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Bible Picture Pathways

 Country Living - A Sanctuary in the Wilderness

Character-Building Easier in the Country

 Woe unto them that join house to house, [that] lay field to field, till [there be] no place,

 that they may be placed alone in the midst of the earth!  Isaiah 5:8

The natural setting, out-of- doors is becoming more prominent in the scientific literature. 

 The author of Ministry of Healing  told us over a hundred years ago,

  "It was not God's purpose that people should be crowded into the cities." (pg. 365)

 Life in the open air is good for body and mind. It is God's medicine for the restoration of health. Pure air, good water, sunshine, beautiful surroundings--these are His means for restoring the sick to health in natural ways.  (Medical Ministry  pg. 233) 

Science is now proving  that city life is  the opposite of this.  A news article from  January 2009 stated,

"Scientists have begun to examine how the city affects the brain and the results are chastening.  Just being in an urban environment, they have found impairs our basic mental processes.  After spending a few minutes on a crowded city street, the brain is less able to hold things im memory, and -sufferers from reduced self-control. ..This new research suggests that cities actually dull our thinking, sometimes dramatically so."

 "In a study at the University of Michigan, undergraduates were outfitted with GPS receivers.  Some students took a stroll in the arboretum, while still others walked around the busy streets of the city.  The subjects were then run through a battery of psychological tests.  People who had walked through the city were in a worse mood and scored significantly lower on a test of attention and working memory... In fact, just glancing at a photograph of  urban scenes led to measurable impairments, at least when compared with pictures of nature."

What was even more suprising to me, is that these studies even confirmed the spiritual advantages of the country told in Fundamentals of Christian Education  (pg. 326)

 "Those who will take their families into the country, placec tham where they will have fewer temptations.  In the city,... the work of character building is 10-fold harder for both parents and children."

The world is now scientifically proving this. 

 "The density of the city life dosen't just make it harder to focus: It also interferes with our self-control.  In that stroll down Newberry, the brain is also assaulted with temptations-carmel lattes, iPods, discounted cashmere sweaters, and high-heeled shoes.  Resisting these temptations requires us to flex the prefrontal cortex, a nub of the brain jsut behind the eyes.  Unfortunately, this is the same brain area that's respponsible for directed attention, which means that its already depleted by walking around the city. As a result, it is less able to exert self-control."

 "Yet they shall be ministers in my sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house,

and ministering to the house:.." Ezekiel 44:11

In our studies of the sanctuary, we discovered the previous quote and that brought to mind some very interesting comparisons.  If you look at a typical home, you have several items that parallel the sanctuary. There is a

 heat source = Altar of Burnt Offering    

the family altar = Altar of Incense    the presence of God = Ark of the Covenant

 Now every home has a family altar. This would be the central focus of your home. In most homes, this is the "entertainment center." Yes, the Altar of Incense was about worship; but so is the TV. Just as there is false or true worship, so the TV can be used for good or evil. What are you worshipping? Does the TV take up your time and come between you and your worship of God? Remember Nadab and Abihu! They brought in "strange fire" before the Lord and were destroyed. The TV can easily become "strange fire." They made this mistake because they were drunk with wine. Can the TV feed you the "wine of Babylon?

Check out this quote from Anton LaVey, the founder of the church of satan.

  Television is the major mainstream infiltration for the new satanic religion. The TV set;or satanic family altar, has                                                                     grown more elaborate  since  the early  50's, from the tiny, fuzzy screen to huge entertainment centers covering entire walls with several TV monitors. The Devil's Notebook pg. 86

If you have a truly God centered, Christian home, the TV will not be the central focus anymore. You will naturally spend more time in Bible study, prayer, and spending quality time with God! Hence the parallel with the Ark of the Covenant = The presence of God in your home!