Posted on 11/17/2001 6:23:08 PM PST by Ironword
But they don't have wings . . . .
Yes, but what does it mean?
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.
I think he was making a reference to the struggle of good over evil, and that this Nation was founded on what is good for the common man and the freedom of religion.
Just my 2 cents
John Page to Thomas Jefferson (July 20, 1776)
But tumult also has a cause, which can be active or passive (witholding of grace).
Job 38:1-7
My conjecture is that in the Old Testament, angels are sometimes the messengers of God, but sometimes also they are God Himself speaking.
We are told in Exodus that no one can look upon God and live. So the Jews speak about the Shekinah, the manifestation of the Glory of God, but not the actual appearance of God himself. Such are the pillars of cloud and fire in Exodus, similar to the ones that appear between the divided sacrifice of Abraham in Genesis.
When the Three Young Men appear to Abraham in Genesis and tell him that Sarah will have a son before a year has passed, before they go down to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, the text sometimes seems to speak of them as angels, and sometimes as God himself. Take a look at the text and you will notice this. The later Christian interpretation is that the three young men represent the Trinity. The Jews believed in the existence of angels, but sometimes the Bible also uses angels when speaking about God himself as He appears to the prophets.
(Which CONTINUES!...)
My wild guess -- there are two sides to every struggle. Perhaps it was a whirlwind of judgment he spoke of -- against the British.
I don't see it as a reference to the election.
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm.
I see it as a reference to keeping America the greatest country in the world.
You write well,that big word got me.
I had to look it up.
ex·e·get·i·cal [èks jéttik'l ] adjective 1. of textual study: relating to the study and interpretation of texts, especially religious writings
2. explanatory: intended to explain or interpret something, especially a written text (formal)
Learn something new every day.
I have, over the years, marvelled at our country's ability to have the right people at hand just when their skills become absolutely necessary to the survival of our country. The Founding Fathers, Lincoln, Grant, Sherman, General Eisenhower, Patton, Truman, Martin Luther King ...
An angel in the whirlwind, directing these events, is a valid explanation.
That he might, but if God is not glorified in us individually and collectively, can the common man ultimately have a peaceful life?
The reference was certainly not to the election or the recount mess. It was instead referring to the course of our history, and God's providential hand within it. Re-read the quote that MJY1288 posted above:
"We are not this story's author, who fills time and eternity with his purpose. Yet his purpose is achieved in our duty, and our duty is fulfilled in service to one nother.
Never tiring, never yielding, never finishing, we renew that purpose today, to make our country more just and generous, to affirm the dignity of our lives and every life.
This work continues. This story goes on. And an angel still rides in the whirlwind and directs this storm."
If you can find the entire Inaugural Address, which unfortunately I thought I had bookmarked, but I don't, you can read the first reference to this at the beginning of the speech. The quote was, I believe, in a letter between two of the founders of the country.
Yes, I would equate the Shekinah, or presence of God, with a presence in the pillars.
And yes, the three who appear to Abraham and Sarah is a difficult passage.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.