My Mother, Marjorie, passed away at the age of 94 on April 27, 2009. She died in her bed at home with all of us there. The last week was a fun week of sharing, eating, enjoying and loving. How can you mourn for a life lived long, well and full? Recently, my brother asked me if I remembered what ‘Mommy asked for 2 days before she died? I told him, no, what? He said that she asked for a dictionary, she had to look up two words! Someone asked me what those word were and, regretfully, I don’t know.
Think about it though, even though we don’t know our last day and date to chisel on a tombstone, imagine being 94 years old and still having a hunger and thirst to learn! I say all that to say this, the title of this article is in Marjorie’s honor. You see, usually I have a topic or theme to write about, but not a title. Just a year ago I wrote an article called ‘Rick’s A Roux‘. The title came from a Louisiana word called Roux whereby it’s a little of this and a little of that to make a sauce for gumbo. When I sat down to do this week’s article I had the same unction to do another ‘Roux’ type article, yet I wanted to call it a ‘Hodge Podge’.
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
When I looked up some synonyms for Hodge-Podge there appeared the word Gallimaufry! What is that!? Never have heard the word before, I looked it up. So as I learn hopefully you will too! Words are wonderful. Words have power, they build up or they can tear down.
Ever heard of Gallimaufry before? Let’s learn. Gallimaufry simply means assortment.
Gallimaufries: A motley assortment of things. Synonyms: farrago, hodgepodge, hotchpotch, mélange, mingle-mangle, mishmash, oddments, odds and ends, omnium-gatherum, ragbag. It comes from the archaic French galimafrée, of unknown origin, which might have referred to a kind of sauce or stew. Support for this comes from its earliest sense in English of a ragout or mishmash of ingredients, “a dish made by hashing up odds and ends of food.”
Live and learn! Even till age 94 and beyond! So I have two Gallimaufries to share.
Gallimaufry 1: Reading from Leviticus 6, we learn of the sacrifice requirements of a Son of The Living God. Many of us have been taught that these are ‘done away with’ and ‘no longer necessary.’ Part of that is true, but we overlook the heart of the issue and toss all of it away and never visit these passages. First of all it is not the Heart of the Father in the Beginning to have anything innocent die on our behalf to cover or atone for our sin(s). Obedience is better than sacrifice, if one obeys The Fathers words then there is no need for a sacrifice! It’s rather simple.
However, since there was disobedience in the beginning (Genesis 3), which exposed His Children (naked and shame), and broke fellowship as desired by The Father, He sacrificed something innocent to cover His Children (Gen 3:20), with the plan to bring them home back to the house (John 14, Luke 15), restored back to the Garden, as it was in the Beginning (Acts 1:6, Acts 3:21).
Since we humans are obdurate, stiff-necked and dull of hearing, we keep cycling further away, so instructions for ‘The Way’ back have to be covered more and more like the rings of an onion. Ergo, the instructions of a Loving Father who doesn’t want His children to get burned and die from ignorance in Lev. 6.
If all sacrifices are pointing to The Lamb of God (and they are) So, I’m thinking that John could have said in (John 1:29):
- Behold: The Red Heifer of God
- Behold: The Burnt/Thanksgiving Offering of God
- Behold: The Grain Offering of God
- Behold: The Sin Offering of God
- Behold: The Guilt/Trespass Offering of God
- Behold: The Peace/Shalom Offering of God
John would have been right on all occasions!
Agree? Disagree?
We truly are beholding aren’t we?
Gallimaufry 2: Lately, I’m watching words, mine and others. I’ve been involved with some Scripture studies one at an area auto body restoration shop (God does have a sense of humor) and another study at the local prison. I don’t teach nor preach, I just take their questions and go look up the answers in the Book and believe what I read; and not read what I believe because I have been led to believe wrong! I am now convinced of it!
“LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in a time of distress, the nations will come to You from the ends of the earth, and they will say, “Our fathers inherited only lies, worthless idols of no benefit at all.” -Jeremiah 16:19
How do I know, listen to these words that come from the others in both groups. I’m compiling a list, so if you have others to add, please e mail me:
“What I was taught….”
“What I was led to believe…”
“I believe…..”
“I just gotta believe…”
“What I think it means…”
“I was told…”
“I was always told…”
“I was taught…”
“I’ve been taught all my life…”
“I always heard…”
“To Me….”
“According to (fill in pastor or teachers name here)…”
“I don’t think I’m sinning…”
“I just thought…”
“Everything I’ve been taught since I was a child…”
“In my heart of hearts I believe…”
Compare all the above with what The Author/The Creator/The One who Knows better/Father actually wrote! The Bereans did! (Acts 17:11)
The wonderful thing about digging, learning, and un-learning is that you find out more and more of just who He really is! So much so, that I hope when I’m at least 94, I will be requesting His Word because I have to look up two more things two days before I expire! He who hungers and thirsts after righteous will be satisfied! Guess what the satisfaction will be? It will be more hunger and more thirst for righteousness!
As for me, I would seek God, and to God would I commit my cause, who does great things and unsearchable, marvelous things without number. -Job 5:8-9
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! -Rom 11:33
To me, the very least of all the set-apart ones, this favour was given, to bring the Good News of the unsearchable riches of Messiah among the gentiles. -Eph 3:8
Keep digging! Share any gallimaufries you find.
There’s Pearls of Great Price in there!
