Echoes from the Campfire

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on
All the vast range was locked in silence and slumber yet even then thieves and death were at work.”
                         –Zane Grey  (The Trail Driver)

       “Noah was another who trusted God.  When he heard God’s warning about the future, Noah believed Him even though there was then no sign of a flood, and wasting no time, he built the ark and saved his family.  Noah’s belief in God was in direct contrast to the sin and disbelief of the rest of the world–which refused to obey–and because of his faith he became one of those whom God has accepted.”
                         –Hebrews 11:7  (Living Bible)     
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The disciples came to Jesus privately while on the Mount of Olives asking Him about the signs of the end.  Jesus answered in quite a long discourse found in Matthew 24 and 25, but I want to look at just a couple of verses.

               “But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.  For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will be the coming of the Son of Man be.”
                              –Matthew 24:37-39 (NKJV)

       There are several things that we can see from this passage of Scripture.  The most apparent is the fact that people were going on with their lives not thinking of God.  They were feasting and marrying, but not heeding the voice of the preacher.  This will be happening when the Lord returns; there will be no thought of God or of a coming judgment.  Another sad note in these verses–where were the other preachers proclaiming that judgment is coming?  Noah, but was there no one else?    Here are some startling statistics from Barna:
               32% of evangelical pastors do not have a biblical worldview.
               39% say that there is no absolute moral truth.
               62% say that life is about good works.
               51% believe that faith matters more than which faith.
Now that is a sad commentary on the pulpit; the men who are supposed to be leading us into the truth of Jesus Christ.  Peter wrote, “But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.” (2 Peter 2:1, NKJV)  We see that we are warned of those who would deceive and try to take us from the truth of Jesus Christ, that He is the only means of salvation.  Our faith must rely upon Him!
       Back to the days of Noah.  What was it like in the time of Noah?  Yes, there was feasting and marrying, but there was also evil.  “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.”  (Genesis 6:5, NKJV)  The Bible continues, “The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.  So God looked upon the earth, and indeed it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.”  (Genesis 6:11-12, NKJV)
       We see in the first chapter of Romans what life will be like and it will worsen.  Paul says that “God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting.” (Romans 1:28, NKJV)  The days of Noah–“every intent of the thoughts of his [man’s] heart was only evil continually.”  Look at the insane world around you.  I will mention only a couple of things, but much more could be said.  The problem with gender identification; it is being determined by society that biological sex and gender are socially constructed.  A man can say and think he is a woman and vice versa.  The legitimacy of true moral sexuality is being tossed away.  Not only is there same sex marriage, they have made a way for a man to become pregnant–a woman thinks she is a man, therefore society says she is and pregnancy can occur.  Duh!!  As in the days of Noah, but now worse.
       The United Kingdom now has “censorship zones.”  If a person is acting in a way that is offensive to the right of abortion they can and have been arrested.  Arrests occur for the content of a person’s thoughts.  So, if a person has proper thoughts, proper morals in their thinking they are now subject to arrest in the UK.  Evil thoughts, evil intentions are only relative.  As in the days of Noah.
       Jesus said in the midst of His discourse of the last days this, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming…  Therefore you should also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”  (Matthew 24:42, 44, NKJV)  As in the days of Noah, with Noah’s preaching and of his action in building the ark, the people only went about this business, the business of evil not worrying or wondering about the judgment to come.  

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

It didn’t seem fair, but then; a lot of things aren’t. We take them as they come.”
                    –Louis L’Amour  (Lonely on the Mountain)

       “Do not twist justice in legal matters by favoring the poor or being partial to the rich and powerful. Always judge people fairly.”

                    –Leviticus 19:15 (NLT)
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As you read this portion of Psalm 89, I would suggest that you go back and review the calling and life of David.  He was chosen above seven older, stronger brothers–men who “looked like” king material.  Read the characteristics of David; yet he was chosen.  David, divinely anointed, sustained, and strengthen to be first, a warrior, then a king.  Also, remember that David was a type of Christ.

