Tutorial

From idontknownuthin

I have stubbed out this page as a collector of ideas that will help teach others how to see the shadows. I have started with some conceptual ideas. I will later add practice exercises.

Contents 1 Language of ideas 2 Dictionary double meanings 2.1 Simple double meanings 2.2 Homophone 2.3 Shared root 2.4 Synonyms 3 Shadows 4 Riddles 4.1 Solving riddles 4.2 The riddle of Er 5 Patterns or themes 6 Cautions 7 For our Jewish readers 7.1 32 rules of Rabbi Eliezer

Language of ideas

Basically, shadows deal in the language of ideas, not word. The words are just symbols of one or more ideas. The brain can handle ideas much faster than one can speak the words. I believe this is so, in order to permit us to sort out the many ideas that a single set of words might mean. As we hear someone speak, our mind wanders from idea to idea with each word, selecting the proper sequence of ideas to obtain meaning from the stream of words.

Sometime we stumble across an unintended meaning from a set of words and we chuckle at how clever we are. Sometimes we construct our words to have double meanings.

Some have said that the shadows can't be real, because seeing them is so difficult. But consider that much elementary school humor is found in the very practice of which we speak. The dog laid in the shade because he didn't want to be a hot dog.

It is difficult for adults because most consider the humor to be pedantic and have long since abandoned practicing it. But it is simple enough for children to do, as evidence by the children in our fellowship.

Dictionary double meanings

Simple double meanings

The only languages where words have only a single meaning are those specifically invented for such precision. Languages designed for mathematics, symbolic logic, machine instruction, etc. are designed to limit the human expression of ideas so that there is no confusion in the transmitting of information or to facilitate the transformation into low level machine instructions.

As soon as we use natural languages, we are confronted with the possibility of double entendre because the words themselves are mere symbols of multiple ideas. Evidence of this can be seen in the numbered definitions for a word found in the dictionary.

When you hear a word, you must use contextual clues to decide which idea is being transmitted. An example of this, valid in English and Hebrew, is the word "bear". It can refer to the animal, or refer to speaking, as in bearing your testimony.

These are homographs. They are really two different words with exactly the same spelling.

Homophone

The word of God was intended to be heard.

De 31:11 When all Israel is come to appear before the LORD thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing.

Pr 28:9 He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination.

Am 8:11 Behold, the days come, saith the Lord GOD, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD:

Ro 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

As such, the listener must also discern between words that sound alike. Hence when hearing the word "bear", you must also sort it out with the word "bare". This is a second source of dictionary double entendre.

Shared root

We are accustomed to discerning meaning from the root of words, particularly in names. This is likely a holdover from ancient times since the Bible specifically mentions the meanings of names in many places. In discovering double entendre, you are permitted to trace the meaning back through its roots. In this web site you will see that some of the dictionary entries have two or more entries as the "from" is traced back.

Synonyms

Words that mean the same thing may be carefully exchanged for descriptive purposes. Our rules state that every jot and tittle is important. So we must be careful not to substitute synonyms and then use other tools upon the new word. God chose the word he did for a reason, and discerning the nuances related to not choosing the synonym are a part of the puzzle. Likewise, when God has chosen words that appear to be redundant, He is focusing attention on the nuances. An example of this is in Genesis 1. God said he would make man in his "image" and "likeness". Most consider this to be redundant. But God "created" not "made" man in his "image" not "likeness" until Gen 5.1 where the "making" is complete. (See Dwg:Image and likeness - problem.jpg and Dwg:Image and likeness - work of Christ in Abel.jpg)

Shadows

A shadow is a historical reality that by consistent substitution of meaning for the words, teaches an important doctrine of God and his kingdom.

Job 8:9 (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)

Job 12:22 He discovereth deep things out of darkness, and bringeth out to light the shadow of death.

Ps 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (see the symbolic language in this psalm.)

Ps 144:4 Man is like to vanity: his days are as a shadow that passeth away.

Col 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

Heb 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.

Heb 10:1 For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect.

This is where many have misunderstood (often intentionally) that shadows are not allegory although they have similarities. In this practice, you cannot just pull meaning from the air and decide that it is the meaning of a shadow. A shadow must have two or three "witness" verses. AND the shadow must mean the same thing everywhere it is found. There are plenty of "witness" verses telling us that life is in the blood. So we have determined that Shadow:Blood::Life. This is shorthand for "Blood is a shadow of life." And everywhere that we will do a "translation" to shadow, we will substitute "life" for "blood". These two rules make it nearly impossible for the double entendre of the scriptures to be of human invention.

As it turns out, many of the allegorical interpretations are really undocumented shadows. Garments are taken as a shadow of "works" by many commentators. And as it turns out, there are sufficient witness scriptures to make it stick as a shadow. Writers who have properly discerned these images have seen the shadows and I believe that all such writings using these shadows tacitly endorse this hermeneutic. You might notice that when this method is combined with the dictionary methods above, that deeper meanings are discerned.

For instance, when Adam covered himself with fig leafs, there are few commentators that do not notice that the works of men are insufficient to cover sin. But notice that the fig tree represents Israel, and the word for leaves means "tribes". So this more specifically a picture that the works of the tribes of Israel were insufficient to cover sin. This is the very theme of Hebrews. I have not found a commentator take it to this level. But then IDontKnowNuthin...

Riddles

Dark sayings = riddles

Nu 12:8 With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches <02420>; and the similitude of the LORD shall he behold: wherefore then were ye not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?

Ps 49:4 I will incline mine ear to a parable: I will open my dark saying <02420> upon the harp.

