Restore Vision and Ability

By Kirk Browning | December 5, 2007

Many Christian institutions are under siege. How did they get that way and what can be done about it?

In 1 Samuel 11:1 the town of Jabesh-gilead found itself in tough times that traced back to the anarchy in the book of Judges. A series of evil events and poor reactions to them made Jabesh-gilead a susceptible target. Nahash the Ammonite besieged the town. Nahash means snake, and possibly a python because he besieged, or encircled, the town to crush it. The Ammonites were a group that regularly violated the boundaries of Israel.

The men of the town volunteer to make a covenant with him to save their lives. In verse 2, Nahash responds with a conditional covenant that is really a bargain that will destroy them. Satan never makes real, honorable covenants. Nahash insists on gouging out all their right eyes as a disgrace on Israel. The disgrace would be that there was no longer salvation or victory in Israel to prevent the gouging.

What would be the result of gouging out all their right eyes? Have many Christians been going around with right eyes gouged out and we just did not know it? For 90% of the population right-handedness and the ability to get things done operates under vision from right-eye dominance. Remove the right eye, and you remove the ability to get the same things done with the same dexterity, force or productivity.

Consider shooting a bow and arrow. If you have both your right eye and your right arm, you hold the bow with your left hand and pull the string and arrow far back using the muscles of your right shoulder. You aim from the right eye. Modern archers can get game within a range of 40 yards. Without the right eye, the archer would have to pull the string to his left eye to sight the arrow. But this does not store up very much energy for shooting the arrow. It is not going to go very far, have much impact on the target or be very accurate. Now the archer must get much closer to the deer than the former 40 yards. The archer probably will not find this very satisfying compared to his former prowess with the bow and arrow, so his skills will fall into disuse. He will not teach the skills to his sons. It may be generations before that population re-discovers the bow and arrow and becomes capable with them again. Without their right eyes Jabesh-gilead will not be able to resist enemies any longer.

In verse 3 the leaders of Jabesh-gilead asked for a seven-day period to search for salvation and victory throughout Israel. Saul had just become the new leader of Israel and reacted with righteous anger after the Holy Spirit prompted him. He challenged all Israel to respond to save Jabesh-gilead. He gathered them together at Bezek, which means lightning. The response was in fact lightning quick. They promise salvation and victory to the messengers from Jabesh-gilead.

Saul deployed his forces in such a way that they divided the Ammonite camp at the start of a new day, so that there was no unity of purpose left in them. That strategy is what we need in these times. Saul and Samuel acted together as King and Priest. Saul said that no one would be put to death due to recrimination because that day the Lord worked salvation and victory. Israel had acted in line with its reputation and avoided reproach on the whole nation. Then Samuel directed them to Gilgal for renewal of the Kingdom. Gilgal was the place where they camped after crossing the Jordan and before the start of possessing the Promised Land. Renewal at Gilgal would be about refreshing basic beliefs and return to true worship.

This had a lasting effect in Israel. Years later, when Absalom temporarily took the kingdom away from David, 2 Samuel 17:27 says that Shobi the son of Nahash from Rabbah of the Ammonites, together with two others, provided for David and his people “in the wilderness.” This was done at Mahanaim which means two armies or fields, so it was done at some risk. I do not find anything that guarantees that this Nahash was the same one as in 1 Samuel 11, but at least one Ammonite had turned from being an enemy of Israel to a friend and supporter of David.

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The Beginning of Creativity

By Kirk Browning | December 5, 2007

Isaiah 55:10-11 “For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, 11 so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it. (English Standard Version of the Bible - ESV)

How could this possibly apply for the benefit of “business as mission” (BAM) or Kingdom business? When we think of the ‘word’ in Isaiah 55:11, many Christians think first and only of Scripture. The analogy given is to rain and snow that benefit the earth. Think of both the physical example and Scripture. Reading John 1:1, we also think of that ‘word’ by analogy as Jesus. John 1:1 starts out treating ‘word’ as ‘it’ but in John 1:2 ‘Word’ becomes ‘He’, Jesus. John 1:1 also talks about ‘the beginning’. In the same ‘beginning’ that Genesis 1 speaks of, God’s word forms the earth, oceans, plants, animals and finally man. There is something big for marketplace ministry in John 1:3.

All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (ESV)

If all things were made through him and nothing was made without him (Colossians 1:15-17), then everything that we would use as a raw material for a product or service in the marketplace was made by Jesus. Christian or not, every business operates within His grace. The Cross where Jesus was crucified and the nails used were made by human hands. In modern times, whether the printing press and paper manufactured for it produces a Bible or some publication that contradicts the Bible, it operates from things that were made through Him. If “in him all things hold together”, He probably has advice on how we can combine those things to make other things.

Christians ought to be the most creative people in the world. We tend to express creativity as art, not technology or business. We buy morally good art and boycott evil art. That leaves out the potential of business and technology. We do not generally buy morally good gasoline and shun bad. When the car’s gas tank is empty and there is only one station on a lonely stretch of road, we buy from that station. We pray ‘give us our daily bread’ in church and avoid shopping on Sundays, but when Monday comes and we want to put something in the toaster, our first thought tends to be “is the Wal-Mart SuperCenter open?” The impact of creativity in business is that is the best point in business formation to change the environment of a business or industry.

In John 19:30, Jesus said “It is finished”. The ‘it’ is the purpose He stated in Luke 4:17-19. In John 14:12, Jesus asked that Christians extend His works. The Lord never asks us to do something for which He does not provide the resources beforehand. So in Genesis 1:26 when it says to “let them have dominion” there must have been something specified beforehand about the raw materials. That specification would enable making products and services to be “fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion”. It does not say to devote all our energies to having an ongoing argument about Genesis 1:1-25. Sure, there is a need for apologists such as Hugh Ross with “Reasons to Believe” or “A Case for Creation” by Lee Strobel. But those should serve as basic research, where others of us supply the applied technology. Arguing about Creationism has become almost a tradition.

There are millions of ‘undecideds’ about Christianity who are never going to understand or be impressed by the detailed arguments about Creationism versus evolution. Many of them are poor, hungry or sick and those who are not wonder why a just God allows those conditions. The Gospel we present to them could include creative expressions in the marketplace that fix those problems. Consider ‘Hot Idea’ by Neil Henry, from Smithsonian Magazine, Fall, 2007. Women in Darfur, Sudan were being made susceptible to sexual assault by marauding militias as they went ever farther from their refugee camps to find wood for their cooking fires. Christina Galitsky, an engineer from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory in California invented an energy-efficient portable cookstove that reduced the need to leave the camps. Metalworkers in Sudan’s capital, Khartoum, manufacture the stoves for $2.50 each.

Wonderful! So why do I sound like there is a problem? I am trying to encourage Christians, not criticize Christina Galitsky or her employer in any way. A refugee camp in Darfur is a mission field. Why was there no Christian organization or business earlier with the solution? Why did we hear about the solution first in a secular, not Christian publication? In mission fields we see physical need right alongside spiritual need. It would not be preaching a new Gospel at all to solve the physical problem alongside preaching salvation. If someone became a little more prosperous it would not necessarily be that “prosperity gospel”. In fact, creative marketplace believers would see the need for a $2.50 cookstove as an entrepreneurial opportunity. Where is the disconnect? Perhaps a tradition has built up that causes Christians to be late or never with creativity as business and ministry. There is plenty of material implied by Genesis 1:1-25 that would enable Christians to be much more active in creativity, in a way that would argue for Creation.

This is just the challenge. I will deal with the action and results in another post. This only deals with the ‘who, what, when where and why’ questions. I’ll get to ