The unWise Wise Men

FOREIGN DIGNITARIES INCITE INFANTICIDE

Iyar 16— 4 BC

The Magi Journeying by James Tissot

There is outrage across Judea as a group of foreign dignitaries supposedly incited the murder of numerous young children across the Judean countryside.

'They rode into town late in the day...' One witness reported, '...they rode straight up to Herod at the palace. They left a few hours later—but the very next morning Herod ordered all the children under two in Judea killed.'

I'm not sure if that's what the headlines really read... or if they had newspapers—but the fact is that the disobedience of these men had grave repercussions.

Disobedience? Some may ask? And to that I say yes.

You see, these men were recorded as being wise men from the east. They traveled hundreds, and possibly thousands of miles with the information from Scripture that they should go to Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2), they had the star to guide them... which pointed at the place where the child was. (Matthew 2:9)

But five miles away, they let their 'Wisdom' take over, and went to Jerusalem instead—and we see how that ended. (Matthew 2:16-18)

Why do I bring this up? Because, in the same way there are many who are setting themselves up for an eternity in Hell, simply because in the last few steps they let their worldly wisdom take over.

You see, most people will claim to believe in God—which is proven in nature. (Psalm 19:1)

Many more will claim to believe in Christ—that He was the son of God who died for their sins. (John 3:16)

But then, at the last, they turn aside. While Jesus Himself clearly stated; "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) there are many who turn aside—they join Churches, give money, are baptized, light candles... they do all manner of things OTHER than go to Christ—and by that, reject the salvation that Christ offers.

Friend, as we consider this Christmas season, don't make the same mistake as the wise men and allow your worldly wisdom to cause you to miss Christ. Follow the Scripture, because it will lead you straight to Christ.

Cold (A Short Story)

COLD

My eyes scanned the field thoroughly, taking in every detail. I was searching for Harry. I registered the dark green of the cedar trees, and the occasional brown of a dead tree, pointing up from the snow towards the sky like a medieval gravestone, signifying the unfortunate demise of some poor traveler. My knuckles were white as I gripped the fence-post, my eyes searching.

I didn't like Harry. We had met on several occasions, (all of them bad, and on his terms.) Harry was Mr. Brown’s bull, and a rather large one at that. I felt a shudder run through me as our last meeting came to mind. He had chased me through the field, and in my terror I had leaped headfirst over a barbed wire fence, and landed square in a pile of fresh manure. My greatest desire in life was to reach the age where I could legally purchase a firearm ...or explosives. I felt a smile tugging at the corners of my mouth as I pictured Harry sailing through the air after stepping on a land-mine.

I was on my way to a patch of dense woods about a quarter of a mile from the main road that had a creek running through it. A person had to cross a field to get to it, the very same field in which Harry lived. This wouldn’t be my first time either, I had been fishing in the creek the summer beforehand, and there were plenty of fish there. Also, Harry could not move well in the woods, so he stayed away from them. I was going to go ice fishing, something I had read about, but had never done.

I crossed the fence, and started across the field at a slow jog. I came to the creek, and decided to follow it back to the patch of woods, since it would probably be safer that way.

The creek was frozen over, and as cold as it was, I figured it would be strong enough to hold me. It was not a very large creek, about fifteen feet across, and maybe four to five feet deep at its deepest points. I had decided to walk on the ice, just in case the bull was out. Hopefully he would think twice about chasing me down there.

I stepped down on the ice, half of my brain conscious of the sounds the ice was making, the other half keeping an eye out for Harry. The ice barely creaked as I put my full weight on it. Ready to spring to shore, I bounced on my toes, testing the ice. It seemed solid. I began to walk down the center of the ice, still watching out for Harry. I had pictures in my head of him seeing me, and coming down onto the creek to get me. I snickered, wondering how he would react as he plunged through the ice.

Then the ice snapped.

I tried to throw myself backwards, but it was too late. As my head slipped under the surface, the shock of cold water numbed my brain, and the thought passed through my head, 'Wait, isn't my life supposed to flash before my eyes?' Immediately afterward, a second thought passed through, 'No, it would be too boring.' I started myself, I had to get out. I thrashed around, trying to orient myself, and my feet found the bottom. I pushed hard with my legs, and came up against a hard barrier.

The ice was over my head.

I was scared now. I felt around with my hands on the ice, frantically searching for the hole, I couldn't be too far away from it. I couldn't see it because my eyes were closed, I was scared to open them, for fear they would freeze.

