Author: Ira Paine

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Man wants to sleep at night, he’d better walk tall.”
                    –John Deacon  (Kip 2)

       “‘If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgments faithfully–he is just; he shall surely live!’ says the Lord GOD.”
                    –Ezekiel 18:9 (NKJV)
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     The last three verses of chapter two sum up the first chapters of Proverbs and set the stage for the rest of the book.  

          20 — So you may walk in the way of goodness, and keep to the paths of righteousness.  (ESV, “So you will walk…”)
          21 — For the upright will dwell in the land, and the blameless will remain in it;
          22 — But the wicked will be cut off from the earth, and the unfaithful will be uprooted from it.  (NKJV)

     Perhaps there is more to the courage of Joshua and Caleb than what first meets the eye.  These two men were the only ones over forty years of age that were allowed to enter the Promised Land.  It was promised to all, but grumbling, complaining, fear, lack of faith, and actual blasphemy against God kept the multitude out.  Caleb and Joshua were not only courageous men with tremendous faith, but they were also upright and blameless.  Right there should be a lesson for us:  fear God and walk in His ways.  Do not listen to the voices of the world.  “The safest and most satisfying path is the path of wisdom, the path of life.” (Wiersbe)
     Charles Bridges, the preacher of old, says of these few verses.  “Here is the consummating blessing of engrafted wisdom.”  The “Promised Land” is before us all, but not before we travel through our personal wilderness.  The question is, do we keep to the paths of righteousness or follow the way of the transgressor?  We need “to hide that blessed book in the heart, as the rule of life, the principle of holiness, the guide to heaven!” (Bridges)  This is how we stay on the path of the upright.
     In this day of Wokeness and DEI we need to “beware of glossing over sins with amiable or palliating terms.” (Bridges)  Evil is lurking, subtle, yet ready to snatch the unwary, complacent, or compromising traveler.  Warn your children not to follow senseless ideologies.  “Wisdom is needed to guide, to repress, to bring forth, to develop safely, and to improve fully–the mind, energies, and sensibilities of youth!” (Bridges)  We live in a day, with the pressure of the media, to follow fools, impulses, and the popular.  Bridges continues his admonition, “Shun then the society of sin, as the infection of the plague.  Keep thy distance from it, as from the pit of destruction.  Store thy mind with the preservative of heavenly wisdom.  Cultivate the taste for purer pleasures.”
     Jermin writes that “the paths of the righteous are too narrow for evil men.”  If we then walk purposely, keeping our eyes focused, our minds disciplined, and watching where we step we will walk steadily, as Caleb and Joshua, to the Promised Land.  The wicked may currently possess the things of earth, but they will not inherit them.  John tells us in Revelation, “He who overcomes shall inherit all things, and I will be his God and he shall be My son.” (21:7, NKJV)
     Notice that this portion is also prophetic in nature.  As the land was promised to Abraham, there is a brighter, more glorious land waiting for the believer–the upright and blameless.  There will be no hope for the wicked at that time for they “will be cut off from the earth” and judged then cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15).  So listen, heed the words written here, “Walk in the way of goodness and keep to the paths of righteousness.”

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

Clawing hunger that ate you up from the inside could make the most upstanding man beg like a mongrel in the street and bite you just as bad.”
                    –Jesse Storm  (Last Stand at Redwood)

       “I have known exhaustion, pain, long vigils, hunger and thirst, going without meals, cold and lack of clothing.”

                    –2 Corinthians 11:27 (Phillips)       
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          8.7 — The LORD has sworn by the pride of Jacob:  surely I will never forget any of their works.
            .8 — Shall the land not tremble for this, and everyone mourn who dwells in it?  All of it shall swell like the River, heave and subside like the River of Egypt.
            .9 — “And it shall come to pass in that day,” says the Lord GOD, “that I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight;
          .10 — I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, and baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day.”

     Suffering is coming for Israel.  It needed not happen.  First of all, they could have obeyed.  Second, they could have repented.  Instead they flaunted, mocked, and ignored God.  “God’s oath that He will never forget Israel’s evil deeds need not disturb us, because it was made to an absolutely unrepentant nation…  God does not forget or pass over the sins of the unrepentant.” (Cohen)  Israel had special privileges, therefore they had special obligations.  Lloyd Ogilvie states, “He will not forget what His people had done to distort the privileges of being chosen and called to be His people.”
     Look at the judgment:  the people will tremble and mourn at the calamity coming because of their perverted sins.  It will come like a flood to overwhelm them.  Darkness will come and this will add to the fear and anxiety bringing utter ruin and confusion.  Their hypocrisies had “made a mockery of the true meaning of the festivals…so the day of light would become a day of darkness.” (Craigie)  No longer will they feast, but mourn and lament over their situation.  “God threatened to make the land so barren, dead, or unproductive that the people would mourn as parents mourn over the death of an only son.” (Garner)  This is not only the end of the family line, but the end of a nation.  Matthew Henry relates, “If they will not tremble and mourn for national sins, they will tremble and mourn for national judgments.”  The light of His countenance would be hidden from Israel.  “One cannot celebrate light and live in darkness.” (Craigie)

          .11 — “Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord GOD, “that I will send a famine on the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the LORD.
          .12 — They shall wander from sea to sea, and from north to east; they shall run to and fro, seeking the word of the LORD, but shall not find it.
          .13 — In that day the fair virgins and strong young men shall faint from thirst.
          .14 — Those who swear by the sin of Samaria, who say, ‘As your god lives, O Dan!’ and, ‘As the way of Beersheba lives!’ They shall fall and never rise again.”

