ELTB Creepy Crunchies
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Eat Learn This Book
Creepy Crunchies
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Creepy Crunchies R.C. Jones bob@2ndBook.org Art: Doris Ong
ISBN: 2ndBook Press, West Jordan, Utah
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means - electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other - except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without prior permission of 2ndBook Press.
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Coming from 2ndBook Press Children ELTB Tempting Trees (Adam and Eve) ELTB Dirty Dishes ELTB Baby Bread (Mustard Seed) ELTB Temple Tasties ELTB Before the Beginning (Alphabet) ELTB Triumphant Temptation (Triumphal Entry) Adult 2ndBook War with God 2ndBook Dietary Law (Lev 11) 2ndBook Seeds (Parables of seeds) 2nd Book Trees (Parables of trees) 2ndBook Kingdom (A close examination) 2ndBook Keys (Bible exegesis) 2ndBook Jots and Tittles (Formation of Hebrew letters) 2ndBook Worst Chapter in the Bible (Mystery of Tamar) Academic 2ndBook Sensus Plenior (New Testament use of the Old) 2ndBook Synoptic Problem (Sermon on the road to Emmaus)
Wine represents grace. The old way to receive grace was through the ritual sacrifices which did not produce actual grace, but a promise of grace. They were not saved by the blood of animals; they were a promise of the blood of Christ. Clothing represents works. The Hebrews did the old works of the law like actors playing a role to teach us of Christ. We learn from their 'theater' but are not bound to the script as they were. The new works of Christ are those based in the law of Love; Love God and love your neighbor. To be 'like a little child' means that we do not rely upon our old understanding. We come fresh to the word of God to be taught new things. The one who thinks he already knows, cannot learn.
To the parent This work is written for a parent to engage with the child. It introduces foundational principles for interpreting scripture. It also enables a discussion of character traits without the child being the focus of reproach. My hope is that it draws you into discussions with your child while giving you a new view of the Bible.
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God wants everyone to know him, so all things created teach us something about him. [1] We don't learn from hands, feet, air and earth by looking at them, but by what God says about them; by the symbols. These are symbols used in the play: The flying things were created to fly or live in the air. They represent characteristics of the spirit. Our spirit is supposed to love God. The ground represents the flesh.
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ELTB CC Eat Learn this Book recap
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The insects in this list swarm or crawl on the earth, symbolizing people who follow the crowd and behave selfishly instead of loving God. There is an old saying, "If it is popular, there is something wrong with it." [1] A flying thing is something intended for the air, or spirit. A crawling thing represents someone behaving selfishly or 'in the flesh'. It would appear that the the flying things that crawl should be living as though they love God but who have chosen to live and work loving themselves first. In the play, when the hands (works) and feet (life) are in the flesh (on the ground), it is disgusting. [2] We can crawl around for fun and there is nothing wrong with it. The flying things as actors, teach that we are intended to live in the spirit, or to love God. But when they crawl on the stage, it says that people who are supposed to love God, are loving themselves. The Hebrew word for 'creep' also means to multiply. It is worse when teachers teach their children to live loving themselves first. We should love God first and our neighbors. [3] People who choose to live in the flesh and raise children in the flesh, should not be our teachers. [4]
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There are a few insects that are exceptions to the rule for creeping things that fly. The actors on the stage could eat them. [1] They teach us something God wants us to learn. These critters are clean because although they fly and creep on all fours, they are distinguished by a large set of legs for leaping and jumping into the air. Leaping into the air, makes them look like they are striving to live in the spirit. These are people who get angry, or frustrated; they may be selfish sometimes; they may forget God from time to time. But they want to do better. So they ask God for help, and try to be good. We are like that sometimes, and God knows our heart. The word 'leg' also means 'kneeling' as if praying. These insects may look like they are praying as they eat. Praying is a good practice if you want to know God better. The word for 'leaping' also means 'stripping off' or 'tremble'. The apostle Paul said to "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" as we strip off the old man. [2] He calls the flesh the 'old man'.
The locust, bearded locust, beetle, and grasshopper represent those who are positive influences for us as they appear to strive to know God better in the play. [3]
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Some locusts have irridescent coloring in their wings or bodies. They look like they have a light in them. Perhaps that is why Adam named them 'light in her'. Light is a symbol of holiness. Though the locust spends much time on the ground, it jumps to get off the ground, and it appears to have light inside. We sometimes spend much time just living and not thinking about God. Then when we realize he is there, we jump at the chance to praise him or talk with him. As we learn to enjoy the presence of God, we want to spend more time with him. [1] Do you have a little light in you? I know a song called "This Little Light of Mine". [2] You show others that God is God and he is good when you do good things.