          19 — Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one, and said: “I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people.
          20 — I have found My servant David; with My holy oil I have anointed him,
          21 — With whom My hand shall be established; also My arm shall strengthen him.
          22 — The enemy shall not outwit him, nor the son of wickedness afflict him.
          23 — I will beat down his foes before his face, and plague those who hate him.
          24 — But My faithfulness and My mercy shall be with him, and in My name his horn shall be exalted.
          25 — Also I will set his hand over the sea, and his right hand over the rivers.
          26 — He shall cry to Me, ‘You are my Father, My God, and the rock of my salvation.’
          27 — Also I will make him My firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.
          28 — My mercy I will keep for him forever, and My covenant shall stand firm with him.  (NKJV)

       We see that a special father-son type relationship will exist before God and David.  We know that his was not Jesse’s firstborn, but he will be as if he were God’s firstborn.  God promises to keep His covenant with David forever as well as his line–hence, we see the reign of the Lord Jesus Christ, a descendant of David upon the throne during the Millennial Reign.
       David was born to a humble, common family and became just an ordinary shepherd, and would become a king, and in a sense a savior to the people of Israel.  Jesus, born in humble origins as the son of a carpenter.  The Holy One, in humble beginnings, who would become the Savior, not only of the Jews but of anyone who would turn to Him.  Notice also, David’s recognition of God as his Father and his God.  Jesus would say, My Father and I are one (John 14:10).

                    “O come, Thou Key of David, come,
                    And open wide our heavenly home;
                    Make safe the way that leads on high,
                    And close the path to misery.
                    Rejoice!  rejoice!  Emanuel shall come to thee, O Israel!”
                                –John M. Neale

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

He had the look of a man resigned to follow this trail down the years, as long as he should live.”   
                         –Alan LeMay  (The Searchers)

       “Indeed, He loves the people; All Your holy ones are in Your hand, And they followed in Your steps; Everyone takes of Your words.”
                         –Deuteronomy 33:3 (NASB)
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                    “The steps of the godly are directed by the LORD.  He delights in every detail of their lives.”  –Psalm 37:23 (NLT)
                    “A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way.”  –Psalm 37:23 (HCSB)

Perhaps one of the most hated, misunderstood, and neglected doctrines of the Bible is the sovereignty of God.  Man, especially the unbeliever, definitely doesn’t want to look at the sovereignty for it tells of his destiny.  Christians, and I have never understood why, dislike this doctrine as well.  The main reason is that of selfishness.  They still want to hold onto the reins of their life.  Even among believers they love that song by Sinatra, “I did it my way,” and yet it is very anti-Christian for our lives should be concerned with doing things God’s way.
       I was raised to simply trust the Lord.  That’s it, nothing big; in all situations recognize that He is in control.  That does not mean He makes me take a step, but He guides my steps and is there if I take a misstep.  I have always enjoyed this song by W. Elmo Mercer.

               “Each step I take my Saviour goes before me,
               And with His loving hand He leads the way.
               And with each breath I whisper ‘I adore Thee’;
               Oh, what joy to walk with Him each day.”

       There is comfort in knowing that Jesus is leading us through this life.  He is there when we walk through the storms and He is there in the heat of the dry spells.  He is with us through the valleys and as we traverse the high mountains, and the rocky crags threaten us.  It should be our faith, and certainly our joy to know that He is with us.

               “At times I feel my faith begin to waver,
               When up ahead I see a chasm wide.
               It’s then I turn and look up to my Saviour,
               I am strong when He is by my side.”

       Look at the Scripture verses above.  There are two things to concentrate upon.  First, it is the steps of the godly that are established.  Not the man in the world, not the mocker, or the good man, but the man who seeks God with his heart.  The second is that God delights in watching us walk the narrow way.  He takes pleasure in our very steps, our every breath, and even when we might falter, He is there holding onto our hand.

               “I trust in God, no matter come what may,
               For life eternal is in His hand.
               He holds the key that opens up the way,
               That will lead me to the promised land.”

       We far too often fear the wrong things.  Many churches are still struggling with the virus of two years ago.  Where is the trust of those in the congregation?  Why are people so afraid, when God is by their side?  No matter come what may!  If we truly believe that He holds our hand, and that our eternal destiny lies with Him, why do we fear so much?  Sure there are difficulties in life–trust Him.  Yes, sometimes the winds howl and the storm rages–trust Him.  Sickness, suffering, even death may come, but through it all–trust Him.

                         “Each step I take I know that He will guide me;
                         To higher ground He ever leads me on.
                         Until some day the last step will be taken,
                         Each step I take just leads me closer home.”

       Realize that He is guiding and that He will never take you into a place where He cannot keep you.  It may be through the valley of the shadow of death, but He is there with you all the way.   To finish, let’s look at the Amplified version, “The steps of a [good] man are directed and established by the Lord when He delights in his way [and He busies Himself with his every step].”  I like that, the Lord busies Himself with each of our steps.  Think of that!