     “Terrible are the judgments of God to those that sleep in security.” (Henry)  We see a great catastrophe ready to take place; it is not of physical suffering but of spiritual.  There will be a famine from God’s Word.  To those who did not wish to hear God’s Word, God proclaims they shall have their desire granted–He will stop speaking to them.  As G. Campbell Morgan states, “The Bible becomes a sealed book when man turns from God.  The result is famine of hearing the Word of God.”  There will be a growing desire for “food” but none shall be available.
     The words found in Deuteronomy did not hold any meaning for the people, “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did you fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the LORD.” (8:3, NKJV)  Ultimately, it is God’s word that made life possible.  He spoke at the beginning to create, listen, but now the people do not hear His voice.  Peter Craigie explains, “The coming famine of the word could culminate in the starvation of the spirit…when the spirit dies within a person the carcass is of little value.”  The people did not listen to God when He spoke, they would not receive the words of the prophet and receive the Word.  Note here, the word is not taken away, but the ability to hear it.
     Why starve when spiritual food is available?  Food is available, yet what do they do?  They turn to the false religions.  Famine will cause the youth to give loyalty to false gods.  They will find substitutes for spiritual hunger or as Ogilvie calls it, “nutritionaless food.”  The people refused to listen, they refused to practice the proper meaning of the feasts and that “to feed upon the divine word is to obey the divine will.” (Craigie)
     It is too late, as they do not hear God, God will not hear them.  “When your terror comes like a storm…then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.” (Proverbs 1:27,28, NKJV)  The Living Bible is blunt, “Some day you’ll be in trouble, and I’ll laugh! Mock me, will you?—I’ll mock you!” (Proverbs 1:26)  The people will stagger like drunks, they will fall and not get up.  “That means no light in the darkness, no nourishment for the soul, no direction for making decisions, no protection from the lies of the enemy.” (Wiersbe)  We are to walk in the light.  Jesus proclaimed, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled.” (Matthew 5:6, NKJV)
     Listen while there is still time.  Hear the word of the Lord.  Repent–obey–follow after Him.  Do not be like those who the Master sent away saying, “Depart, I never knew you.”

 

The Saga of Miles Forrest

by Ira Paine, Posted on
There is a time for everything, a season for every activity under heaven….  A time to tear and a time to mend.  A time to be quiet and a time to speak up.  A time to love and a time to hate.  A time for war and a time for peace.”  –Ecclesiastes 3:1,7-8, NLT
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
     “Darnelle!” exclaimed Charlie, “What’s wrong?”
     A strand of hair came out from her scarf and she was in the process of putting it back in place.  “Do you know who came by to see me?”
     Before anyone could answer, she continued, “Micah Teeter!  He had the audacity to come by the store.  He asked if I remembered him.  I just stared at him, then stated that he looked vaguely familiar.  I could see that it angered him and he started towards me when the man with him touched his arm.”
     “Any other threats?  Did he say or do anything?” questioned Charlie.
     She took a deep sigh, composing herself.  “No, he just startled me, that’s all.  I sure wasn’t expecting to ever see him again.”
     Charlie looked from Darnelle to me.  “Do you think he’s behind the attacks on you and Molly?”
     “Attacks!  What attacks?  What’s happening?” asked Darnelle in astonishment.  
     I proceeded to tell her of the recent events, her eyes widening in concern with my information.  “So, is he responsible?” she asked.
     “Teeter is a coward.  You remember how he ran.”
     “Senor Miles,” interrupted Lucas with a quiet voice, “many times it is the coward who fires from ambush.  He is also the type of hombre that is angry with himself and will take it out of someone else.”
     All three of us turned our attention to Lucas.  “Such wise words from a young man,” stated Darnelle.  “Miles you ought to listen to him and go arrest Teeter.”
     “Now hold on there, all of you,” barked Charlie.  “I’m sheriff here and if there’s any arresting to do it will either be me or Mateo.”
     It became real quiet for a few seconds.  “Charlie, I’m not going after Teeter,” I paused to let the words take effect.  “However, if he threatens or hurts any of my friends I will have a conversation with him.”  
     He gave a nod, understanding my feelings.  “Miles, don’t make me have to come after you.”
     “Right now I have to get this telegram off to Marshal Blasco.  Come on, Darnelle, I’ll walk you back to the store.”
     She adjusted her scarf, then pulled her coat on tight.  It wasn’t that cold outside, but the wind would bite right through a person.  As we were walking, Darnelle asked, “So do you think it’s Teeter that’s harassing you?”
     I didn’t answer right off, I had to mull it in my mind for a few moments.  Stopping on the walk before stepping down to cross the street, I said, “Darnelle, I think there’s a good chance he’s involved somehow.  He doesn’t have the smarts to plan anything, but then again he is the type to bushwhack a man.”  
     We started on again.  “I’m wonderin’ who the other fellow is.  There’s somethin’ about him, I can’t quite figure,” I told her as we walked up to the store.
     “Miles!” exclaimed Darnelle, pointing.
     In red paint was written on the window of the door, “Stay away from Forrest!”
     She looked up at me, concern etched in the wrinkles of her forehead.  “What do I do?”
     I smiled at her, “Stay away from me.  But I’ll stay around to walk inside the store after you unlock the door.  Make sure there’s no boogerman inside.”
     “Miles, this is no laughing matter.  Someone is out there.”
     She was right.  Someone was trying to get my goat.  I’d keep my eye on Teeter and his companion for I was sure they were somehow involved.  Hopefully, I would get some kind of answer from Blasco, so after I made sure there was no one in the store, I wandered on over to the telegraph office.  “Send this out, will you Stan?  As soon as an answer comes back get it to me pronto.”
     He read the note, then proceeded to tap it out.  After it was sent he turned to me, “What’s this all about, Marshal?”
     “That’s what I’m tryin’ to find out,” I said, turning to go.  “Remember to get that reply to me as soon as it comes in.”
     Coming back out of the office I saw the man with Teeter standing outside the Gilded Bar.  When he noticed that I was watching him, he went inside.  I had half a mind to go find him, but what good would that do?  I looked up and down the street then started back down to the diner.  Looking down I watched where I stepped, then smiled.  “The steps of a righteous man are ordered by the Lord,” came to my mind…

