Jul 29 2008
Give that God a Throne
Sing to God, O kingdoms of the earth, sing praise to the Lord, Selah, him who rides the ancient skies above, who thunders with mighty voice. (Psalms 68:32-33)
In the animal kingdom, placing yourself above another is intimidating and can signify higher status. A dog that looms over another cowering beneath is in a dominant position, whether or not the dominance is transient. Similarly, no doubt, human beings instinctively recognize that the higher position is the more dominant position. Think Olympic Games medals platform. Gold is higher than silver is higher than bronze.
When play-fighting (practice-fighting?), one of my dogs will frequently jump onto the couch to gain a height advantage on the other. Do human beings give their invisible alphas, their gods, a high platform, a throne even, so as to make that god appear dominant?
Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few. (Ecclesiastes 5:2)
[T]he oracle of one who hears the words of God, who has knowledge from the Most High, who sees a vision from the Almighty, who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened. (Numbers 24:16)
The “most high.” Falling prostrate doesn’t necessarily include rolling onto your back “to have your belly scratched,” at least not for Homo sapiens. Here’s a tip: If you can’t be bigger than the opposition, wear platform shoes. Or stand on a platform.
Arboreal monkeys habitually use height in dominance squabbles. (9) Is the instinctual human equation between “up” and “power” reflective of an arboreal past? Perhaps. Whatever the origin, in coming posts we will see how the Bible god is positioned so as to illustrate its high status.
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(9) Coe, C. L., Smith, E. R., Mendoza, S. P., & Levine, S., “Varying influence of Social Status on Hormone levels in Male Squirrel Monkeys,” in Hormones, Drugs & Social Behavior in Primates, Steklis, H. D. & Kling, A. S. (eds.), New York, SP Medical & Scientific Books, 1983
