Commitment.  A Promise.

Can you commit to take that first step of a thousand miles?
Can you make that promise?
Plans are necessary to construct the new city.
Can you commit?  Can you promise?
Commitment to build a new heaven and new earth began with a promise.

There was something very special about this promise.
The peculiarity regarding this promise set a template that guides us all.
What made this promise that will create a new heaven and a new earth unique?  The promise was broken.

Joshua 4:9
   And Joshua set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priests which bare the ark of the covenant stood: and they are there unto this day.

Moses was a man of great caliber:
Deuteronomy 34:10
   And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face

But, Moses could never enter the promised land.
He could not cross the Jordan river into the promised land, but he remained in the what would become the land of Ishmael, the forefather of Muhammed and Islam (even to this present day) – the ultimate expression of our own ‘good’ works.
Deuteronomy 34:4-5
   And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.
   So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD.

Why?  Was Moses considered holy?  Yes.
Exodus 33:11
   And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend.

Moses was holy.
That was the problem.
God had Moses smite the rock for drinking water.
Exodus 17:5-6
   …take with thee of the elders of Israel; and thy rod, wherewith thou smotest the river, take in thine hand, and go.
   Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink.  And Moses did so in the sight of the elders of Israel.

Later, God wanted Moses to speak to the rock in faith for water.
But Moses struck the rock for water (twice – the first time probably didn’t work – but Moses would persist and do it by his own ability – not in faith).
Numbers 20:8-12
   Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.
   And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
   And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
   And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.
   And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.

The Law of Moses is perfect, but no one other than Christ was able to adhere to it.
Acts 15:10
   Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

Romans 2:21-23
   …thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?
   Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?
   Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?

To build an eternal world, we cannot afford missteps (our failures as pointed out by The Law) which would tear down Creation.
We have to rely not upon our own righteousness, but Christ’s.
Philippians 3:9
   …not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith

Revelation 12:5
   And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

1 Corinthians 10:4
   And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.

Isaiah, who would have been considered holy by his peers’ standards, was unclean when compared to the heavenly.
Isaiah 6:5
   Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.

The key problem, the crux of human condition comes if we are confronted by the only righteousness acceptable to God.
It can be summarized with bitter reality: “You’re not good enough.”

“Not good enough” is why Moses could never enter the promised land.
Even though no prophet since was like Moses, and Moses was a friend to God – in that moment, even a man like Moses relied on his own abilities when he did not speak to the Rock in faith.
In fact, by relying on his abilities, he took credit by saying ‘we fetch you water’.
Numbers 20:9-11
   And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him.
   And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?
   And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also.

In fact, any religion of works – whether it’s Islam, feminism, or some sort of social justice – makes us feel good if we do ‘good’ by the laws of that particular religion – our own abilities.
And with our ‘good' works feeling comes pride.
Romans 2:17
   Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God

Nehemiah 9:14-16
   And madest known unto them thy holy sabbath, and commandedst them precepts, statutes, and laws, by the hand of Moses thy servant:
   And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger, and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst, and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them.
   But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments

Ephesians 2:9
   Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Romans 3:27
   Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works?

Although The Law of Moses is perfect, when we pursue The Law without guidance from the Holy Spirit, we succeed via our own abilities – and we then succumb to pride, and the proud can never connect to Christ (and thus see the mirror of true righteousness to inwardly improve).
Eventually, as we rely on our own abilities to strike the Rock, rather than speaking in faith, we are, like Isaiah, cut down when confronted by proper righteous from the heavenly.

Christ confronted those prideful who though they were good enough.
Luke 18:10-14
   Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican.
   The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican.
   I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
   And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
   I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

Christ represents a stumbling block to those who think their works make them righteous.
Romans 9:31-33
   But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness.
   Wherefore?  Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.  For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
   As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Rules and works have their place, but they can never make you righteous in the eyes of God.
Galatians 2:21
   I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

Isaiah 66:22
   For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the LORD, so shall your seed and your name remain.

2 Peter 3:13
   Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.

Construction of a new heaven and a new earth begins with a cornerstone.
1 Peter 2:6-8
   Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.
   Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,
   And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

And the construction is a sanctuary.
Isaiah 8:14
   And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

Matthew 13:31-32
   The kingdom of heaven is like to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field:
   Which indeed is the least of all seeds: but when it is grown, it is the greatest among herbs, and becometh a tree, so that the birds of the air come and lodge in the branches thereof.

Construction of a new heaven and a new earth is a daunting project.
While it starts as a small mustard seed – how exactly does it begin?

Thankfully, it has already begun.
Peter was our beginning, our template.  The power of speech.
Jesus could have told Peter that he is the Christ, the Messiah.
But Jesus questioned so that Peter would have to say it.
Matthew 16:13-18
   When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
   And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
   He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
   And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
   And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

Biblical Scholars note that the original Greek of the New Testament has a play on words.
Peter is ‘petros’ – a rock, whereas the rock ‘petra’ from ‘upon this rock I will build my church’ is a large bedrock.

(However, other scholars criticize this reading, and indicate that Jesus called Peter ‘Kepha’ in Aramaic – and that Kepha is not a little rock, but ‘a rock’.
But, given that the building of the Church that Jesus references is multiple peoples, and that Peter is one man with one voice of speech, the structure that Jesus will build is larger than the smaller speech of Peter.)