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

But this here country has a pull on a man. You get to looking at the mountains, and at the stretches of wide-open, empty land…and it gets to you.”

                    –Louis L’Amour  (Reilly’s Luck)

       “The Lord is my light and my salvation— whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life— of whom should I be afraid?”
                    –Psalm 27:1 (HCSB)
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     The 19th-century writer, Barton Bouchier, said:  “God’s own people–his chosen–he led through the wilderness; and this because ‘His mercy endureth forever.’  It is one of the Lord’s sweet truths that so perplex those that are without, but which are so full of consolation to his own children, that the wilderness and mercy are linked together by God in indissoluable union here.”  The next portion of Psalm 136 looks at the history of Israel and God’s mercy/love, but when reading think of your own history.

          10 — To Him who struck Egypt in their firstborn, for His mercy endures forever;
          11 — And brought out Israel from among them, for His mercy endures forever;
          12 — With a strong hand, and with an outstretched arm, for His mercy endures forever;
          13 — To Him who divided the Red Sea in two, for His mercy endures forever;
          14 — And made Israel pass through the midst of it, for His mercy endures forever;
          15 — But overthrew Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, for His mercy endures forever;
          16 — To Him who led His people through the wilderness, for His mercy endures forever.  (NKJV)

     We have a history.  It includes the Old Testament, but the crucial point is the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  “Skeptics can argue about the miracles of turning water into wine or feeding the five thousand, but somehow the body of a crucified rabbi disappeared, and his followers were willing to die for the historical fact of the Resurrection.  Without that historical grounding our faith makes no sense.”  (William J. Petersen)  
     As the Lord was with Israel in guiding and protecting them, we too can be assured that He will do the same for us.  Why?  Because His mercy endures forever to His children.  If you are sinking into the slough look up and see that His arm is outstretched; reach out and take hold of it and let Him pull you to safety.  If the way in front of you seems overwhelming be assured He is there to divide the sea if necessary.  George Wood states, “Likewise in your life, He thrusts aside whatever would prevent His purposes from being attained.  In His time, He removes them all.”  Our hope is in Him, therefore we should trust and obey Him.
     God is willing and able to show His love toward His people, and that includes you and me.  His love, His mercy is everlasting and we place our hope and faith in that fact.  Think of the amazing power of God in keeping Israel, then look at your life and see how God has brought you forward to this day.  That phrase, “His mercy endures forever,” includes not only the past, our history, but it points forward to a grand future.  This phrase should give “us strength for the present and hope for the future.” (Petersen)  
     Have you found yourself in a wilderness?  Look at how God kept His people during those forty years.  Thirsty–the rock spewed  forth water and the bitter waters became sweet.  Hungry–food was provided daily.  Look at the clothes of the Israelites, they didn’t wear out.  Yes, there were problems, yes, there was punishment, punishment that brought death to those without faith.  But He kept His people through all the trials, troubles, and turmoils of the wilderness and He is doing the same for each one of us.  Petersen writes, “Let’s face it, our love does not endure; His does.  Because of this, we can confidently hope in another resurrection–our own.”

               “I love to tell the story of unseen things above,
               Of Jesus and his glory, of Jesus and his love.
               I love to tell the story because I know ’tis true;
               It satisfied my longings as nothing else can do.”
                        –A. Catherine Hankey