Brent,
"In like manner, those words that have streamed forth from the source of power and descended from the heaven of glory are innumerable and beyond the ordinary comprehension of man."
(Baha'u'llah, The Kitab-i-Iqan, p. 5)
Baha'u'llah also states that there are innumerable meanings within the Word.
It can be suggested that the hands will "withhold" KNOWLEDGE, because many people, including Baha'is, couldn't accept what they know.
Take the idea of wealth, for example. Most people, including Baha'is, think that having wealth is laudable. But the Writings, as this one reads them, encourages us to EXPEND what God has bestowed upon us, relying totally on Him.
The Guardian encouraged us to be like a fountain, being continually replenished from an invisible source.
The Bible states that it is easier for a camel to get through the eye of a needle, then for a rich man to enter heaven.
Baha'u'llah states in the 53rd Persian Hidden Word:
"The rich, but for a few, shall in no wise attain the court of His presence nor enter the city of content and resignation."
In the Kitab-i-Ahd, He states:
"In earthly riches, fear is hidden and peril concealed."
The Bab states, in the 9th prayer under the heading of "Spiritual Qualities," that:
"Indeed shouldst Thou desire to confer blessing upon a servant Thou wouldst blot out from the realm of his heart every mention or disposition except Thine Own mention; and shouldst Thou ordain evil for a servant by reason of that which his hands have unjustly wrought before Thy face, Thou wouldst test him with the benefits of this world and of the next that he might become preoccupied therewith and forget Thy remembrance."
Yet many Baha'is will show near reference to a wealthy Baha'i and laud his or her accomplishments.
It is not being suggested that means are not necessary, just that they are designed to be EXPENDED, rather than saved up for a rainy day....we must learn to rely on God and not feel that we need to save for a rainy day.
This one suggests that there are other "hidden" meanings that have been discovered and that the hands are probably witholding knowledge.....true spiritual insight.
Just an opinion.
James
From: "Brent Poirier" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Reply-To: "Baha'i Studies" <bahai-st@list.jccc.edu> To: "Baha'i Studies" <bahai-st@list.jccc.edu> Subject: The Hands withholding Date: Thu, 5 May 2005 15:35:29 -0000
In the Suratu'l-Haykal, Baha'u'llah writes of the Hands:
"O Living Temple! Stretch forth Thy hand over all who are in heaven and on earth, and seize within the grasp of Thy Will the reins of command. We have, verily, placed in Thy right hand the empire of all things. Do as Thou willest, and fear not the ignorant. Reach out to the Tablet that hath dawned above the horizon of the pen of Thy Lord, and take hold of it with such strength that, through Thee, the hands of all who inhabit the earth may be enabled to lay fast hold upon it. This, in truth, is that which becometh Thee, if Thou be of those who understand. Through the upraising of Thy hand to the heaven of My grace, the hands of all created things shall be lifted up to their Lord, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Gracious. Erelong shall We raise up, through the aid of Thy hand, other hands endued with power, with strength and might, and shall establish through them Our dominion over all that dwell in the realms of revelation and creation. Thus will the servants of God recognize the truth that there is none other God beside Me, the Help in Peril, the Self-Subsisting. With these hands, moreover, We shall both bestow and withhold, though none can understand this save those who see with the eye of the spirit. . . . Erelong shall God draw forth, out of the bosom of power, the hands of ascendancy and might, and shall raise up a people who will arise to win victory for this Youth and who will purge mankind from the defilement of the outcast and the ungodly. These hands will gird up their loins to champion the Faith of God, and will, in My name the Self-Subsistent, the Mighty, subdue the peoples and kindreds of the earth." (The Summons of the Lord of Hosts, pp. 18-19)
I am interested, not in how God withholds gifts, but in how you friends see that the Hands of the Cause have "withheld".
Thanks very much Brent
__________________________________________________
You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st
Baha'i Studies is available through the following:
Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st
News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st
Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist
Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net
New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
_________________________________________________________________
Don’t just search. Find. Check out the new MSN Search! http://search.msn.click-url.com/go/onm00200636ave/direct/01/
__________________________________________________ You are subscribed to Baha'i Studies as: mailto:archive@mail-archive.com Unsubscribe: send a blank email to mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: send subscribe bahai-st in the message body to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe: http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/all_forums/subscribe?name=bahai-st Baha'i Studies is available through the following: Mail - mailto:bahai-st@list.jccc.edu Web - http://list.jccc.edu:8080/read/?forum=bahai-st News - news://list.jccc.edu/bahai-st Public - http://www.escribe.com/religion/bahaist Old Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.net New Public - http://www.mail-archive.com/bahai-st@list.jccc.edu