A rock tethered to bedrock for stability:
Matthew 7:24-25
   Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock:
   And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

We cling to the bedrock so that we are not carried away by the latest fashionable ideologies.
Hebrews 13:9
   Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace;

Ephesians 4:14
   That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

Colossians 2:7
   Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith

Ephesians 2:20-21
   And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;
   In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord

The mysteries of faith.
For faith, be teachable – open-minded and humble like a child.
Matthew 18:1-4
   Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?
   And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,
   And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
   Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

Luke 10:21
   I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes

Faith comes by hearing, and changing your heart.
Romans 10:17
   So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The rock upon which Christ will build his church needs faith.
Hebrews 11:1-3
   Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
   For by it the elders obtained a good report.
   Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Peter – whose speech was the rock upon Christ will build his church – this Peter was for whom Christ prayed that faith would not fail.
Luke 22:32
   But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

Why did Christ pray for Peter’s faith?
Because Christ knew Peter would fail.
Right after Christ gave Peter the keys with his declaration…
Matthew 16:18-19
   And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
   And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven

…Christ rebuffed Peter:
Matthew 16:23
   But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me

Christ knew that Peter’s promise would be broken.
Luke 22:33-34
   And he (Peter) said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.
   And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

Peter’s broken heart:
Mark 14:71-72
   But he began to curse and to swear, saying, I know not this man of whom ye speak.
   And the second time the cock crew. And Peter called to mind the word that Jesus said unto him, Before the cock crow twice, thou shalt deny me thrice.  And when he thought thereon, he wept.

The Apostle Paul wrote the largest part of the New Testament.
But what was Paul?
The least.  A failure.  Broken hearted.
Ephesians 3:8
   Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ;

1 Corinthians 15:9
   For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.

Strength in weakness.

Linked to the Rock, we do not slip, as The Law is written on our hearts.
Psalm 37:31
   The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.

Psalm 40:8
   I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is within my heart.

But what is This Law on our hearts?  This Law is a broken Law.
When Moses returned to his people with the tablets of the ten commandments, his people had already broken the first two Laws by worshipping a false god.
In anger, Moses broke the tablets.
Exodus 20:3-4
   Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
   Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth

Deuteronomy 9:15-17
   So I turned and came down from the mount, and the mount burned with fire: and the two tablets of the covenant were in my two hands.
   And I looked, and, behold, ye had sinned against the LORD your God, and had made you a molten calf: ye had turned aside quickly out of the way which the LORD had commanded you.
   And I took the two tablets, and cast them out of my two hands, and brake them before your eyes.

Exodus 34:1
   And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tablets of stone like unto the first: and I will write upon these tablets the words that were in the first tablets, which thou brakest.

This Law is a broken Law for broken hearts.
But those tablets of The Law which were broken and then were re-created sat right below the Mercy Seat.
Exodus 25:21
   And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee.

The broken hearted cry out for God… as we realize that we cannot solve life’s problems on our own.
Romans 8:15
   For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

Exodus 31:18
   …two tablets of testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.

The rock that is Peter (petros – smaller than the petra rock) is below the Mercy Seat.
The small rock, the stone, is of the mercy for the broken hearted.
The stone:
John 8:4-11
   They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
   Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?
   This they said, tempting him, that they might have to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not.
   So when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
   And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground.
   And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
   When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
   She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

Psalm 51:9-10,17
   Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.
   Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
   …The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

Psalm 34:18
   The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Note how we only qualify for a clean heart from God when we are low.
Note how Jesus only writes The Law on our hearts (a broken Law for broken hearts) when we are low – when he can stoop down below the Mercy Seat.
Proverbs 12:25
   Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.

Proverbs 15:13
   A merry heart maketh a cheerful countenance: but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken.

Broken rocks can fit in after power from above.
Matthew 27:50-51
   Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
   And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;

When we speak the Word of God, we fill our hearts.
But our hearts break as we realize we fall short.
A broken heart for a broken Law.
Proverbs 4:20-21
   My son, attend to my words; incline thine ear unto my sayings.
   Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart.

We only can make the heart better by seeing reality, the reality that we don’t measure up, and we have to go through that sorrow, that affliction.
Ecclesiastes 7:3
   Sorrow is better than laughter: for by the sadness of the countenance the heart is made better.

2 Corinthians 7:9-10
   Now I rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye sorrowed to repentance: for ye were made sorry after a godly manner, that ye might receive damage by us in nothing.
   For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

God directly wrote his Law three times.
Firstly under the Old Covenant (Testament) to command:
Deuteronomy 9:10
   And the LORD delivered unto me two tablets of stone written with the finger of God;

Secondly under the Old Covenant (Testament) to condemn:
Daniel 5:5,27
   In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaister of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote.
   …Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting.

Christianity is not a set of rules.
The rules in The Law of Moses are perfect, and we failed.
So, God had another plan (not more rules).
He sent Christ to write once more.
Thirdly, Christ wrote under the New Covenant (Testament) to forgive.
John 8:8,11
   And again he stooped down, and wrote on the ground…
   Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

What is the nature of God’s construction?
Exodus 25:8
   And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.

You.
Luke 17:21
   Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you.

