11:3 Restoration

The Substitute Wife

Recently I was on a forum discussing Biblical families and patriarchy and all the different topics that can arise out of that. Members discuss theological issues, world current events, music, and even movies. There were a few recommendations for films that I had not heard of, but they were originally on Hallmark so I figured at least I’d garnish some warm fuzzies. Yeah I was right. But one film really affected me profoundly and so I thought I’d share a few of my thoughts, and then insert a link to the version on You Tube that I think plays the clearest. (There were several options, so it took a few tries before I found a good one.)

So if you’re a baby boomer like me and familiar with old television shows, you probably recall “Charlies Angels”. Farrah Fawcett was the star, and many a teenage girl copied her infamous hairstyle back in the day. But in this film, she actually plays a supporting role as an aging prostitute. But I’m jumping ahead…or maybe I was just trying to hook you in. 😉 The real “star” of this film was the pioneering wife and mother who worked tirelessly beside her man to forge a new life and future for their family. Not far into the story, she becomes gravely ill and sees a doctor who gives her the news that she may only have a few months to live. Because she cannot deny how sick she is, and that soon she will not be around to help her husband and raise her children, she comes up with a plan to find a woman to step into her shoes when she is gone. And so the adventure begins. There is a wonderful mixture of heartache and humor in this film, but I want to encourage you to watch for yourselves so I’ll try not to reveal too much. But what struck me the most was this woman’s unselfish desire to see her family thrive beyond her sudden departure from this earth, even if it meant searching for her substitute while she was still living! There is a little twist to the plot it seems, when her efforts seem to backfire, but even then she takes it in stride and adjusts “the plan” to benefit and yes, to even bless everyone involved!

So what is the moral of this story? To me, it is the RIGHTEOUSNESS of a woman who has the courage and wisdom to break out of societal (not Biblical) norms in order to see that her family flourishes! What a legacy! I watched this movie a second time, and really thought about her reasoning and fortitude while facing a seemingly hopeless situation. Could I have been that brave facing similar circumstances? I really don’t know. What about you? I encourage anyone reading this to take a little time to watch this film. I think you’ll be challenged in your thinking as well as your heart.

Watch “The Substitute Wife” here…

Educating Children: The battle between patriarchy and the polis

I read this article and it got me thinking about education within the context of Hebrew patriarchy. Following is the key quote from the article.

The educational complex from pre-k to graduate school is controlled to a large extent by the Deep State…The Deep State believes children belong to the state. This is an ancient idea that can be traced back to Plato.
Dietrich, John, “Coronavirus Vs. The Deep State Educational Complex”, https://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2020/04/coronavirus_vs_the_deep_state_educational_complex.html, accessed 08 May 2020

True confession of (fake) sin!

In fact, even as a married man, I couldn’t commit adultery with a single lady. It is physically and spiritually impossible!!

I’ve been happily married more than 28 years and wouldn’t trade any of it. It hasn’t always been easy, but life with Kelly has been good. I love her. Always have, but then I’m a sucker for ‘broken wings.’

Only in recent years have I realized or recognized that aspect of my personality, but I can see the seeds of that character trait going way back. Kelly is the first person I really recall with whom I exercised this ministry. We began dating before the parachuting accident that took both of her hands, though we weren’t serious. Truth be told, at that point, she was seeing someone else and I was sort of playing the field… but, she sure could fill out a pair of Army fatigues.

Are fathers really that important?

I’ve been holding on to a video for a couple weeks that I wanted to write an article about, but time is a precious commodity… I’ll let this speak for itself.

Here is a secular, female divorce attorney who specializes in defending fathers. She has a fantastic grip on the importance of fathers and has made a real difference in the lives of thousands of children who still have close access to their fathers!

Applying Exodus 21 to David and Yeshua

Within the text of the Sinai covenant, there is an interesting section of the law code detailing the role of the master in providing a wife for his slave (man servant) or son. This is YHVH talking to Moses, telling him what to teach the new nation of Israel. This means it was and is of great importance to Him (Malachi 3:6). Given that He instituted marriage in the very beginning in the Garden of Eden, this should not be a surprise.