When the Bald Locust swarms, there are so many that they may pile up on each other. Perhaps Adam saw them when he named them 'a heap of people'. If we divide the letters of its name differently it means 'the rock that finished the will of the father.' Jesus was called the Rock [3] [4]. The Bald Locust, representing the Rock, teaches us to see Christ in all the scriptures. Every verse of every chapter of every book of the Old Testament participates in a hidden teaching of Jesus. [5] [6] Many people will mock the idea that all the scriptures speak of Christ because they can't see him there. Would you try to learn to fix cars from a guy who says cars can't be fixed, or from one who can teach you how? The bald locust is a reminder of the completed work of Christ. Not only did he complete the work of salvation, but he completes the work of showing the Father by revealing the mystery in the play. This is the primary lesson of the good teacher. The good teacher may teach us how to be good, but it is more important that he teaches us about the love of the Father.
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Examine a beetle closely; it has a hardened set of wings that cover softer wings underneath. This gives the beetle a bit of protection. When a soldier carried a shield into battle, it gave him some protection. It also gave him comfort against the fear of the battle. Adam named the beetle 'fear ended by teaching'. Paul calls our faith a shield. [1] 'Faith' means to trust. When we trust God to take care of us, we have no need to fear. This kind of trust starts with his love. Perfect love casts out fear [2]. The beetle suggests that love accomplishes this by teaching. As we learn who God is and that he is in control we can trust him and not fear in the midst of any circumstance.
When a grasshopper lays an egg, it wiggles it's body to dig a hole, then lays an egg in the hole. It looks like it is planting a seed. In a short while, the baby grasshopper; called a nymph, emerges. A nymph looks like a fully grown grasshopper, but just really tiny. Adam named it 'life through the pit'. The new grasshopper looks like the old grasshopper, but different. Other insects produce larvae looking like worms which have to change. When Jesus rose from the dead, he didn't become a new baby. He looked the same as he did before, just different. His friends could still see the scars in his hands and side. The grasshopper, like a good teacher, reminds us that Jesus is alive.
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The people on the stage were not allowed to eat the flying things with only four legs. And they were not allowed to touch their dead bodies. [1] When God gave them the script for the play, or the law, he used puns and riddles like a little child. His wisdom seems foolish to those who think they are wise. [2] The word 'touch' also means 'strike' in Hebrew. The religious rulers and the Romans beat Jesus before he was hung on the cross. When the evening came, the soldiers beat the other two men on crosses to break their legs. But Jesus had been been made to be sin. He was an abomination like the dead bugs. Since he was already dead, they did not strike him again. The evening is the symbol of the cross where grace meets judgement. The sins of man are covered by the death of the Son. In the play, whoever needs forgiveness is unclean until he evening, we are unclean until we come to the cross for forgiveness. [3]
According to the script, if any of the actors carried the dead body of any of the unclean animals mentioned in Eat Learn this Book, ELTB Bad Birds or ELTB Creepy Crunchies, they had to wash their clothes and they were considered unclean until the evening. [4] What could God be trying to tell us through these symbols? Let's see what some of the words mean:
Whoever brags about doing the things the dietary law told us not to do needs forgiveness offered by Jesus. In the play they would wait until evening. Since the evening represents the cross, we must wash, or change our thinking so that we agree with God that what we did was wrong. Afterwards, we wait until evening by approaching Christ for forgiveness.
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Creeping things are those things which reproduce quickly. The things listed will all be things that God does not want to spread because the things they represent are of the flesh, not of the spirit. [1]
The weasel is considered to be the smallest carnivore, or meat eater. It hunts and eats mice, voles, rabbits, birds, eggs, etc. It may dance before it's cornered prey to calm it before killing it with a single bite to the neck. It will steal the dens that other animals have dug. They are territorial and may claim up to twenty acres of land as their own. They run with short jumps and stand up to spy out the territory. Though the weasel is not a large animal, it knows how to succeed by stealth, deceit, and viciousness. Adam named it 'understanding the teaching of this age'. Some animals are stealthy and sneak up on their prey. Some are vicious, and some have methods of deceit and camouflage. The weasel seems to have learned from them all. The world teaches us to succeed at any cost; no matter who we hurt. God teaches us to love.
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If you see a mouse in your house, you can be pretty sure that you have many mice. A female mouse can have a litter of 10-12 pups every 3 weeks. Fortunately they usually only have four litters a year, You could have 1500 mice in your house in a year if you started with two. Adam named the mouse 'multiply the flesh'. The mouse represents the person who chases fun and pleasure in the world at the expense of God. He thinks of only himself. He is the person who makes jokes at others' expense. He doesn't care if he hurts their feelings as long as he thinks it's funny and others laugh too.
