By virtue of this station, they have claimed for themselves the Voice of Divinity and the like, whilst by virtue of their station of Messengership, they have declared themselves the Messengers of God. In every instance they have voiced an utterance that would conform to the requirements of the occasion, and have ascribed all these declarations to Themselves, declarations ranging from the realm of divine Revelation to the realm of creation, and from the domain of Divinity even unto the domain of earthly existence. Thus it is that whatsoever be their utterance, whether it pertain to the realm of Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership, Guardianship, Apostleship or Servitude, all is true, beyond the shadow of a doubt. Therefore, these sayings which We have quoted in support of Our argument must be attentively considered, that the divergent utterances of the Manifestations of the Unseen and Daysprings of Holiness may cease to agitate the soul and perplex the mind.
We are now at paragraph eight of twenty-two that look at those two stations that the Manifestations of God occupy.
There are many things in this paragraph that we could focus on, but we haven't looked at the development of a path of words for a while, so let's check it out here.
Why does Baha'u'llah list these words in order: "Divinity, Lordship, Prophethood, Messengership, Guardianship, Apostleship or Servitude"? Of course, we don't really know, but we just presume there is a reason.
As we read over this list it feels to us like a decrescendo, which is unusual in the Writings. Almost everywhere else, Baha'u'llah builds up in a crescendo. So seeing this begin with Divinity and end with Servitude has made us sit up and pay attention.
Why would it be a decrescendo? Perhaps because this whole section is about that movement from God down to and through the Manifestations to us. The order of these words highlights that fact.
It begins with the vast scope of Divinity, that overarching... everything. That all-encompassing reality that is the Divine.
From there it moves down to the Lordship, which feels like the One that is overseeing the rule of creation, as if on behalf of that Divine Essence.
We move to Prophethood, which can, in a sense, be seen as that advisor to the Lord, informing Him of what is coming.
Messengership is that turning point in the list, that central pivot where we move from looking upwards and perhaps inwards, to looking down towards the rest of creation. It is that station of taking the message from above and conveying to those below.
With the station of Guardianship, we have to keep in mind that this is not referring to the Guardian, but rather to that station of Guarding. The question, of course, is what is being guarded? We feel it is the integrity of the Message. In other words, we have the Messenger giving that divine message, and then we have the one protecting it from corruption.
The Apostles then take that pure and intact divine message and bring it to the masses.
These people who receive that message are the ones who should live in servitude to it, ensuring that it is spread to all regions, intact. They are the ones who carry out its provisions and transform the world into a new creation.
In addition to all of this, the very last sentence has also caught our attention. He has said, "these sayings which We have quoted in support of Our argument must be attentively considered...", but which sayings is He referring to? The ones He quoted in paragraph 196 in regards to the different roles that the Manifestation fulfills. They are the ones in which They say:
- “I am God!”
- “I am the Messenger of God”
- "I am the Seal of the Prophets”
- “We are the servants of God”
The differences in these statements have been a source of great confusion for so many. They have also been the cause of many people turning away from the Faith. After all, it is a very different thing to hear them say that they are a "servant of God", as opposed to "I am God". But Baha'u'llah has taken the time to draw our attention to this matter, explaining how they are all true in their own way.
Why does He do this? So "that the divergent utterances of the Manifestations of the Unseen and Daysprings of Holiness may cease to agitate the soul and perplex the mind." But He knows that this is not an easy thing to grasp. That is why He says "these sayings... must be attentively considered..." It will take work, but it is worth it in the end.