These are the terms for “Heaven” and “Earth”….the one for Heaven, is plural. Those things that are of the Earth are finite, hence the singular aspect of the term Aretz for Earthly things.
Shamayim, on the other hand, refers to all things Heavenly, this is plural. We set our hearts on something…do we set it on something that is finite (such as Earthly things and possessions) or do we set our hearts on infinite things (such as those things in the spiritual realm?
That our bodies were created out of earth, we are definitely in the Earthly realm. We spend a lot of our time devoted to Earthly things. In fact, we are not to neglect these things but are called on to be good stewards of the Earth and all that is in it. This translates to everything from taking care of the planet to eating well and getting rest (taking care of our Earthly vessel, our bodies.)
But just as it says in the Bible about storing up your treasures…do we store them up in the Earthly realm (where they can be stolen or can decompose…as do all things that are Earthly), or do we store things up in Heaven, where nothing can steal them and they last forever?
This is the real challenge of the modern social world. There is so much out there to “fill up” or at least, create the semblance of being filled up. This is a high distraction. Our world also rewards those who pay attention to these things. Wealth, fame, and power are all Earthly in many ways and distract us from the real needs that we have to connect with the fountain that will “never run dry” and will address our thirst forever.
The inner drive to find something like this…as we see all over our literature and legend (Holy Grail, Fountain of Youth, etc.), is universal. Some may have suppressed it to the point that it is pretty much gone, but ultimately we feel a bit empty and lost in the world since we have lost our intimate connection with the universe through God.
The Fall in the Garden was the creation of a barrier between us and the Universe. Before then we had intimate knowledge of the universe and our place in it. Perhaps that is why early humans were so able to figure out the world and innovate the way they did. It would be hard to imagine moder people figuring out how to combine naturally occurring elements to create steel.
The Mission: What are your possessions? Today, let go. Free up your heart of its earthy possessions. And fill it up with the spiritual and heavenly.
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Mark K.