Deep Calling Deep 3: YHWH and Ba'al

With my last non-BTS blog, I got into the name of YHWH and the intimacy behind knowing God’s name rather than just referring to Him as a generic “God.”  I want to get a little deeper into that by getting into the name of Ba’al today.  The two are more closely related than most of us realize.

How many of you reading this are Baal worshippers?  I’m going to assume that nobody raised their hand on that one.  And yet, every one of us is.  Most people think of Ba’al as a specific deity or false god, specifically the primary god of the ancient Phoenicians.  Any of you that thought of Ba’al along those lines were not wrong.  That is a correct definition of the word, “Ba’al.”  The problem is that it’s A definition and not THE definition. 

Easton’s 1897 Bible Dictionary – Ba’al is “The name appropriated to the principle male god of the Phoenicians.” 

The key word there is “appropriated.”  The Phoenicians took the name of Ba’al from an already existing word.  So what did the word mean originally?  Ba’al, more commonly spelled Baal today, is an ancient Hebrew word which can mean master, owner, husband, or lord.  So going by this definition, when I asked the question “how many of you reading this are Ba’al worshippers?” all of you should have raised your hands because all of you worship a lord of some kind, even if it’s not YHWH.

What happened was a natural evolution of language.  A word is used so often it becomes identified with a specific person or object.  It happens all the time.  If I asked you to think of a video, most people would think of a small, black, plastic, rectangular box filled with tape that you stick in a VCR.  If I asked you to bring me a record album, most people would bring me a black, vinyl disk to be played on a record player.  But a DVD is also a video and a CD is a record album, and if I referred to them as such I would be correct.  The term “video” simply means it can be viewed.  A movie on DVD is a video.  In fact DVD originally stood for Digital Video Disc until it was changed to Digital Versatile Disc once it sunk in that a DVD could do so much more than just record movies.  The term “record” simply means a recording.  The term “album” simply means a collection.  A record album is a collection of recordings, so a CD with somebody’s songs on it is just as much a record album as a black, vinyl disk.  So why do we have particular objects in mind when we use these terms?  Because they were the most important and widely used items to support these terms for many people, so the terms came to belong exclusively to those items. 

Ba’al came to be known as the name of a false god in the same way.  YHWH was Lord, but there were other lords rising up.  After calling the primary one “lord” for long enough, that became his name.  Calling YHWH ba’al, or lord, is not wrong at all, but it’s indistinct.  If you call Him “Lord” as if that’s His name, you’ve altered who He is, and whether you mean to or not, you’ve lessened Him to fit what you want Him to be. 

This variance highlights one of the problems with the Body of Christ today.  We’ve changed who YHWH said He is in more ways than just His name.  For that reason, too many people today are ba’al worshippers and that’s all they are.  They may use the name Jesus Christ even if they don’t know the name of YHWH, but the form and substance of their worship is all their own as is the god that they’re worshipping.  When we don’t seek the one true God the way He told us to seek Him, but instead seek after a god in a form and manner that’s pleasing to our own sensibilities, then we’re not truly seeking Him.  And so we’re not truly finding Him.  We’re finding a generic replacement of Him. 

My hope for you today is that you want who He truly is and not who you want Him to be, because who He is, is far greater than your own desires.

Scott

edgiscript3@yahoo.com

 

BTS 7/23/13

Hello again, Spiritman fans.  Here's our most current news. 

Information:  Page 13 is up.

Too much information:  I've got pancake batter between my toes at the moment.

Anyway, as I said,  page 13 is up on the site.  YAAAAAY!  Pages 12 and 13 have introduced the main villain of this comic for the time being.  And speaking for myself, I like how his eyes look hollow in several panels.  It's a unique experience for a comic book writer knowing what's coming and yet not knowing what's coming.  It's a cool way to be a fan.

Pages 14 and 15 are on the drawing board.  Hopefully we'll see them both soon. 

Issue 2 is in the books.  Sort of.  It's finished, but I've submitted it to a couple of people for their criticism and I may end up with some tweaking when they're done looking at it, but other than that it's finished. 

I wanted to mention briefly the pacing of this comic.  As you are probably aware, we're averaging about 1 page every week, give or take.  Because of that, unlike a normal comic you'd read through in about a half an hour, single pages leave longer lasting impressions.  It may feel like we're dealing with a particular plot element or character or whatever for far too long when in reality it's only been a few pages which take about 5 minutes to read through if you have all of them in front of you.  I've wondered if I should try to condense storylines as much as possible for this reason and I've decided against it.  I want to be true to the characters and situations and not abbreviate plots artificially. 