1 Corinthians 6:19
   What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

God builds on those little rocks.
Genesis 28:18-19,22
   And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put for his pillows, and set it up for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it.
   And he called the name of that place Bethel: but the name of that city was called Luz at the first.
   …And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee.

Joshua 4:8
   And the children of Israel did so as Joshua commanded, and took up twelve stones out of the midst of Jordan, as the LORD spake unto Joshua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel, and carried them over…

1 Corinthians 3:8-9
   Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
   For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building.

1 Kings 18:31-32
   And Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, unto whom the word of the LORD came, saying, Israel shall be thy name:
   And with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD

Construction of art that is good enough takes a long time.
Twelve.
Esther 2:12
   Now when every maid's turn was come to go in to king Ahasuerus, after that she had been twelve months, according to the manner of the women, (for so were the days of their purifications accomplished, to wit, six months with oil of myrrh, and six months with sweet odours, and with other things for the purifying of the women;)

Why does God build upon these stones, these little rocks?
Our art, which is not of woman, can have songs, abstract paintings, pottery, cooking, gardens, and architecture – which can be built upon.
All of that art is great, and is what we should create – but God wants those stones for a special reason.
Christ traveled many miles for an unclear reason – seemingly.
He journeyed to Tyre and Sidon for a woman.
This was a woman for whom he would stoop down.
She was low.
She didn’t need a loaf of bread.
Deuteronomy 8:3
   …that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.

As a broken piece of rock, what would she need with all the bread?
With such faith, she knew that all she needed was crumbs.
Matthew 15:28
   Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt.  

Why?  With a broken heart, this broken rock knew she was a dog.
She was thankful for the crumbs.

Blade Runners!
1 Corinthians 9:24-25
   Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain.
   And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible.

In Biblical times, the Olympic crown had leaves (which decayed)… but the crown we run for is incorruptible.
What is our ultimate crown?
Proverbs 12:4
   A virtuous woman is a crown to her husband: but she that maketh ashamed is as rottenness in his bones.

Woman as crown:
1 Corinthians 11:7-9
   For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man.
   For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man.
   Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man.

Why do we have this ‘crown,’ this ‘goal’ manifesting itself in woman?
Remember, God views his people as a woman.
Isaiah 54:5-6
   For thy Maker is thine husband; the LORD of hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer the Holy One of Israel; The God of the whole earth shall he be called.
   For the LORD hath called thee as a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, and a wife of youth, when thou wast refused, saith thy God.

We physically instantiate our Godly purposes on this earth when we create: beauty.
Gardening, songs, mirth, wine-making, buildings, savoury aromas, and ‘art’ of all kinds are great regarding beauty – and we should create this art.  But, ultimately, this beauty that is not of woman is simply not good enough.
Only the woman’s beauty is good enough.
Only woman’s beauty is good enough to receive Grace.

Why is woman’s beauty so important?
God has committed himself to operating through men.
Ezra 1:2
   Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.

Amos 7:15
   And the LORD took me as I followed the flock, and the LORD said unto me, Go, prophesy unto my people Israel.

Genesis 1:28
   And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

Man’s domain, or desired domain is: woman.
Jeremiah 29:11
   For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

And men want that beauty.
1 Kings 1:3
   So they sought for a fair damsel throughout all the coasts of Israel, and found Abishag a Shunammite, and brought her to the king.

Unlike gardening, culinary arts, incense, architecture or music – and all art that is not featuring woman – woman’s potential for beauty is unlimited.

In life, we all take a beating.
Proverbs 20:30
   The blueness of a wound cleanseth away evil: so do stripes the inward parts of the belly.

Hebrews 12:6
   For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.

Rock linked to bedrock:
Luke 6:47-49
   Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like:
   He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock.
   But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.

Discipline for children:
Hebrews 12:9
   Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence

Proverbs 13:24
   He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

A man has authority over his wife.  Should he physically discipline her?
Should there be corporal punishment?
Or should a man impose postures on his wife?
Or should she be naked as affliction?  A sackcloth perhaps?
Psalm 23:1
   The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

Notice how ‘I shall not want’ ends.
It does not say ‘I shall not want food’ or ‘I shall not want shelter’ or ‘I shall not want love’.
Oh, how the Psalmist would have ruined it by including anything.
‘I shall not want’ ended blank as it includes everything.
Similarly:
Ephesians 5:24
   Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

Colossians 3:18
   Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord.

Why everything?
So it can be the highest art – unlimited potential – beyond landscape paintings, pottery, gardening, music, culinary arts, and architecture – which are great, but ultimately not good enough.
Genesis 2:24
   Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

This art can truly be the image of our pursuance of God’s righteousness – our union with God.
Ephesians 5:23
   For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body.

1 Corinthians 11:3
   But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.

As a prepared bride, woman’s beauty is indistinguishable from the only righteousness acceptable to God.
Psalm 45:7-11
   Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.
   All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.
   Kings' daughters were among thy honourable women: upon thy right hand did stand the queen in gold of Ophir.
   Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine ear; forget also thine own people, and thy father's house;
   So shall the king greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord; and worship thou him.

With the art that is woman, the canvas can be wiped clean.
Ezekiel 16:39
   …they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.

John 3:3
   Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

True repentance is stopping our own ‘good’ works.
Strip clothing of old works, and put clothing on of Godly works.
Isaiah 64:6
   But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteous acts are as filthy rags;

Leviticus 6:11
   And he shall put off his garments, and put on other garments, and carry forth the ashes without the camp unto a clean place.

