Our fFather Adam, the first man, and Eve, the first woman were the first man and they were called the son of God. Being a son is WAY different than being merely a faithful and good servant. It speaks of a deeper and close relationship with the Father and Mother and family of GOD. But more than that, there is some kind of spiritual biology there, something I haven’t heard of and don’t understand very well.
In Jewish Legend, when the LORD created man, he was glorious. It was said Adam, originally, was so tall, shining like the sun, clothed with clouds, and He had greater wisdom than the Angels. But, he was created from humble earth, and his descendents would be born of the woman. It was said, that the Angels, many of them, scoffed at him and were jealous of him. Mostly because of their love for the Father-GOD, but also they looked down on him, literally, because of his humble constitution.
It was said, that GOD destroyed many of them for that. For He actually originally asked the Angels to come and bow down before Adam. That tells me that although Adam was in most respects lesser than the Angels in power, ability, and other things – Adam was STILL considered family, and those Angels, though living in the Heavenlies and much superior were NOT family.
There is so much of an emphasis on ability, the survival of the fittest, so much stress on success and having a good life that we forget that family, love, and being there together for each other is thrown out with other good values. My observation of American culture is just that the family unit is being eroded, not by anyOne, but by our own decisions to seek life without the foundation of family. Everyone is breaking off and starting their own little kingdoms, when they could very easily just remain rooted in the Kingdom of GOD, and the kingdom of their fathers (and mothers).
It is a running away from home that has been going on for millenium. Why don’t we as the fifth commandment says “Honor your father and mother, so it may be well with you in the land the LORD your GOD is giving you”? Implicit in that commandment is that we obey our parents in everything, get along with them, live with them, expand the territory He has given them, and eventually when they pass from this life to the next manage all the land and property GOD has given into your hands. Instead we run away from home, live our own lives, rack up massive amounts of debt, enslave ourselves to an overlord making minimum wages, get stuck in all sorts of sins, all for what? It is the story of the prodigal son (or daughter) all around and over and over again. We just don’t realize that the best life for us is at home. If it is not too late, go home.
Following is a beautiful story mostly about vegetarianism but also mostly about being a good son, staying home (from essene.com):
You are like the prodigal son, who for many years did eat and drink, and passed his days in riotousness and lechery with his friends. And every week without his father’s knowledge he incurred new debts, and squandered all in a few days. And the moneylenders always lent to him, because his father possessed great riches and always paid patiently the debts of his son. And in vain did he with fair words admonish his son, for he never listened to the admonitions of his father, who besought him in vain that he would give up his debaucheries which had no end, and that he would go to his fields to watch over the labor of his servants. And the son always promised him everything if he would pay his old debts, but the next day he began again. And for more than seven years the son continued in his riotous living. But, at last, his father lost patience and no more paid to the moneylenders the debts of his son. “if I continue always to pay,” he said, “there will be no end to the sins of my son.” Then the moneylenders, who were deceived, in their wrath took the son into slavery that he might by his daily toil pay back to them the money which he had borrowed. And then ceased the eating and drinking and the daily excesses. From morning until night by the sweat of his face he watered the fields, and all of his limbs ached with the unaccustomed labor. And he lived upon dry bread, and had naught but his tears with which he could water it. And three days after he suffered so much from the heat and from weariness that he said to his master: ‘I can work no more, for all my limbs do ache. How long would you torment me?’ ‘Till the day when by the labor of your hands you pay me all your debts, and when seven years are passed, you will be free.’ And the desperate son answered weeping: ‘But I cannot bear so much as seven days. Have pity on me, for all my limbs do burn and ache.’ And the wicked creditor cried out: ‘Press on with the work; if you could for seven years spend your days and your nights in riotousness, now must you work for seven years. I will not forgive you till you pay back all your debts to the uttermost drachma.’ And the son, with his limbs racked with pain, went back despairing to the fields to continue his work. Already he could hardly stand upon his feet because of his weariness and of his pains, when the seventh day was come-the Sabbath day, in which no man works in the field. Then the son gathered the remnant of his strength and staggered to the house of his father. And he cast himself down at his father’s feet and said: ‘Father, believe me for the last time and forgive me all my offenses against your swear to you that I will never again live riotously and that I will be your obedient son in all things. Free me from the hands of my oppressor. Father, look upon me and upon my sick limbs, and harden not your heart.’ Then tears came into his father’s eyes, and he took his son in his arms, and said: ‘Let us rejoic e, for today a great joy is given me, because I have found again my beloved son, who was lost.’ And he clothed him with his choicest raiment and all the day long they made merry. And on the morning of the morrow he gave his son a bag of silver that he might pay to his creditors all that he owed them. And when his son came back, he said to him: ‘My son, do you see that it is easy, through riotous living, to incur debts for seven years, but their payment is difficult by the heavy labor of seven years.’ ‘Father, it is indeed hard to pay them, even for seven days.’ And his father admonished him, saying: ‘For this once alone has it been permitted you to pay your debts in seven days instead of seven years, the rest is forgiven you. But take heed that in the time to come you do not incur more debts. For I tell you truly, that none else but your father forgives you your debts, because you are his son. For with all else you would have had to labor hard for seven years, as it is commanded in our laws.’
My father, I will henceforth be your loving and obedient son, and I will not any more incur debts, for I know that their payment is hard.’
“And he went to his father’s field and watched every day over the work of his father’s laborers. And he never made his laborers work hard, for he remembered his own heavy labor. And the years passed, and his father’s possession increased ever more and more beneath his hand, for the blessing of his father was upon his labor. And slowly he gave back tenfold to his father all that he had squandered in the seven years. And when his father saw that his son used well his servants and all his possessions, he said to him: ‘My son, I see that my possessions are in good hands. I give you all my cattle, my house, my lands and my treasures. Let all this be your heritage, continue increasing it that I may have delight in you.’ And when the son had received his inheritance from his father, he forgave their debts to all his debtors who could not pay him, for he did not forget that his debt also had been forgiven when he could not pay it. And God blessed him with long life, with many children and with much riches, because he was kind to all his servants and to all his cattle.”
Then Jesus turned to the sick folk and said: “I speak to you in parables that you may better understand God’s word. The seven years of eating and drinking and of riotous living are the sins of the past. The wicked creditor is Satan. The debts are diseases. The heavy labor is pains. The prodigal son, he is yourselves. The payment of the debts is the casting from you of devils and diseases, and the healing of your body. The bag of silver received from the father is the liberating power of the angels. The father is God. The father’s possessions are earth and heaven. The servants of the father are the angels. The father’s field is the world, which is changed into the kingdom of the heavens, if the Sons of Man work thereon together with the angels of the Heavenly Father. For I tell you, it is better that the son should obey his father and keep watch over his father’s servants in the field, than that he should become the debtor of the wicked creditor and toil and sweat in serfdom to repa y all his debts. it is better, likewise, if the Sons of Man also obey the laws of their Heavenly Father, and work together with his angels upon his kingdom, than that they should become the debtors of Satan, the lord of death, of all sins and all diseases, and that they should suffer with pains and sweat till they have repaid all their sins. I tell you truly, great and many are your sins. Many years have you yielded to the enticings of Satan. You have been gluttonous, wine-bibbers and gone a-whoring, and your past debts have multiplied. And now you must repay them, and payment is difficult and hard. Be not, therefore, already impatient after the third day, like the prodigal son, but wait patiently for the seventh day which is sanctified by God, and then go with humble and obedient heart before the face of your Heavenly Father, that he may forgive you your sins and all your past debts. I tell you truly, your Heavenly Father loves you without end, for he also allows you to pay in seven days the debts of seven years. Those that owe the sins and diseases of seven years, but pay honestly and persevere till the seventh day, to them shall our Heavenly Father forgive the debts of all these seven years.