But one problem in particular could arise.  We are making a faith-based comic, which means we are, whether we are intending to or not, making certain statements about God, His people, faith, and so on.  For the sake of dramatic tension, negative elements will obviously arise.  At times, because of the pacing of this comic, it may accidentally appear that we are embracing those negative elements when we don't mean to be because they seem to be remaining without a resolution for months at a time.  Paul and I see where it's going and we know that the resolution may only be a few pages away, but you don't know that.  If you ever feel the need to ask us what's going on or if we're promoting a certain negative viewpoint as Godly, please shoot us an e-mail.  I'll be glad to discuss it with you. 

Without giving too much away, of course.  I don't want to ruin it for you.  :)

Have fun.

Scott
edgiscript3@yahoo.com

Deep Calling Deep 2: YHWH

I use the HRV primarily, that is the Hebraic Roots Version of the bible, because it tries to get back to the original Hebrew.  And in the original Hebrew the name of God,  YHWH, which we pronounce Yah-way, shows up nearly seven thousand times.   And yet it doesn’t show up once in any of my English translations other than the HRV.  Why not?  Well, the blame for that must be shared by Jewish religious leaders of the Old Testament era, and the makers of the KJV, at least the one we have now.

Exodus 20:7 (NKJV) – “You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.”

Exodus 20:7 (HRV) – “You shall not take the name of YHWH your Elohim in vain.”

“Lord” is not a name.  It’s a title of nobility.  Because of this alteration, we haven’t known His name for thousands of years, at least most of us haven’t.  When somebody says, “Praise the name of the Lord,” a correct response could very well be, “I’d love to.  Please tell me what it is.”

Old Testament Jewish religious leaders feared that the name YHWH would be pronounced too often by the people, and therefore would be treated callously.  This, they felt, violated the third commandment, and so they created their own rule which forbade the name YHWH to be spoken by anybody except by the High Priest when performing certain sacred duties during which the name must be used.  KJV translators, out of respect for this tradition, intentionally did not use the name YHWH.  Instead, every time they came across it in the scriptures they replaced it with LORD in all caps so they both respected the tradition and allowed readers to understand what was actually meant when it showed up that way. 

This mistranslation, among others, has caused several problems in Christianity today.  It’s created some minor problems such as the misbelief that phrases like, “Oh, my God,” and “Oh, dear Lord,” are taking God’s name in vain.  All of the mistranslation have caused some major problems when we accept as truth something He did not say.  But the larger issue I want to get into here is the fact that we have taken a personal, intimate YHWH and turned Him into an impersonal, generic Lord.

This change from YHWH to LORD is a microcosm of the state of Christianity today.  What was designed to be an intimate, expressive love has become a dreary, dull duty.  What was supposed to be a romantic, exciting, passionate embrace has become a mindless, punch-the-clock system of dos and don’ts.  In short religion has replaced relationship.  It was never supposed to be this way.

Recognizing the name of YHWH is much more than simply being accurate to the original translation.  What’s truly important is that we acknowledge what God wanted to reveal to us and that we refuse to accept what man has substituted in its place.  It’s important to acknowledge how the mistakes and too-often intentional errors of man have altered our perception of who God really is, so that, once understanding has taken place, we can move in YHWH’s real will for us rather than a watered down version of it.  And most importantly, we need to acknowledge that YHWH is much more personal and intimate than what religion would have us believe.  Saying that we are free indeed is meaningless if we’re wrapping ourselves in chains as we do it. 

The terms “God” and “Lord” are not inaccurate in describing YHWH.  Indeed, YHWH is God and Lord of the universe whether you acknowledge Him as such or not.  And hopefully you have or will make Him your personal God and Lord.  But the terms “god” and “lord” can apply to almost anything.  When some say “god” they mean Allah.  When it gets right down to it, others mean family, and still others mean money.  “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” can be said by members of any faith, even atheists as they’d be referring to themselves.  “Blessed be the name of YHWH,” cannot be owned by a lie.

I bring this up here because in our comic, Martin (and others as the comic goes on) is striving for that intimacy with God.  And so you will see the name “YHWH” used from time to time.  “God” and “Lord” carry connotations of the Almighty, Supreme Being Ruling On High And Surveying All He Sees With INCREASINGLY CAPITAL LETTERS!!!!  (INSERT BOOMING, THUNDEROUS SOUNDS HERE!!!)  And, of course, He is the Lord of lords and the King of kings, the Great I Am who created everything and upholds the universe with the power of His Word  and we should never forget that.  But He is also the greatest friend and lover you could ever know.  And more than that, He actually wants you to seek Him in that way.  Martin and Spiritman use the name YHWH as they would a close friend, someone they’re familiar with on a very personal level. 

