Slings and Arrows

There are many things hidden in The Bible that require study. Some can only become properly revealed through The Holy Spirit. But some of God's mysteries and prophesies of real-time events today only become obvious when certain words or phrases get used in our lives. Then God's Word begins to leap from its pages and we can unravel His hidden mysteries for our edification and direction.

Today's storiy comes from the Book of Zachariah. I have read it many times but have never made these connections until recently. Here's a portion of the text. See if anything jumps off the page at you. Look for words that have present day meanings, remembering that Zachariah wrote this book approximately 2,700 years ago. Are you ready?

"14 Then the Lord will appear over them; his arrow will flash like lightning. The Sovereign Lord will sound the trumpet; he will march in the storms of the south,

15 and the Lord Almighty will shield them.

They will destroy and overcome with slingstones. They will drink and roar as with wine; they will be full like a bowl used for sprinkling the corners of the altar.

16 The Lord their God will save his people on that day as a shepherd saves his flock.

They will sparkle in his land like jewels in a crown." - Zachariah 9:14-16

What did you find? These are my interpretations: 

Verse 14: the key words are "over them," "arrow," "storms of the south."

Over them - like a dome over Israel? As in Iron Dome, Israel's air defense system. 

Arrow - like Israel's anti-ballistic mussle system.

Storms of the south - as in Gaza and Israel's fight against Hamas.

Verse 15: the key words are "shield," "slingstones."

Shield - again like a protective dome aka Iron Dome.

Slingstones - as in David's Sling, an Israeli-American defense system.

Verse 16: "their God will save his people on that day."

Do you remember Iran's drone attack on Israel back in April? Over 300 projectiles, including 170 drones and 120 ballistic missles. How many Israelis died.

Zero.

They were all shot down by the defense systems prophesied by Zachariah. At least in my opinion anyway. Yes, the United States helped Israel, and another "ally," but God's hand of protection was on Israel that day. And it's still there.

I'm no biblical scholar, but when I see all these keywords in the news, I get kind of excited. May the Lord bless you too as you read and study His Word.

Zachariah 9

Defenders

As I type this story there is a roar being heard overhead. It's the Wisconsin Air National Guard practicing over the skies of Central Wisconsin. Practice makes perfect you know. But practice for what?

They are practicing so that, if needed, they won't have to "think" about defending this country. They will just do it. They want their planes to become extensions of their own bodies. They will be the first line of defense against an enemy attack. Our faith must be like the Air National Guard. We must be prepared for battle against our enemy. Satan.

Think about it. When the enemy attacks, where does he do it? A smart enemy will search for weaknesses in our defense system. The enemy looks for holes in our perimeter fencing where we are most vulnerable. Satan has a very high success rate in his attacks on us. So what do we do about it? How can we stop his advances?

We must examine ourselves. Where are we the weakest? We need to find those weak areas and build them up. It's possible that our weakness can even become our strengths. Especially if we call on Jesus. "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble." - Psalm 46:1

Have you heard the phrase, "The best defense is a good offense?" It's true. We need to build up our defenses before the attacks even come and then go on offense. Struggling with sexual sin? Remove the temptations. Close off the access points. Struggling with overeating? Quite buying junk food! Go on the offensive.

We must never let our guard down because that's when Satan will attack.

"Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." - 1 Peter 5:8

"But those who trust in the LORD will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." - Isaiah 40:31

God has given us all the weapons we need for our battle. His Word and prayer. We must train with them and use them like they are a part of us if we are to survive this war.

115th Fighter Wing

The Diversion

There once was a young boy. He wasn't very big by the world's standards. Quite small in stature really. All the neighborhood boys liked to pick on him. They liked to push him around and threaten him every chance they got. Doing so made them feel superior I guess. It made them feel powerful.

This little boy's name was Abe. It was a wonder that Abe was able to survive at all in the neighborhood in which he lived. A miracle really. But Abe had a secret weapon that kept him alive. His friend Sam.

Sam was huge. He was the biggest kid on the block - some say on the entire planet, although they weren't really sure about that. Every time Abe found himself in trouble it seemed like Sam was always there to help. The neighborhood bullies always scattered when big Sam showed up on the scene.

Sam always took care of Abe. No one's exactly sure just why. He just did. Something to do with family I think. Blood's thinker than water and all that. Must be true.

Everything was good between Abe and Sam. It seemed as if the two of them would be friends forever. Nothing could come between them . . . or at least that's what everybody thought . . . including Abe and Sam.

Years later, when all the neighborhood boys were older, the bullies hatched a plan - still trying to get at Abe and teach him all those lessons they wanted him to learn. . . with their fists. But they knew they had to keep Sam away from his friend. Perhaps if they created some kind of diversion. Something to keep Sam occupied and distracted.

The gang members thought long and hard about what to do. Maybe they could drug him and then tie him up as he slept. Sam would probably break all their ropes. No, this trap for Sam had to be something he would never suspect. What to do?

The leader of the gang of bullies stood up, smiling. He offered his nasty plan to the group with great confidence. It really was quite ingenious. His plan for getting at Abe was to distract Sam with . . . a woman. And he knew just the woman for the job - Cindy.

Cindy didn't have a very good reputation. Many men in town had lost everything they had while pursuing her. Families were destroyed, fortunes lost, some men took their own lives after Cindy worked her magic on them, and that is exactly what it was - magic. Black magic.

The gang leader explained that Cindy owed him a favor. He would get her to pursue Sam and eventually lead him away from his small friend. She did it to other unsuspecting souls. She could do it to Sam too.