Genesis 35:2
   Put away the strange gods that are among you, and be clean, and change your garments

Zechariah 3:3-4
   Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel.
   And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying, Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, I have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment.

Filthy rags are our own ‘good’ works (which are not washed in the water of the Word).
Jeremiah 13:1,4,7
   Thus saith the LORD unto me, Go and get thee a linen girdle, and put it upon thy loins, and put it not in water.
   …Take the girdle that thou hast got, which is upon thy loins, and arise, go to Euphrates, and hide it there in a hole of the rock.
   …Then I went to Euphrates, and digged, and took the girdle from the place where I had hid it: and, behold, the girdle was marred, it was profitable for nothing.

Those who give up their own ‘good’ works of their clothing cling to the Rock.
Job 24:7-8
   They cause the naked to lodge without clothing, that they have no covering in the cold.
   They are wet with the showers of the mountains, and embrace the rock for want of a shelter.

Just like the woman submits to her husband in everything – for the ultimate art…
...have you truly submitted your body and its contents to God unconditionally?
Romans 12:1
   I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

If you have, then you have taken up your cross.
Mark 8:34
   Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

Then you have chosen affliction.
Hebrews 11:25
   Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;

Philippians 3:10
   That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

Just like a woman submits to her husband in everything, the artwork can begin.
Gold as divinity:
Exodus 37:6
   And he made the mercy seat of pure gold

2 Chronicles 3:10
   And in the most holy house he made two cherubims of image work, and overlaid them with gold.

Blue:
Exodus 39:30-31
   And they made the plate of the holy crown of pure gold, and wrote upon it a writing, like to the engravings of a signet, HOLINESS TO THE LORD.
   And they tied unto it a lace of blue, to fasten it on high upon the mitre; as the LORD commanded Moses.

And if we take the beatings, the afflictions, just like the woman submits, we can be that artwork – and good enough.
The artwork has to take the beating to reach divinity:
Numbers 8:4
   And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work…

Exodus 37:21-23
   And a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches going out of it.
   Their knops and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure gold.
   And he made his seven lamps, and his snuffers, and his snuffdishes, of pure gold.

And the beaten divinity can give light.
Matthew 5:15
   Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Isaiah 42:6
   I the LORD have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;

Those in Christ are the candlestick.
Revelation 1:20
   …and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.

How is she prepared?  Through afflictions.  Through beatings.

Psalm 118:18
   The LORD hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death.

Psalm 94:12
   Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O LORD, and teachest him out of thy law;

Psalm 119:71
   It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes.

Psalm 51:7-8
   Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
   Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.

Isaiah 48:10
   Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction.

Zechariah 13:9
   …will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, The LORD is my God.

Deuteronomy 4:20
   But the LORD hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, even out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as ye are this day.

Ephesians 5:27
   That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

2 Corinthians 11:1-2
   Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me.
   For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ.

After those tribulations, how beautiful is she!
Song of Solomon 4:1-7
   Behold, thou art fair, my love; behold, thou art fair; thou hast doves' eyes within thy locks: thy hair is as a flock of goats, that appear from mount Gilead.
   Thy teeth are like a flock of sheep that are even shorn, which came up from the washing; whereof every one bear twins, and none is barren among them.
   Thy lips are like a thread of scarlet, and thy speech is comely: thy temples are like a piece of a pomegranate within thy locks.
   Thy neck is like the tower of David builded for an armoury, whereon there hang a thousand bucklers, all shields of mighty men.
   Thy two breasts are like two young roes that are twins, which feed among the lilies.
   Until the day break, and the shadows flee away, I will get me to the mountain of myrrh, and to the hill of frankincense.
   Thou art all fair, my love; there is no spot in thee.

Genesis 31:27
   …with mirth, and with songs, with tabret, and with harp

Our original and still primary purpose in this world is to create beauty.
We are to create music, gardens, great food and drink, mirth, drawings, architecture and artistic creativity of all kinds.
But, as great as these pieces of art are, they were never going to be good enough – compared to what her beauty could be.
Oh, that unlimited potential of that hottie.
(Our cultural expressions of that desire might be considered to be porn.)

And, heaven and earth even had to pass away because of her beauty.
Mark 13:31
   Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.

Revelation 21:1-2
   And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea.
   And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

Revelation 21:9-14
   Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb's wife.
   And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shewed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God,
   Having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal;
   And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:
   On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates.
   And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.

Christians’ purpose is still to create art.
But nowadays the overwhelming majority of artistic expressions are against the ultimate purposes of God.
We have dark, nihilistic art of all kinds in this world.
Daniel 3:5-6
   That at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the golden image that Nebuchadnezzar the king hath set up:
   And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.

And, the highest art that we can create, that of woman, also can be the lowest: dark, deathly, nihilistic.
Proverbs 7:16-17,25-27
   I have decked my bed with coverings of tapestry, with carved works, with fine linen of Egypt.
   I have perfumed my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon.
   ...Let not thine heart decline to her ways, go not astray in her paths.
   For she hath cast down many wounded: yea, many strong men have been slain by her.
   Her house is the way to hell, going down to the chambers of death.

Proverbs 5:3-5
   For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil:
   But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a twoedged sword.
   Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.

