3. Beulah, The Walls: Salvation
When we walk daily with GOD, as his people, we are in his house, his building, his halls. The walls of which are our protection and our salvation. God is the one who 'saves' us from all and protects us from all, defends us from all. This is why and how we can love when others hate us. We can be gentle, humane, kind, because GOD defends us. This is how humans are hard-wired to be, in relationship with God and so protected and vindicated by GOD.
This is how all humankind is supposed to be. Walking in love and gentleness, we don't need to be defensive and violent to others, GOD defends us. We don't need to be strong, GOD is strong for us.
Humans, like all of nature are very delicate and vulnerable. Like the flower can be crushed by violence we could also too if it weren't for GOD who is our salvation in every way.
But when we turn away from GOD or stray from him we are no longer protected by GOD's walls. Therefore we learn to defend ourselves instead and become hard, cold, callous, defensive and violent with each other. We are still frail and vulnerable so we are fearful of all the things that can harm us and so we pile up riches, we try to control everything, we live in fear of what could happen.
GOD is at the center of our humanity as necessity. All those who stray from GOD will not survive, and degenerate in all manner of ways possible until they are no more.
The analogy of the Shepherd and the sheep is a good one. As human beings we are like sheep. Very gentle, very vulnerable, very delicate. Our health is a delicate balance, our minds a delicate balance. GOD is like our shepherd. In the old days shepherds would take care of each sheep and lead them around to grazing spots etc. They would protect them and the sheep could just be sheep and not worry about a thing.
A sheep did not have to be a good fighter or fast or strong to defend itself because it was defended by the Shepherd.
If a sheep were to leave the Shepherds care and go off alone it could easily be attacked and a prey for all, it would be defenceless.
Another way of maintaining a sheep herd is in a paddock with parameters / fences. The sheep owner maintains this paddock as a safe haven and watches over it to make sure the sheep have all they need and are safe. Outside of these parameters the sheep can fall prey to anything and may not be able to locate all it's own needs, sheep aren't too clever hence their likeness to people The parameters / fence can be likened to GOD's laws, ie, don't lie, don't steal etc, these are not for GOD's benefit but ours. GOD hates these things because they harm people, including the doer.
When we choose to stray from GOD and His parameters in our lives we become fearful. We are defensive, hard and we function in a perpetual state of fear and self defence. All our beautiful humane vulnerability and softness is covered up and hidden in fear. We attack others and others attack us, we rob from each other and attack each other.
But the order of GOD is to walk through life peacefully and gently under GOD's care and behind GOD's walls of protection, this is the actual natural order of humankind. Please note, no belief system or religion will protect us, only a direct, individual relationship with the Source, GOD will bring us inside these walls.
We need to walk our lives with GOD. To love and live peacefully, to practice patience, tolerance and gentleness with each other for all are answerable to GOD. To seek GOD and allow him to daily navigate us safely on through dangerous times and places, guiding and navigating us through with his insight.
Do not be fooled when you see people being bullies, violent, arrogant, harming others, proud and oppressing others and gaining from it, the gain is temporary. Pride comes before a fall always and their day is known by GOD, according to GOD's purposes on earth. But no person in relationship with GOD, hearing HIS words and direction for them and walking in them, is ever without HIS defence and walls of protection. Unfortunately the world has embellished and perpetuated religions and methods in place of a direct relationship with our Creator and defender and when we rely on these things instead we are blind, our faith is blind, and we are not inside GOD's walls of protection and defence. The earth has turned from truth and reaps the consequence. The answer is simple, to return to GOD with faith like a child in HIM, and to seek HIS understanding and insight daily then walk inside it, defended by HIM.
So we who are reliant on GOD to save us from all may rest from self defence and rely on GOD as our vindicator, pray for those who use and violently bully us, and walk peacefully in the ways of gentleness inside of GOD's walls of Salvation for us.