@sonship saidWhy have you made this gender-specific?
That is adequate for most of us believers in God. For the rigorous philosopher or academic or professional theologian, she may require more for intellectual argumentation's sake.
@sonship saidDo you sometimes call God her?
@Ghost-of-a-DukeWhy have you made this gender-specific?
Just variety way of speaking. Nothing more.
You'll see if you read enough of my posts that I do that from time to time.
Its unpredictable.
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@Ghost-of-a-Duke
I do not call God her. But I do give a hardy Amen to passages which allude to God being like a female.
For example, I am told by some teachers that El Shaddai refers to the big breasted one. That is definitely a female allusion - God as a mother with large breasts to feed her children.
Copied from the Life Study of Genesis by Witness Lee [my bolding]
we need to learn the meaning of the title of God in 17:1, the all-sufficient God. In Hebrew this title is El-Shaddai. El means the Strong One, the Mighty One, and Shaddai, implying the meaning of breast, udder, means all-sufficient. El-Shaddai is the Mighty One with an udder, the Mighty One who has the all-sufficient supply. An udder produces milk, and milk is the all-sufficient supply, having water, minerals, and many vitamins in it and containing all that we need for our daily living. So El-Shaddai means the all-sufficient Mighty One.
When Abraham did things by his natural self, he forgot the source of his supply. In other words, he forgot God as his all-sufficient source of supply. Therefore, God came to Abraham and seemed to say, "I am the Mighty One with an udder. Are you lacking something? Why don't you come to this udder? Are you hungry or thirsty? Come to this udder. The source of your supply is not your natural self, but I, the Mighty One with an udder. I am the all-sufficient One who can supply everything you need for your living and everything you need for the fulfillment of My eternal purpose. I am the source. You are not the source. You should not live on your own or by yourself. You have to live by Me as the source of your supply."
Another allusion of God as a woman is the famous passage in Matthew 23:37 referring to OT passages.
"Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I desired to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!"
In the OT God sometime spoke of Himself as the brooding bird over her young.
This is definitely a female allusion of God as a loving and protecting she.
@sonship said"Therefore, God came to Abraham and seemed to say, "I am the Mighty One with an udder. Are you lacking something? Why don't you come to this udder? Are you hungry or thirsty? Come to this udder. The source of your supply is not your natural self, but I, the Mighty One with an udder."
@Ghost-of-a-Duke
I do not call God her. But I do give a hardy Amen to passages which allude to God being like a female.
For example, I am told by some teachers that El Shaddai refers to the big breasted one. That is definitely a female allusion - God as a mother with large breasts to feed her children.
Copied from the Life Study of Genesis by Witness Lee [my boldin ...[text shortened]... d not live on your own or by yourself. You have to live by Me as the source of your supply."[/quote]
Say what now?
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"Therefore, God came to Abraham and seemed to say, "I am the Mighty One with an udder. Are you lacking something? Why don't you come to this udder? Are you hungry or thirsty? Come to this udder. The source of your supply is not your natural self, but I, the Mighty One with an udder."
Briefly, Abraham is called the father of faith. God worked with the created race from Adam until the Tower of Babel. Around that time God started a new race, the called race. He could not get through with the created race so He initiated the called race headed by this man Abraham.
Through the called race God would turn around and bless the created race.
In one sense what God promised Abraham was the natural course of all other people - to have a child (leaving out for now all the things related to that child). Abram and Sarai (as they were then called) could not have a child all of their lives. What should they do? They grew old and still no God promised child.
Well, they went on some detours and some self invented plans to "help" God fulfilled His promise. This caused them a lot of trouble. And God came to repeat the promise a number of times. It seems that God waited for Abraham to EXHAUST his natural ability, natural schemes, and natural methods to "help" God fulfill His promise.
With this brief backdrop we see an appearance to Abraham from God reminding him that that God WILL NOT FAIL to keep His promise. He can do it. He will do it. Nothing is too hard for Him. He is like a big breasted momma who is filled with the nourishment, supply, and sustenance to feed "her" children.
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As I said earlier in the thread it is ok if you don’t want to answer my question.
It’s a tough one I know. Another checkmate question perhaps.
I think you boasted once that you only skim over my posts and do not care to study them in detail. In other words it is a waste of your good time.
If you asked some question that is important to you, don't be surprised if I respond in kind.
@avalanchethecat saidGood to see you posting again!
Getting out of bed I would think, since I understand it was Monday morning.