I began to run out of air. I could feel my chest heaving as the oxygen in my lungs began to run out. 'Where's the blasted hole?' my mind was screaming. I gave up looking for the hole, and braced my feet on the bottom, and began to ram my shoulder against the bottom of the ice. I figured that if I came through one hole, I could surely make another.

After three or four tries I felt something begin to give, so I hit the ice, and began to push as hard as I could, my muscles screaming for oxygen, fear pumping the adrenaline through my veins, giving me extra strength. My head began to feel fuzzy, as my air was almost gone, my chest heaving almost uncontrollably, the thought screaming through my brain, ' I need air!'

I came through the ice into the open air, my breath coming in gasps, as my starved lungs gulped the air. I opened my eyes, and looked around. I was about twelve feet from where I first broke through. How I got this far, I don't know. I was only about eight feet from the side. I struggled to pull myself onto the edge of the ice, and only succeeded in breaking off the edge.

I paused, watching my breath frost as it left my mouth, and looked around. I spoke aloud to myself, my voice sounding strange in the clear air, “Steve, if you don't get out of here, you are going to die.”

'No thank you', my brain responded. I began to throw myself at the side of the hole. I figured if I couldn't climb on top of it, I was gonna break a hole to the side. I finally succeeded in pulling myself on top, and crawled to shore. I climbed up the embankment, and stood up on level ground, my body shivering almost uncontrollably.

Fixed one problem started another one. In studying outdoor skills, I had also studied first aid, and it was easy to recognize the early stages of hypothermia. I knew that I needed to get moving to keep my body heat up, so I struck out heading toward the road. I had about two miles to go to get home, and I knew that I needed to get there quick. I stumbled across the field, no longer caring about the stupid bull, stumbling through the snow, my sodden clothes beginning to harden as the water froze.

For the first time in my life I began to pray, 'Lord, if you are out there, please help me.' I began by simple pleadings, but ended up on my mental knees, groveling before him in my mind. 'Lord, I won't hit my sister anymore, even if she deserves it.' After a few minutes I graduated to…'I'll even give back the five dollars I stole from Dad this morning.' The money in my pocket almost gave off its own heat with shame. I made it to the barbed wire fence, and tried to climb, but could not lift my leg, my clothes were so stiff. After several unsuccessful attempts I gave up, and just leaned over the fence, and let myself fall over into the snow on the other side.

I floundered to get up, the ice in my clothes cracking as I struggled to pull myself up with the fence-post. I finally made it up, and stood there, looking at the snowdrift that I had crossed earlier. Wanting to curse, but knowing it wouldn't help any, (especially as I was looking for some benevolent favors right now,) I walked over, and waded through the drift, and crossed over the ditch to the road.

Finally, I was at the road. If things went well, I would meet somebody on the road, and catch a ride home before I turned into a kidcicle, but in this weather, I knew that I didn't have much of a chance at that. I staggered on, in a laughable excuse for a slow jog, knowing I had a good distance to travel, part of it uphill.

I kept this pace up for about ten minutes or so, but I finally had to slow down. The extra weight from the ice in my clothes, as well as the whole experience itself had sapped my energy down to nothing, and my breath was coming in great gasps, which wasn’t good for keeping my body warmth. As I slowed to a walk, I began to hear an engine. I looked around, and saw a truck coming towards me. I almost shouted, but I didn't have the energy. 'Saved', my mind shouted, 'I'm going home.' Things were looking up for me after all. I began to pray quickly, 'Lord, don't worry about what I said a minute ago. I'll be alright.'

As the truck came closer I recognized it. It was my neighbor Corbin. The truck was a 1984 Ford Ranger he had recently purchased. My heart began to beat faster with anticipation. I was going to be alright now.

He came to a stop next to me, and rolled down his window. “Hi there Stan,” (he never could get my name right.) “It's cold out here, isn't it?”

I murmured a positive response, and then asked him if I could get a ride.

“Well there Stan, I would, but you look kind of messy from playing in the snow.” He chuckled slightly “Besides, you don't have real far to go before you get home, so you'll be alright.” With that said he rolled his window up and drove off.

My heart dropped at least four inches as I watched him pull off. I quickly looked around for something to throw. Bummer, the snow had covered everything. Consigning his soul to Hades, I began to stumble on, my frozen clothes chafing at my numbed skin. Each step I took was a profound effort, as I concentrated on walking. I knew that I had to keep moving, or I would die.

I was miserable. After walking for at least another twenty minutes I made it home. It was great to finally be home.

It took me several days to fully recover from the mild case of hypothermia I ended up with, and on top of that, I ended up with the flu. (On the bright side, I got to stay in bed and read for a few days…) I eventually recovered, and went about life much like any other kid my age.  I played with friends, and read books. I bought some fireworks with the five dollars, and used them on Corbin's house in the middle of the night.

All in all, it was a real learning experience. After that I learned not to trust in people, because they were very unpredictable. I also learned that payback has little value, (but what value there is, is fun.) But most of all, the most important thing I learned was to stay off the ice.

George Custer versus Hal Moore- The Value of Prayer

There are times that we are under attack from the World, the Flesh and the Devil; times that the battle gets so difficult that we can do nothing but stand and take it. The Bible tells us that at those times, “…and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore… (Ephesians 6:13-14) When standing in defense, having armor can help deflect some of the blows that would normally afflict us.

Ephesians Chapter 6 tells us of the Armor we are given access to as Christians, armor that will protect us in the battle; “…having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always…” (Ephesians 6:14-18)

If we are to stand for Christ, we must learn to use our armor; it will protect us in those times that we have done all we can, and we just need to take it. While many Christians understand some of the benefits of the armor God has provided, there is one piece given to us that is often overlooked...

“Praying always…” (Ephesians 6:18) Prayer is often not understood as an important part of the Christian’s armor, but it is probably the most important one there is. The best way to illustrate this is with an example:

"The Custer Fight" by Charles Marion Russell.

Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer took the Seventh Calvary regiment to an area known as the Little Big Horn in June of 1876. He was outnumbered and cut off from reinforcements. The enemy forces surrounded Custer and the soldiers under his immediate command, and in the subsequent massacre all 211 men, including Custer, were killed.

Combat operations at Ia Drang Valley, Vietnam, November 1965

Almost 90 years later, Lieutenant Colonel Hal Moore took 450 men of the Seventh Calvary regiment into the Ia Drang valley in the central highlands of Vietnam on November 14, 1965. He found himself outnumbered and cut off from reinforcements. The enemy forces, over 1600 in strength, surrounded Moore. However, Moore used precision air strikes and constant artillery barrages as a shield between the enemy and his men; this screen protected them, broke the enemy’s advance, and changed what could have been a massacre into a victory.

The primary difference between Moore and Custer was that Custer did not possess heavy artillery.

The fact is, there will be times that we are in the battle, and even the armor that we have may not protect us from the fiery darts that are hitting us from all sides. At those times all we can do is hunker down and take the hits.

But, there is a God in Heaven. When we pray, His protection is like artillery from Heaven that will create a barrier between the enemy and the Christian, and can turn a spiritual massacre into a victory.

Counterfeits and Christians

“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.” (Hebrews 5:14)

There are several tools that we are given to acquire discernment. Today I want to briefly look at three tools that are imperative for the discerning Christian to develop.

The first is the most obvious, and that is the Word of God. If we are to think Biblically, we must be able to look through Scripture for our answers. We have fairly exhaustively discussed the need to know Scripture; but I wanted to make an additional point…

Real Seal

Counterfeit Seal

I have heard many sermon illustrations about the United States Secret Service training their agents to spot counterfeit bills. It is often reported that they only look at the real ones; handling “truth” to the point of absolute familiarity with it, thus making it simple to spot error. While this has some aspects of reality, it is not entirely accurate. In training, they DO look at and handle real money on a consistent basis; however, they usually do it in conjunction with a comparison of fake money.

Example: “On a genuine bill… The counterfeit seals may have…” (secretservice.gov) 
It is imperative for Christians to know God’s truth; but this does not mean that there is no place for addressing specific falsehoods by critically studying them. Remember that not every person you meet believes the Bible as the authoritative truth, so being able to point out the falsehoods is an important tool as well; but subjective to the Scripture.

For Christians to effectively recognize falsehood, they must also be willing to use the common sense that God gives to them; "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil." (I Thessalonians 5:21-22)- As Paul was writing to the Church at Thessalonica, he gave a simple 4 step plan to determine behavior; TEST, TAKE, TOSS, THINK. Test to see what is good, Take the good, Toss the bad, Think about how it all looks.

Finally, consider our Scripture text; when you exercise, you are performing repetitive motions in an effort to build muscle and endurance. Exercising discernment means we are USING IT consistently in order to strengthen it. Does that mean you will always have all of the answers? Of course not; this is where the final tool, Counsel, comes from. There are numerous Biblical mandates given to get counsel from others; some great Bible verses to consider are; “Where no counsel is, the people fall: but in the multitude of counsellors there is safety.” (Proverbs 11:14) also there is “Hear counsel, and receive instruction, that thou mayest be wise in thy latter end.” (Proverbs 19:20) And another "Without counsel purposes are disappointed: but in the multitude of counsellors they are established." (Proverbs 15:22)

As I mentioned earlier; these are just three of the many tools God gives us; but are likely the most important ones for the Christian to have. Ask yourself; what does YOUR toolbox look like? Does it have at least these three?