Ecclesiastes 7:26-28
   And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her.
   Behold, this have I found, saith the preacher, counting one by one, to find out the account:
   Which yet my soul seeketh, but I find not: one man among a thousand have I found; but a woman among all those have I not found.

Revelation 17:3-4
   …I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
   And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication

Why is the art that is woman good enough and of unlimited potential – beyond the art without woman: gardening, pottery, food/drink, songs, landscape paintings, and art of all kinds?
Because we’re directly in this art, and we see ourselves as God sees us.
This art can orient us towards repentance because only woman can be the bridge between our nihilistic art and our art that properly glorifies God.
When God forgives, he forgives and forgets all sins.
Isaiah 43:25
   I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.

Hebrews 8:12
   For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more.

Walk in the light to continue to be washed clean.
1 John 1:7
   But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

Psalm 139:23-24
   Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
   And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Through our eyes, we can never truly see our own faces and certain parts of our bodies.
But, we’ve learned to trust items such as mirrors and cameras to see ourselves.
How do we assess our spiritual condition?
Matthew 7:16
   Ye shall know them by their fruits.

Galatians 5:19-23
   Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
   Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
   Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings…
   But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
   Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Confess what God shows you.
1 John 1:9
   If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Proverbs 28:13
   He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.

What is the Devil’s greatest weapon?  Guilt.
If you don’t believe that God ‘cleanses us from all sin,’ – the past – then you are vulnerable to the Devil’s accusations.  The Devil accuses us day and night.  The Hebrew term for ‘Satan’ means the accuser or the adversary.
Psalm 109:6-7
   Set thou a wicked man over him: and let Satan (accuser) stand at his right hand.
   When he shall be judged, let him be condemned: and let his prayer become sin

Revelation 12:9-10
   And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world
   …for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.

Psalm 94:20-21
   Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee, which frameth mischief by a law?
   They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.

Matthew 12:10
   And they asked him, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath days? that they might accuse him.

If your goal is to accuse (rather than edify, building up God’s people) then you stand with the Devil.
Proverbs 17:9
   He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Proverbs 16:27-28
   An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.
   A froward man soweth strife: and a whisperer separateth chief friends.

How do we silence the accuser?  The power of speech.  Perfected praise.
Matthew 21:16
   And Jesus saith unto them, Yea; have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise?

Psalm 8:2
   Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest silence the enemy and the avenger.

Worship is our humble attitude from the heart towards God, including true repentance – committing ourselves unreservedly to be guided by his and only his light.
Psalm 95:6
   O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker.

Psalm 96:8-9
   Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts.
   O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.

Praise is confessing who God is, what he has done and why we are thankful.
We confess his wisdom, might, everlasting mercy, and promises of joy.
Psalm 18:3
   I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

Psalm 111:1-4
   Praise ye the LORD. I will praise the LORD with my whole heart, in the assembly of the upright, and in the congregation.
   The works of the LORD are great, sought out of all them that have pleasure therein.
   His work is honourable and glorious: and his righteousness endureth for ever.
   He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the LORD is gracious and full of compassion.

Is this art a regular sculpture or just a pillar from architecture?
Nope, this art is of woman:
Genesis 19:26
   But his wife, from behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.

While fleeing from the destruction of sinful Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife looked back (after being told not to).
Genesis 19:17
   Escape for thy life; look not behind thee…

She looked to the past.
But, we can see her example as our mirror of ourselves.
Do we look back on our sinful past and fall to guilt?

The salt can sweeten the waters (by being an example of what to avoid).
Via the art that is woman, we can bridge from the failure of looking back to looking forwards, as those sins forgotten by God are never remembered.
2 Kings 2:20-22
   And he said, Bring me a new cruse, and put salt therein. And they brought it to him.
   And he went forth unto the spring of the waters, and cast the salt in there, and said, Thus saith the LORD, I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence any more death or barren land.
   So the waters were healed unto this day, according to the saying of Elisha which he spake.

This art, the only art that is ultimately good enough, is something that you cannot even picture.
Cultural expressions of longing for that woman link us to God.
But, the world would dismiss this art as pornography.

Unfortunately, because of this dismissal, the link from the perfect Law of Moses to the culmination of the New Testament (Covenant) has been lost.
Moreover, this art is considered to be hardcore pornography.
Why?
Because not only is the woman nude, but her legs are spread.

When Moses returned with the tablets of the ten commandments, God’s people had already broken the first two commandments.
God, seeing his people as a woman, sees this as a woman’s fornication – fornication with false gods.
And, we can examine what should have been a virginic woman and spread her legs, and see her fornication.

The broken Law (God’s people worshipping false gods) is a woman’s fornication in God’s eyes.
And, the broken heart (a woman’s secret place, her genitals, her broken hymen) is also a woman’s fornication in God’s eyes.

We are saved by Grace.
Or are we?
Do we have that broken heart for a broken Law – which is right below the Mercy Seat?
The Ark of the Old Covenant had the Mercy Seat – and right below (of the same dimensions) was the container for the tablets of The Law.
Why below?
Christ stooped down to forgive us below the Mercy Seat.
Psalm 147:3
   He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds.

Our true faith is in our hearts.
But only God can know what is truly in our hearts.
Jeremiah 17:9
   The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?