To Adam, the tortoise may have looked like it was hiding from unknown sounds as it tucked itself inside its shell. The hard shell makes an excellent defense. Some people have used tortoise shells as shields. As the tortoise wields his shield he protects himself from things above. Adam named him 'righteousness revealed from God to man.' This is a curious name. This name shows us that Adam knew that the unrighteous would be afraid of God. When you have done something bad, you might be afraid of your parents. Later, when Adam disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit, he hid from God. Some people shield themselves from God by refusing to read the Bible. They think if they don't know what God said, they don't have to worry about it.
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Ferrets are cute. They make all kinds of noises: whimpering, whining, screeching, screaming, barking, snoring. Perhaps Adam heard one sound like he was groaning and named him that. The whole earth groaned until Jesus came for us. [1] Or maybe he saw the ferret as an innocent child always wanting attention and named it 'innocent yearning'. Innocence is not a bad thing. It is where we begin to learn. But if we never learn and are always ignorant, then it is a bad thing. God wants us to continue to learn about him. People will tell you that God is so great that there is a lot we could know, but if you ask them, they can't tell you very much. Perhaps the ferret represents them. Perhaps you could start a list of things you know about God, and add to it as you learn new things. All the books in the world could not contain all that there is to know about God.
When we think of chameleons we think of them hiding by changing their colors. But when they are bothered, they will puff up making themselves look bigger. They have a strong bite and sharp teeth. Adam named them 'mighty force'. People do this too. When they get angry or scared they may jump to their feet, or raise their arms to make themselves look big. They may put their elbows out to make them look wider. Sometimes they open their mouth to look mean and snarly. And often they can just raise their voice, making it loud and deep. With 'biting teeth' a symbol of legalism, they use condemnation to make you feel small. Strength and force, are not the ways of God. Bullies act in the flesh, not in the spirit. God is patient, and kind. He calls to us, entices us and encourages us. He doesn't force us. [2].
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The lizard is cold blooded. His body doesn’t generate heat, but his body is the temperature of the environment. In the cold, Lizards try to find a place to not freeze, and wait for warmer weather. Then they slowly walk to a sunny rock and sit there, almost like they were dead, warming up in the sunlight and from the heat of the rock. When they are warm, they can run quickly to chase bugs and other lizards. While they are still cold, sometimes insects will pass them on the rock and they don’t even try to eat. Adam named the lizard ‘death of wanting’, like the lizard just didn't want to do anything. It must have been a cold day that day. The lizard represents those whose desire for God has become dead. They don’t even want or try to know him. Sometimes people get hurt so much they just don’t care about anything. They may know that God loves them and whispers to them, but the hurt is so much his voice gets drowned out by their own voice in their head screaming. God says at times like this, “Be still, and know that I am God.” [1] lizard leta’ah לטאה - myrrh [death] לט of yearning אה Adam saw the path of the mole tunneling underground as the dirt pushed up in a trail. When they dig, they have to put the dirt somewhere. It gets pushed above ground but remains a tunnel. Maybe Adam never saw the mole at all, since it was always under the dirt. Adam never saw what the mole did. It never built anything he could see. It never danced for him as others did. It didn't fly. The mole represents those who have died desolate, or unfruitful. Some authors have written good books that never get read, some have bad books that never get read. The mole is suggestive of dead authors who never changed anyone's life; they were unfruitful. They died 'desolate'. There are many books and videos. Much of it is not useful for anything. They just waste our time. We should avoid moles so that we too do not die desolate.
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The next critter on the list is difficult to discern. The word chomet חמט only occurs one tme in the Bible. So the translators had to guess what it meant. Some say it is a snail, and others say a kind of lizard. Reason with me and you decide. Here is the evidence for a snail.
Evidence for chomet being a lizard:
I think it is a lizard. If so, then it would represent those who have to learn the hard way. We can learn not to touch the stove the easy way; by listening to mom, or we can learn the hard way, by touching it and burning a finger. Since mom and God love us, they want us to learn the easy way.
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God used the Hebrews to give us a message through symbols. He said that he loves us and doesn't want us to learn things the hard way through the lizard that looks like he is burning his feet. Using the Chameleon he said we should be kind to others and not bully them to make ourselves feel big by making them feel small. The weasel tells us we shouldn't try to succeed by doing bad things to others. He said we were meant to live in the spirit as a flying thing, but he knows sometimes we have problems. He still loves us because he knows we try, like the jumping grasshoppers and locusts, and pray to ask for his help. And he told us not to brag about our sin by saying the actors couldn't carry the dead insects. From the Beetle he told us not to be afraid because he shields us. He encourages us to know him better through his word by not being like the tortoise. He warned us about wasting our time with things that don't produce life by the mole. He did not make us and leave us alone to find our own way. He gave us loving guidance all through the Bible. This look at creeping things is just a small part of what he wants us to know about him.
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