Mongolian River Taimen
See video: catching the fish for the first time
I was watching River Monsters last week, where fisherman Jeremy Wade was in Mongolia and he found out about a shaman who could help him find fish. She put on a mask made of animal hair and invoked the river spirit and "prophesied" that if he made an offering to the river god, he would catch more fish. It worked, and he treated it as a very normal thing that was "one more way to skin a fish."Apart from the weird trance with the hairy mask, it seemed like a very harmless thing. This got me thinking as to why, exactly going to the shaman is wrong, biblically speaking.
Reasons for this being against the rules, Judaeo-Christianly speaking, are
1. Creation
God is the creater and sustainer of all life, including Humans, Jeremy Wade is within his bounds to ask for help from God. However, to turn to a spiritist is to break the rules and break the relationship with God, and to seek other provision than what God had provided. By allying with the spiritual powers of shamanism and obeying them, Wade shows that he is not afraid to try this, if it will help him fish.
2. Covenant
Agreements that were already set down long ago, may not be known to Jeremy Wade, that God, as creator, has said many things about the way things ought to be done on earth. These are in line with God's character, and are purposive to the effect of blessing a job which is done in the right way. Although Jeremy ends up disobeying the shaman's advice, he chooses to go with his own ingenuity, and creates a lure based on the advice of the guide and the shaman, and eventually catches the fish "his way."
Jesus tells his disciples to trust him and cast the nets on the left side of the boat.
His way brings God's kind of abundance here on earth - he unlocks heaven for the disciples and his followers several times. He knows something about god's desire to bless, and God's requirements - when God will or will not bless something. What Abel knew and Cain did not. What Jacob received, and Esau did not.
Firstly, Identity - Jesus knows he is the Son of God, and God is his Father.
Second, Jesus knew that whatever God had spoken, it came to pass, 100%. Likewise, as Jesus was living out his true identity as the Son, his word had authority to heal and must come to pass.
Thirdly, Jesus never broke his word, and never went against the words God had spoken.
In these three ways, Jesus had access to healing power, miraculous power and salvation authority, as his purpose was to demonstrate God's kingdom on earth and manifest its power. To show that he had come from God and that he had true authority from heaven.
So the work for his followers, and for all who heard Jesus speak was simply this: "believe that I am he" simply- just as God tells Moses to tell the people of Israel,"I AM has sent me to you." Apparently this was all the credentials Jesus (and Moses) needed to be believed.
If God does not require things such as Master's Degrees, BMW's, or convincing arguments - as symbols of divine power and authority - are we not tempted to look to these things as well - before we can believe someone or trust them? Is it true that people who are good looking, wealthy, or effective communicators have an "in" with God? Or is it that we do not want to believe in a God who has no distinctions between rich and poor, effective or stumbling, beauty and plain?
I only mention this as one stumbling block to belief- there are many other excuses we can give for not believing God (or Jesus, Moses). How many of our churches would welcome the humble saviour today? And if Jesus is not welcome in our churches - are our hearts the same? Or are we guilty of trying to change the rules to fit our own system of ideas?