2 Chronicles 6:30
   …whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)

Psalm 44:21
   Shall not God search this out? for he knoweth the secrets of the heart.

What is the material instantiation of the heart?
What creates the highest art when we draw the image?
As we cry out to God with our broken hearts about our failure to fulfill the requirements of The Law, what links our broken heart to the broken Law?  Her.
The parallel to our heart, that only God can know, is in woman.
Psalm 51:6,10,17
   Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.
   …Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
   ...The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The parallel to this hidden heart in God’s people is the genitals of a woman.
Isaiah 3:17
   Therefore the Lord will smite with a scab the crown of the head of the daughters of Zion, and the LORD will discover their secret parts.

Nahum 3:5
   ...and I will discover thy skirts upon thy face, and I will shew the nations thy nakedness, and the kingdoms thy shame.

Deuteronomy 22:17
   …these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity.  And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

Isaiah 47:1-3,12
   Come down, and sit in the dust, O virgin daughter of Babylon, sit on the ground: there is no throne, O daughter of the Chaldeans: for thou shalt no more be called tender and delicate.
   Take the millstones, and grind meal: uncover thy locks, make bare the leg, uncover the thigh, pass over the rivers.
   Thy nakedness shall be uncovered, yea, thy shame shall be seen…
   Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries…

Jeremiah 2:32-34
   Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number.
   Why trimmest thou thy way to seek love? therefore hast thou also taught the wicked ones thy ways.
   Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents: I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these.

When we spread those legs and examine her genitals, the blood shows.
She has broken the first commandment by fornication with false gods.
Deuteronomy 5:7
   Thou shalt have none other gods before me.

Hosea 4:12,15
   …for the spirit of whoredoms hath caused them to err, and they have gone a whoring from under their God.
   …Though thou, Israel, play the harlot…

Psalm 106:38-39
   …whom they sacrificed unto the idols of Canaan: and the land was polluted with blood.
   Thus were they defiled with their own works, and went a whoring with their own inventions.

With the defiled woman, we have nihilistic art.
We have death metal music, horror movies, fornicacious pornography and the dark world of the Blade Runner (from 1982, the Final Cut) – and dark art of all kinds.
Why?  Because this art shows the truth of our condition.
We are corrupt.
Deuteronomy 32:5
   They have corrupted themselves, their spot is not the spot of his children: they are a perverse and crooked generation.

Job 17:14
   I have said to corruption, Thou art my father: to the worm, Thou art my mother, and my sister.

When we enjoy nihilistic art, we experience a bit of ourselves and enjoy ourselves.
And as our society gets more and more corrupt – our art becomes more and more dark.
We see sin and guilt in the imperfect people, and we know that is us, because we all are guilty.
We all have fallen short.
Just like Peter, we all carry a broken promise.
What convicts us of sin?  The Law.
Romans 7:7
   Nay, I had not known sin, but by the law

But, that woman’s broken hymen of whoredom in material and in our art is the parallel to the broken heart in God’s people.
When Moses constructed the art that was the ark, a broken Law was right below the Mercy Seat.
We rise out of the nihilism:
Picture that naked woman who doesn’t want to be clothed with shame anymore.
Esther 4:1
   When Mordecai perceived all that was done, Mordecai rent his clothes, and put on sackcloth with ashes

2 Samuel 1:11
   Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him

Psalm 109:29
   Let mine adversaries be clothed with shame, and let them cover themselves with their own confusion, as with a mantle.

She is broken hearted – rendered guilty by The Law.
But Christ came all that way (to Tyre and Sidon) to meet the broken hearted woman who knew she was a dog.
Micah 1:8
   Therefore I will wail and howl, I will go stripped and naked: I will make a wailing like the dragons, and mourning as the owls.

With repentance, she doesn’t want those clothes of shame – her own ‘good’ works.
Matthew 22:11-13
   And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
   And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment?  And he was speechless.
   Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Now, married to Christ, she can be truly beautiful.
Our dark, depressing, nihilistic art has become the beautiful, glorious triumph of Creation.
Proper Christian men can see images of the most fornicacious woman, and yes, see her in the very act – dirty and scandalous – and still see potential in her as a proper Christian wife.
This art of the woman who broke her marriage promise by fornication links proper Christian men directly to Christ.
Hosea 1:2
   And the LORD said to Hosea, Go, take unto thee a wife of whoredoms and children of whoredoms: for the land hath committed great whoredom, departing from the LORD.

We stoop down towards that art of the broken promise.
Forgiveness and repentance:
John 8:4,6,11
   They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
   ….But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground
   …She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.

When Moses returned with the tablets of the commandments, God’s people had already broken the first two commandments.
God, seeing his people as a woman, sees this as a woman’s fornication – fornication with false gods.
And, we can examine what should have been a virginic woman and spread the legs, and see her fornication.
The broken Law (God’s people worshipping false gods) is a woman’s fornication in God’s eyes.
And, the broken heart (a woman’s secret place, her genitals, her broken hymen) is also a woman’s fornication in God’s eyes.

This linkage between the broken Law and the broken heart is the moment where your individual destiny is decided.
Are you going to stay in the dark, or move to the light?
Romans 1:21
   Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Or, with repentance, does the light shine in your heart?
2 Corinthians 4:6
   For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

The light is seeing ourselves in the mirror.
The light is seeing our true condition.

