Have you ever looked up the names that are in the Bible? As some of us who have chosen names for our children that have meanings that symbolize something precious to us. The names in the Bible have meanings as well. They symbolize qualities or traits of how we should or shouldn’t act or think. They are tools, clues, clues of attitudes, qualities and traits that should and shouldn’t be immolated. They can be found in lots of Bible Dictionaries and Bible Commentaries. They help us see what and how we’re acting in our daily lives that should be continued or discontinued.
Here let’s look at the word Canaanites. Sometimes, as this word, Canaanites it represents a group from a region. So when we look up the word Canaanites we are lead to the word Canaan. We then find the definition of Canaan to be “Low, flat” in the Smith Bible Dictionary; and in the Easton Bible Dictionary it states, “The name signifies the lowlands”.
When one looks up words not only do we look for the definition but also at the symbolism of the word to help us understand it. “Low, flat, lowlands” when looked at through symbolism spiritually one would think of it as something that needs to be elevated, lifted up out of a “Low or flat” state of mind, depression, valley. God, Spirit, brings man up from the lowliness or depressing state of thoughts. God, Mind, brings thought higher to Life, God’s view.
When we look up Perizzites, also in the Easton Bible Dictionary, we find the definition, “Villagers; dwellers in the open country, the Cananitish nation, inhabiting the fertile regions south and south-west of Carmel. They were the graziers, farmers, and peasants of the time.” We’re getting higher in thought but not enough to scale the ‘pinnacle of the temple’.
Then in looking up the “Hevites” we find, “The name is interpreted as midlanders or villagers…” Amorites means, “highlanders, or hillmen,” bringing us higher. The Hittites stand for nomadic, wanderers. This nomadic existence could lead thought to the idea of being lost, going around without much stability or foundation. Worse yet when Jebusites is looked up it states, “the name of the original inhabitants of Jebus, mentioned frequently among the seven nations doomed to destruction.”
Now remember these are definitions of attitudes, traits, or qualities of thought NOT people. We’re learning the ‘yea, yea, and the nay, nay’2 of the Bible, not stereotyping people. We’re finding how much deeper The Holy Bible can be used as a tool for our daily lives. What we are to do, act, and think like; and what we are not to do, act, and think like.
The above quote from Exodus continues, “and I will cut them off. Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them; nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and quite break down their images.”3
God takes from all of us the false traits. The bad habits or views we have of each other. We are not to bow down, serve, work for, or follow after these thoughts. We are to overthrow them and break down their images in our thought and work for and serve God. God breaks the evil ‘doer’ and lifts up His servant. Because we’re to learn His ways, His qualities of thought and action, and remove the evil thoughts and traits that lead us into bad decisions and awful habits, how much easier it is when we see these as enemies that must be removed.
What are these enemies, these bad traits verses good qualities that we want to remove and put into place? Some of them are easy to spot such as violence, envy, anger, resentment, hostility verses, tolerance, patience, benevolence, good will. But some are subtle such as gossip, sarcasm, wishing evil upon our neighbor, wishing for good luck [with good luck we get the counter balance of bad luck, so we should wish for no luck at all…God is our forever Good.], white lies.
But the real question is Why? With sensuality, lust, anger, revenge, resentment, warring factions for power and prestige…and that is now not just in the Bible, that seems so prevalent, so enticing, perhaps ‘important’ why would we care? Because as it is written in the Bible, shown over and over through the stories, the ones with God, Good, on their side are the ones that truly win. Those who bow down to and follow the evil or wrong side inevitably lose.
The evil side seems to be the justified side, the pleasurable side, the side that draws us in and makes us believe that it is okay to be ugly, angry, sensual. But we find that that side always loses, always puts the people in some sort of bondage, some kind of discomfort.
The final portion of the Exodus quote states, “And ye shall serve the Lord your God, and he shall bless thy bread, and thy water; and I will take sickness away from the midst of thee.”4
By serving the side of the Lord our God there is blessing and HEALING...there is freedom through purity and goodness…there is the realization that by being good we can see Good, God.
Let us look into the character and nature we’re thinking and expressing. Would God bless it and use it to take away sickness from us? Or are they evil traits that we have fallen for? Have they become bad habits that keep us in the low lands of thought and action? We can turn these around. Step by step, by stopping anger, resentment, hurt feelings and turning away from them through patience, forgiveness, and understanding, we can win our freedom.
Let us see these false traits that send us into the bondage of fear, ignorance and discomfort as ‘Friendemies”. Why? Because they help us change from being false friends into helpful foes. They help us see what we have been bowing down to that we must turn from, to our true goodness, our divine nature as the children of God. Let us not trust these ‘friendemies’ of thought any more than we would if they were people. But let us be grateful that they are teaching us great lessons.
Hugs
1, 3, 4 is from The King James Version
of The Holy Bible in the book of Exodus 23:22-25
2
ibid Matthew 5:37
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