 

Echoes From the Campfire

by Ira Paine, Posted on

One purpose dominated his life, and to accomplish it he had to be strong in every way. Both brain and body he had kept fit.”

                    –William MacLeod Raine  (Sons of the Saddle)

       “God gave his approval to people in days of old because of their faith….it is impossible to please God without faith.”
                    –Hebrews 11:2, 6 (NLT)
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                    “And what other examples shall I give?  There is not time to continue by telling the stories of…Samson…  Through their faith these men conquered kingdoms, rules in justice and proved the truth of God’s promises…  From being weaklings they became strong men and mighty warriors; they routed whole armies of foreigners…”
                              –Hebrews 11:32-34 (Phillips)

I can imagine a boy showing Samson off to his friends as Samson ground the grain going round and round working the grindstone.  He pointed the blind man out–“that used to be Samson,” and they all laughed.  Samson was a man who lost because of the company he kept.  He didn’t realize or perhaps didn’t want to realize his weakness.  Gary Inrig writes, “It is bad to be weak because of sin, but it is tragic not to even know it.”  Samson had finally succumbed to Deliah’s wooing and now his plight was to grind the grain for his enemies while they jeered him.
       There were two principles of life that Samson ignored.  The first, when we toy with temptation, it eventually traps us.  And second, self-confidence blinds us to reality.  Samson played with temptation, and ended up blind, physically and spiritually.  He was the man written about in Proverbs 25:28, “Whoever has no rule over his own spirit is like a city broken down, without walls.”  Samson, for some reason, believed the strength was his own until that day when the Spirit left him and he was captured by his enemies.
       Now, he was mocked, ridiculed, and not only Samson but God as well.  Samson, the man who dealt so much destruction to the Philistines, the enemies of God, had given them the opportunity to honor their false god, Dagon.  They feasted, reveled in glorifying Dagon at the expense of God’s reputation and that of Samson.  He had become a slave to his enemy who was now saying that it was their god who gave him over to them.  “Our god has delivered our enemy to us!  The one who killed so many of us is now in our power!” (Judges 16:24, NLT)
       Hour by hour, Samson worked, slaved, to grind the grain to feed his enemies.  I have never tried to get inside his head wondering his thoughts.  At first they may have been, “You big dummy!  Stupid, stupid, stupid.”  And thoughts along that vein.  But there is indication that Samson began to dwell on thoughts of God.  His hair began to grow back the Bible says.  In his hair there was not strength, but it was the symbol of his strength.    Samson, while he was grinding must have thought of his foolishness.  He had to realize that moral compromise always makes a person vulnerable, and that temptation comes in attractive packages.  He probably recognized the fact that temptation comes when we choose the wrong company, and as Wiersbe says, “It’s a dangerous thing to linger at the enemy’s border; you might get caught,” which was what happened to Samson.  Gary Inrig brings us this vital truth in regard to Samson, “There is nothing that shapes our character more than the people with whom we choose to spend our time.”  Think on it friend.
       In the midst of their partying and feasting they wanted to look at the man who was once the mighty Samson.  He was brought and asked that he be placed next to two pillars.  We are told that the leaders of the Philistines were there, and that there were three thousand people on the roof looking down at him.  We are not told how many were in the temple.  Did they laugh when he was paraded by them?  Did they jeer at his stumbling because he was blind?  But what’s more important, we should look at the prayer of Samson.  With the growth of his hair, there must have also been repentance.  In his prayer we do not see the boastful, mighty Samson, but a contrite humble man.  “Sovereign LORD, remember me again:  O God, please strengthen me one more time so that I may pay back the Philistines for the loss of my eyes.” (16:28, NLT)
       God strengthened Samson for He is not mocked.  There was still a final duty for Samson to fulfill.  Through his prayer he regained his strength.  His hair was growing out which was only natural, but Samson had developed a relationship with God.  He now was filled with His strength once more and as he prayed, “He put his hands on the center pillars of the temple and pushed against them with all his might.  ‘Let me die with the Philistines,’ he prayed.  And the temple crashed down on the Philistine leaders and all the people.” (16:29-30, NLT)
       Samson, judge him harshly if you want.  Samson, a mighty man for sure.  Samson, a man who God used despite his failures; a man who disregarded the importance of being separate.  One thing we do know is that he is named among those in the great chapter of faith in Hebrews 11.  Faith, mind you–Samson a man of faith.  And never forget that “God is able to turn the consequences of our sin into instruments for His glory.” (Inrig)