Darkness is looking at our civilization’s fruit and dismissing it as ‘porn’ or ‘nihilistic art’ – someone else’s problem.  Darkness is covering it up with ‘clothing modesty’.
The Church is to be the light.
Matthew 5:14
   Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

The Church is not to accept the depressing world of the Blade Runner, but to shine light on it.
In the light of the Bible, we look at our hearts and ask for God for guidance.
Psalm 26:1-2
   …I have trusted also in the LORD; therefore I shall not slide.
   Examine me, O LORD, and prove me; try my reins and my heart.

Psalm 43:3
   O send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me

We confess the sins that we see in the light.
Acts 19:18
   And many that believed came, and confessed, and showed their deeds.

Or, we can hide those sins – by not confessing our sins.
By not being purged with hyssop (affliction).
We can continue on in our own ways – not recognizing that God has a path for us.
Romans 1:22-24
   Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
   And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
   Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:

In the dark, our world (and cultural expressions of the world – art) becomes more and more dark and nihilistic.
Professing Christians (who are to be the light) do not shine a light on this problem, but act as if they have no responsibility.
1 Peter 4:17
   For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God

Our original and primary purpose is to create beauty.
And, the only beauty good enough is that of woman.
Proper Christians’ fruit is repentance.
Our creation of beauty, our cultural expressions, our fruit is taking that woman (who is us) out of fornicacious pornography, out of that dark, depressing, nihilistic art, and putting her in proper art.

In a very real and practical way, that love of a woman’s beauty through art orients us towards proper gender roles, a woman’s place, a man’s healthy desire for wife and family, and societal structures which bring down heaven to earth.

Our art of woman (which is ourselves) orients our direction (out of the dark and nihilistic and into the light and good) – just like the art that Moses created, the Ark of the Covenant – oriented us towards a proper relationship with God, a broken Law for broken hearts, broken hearts for a broken Law, below the Mercy Seat.
But, it begins with repentance.
It begins with shedding our old ‘good’ works, which God likens to clothing.
It begins with stripping her naked.

Of all the dark, nihilistic, depressing art we produce, only those of the sinful woman, and her potential beauty, can be redeemed.
Picture this:
Isaiah 4:2,4
   In that day shall the branch of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.
   …When the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion, and shall have purged the blood of Jerusalem from the midst thereof by the spirit of judgment, and by the spirit of burning.

Isaiah 61:1,10
   …he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
   …I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 52:1
   Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean.

Luke 15:21-22
   And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.
   But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet

Oh, the problem was always our hearts.
Change that stone.
Ezekiel 36:26
   A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh.

How do we change that stone?
Do we sit back and wait for God to do it?
No.
When called by God, we cut that stone.  Circumcise the heart, not the flesh.  It needs to be a broken heart.
Jeremiah 4:4
   Circumcise yourselves to the LORD, and take away the foreskins of your heart

Deuteronomy 10:16
   Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no more stiffnecked.

With art inspired by the Lord, God will change your heart.
Exodus 31:3-6
   And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship,
   To devise cunning works, to work in gold, and in silver, and in bronze,
   And in cutting of stones, to set them, and in carving of timber, to work in all manner of workmanship.
   And I, behold, I have given with him Aholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan: and in the hearts of all that are wise hearted I have put wisdom, that they may make all that I have commanded thee;

An inspired artist can say: God put it in my heart to make this.
If your heart is stirred, you contribute to the art (like contribution to the Tabernacle).
Exodus 35:21,25,29
   And they came, every one whose heart stirred him up, and every one whom his spirit made willing, and they brought the LORD'S offering to the work of the tabernacle of the congregation…
   And all the women that were wise hearted did spin with their hands, and brought that which they had spun, both of blue, and of purple, and of scarlet, and of fine linen.
   …every man and woman, whose heart made them willing to bring for all manner of work…

Changing the heart through inspired art:
Exodus 35:35
   Them hath he filled with wisdom of heart, to work all manner of work, of the engraver, and of the cunning workman, and of the embroiderer, in blue, and in purple, in scarlet, and in fine linen, and of the weaver, even of them that do any work, and of those that devise cunning work.

Exodus 36:2
   …and every wise hearted man, in whose heart the LORD had put wisdom, even every one whose heart stirred him up to come unto the work to do it

The art that is woman:
Song of Solomon 7:1
   How beautiful are thy feet with shoes, O prince's daughter! the joints of thy thighs are like jewels, the work of the hands of a cunning workman.

Psalm 45:13
   The king's daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

With the art that is of the woman, we can wipe the canvas clean.
Our paintings, our drawings, our dances, our sculptures of her are of the nude.
Why?
That is true repentance.
True repentance is giving up all of your own ‘righteous’ acts and doing what God wants for your life.
It’s our repentance as Christ’s bride.
It’s us seeing ourselves as God wants to see us.
If she is wearing her own clothing, shoes, jewelry – not naked – what is that?
That is holding back from God.
Acts 5:2
   And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to it, and brought a certain part, and laid it at the apostles' feet.

God wants all of your heart.
Matthew 22:37-38
   Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
   This is the first and great commandment.

Holding back is not submission to God – but is witchcraft.
Witchcraft is not entirely submitting to God.
Witchcraft is submitting (even partially) to an authority outside of God (like demonic authority – or yourself as an authority).
1 Samuel 15:22-23
   Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.
   For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.