And so the plan was set into motion. Soon Cindy and Sam were fairly close. Sam thought it was true love. Cindy knew it wasn't. They began going out on dates and hanging around together. Sam and Abe were spending less and less time together. Soon the boys would spring a trap on Abe and finally teach him just who the REAL boss in the neighborhood was.

Friday night was the big dance. It was also time for the boy's plan to go into action. Cindy had asked Sam to take her to the dance and he agreed. Abe wasn't going to the dance - he had to work. The time was right.

That night, as Abe returned from work, the neighborhood bullies were waiting and cornered Abe in an alley. Abe looked around, hoping he might catch a glimpse of Sam but Sam was not there. The boys closed in on Abe and one by one they began to strike out at him. First they taunted Abe, then the pushing began followed by the punches.

There was no place for Abe to go. Sam was nowhere to be found. So Abe did the only thing he could. He began to fight.

And fight he did! For as much as Abe was outnumbered he was actually holding his own. His enemies were landing some punched but so was Abe. But they bullies outnumbered Abe 10-1. There was no way Abe could hold them off forever. That's when they saw it. They ALL saw it and froze right where they stood. It was a light.

A light was coming down towards them from the sky. They all held up their hands trying to shield their eyes form the brightness. Then came the wind. Powerful! What was going on!?!

"Hey, you boys down there! Knock it off! There is a squad car on the way. I want you to stay right where you are until the police get there. You got it?"

The boys nodded. They thought about trying to escape but the light was so bright they couldn't see. SO they just dropped to their knees and waited.

It wasn't long before the cops arrived, the light faded from view and thing began to calm down. One of the police officers asked they gang why they had surrendered to easily.

"Most fights like this end badly. There's a pursuit, handcuffs. What made you guys stop so suddenly?"

"It was the helicopter. That thing was nasty! It blinded us and we couldn't see a thing. When did you guys get that thing?"

"We don't have a helicopter. No one around here does."

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The preceding story was an allegory of a modern day scenario. Can you figure out what it is and who all the players are? I bet you can if you really think about it. And that is exactly what you will have to do because THIS is where my story ends.

Those who have ears, let them hear.

Soldier

What characteristics do you think of when you hear the word "soldier?" Bravery perhaps? Honor? Strength? Loyalty? Sacrifice? Determination? That's quite a list. And ALL are appropriate when talking about our these honorable men and women.

Last weekend I watched a special report about the attack on our country's embassy in Benghazi, Libya. It was amazing to hear a first-hand account of what exactly went on during that deadly attack from the perspective of the soldiers that were in the fire fight, defending our country's territory. Four Americans lost their lives that night . . . while serving their country.

Could you do that? Would you put your life on the line, defending something you believe in?

There are people in Iraq, Christians, who are being killed BECAUSE they are Christians. Would you be one so bold as to NOT renounce your faith in Jesus Christ? So bold that it would cost you your head? I hope that I would stand tall and proclaim His name until the end.

The past few weeks there has been a controversy in our area over a singer named Gungor performing at a Christian event. He said a few inflammatory things in a Christian Post interview about the Bible, stating this about Adam and Eve and Noah, "I have no more ability to believe these things than I do to believe in Santa Clause or to not believe in gravity." You can read the interview here.

His statements, and refusal to repent of them led a local radio station to pull its sponsorship of the event. It also led me and my friend to NOT take kids to the event this year. Then my friend said this, "Staying away from this event will only effect them a little. We should do more." She was right. So we planned to hand out information about the artist's statements, and what it means to be discerning about the things we hear and read in this world.

As it turned out, God already had things under control and Gungor pulled out of the event, thereby removing all of the distractions. A Christian event should be more about God than any one individual.

I am glad my friend and I were willing to stand up against this artist and his beliefs. I am pleased to see a radio station make a stand for the truth of God's Word. Placing non-believers on pedestals or stages gives them authority and if they use that status to present another Gospel other than our Lord Jesus Christ's, it is WE who said nothing who are to blame because WE gace them the opportunity to do so.

We Christians need to be more like soldiers in how we live our faith. According to our pastor, being a soldier for Christ carries with it a higher commitment level than just "believing." That's what I think we Christians need. It would be very easy for us to just ignore false teachings and let the words slide. It is NOT so easy to make a stand and shout the truth from the rooftops.

These days there are many churches that "allow" certain things to go on inside their doors. They take liberties with God's Word, even to the point of condoning sin, all in the name of making members of their congregations happy and comfortable. Being a Christian is not about comfort. Just ask any Christian in Iraq, or China, or Syria. We need to become more like soldiers with God's Word.

The soldiers in Benghazi helped and protected each other. Sometimes it was to their death. We here in the relative safety of our sanctuaries tend to let things slide. That is NOT being a Christian. It is being ANTI Christ.

I'd like you to read a few passages. The first one is from the Book of Acts about the early church and a group of Christians known as the Bereans. They were soldiers, defending God's Word.

"10 The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. 11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. 12 Many of them therefore believed," - Acts 17:10-12

Do we examine the scriptures to see if what our pastors say on Sunday morning is true or not? Do we examine the lyrics of hymns in the same way? Are we members of churches that allow behavior contrary to the teachings of God because we don't want to rock the boat or are comfortable in our faith?

God has told us that He WILL test us.

"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you (. . . WHY?) in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you... to teach you that man does not live by bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." - Deuteronomy 8:2-3

We Christians need to be defenders of our faith, not merely users of it. God has said He WILL test us. A local radio station in our area (Q90FM) passed the test, Will we?

"4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years." - Revelation 20:4

I Am A Soldier - D.L. Moody