My hope for you is that you won’t be afraid to seek him in the same way. 

Scott
Edgiscript3@yahoo.com

BTS: 7/11/13

From Scott.

Here are some Behind The Scenes news items for you guys.  I gotta hurry, though.  I'm getting ready to play my Lego Lord Of The Rings.  A man's gotta have priorities.  :)

The script for the 2nd issue is essentially finished, but I've got some panel work to do.  I realized that I'm putting way too much in some pages.  Looking back I think I'm trying to make each page wrap itself up in a small way and so I'm cramming some stuff in when I should let it go to the next page. 

Pages 10 and 11 were added recently.  I am told that pages 12 and 13 are on their way.  Paul also says he's looking forward to the end of the comic where there are some really cool action sequences to draw. 

Paul had pages 1-9 up and ready in time for Minnesota's Springcon that we attended earlier this year.  After that he was planning on going back and coloring each page, but decided instead to move forward with the story.  I think it was a good move, but I want to know what you guys think.  Please let us know what you'd prefer.  Which category do you fall into?

I'd like each page in color as you go.  I can wait on what comes next in the story as long as each page has full color.
Nobody cares about color!  I want to know what happens next as soon as possible.  I hate cliffhangers.
Or somewhere in between. 

Please feel free to let us know if you have a strong opinion about it. 

And for those that are keeping score, I'm trying to post something here once a week.  Every other week will be this BTS stuff to let you guys know what's up.  And the other weeks will be what's on my heart as I write these issues.

Tanoshinde  (Pronounced Tah-noh-sheen-deh.  My son and I are trying to learn Japanese.  That means "have fun.")

Scott
edgiscript3@yahoo.com

Deep Calling Deep 1. Diving In

Psalm 42:8 (Hebraic Roots Version) – “Deep calls unto deep at the voice of Your cataracts; all Your waves and Your billows are gone over me.”

Psalm 42:7 (King James Version) – “Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterspouts:  all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me.”

Mentally, I’m a very deep person.  I analyze everything to death.  It makes me a good writer because I understand how different people think.  I’m a truth seeker by nature.  I need to know things.  I will stand by what I absolutely know to be right, even if a thousand stand against me.  I do this because I have gone deep.  I have spent the time and effort to determine truth, and I will not leave its side once that truth has been found.  I am glad that God put this in me and consider it to be a strength of will and a strength of character. 

I can easily and willingly go deep into any subject that I care to analyze.

Emotionally though, that’s another matter.  I am not a people person by any stretch of the imagination.  I entered drama in high school as a means of combatting my shyness.  It worked, in a sense.  I can now stand in front of ten thousand people in a leotard and speak Shakespearean English without a pause or a blush.  But I still can’t talk to you one on one about my dreams and desires.  I can’t discuss my innermost secrets and fears and I don’t care to listen to yours.  (Unless, of course, we’re analyzing them together.)

This is my problem.  I can study history and see where we went right and where we went wrong.  I can break down scripture and find hidden treasures that Yahweh placed there for us to find.  I can explore the philosophies and religions of men and point out their flaws and miscalculations.  But I cannot easily sit and be quiet with my God.  I find it difficult to go deep into Him in this way.  This is what I struggle with which I believe is why He wants me to know Him more in this way.  It’s easy (or easier anyway) to know his mind.  But I really need to know His heart. 

Deep calls to deep.  Yahweh God is infinitely deep.  That deepness is calling out to the deep part of each of us for a deep, fulfilling relationship while we try to stay shallow.  While I stand sharing with Him what I thought about the latest blockbuster movie to hit the cinema, He’s trying to reveal His heart to me.  While I’m asking what to have for lunch, He’s asking who I really am in a way that reveals to me that I don’t understand the real answer to that question. 

Deep calls to deep.  God is looking for much more than most of us are willing to give Him.  We want to keep things shallow like a one-night-stand relationship.  We want the pleasure that He offers us, but we don’t want the commitment.  We want to see Him as a Santa giving, giving, giving, and only taking our feeble milk and cookies in return. 

Martin is looking for deep in a shallow world.  He wants to dive in, he’s just not sure how.  Once he’s given the way in, it frightens him a little and he has to ask himself just how badly he wants it.  Through Martin’s struggle to know God more deeply, I hope to encourage the readers who have the same hunger to know God that deeply but are struggling with understanding how that’s possible.  Much of Christianity as we know it is limited to the shallow end of the pool when there’s so much more that He has to offer us.  If you’re looking to go deeper with God, no matter what looks like it’s in your way, He will reveal His depth to those who truly seek Him. 

The only real question is, how deep are you willing to go?

 

Scott Snyder

edgiscript3@yahoo.com