Christ’s example:
John 4:34
   Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.

With clothing, how our painting of her would be polluted with remnants of the old self.
Romans 6:6
   Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

We can see that nude woman, and depict her in art, truly explore, and be guided by our art – towards discovering the mysteries of Grace – which is God seeing that woman’s beauty.
We can explore how she is broken hearted and how that links to a broken Law.
We can learn of Christ and why he stooped down for us.

The nihilistic dark art will always be of her own clothes/’righteous’ works, and will always hide that fornication – unless it features that woman – for whom Christ will stoop.

These ‘good’ works of our own initiative will always result in an Ishmael, rather than an Isaac.
We only see her fornication in the light, and confess our sins, when she is nude.
After true repentance, she can be dressed as a child of God, in acts from the Holy Spirit (not her own 'good' works/clothing and accessories).
Our art of the woman can dress her in the art/jewelry/shoes that is the art of fashion.
We can explore what a woman’s (Christ’s bride) fine linen (righteous acts) is through our creative view – being truly in the image of God when we see God’s view of us and where we are to be.
Revelation 19:8
   And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of saints.

Psalm 45:14
   She shall be brought unto the king in raiment of needlework

Ezekiel 16:10-13
   I clothed thee also with broidered work, and shod thee with badgers' skin, and I girded thee about with fine linen, and I covered thee with silk.
   I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck.
   And I put a jewel on thy forehead, and earrings in thine ears, and a beautiful crown upon thine head.
   Thus wast thou decked with gold and silver; and thy raiment was of fine linen, and silk, and broidered work;

Moses really wanted to go over the river Jordan to the promised land.
Although Moses was a man of caliber like no other, God would not let him cross into the promised land.
Was it because God was being mean?
Deuteronomy 3:25-27
   I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.
   But the LORD was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me: and the LORD said unto me, Let it suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter.
   Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes: for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.

No, God’s Covenant, the Old Covenant (Testament) was about strict adherence to The Law.
The Law could only condemn.
Even an amazing man like Moses would fail under The Law which bears his own name.

God had Moses make the art that was the Tabernacle, including the Ark of the Covenant, a broken Law beneath the Mercy Seat.
Hebrews 8:5
   Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for, See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed to thee in the mount.

What if God would move our hearts to create more art – art that moves into the promised Land?
Hebrews 8:6
   But now hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

Hebrews 11:16
   But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

What would this art look like?
This art would be of the culmination of Christ’s ministry.
This art would be the beauty of the New Covenant.
This art would start in the nihilistic, depressing, hopeless, dark world.
This art would be of us.
The art would be of Christ’s bride: a woman.
John 8:4-5
   They say unto him, Master, this woman was taken in adultery, in the very act.
   Now Moses in the law commanded us, that such should be stoned: but what sayest thou?

That dirty, fornicacious woman.
Nihilistic, hopeless, as she is condemned for her act – and rightly so.
‘Was taken in adultery, in the very act’ – our art would be considered to be pornography – hardcore pornography.
This art of the whore belongs with the rest of so much of disgusting modern ‘art.’
You might say that this art of the slutty woman, naked in sinful circumstances, belongs with the drug-users, the decaying inner cities, the filthy, the diseased, the mentally ill, and evil neighborhoods.

And you would be completely correct.
Except for one thing.  It’s the most amazing art ever created.
Our portrait, our art, our image of this moment, the third and final writing of God as man to forgive the human race, the culmination of the New Covenant… would be considered to be porn.  Dismissed as dirty… not our problem… hide it away…

No, rise up you downtrodden man… spat upon by the Church, and everyone…
God exalts you.
Luke 14:13
   But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind

The Law could only condemn.
The Law could only have a hardened heart for a broken Law – under the Old Covenant.
Mark 10:4-5
   And they said, Moses suffered to write a bill of divorcement, and to put her away.
   And Jesus answered and said unto them, For the hardness of your heart he wrote you this precept.

Enter Christ:
John 1:17
   For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:14,16-17
   For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.
   …This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;
   And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.

After hearing the Word, the broken Law was on their broken hearts.
John 8:7,9
   He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her…
   And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one…

Jeremiah 23:9
   Mine heart within me is broken because of the prophets; all my bones shake; I am like a drunken man, and like a man whom wine hath overcome, because of the LORD, and because of the words of his holiness.

The art that moves into the promised Land, the New Covenant, would be that broken heart for the broken Law, an art of the naked woman, whose legs we spread.  See the blood, the broken hymen.

We don’t hide our art in the dark, nihilistic world anymore, but we see it in the light.
We don’t have to fear condemnation.
As with Christ, we are forgiven.
John 8:11
   And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more.
Can you picture this art?

Out of the dark and nihilistic world...

...and into beauty.

Genesis 3:17-18
   …Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
   Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

But out of the purple of thistles can come royalty.
Mark 15:17
   And they clothed him with purple, and platted a crown of thorns, and put it about his head…

Judges 8:26
   …purple raiment that was on the kings of Midian…

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At my local life drawing (which is a fancy term for: a naked woman shows up, and you draw her) – the room we used stored a few museum items (in May, 2018).

Old skates.  Running on ice.  Skates.  Blades.

Hmm...

The old Blade Runner.