118. To Understand the Matter of the Knees that Have Bowed to Baal

I heard

There is the discernment of a wife, and there is the discernment of a husband. A wife is considered that “she has nothing but what her husband gives her,” and a husband is considered extending abundance into his own aspect. Knees are considered “bowing,” as it is written, “unto You every knee shall bow.”

There are two discernments in bowing:

1. One who bows before one who is greater, and although he does not know his merit, but believes that he is great, he therefore bows before him;

2. When he knows his greatness and merit in utter clarity.

There are also two discernments considering the faith in the greatness of the upper one:

1. He believes that he is great because he has no other choice, that is, he has no way to know his greatness.

2. He has a way to know his greatness in utter certainty, but he still chooses the path of faith because “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing.” This means that although there are sparks in his body that want specifically to know His greatness, and not be as a beast, he still chooses faith for the above reason.

It follows that one who has no other choice, and chooses faith, is considered a woman, female—“he grew as weak as a female”—and she only receives from her husband. But one who has a choice yet struggles to go by the path of faith is called “a man of war.” Hence, those who choose faith when they had the option of walking by the way of knowing, called Baal [husband/Canaanite god], are called “which have not bowed to Baal.” This means that they did not surrender to the work of Baal, considered “knowing,” but chose the path of faith.