Battling lawlessness and cold love with polygyny

In sober tones, Messiah Yeshua warned His disciples that “Because lawlessness is increased, most people’s love will grow cold” (Matthew 24:12). This warning is in the passage about the end times. We know from I John 3:4 that “everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness”. In other words, sin increases and love grows cold.

Practical Patriarchy: The “My Man” Myth

“I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine…”
Song of Solomon, 6:3

The average person in western egalitarian Christianity misunderstands the ‘my’ in ‘my man’ leading to a foundational error in man-woman relationships. So, buckle up and let us ponder something that will help us return to the ancient paths and walk after the King!

Is there a difference between a man saying, ‘my woman’ and a woman saying, ‘my man?’ Have you ever thought about it?

Feminism, Witchcraft and Monogamy

Several evenings ago, I recommended the sixth chapter of James Wesley Stivers’ Eros Made Sacred while commenting on another blog. That chapter, originally written by Stivers as a stand alone essay to explore the conceptual affinity between the three doctrines, is an amazing wealth of thought and philosophy. I found it online yesterday and have copied and pasted it from another website and strongly recommend that if this material piques your interest, you order this short and powerful book and read it. There is a link on our Resources page. We gain nothing from the links on that page.

Chapter 6. Feminism, Witchcraft and Monogamy

113 Qualifier: It is not the view of 113Restoration that monogamy itself is the source of feminism and witchcraft, which is the impression which may erroneously be conveyed by this chapter, but state- and culture-enforced monogamy-ONLY laws. It is therefore the anti-polygyny laws that are feminism’s and witchcraft’s catalysts. The universal practice of polygyny by all men and women everywhere would be undesirable and impractical in this age.

Feminism, monogamy, and witchcraft form an unholy trinity working the destruction of Christian civilization. This is an astonishing assertion and one which will not sit well with most people. Most people will view witchcraft as a plausible rival of the Christian faith. Some will view militant feminism with distrust. But to associate monogamy with the two seems preposterous. To prove the linkage, let us begin with some basic definitions of these terms.

Our Polygynous Fathers

*not an ‘accurate’ representation of the persons or events depicted…. 😉

A central thread that runs through the whole of Scripture that both Christendom and Judaism try to hide, minimize, or ignore is polygyny. So, to expose that thread and demonstrate how very central the subject is, let’s take a gander at it by considering various angles.

Characters:

Hebrews 11 names many of the following as ‘men approved by God’…
Abraham had at least two concubines besides Sarah. (Genesis 25:6)
Jacob had four wives, therefore, all who are descended from or grafted into Israel have a father who is polygynous.
Moses married the Zipporah and the Cushite woman. The latter incurred Miriam’s displeasure and we see God’s response…. (Numbers 12)
Caleb, Joshua’s righteous companion who entered the land, had …wives.
Gideon had 70 sons, plus. (Judges 8:30-31)
Elkanah, father of Samuel, had two wives.
David, man after God’s own heart, had eight wives and ten concubines (1 Chronicles 3:1-9).
Solomon, greatest king of Israel.
Joash was given two wives by the High Priest and ‘did what was right in the sight of the Lord…’ (2 Chronicles 24:2-3, 15-16)
Oh, God, by His own Word testifies to (allegorically) having two brides. (Ezekiel 23:2, 4; Jeremiah 3:8; 31:32)
Others…

Authors of Scripture:

A Lament for the Lost

Reverend Martin Madan, courtesy of Wikipedia

Three centuries ago, tales of the horrific abuse of young girls and women by male rogues and cads inspired one of the great Christian men of his time to write a book titled Thelyphthora. His name was Martin Madan (b. 1726 – d. 1790). You haven’t heard of him or this book before because Madan prescribed a biblical remedy for the abuse of the fairer and weaker sex by the stronger: polygyny, governed by the regulations contained within the first five books of the Bible, also known as the Torah. The fourth chapter of the first volume of Thelyphthora is a very thorough discussion of polygyny (one husband with one or more wives).

Madan wrote about how his heart broke over and over hearing these stories. He wrote,