of the people; the masses, for each individual is a corporeality in which the spirit, to some degree, is at work); and shall be drowned, as by the flood of Egypt.”

This reference says, basically, that the one thing will rise up and overwhelm itself. If the verse spoke of one thing flooding some other thing, that would be easy enough to see. But, water is always a symbol for people: coursing rivers, raging seas, even the brook in the way. The verse cited above says pretty much the same thing as Zechariah 2:9, “For, behold, I (the second angel) will shake mine hand upon them, and they shall be a spoil to their servants: and ye (the first angel or Zechariah) shall know that the Lord of hosts hath sent me.”

Perhaps the cause and the effect are one and the same: a process of serial realization; a cyclic event that builds upon itself by the removal of impediments; or the hammering away at a large mass of stone to reveal the Michelangelo within. The cause is responsive. For the up to be up, all else must be put down. But, is down so bad? If our lowliness facilitates the magnification of God, can God’s exaltation be without effect in our reality? Aren’t we exalted by the exaltation of God? Does not the fulcrum effect lift us up?

See Mark 9:27, “But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.”