Ps 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings <02420> of old:

Pr 1:6 To understand a proverb, and the interpretation; the words of the wise, and their dark sayings <02420>.

Eze 17:2 Son of man, put forth a riddle <02420>, and speak a parable unto the house of Israel;

Da 8:23 And in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and understanding dark sentences <02420>, shall stand up.

Pr 1:22 How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?

If God says something once believe it. If he says it twice, really believe it. Well God speaks in riddles or dark sayings that were impossible to understand until the light of Christ shone upon them.

Solving riddles

Riddles are interesting child's play because to solve the riddle, you must know the answer. The clues of the riddle will not lead you to the answer. Samson came across a lion and killed it. When he returned to the carcass, bees had made a hive and produced honey in it. Samson created a riddle in order to confound his enemies. Now remember what we said. A riddle can't be solved unless you know something of the answer already.

So his enemies threatened his wife and she found out the riddle from him and told them.

Judges 14:12 14 And he said unto them, Out of the eater came forth meat, and out of the strong came forth sweetness. 18 And the men of the city said unto him on the seventh day before the sun went down, What is sweeter than honey? and what is stronger than a lion? And he said unto them, If ye had not plowed with my heifer, ye had not found out my riddle.

You can find all kinds of bizarre interpretations for this from the literal-historical school, including that the Philistines must have slept with Delilah.

Hint 1: What do you plow?

Hint 2: What is a heifer used for?

You plow the earth, and a heifer is used for sacrifice.

So you turn over or plow the earthly with a sacrifice. Hmm, but the earthly is the literal and Christ is the sacrifice. Lets try again: You turn over the literal using the Christ. There we go.

Christ is the key to unlocking the riddles. It is the birth of Christ that unlocked the riddle of Tamar.

The riddle of Er

The work of Christ is central to understanding the riddle of Er.

In the Tamar story, Er is a shadow of Adam. This is perceived through Christological patterns as well as the riddles. But concerning the riddle: "called him Er" from the dictionary methods gives us "called him awake". Now we have a riddle.

In what way was Adam called "awake"? When someone dies, the Bible often says they sleep. So Shadow:Sleep::Death Also when we die, we 'return to the dust". So in the riddle, when someone is "called awake" they are "called from the dust". Now we don't need this riddle solved to see that Er is a shadow of Adam. The patterns are sufficient to hint at it. Er was the first son as Adam was the first man. Er was killed by God for sin as was Adam. Er was the one for whom the Leverate law was being fulfilled as was Adam. The riddle solution just solidifies the imagery and gives delight when it is discovered.

Ps 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

In what other way does the law (which convicts of sin, makes one feel guilty, and condemns) bring delight? It is the meditation upon it, the playing in the realm of ideas, that God reveals the works of his Son.

Patterns or themes

Many of the drawings are done at the level of ideas. You don't find word for word "translations" to shadow. These are quick and dirty ways to communicate the ideas that are represented in the shadows without the rigor of word for word translations. Often it is the first layer that is identified as a hint that there is something else going on underneath.

The pattern behind the Tamar story was the first thing that I saw. Many of the links fell into place quickly. But it took some research on "bracelets" to make the final connection. And later details of "the appointed time fell into place. But initially I only saw it as a shadow of the birth of Christ. Later the Leverate law theme popped out as I dug into the word for word details.

I believe that the major themes will be repeated many times as some of the "Table of Contents" drawings suggest. Because of this there are some hints that will help you in identifying patterns.

1. Expect to see the shadows. I have seen them in such density in the scriptures that when I don't see one, I am more likely to say that I don't see it "yet" than there isn't one there.
2. Whenever there are two things, one is earthly, the other is heavenly.
3. When someone is threatened with death but then does not die, look for a death and resurrection pattern.
4. Treat sleep in a similar way as threats of death.
5. Images of Christ which are singular may refer to the church when plural.
6. Rock and Stone are almost always Christ. Technically they refer to 'god', since occasionally there is a reference to a false rock. And the context is clear. But you are fairly safe in assuming it is God in the flesh.
7. Things underground refer to the tomb. Wells are water under ground. The treasures were buried.
8. Women are usually Israel or the church or both. Now this is curious. Israel is also a shadow of the church. It suggests that the church is the prostitute-bride. While we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
9. Once you get started, your gut response will usually be correct. This is because it is child's play.
10. And don't be fooled by images where it appears that Christ did not want to do what His Father asked. He didn't! In Exodus 4, he is repulsed by the idea of being made sin. In Rev 5, no one can be found in heaven, on earth or under the earth to open the seal. He is the son who said he wouldn't then did! What was the temptation in the desert and Gethsemane all about if it was not putting to death his own will in order to be obedient to his Father?

Cautions

We are not accustomed to seeing the shadows. They will be exciting for you to discover. Remember that Christ reveals the shadows. The shadows do not reveal Christ. If they did, the Jews would have seen him coming. But God spoke in riddles to hide the details of his coming. Had they known that he was to be born of a woman suspected of adultery, their sinful nature would have led them to open brothels to help usher him in. Had they been able to properly identify him, they would not have permitted him to be killed. They would have put the baby Jesus in a shrine and had annual pilgrimages to Bethlehem.

The shadows are no longer secrets. Now that we have seen Christ they are open to all. They are not special knowledge which will get you saved. Nor are they a special seal to prove that you are saved. They are not a special revelation but are discerned by the mind's natural abilities to correlate and solve riddles.

I hope they provide you with delight as you meditate upon God's word.

For our Jewish readers

When you see the white rock you MUST say water, water! The white rock is Christ who is the living water (Incarnate Torah) in heaven and on earth.

32 rules of Rabbi Eliezer