The decisive event in the spiritual history of our people was the act that occurred at Sinai. It had a twofold significance. One in opening up a new relationship of God to man, in engaging Him intimately to the people of Israel; and second in Israel's accepting that relationship, that engagement to God. It was an event in which both God and Israel were partners. God gave His word to the people, and the people gave its word of honor to God.
That word of honor was not given by one generation alone. All generations of Israel were present at Sinai. It was an event that happened at a particular time and also one that happened for all time. "Nor is it with you only that I make this sworn covenant, but with him who is not here with us this day as well as with him who stands here with us this day before the Lord our God." (Deuteronomy 29:13-14).
It was an act of transcending the present, history in reverse: thinking of the future in the present tense
-- Abraham Joshua Heschel, "The Moment at Sinai" (italics in the original, bold emphasis added)
Can it be said that all events involving God have this timeless quality, of occurring both at this particular time and yet also for all time?
Isn't that why and how the sacrament of marriage creates an unbreakable, lifelong bond, because it also "thinks the future in the present tense"?
When we first hold our newborn child, aren't we at one with every father who has ever experienced that bond of love, along with all those who ever will, each of us participating in the eternal idea of fatherhood?
God is eternal: how could anything involving Him not have this timeless quality?
Over at the orthosphere blog, there's been some discussion of the traditional doctrines of continuous or perpetual Creation. It's because Creation is timeless that we can experience it in every waking moment, if only we take care to look.
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