“The first principle is that you must not fool yourself and you are the easiest person to fool.”

―Richard P. Feynman

Barak, Man of Honor

Barak is one of the most misunderstood men in the Bible. Just about every Bible commentary, and most preachers that talk about Barak believe that he was weak... that he had to rely on the faith of a woman to carry him to battle. They will tell you that it was for THAT cause that God gave the honor of killing the captain of Jabin's army, Sisera, to a little girl.

As we look at God’s Word, we will see that Barak was a man of great faith; the proof is found in Hebrews 11; what many refer to as the Great Hall of Faith. Barak is listed. Deborah was not. Why? Let us look at some of the key information that God has given us in His Word, and we will see not only why Barak was a Man of Honor, but what we can glean from his life to help us to become Men of Honor as well.

 And Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, she judged Israel at that time. ...And she sent and called Barak the son of Abinoam out of Kedeshnaphtali, and said unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Israel commanded, saying, Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kishon Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude; and I will deliver him into thine hand. And Barak said unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go. And she said, I will surely go with thee: notwithstanding the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour; for the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.

(Judges 4:4-9)

Key Characteristics.

Ø  He answered the call to service without hesitation.

o   I am sure that Barak had things to do. There is no record that he was a soldier by trade, so it was possible that he had flocks to tend, or fields to maintain. However, when the call came to him, he responded immediately.

Ø  He wasn’t afraid of the odds.

o   The scene opens with an evil king, Jabin, reigning in Hazor, oppressing the Children of Israel. The head of his army was a man by the name of Sisera. They had chariots of iron, 900 chariots of iron to be exact, and were mighty soldiers. Twenty years this went on; for twenty years no one was learning to fight; (anytime a group oppressed another group they took away their weapons.) Now, twenty years later, Deborah calls Barak, and tells him to raise an army and fight Sisera. We see his response as “…If thou wilt go with me, then I will go: but if thou wilt not go with me, then I will not go.” (Judges 4:8) Was he saying he was scared? That he needed her to hold his hand?

No, of course not; I believe HE was ready to charge Hell with a mouthful of spit if the order came from God… but he was told to “…take with thee ten thousand men of the children of Naphtali and of the children of Zebulun…” (Judges 4:6) While He may have been ready, THOSE men weren’t necessarily going to believe him when he showed up and said, ‘Hey guy, God said go fight this guy.’ He wanted HER to come to tell them that it was from God, because he was a nobody and SHE was revered as the Judge.

Ø  He didn’t quit when told he wouldn’t get the honor.

o   Then she tells him one more stipulation; “…the journey that thou takest shall not be for thine honour…” (Judges 4:9) He has now been given one more issue to deal with; not only does God want him to go fight a superior force, but he is not going to get honor out of it. Most would have cancelled the plans at that point, because their goal is to be seen, and not to serve. But not Barak; he went, and fought, and won…

He took the next step, knowing that if God was sending him, he would win; on top of that, the reward he sought was Heavenly, not earthly.

Ø  He didn’t stop until he was certain the job was complete.

o   “And, behold, as Barak pursued Sisera…” (Judges 4:22) After the battle was complete, Sisera, the captain of Jabin's army, took off running. Instead of reveling in the victory, we find that Barak continued chasing him. While in and of itself it is not a extraordinary happening, if we consider the last point… the Lord had already told him, through Deborah, that “…the Lord shall sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” (Judges 4:9) He knew the man was as good as dead, and he knew he wasn’t going to get honor out of it anyway. So why did he chase him? Because he wanted to make sure that the job was done, that the enemy of God’s people was vanquished.

What have we learned?

1.       A Man of Honor answers the call to service without hesitation.

2.      A Man of Honor isn’t afraid of poor odds.

3.      A Man of Honor won’t quit just because he might not get recognized

4.      A Man of Honor won’t stop until the job is finished.

“And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gedeon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthae; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

(Hebrews 11:32-34)

What I find interesting is that Barak STILL got glory out of the battle; not only does the Bible record his endeavors so we can study them some 3000 years later; but he is also listed in the Great Hall of Faith among other servants of God.

The only mar on his name comes from people who haven’t really read the story...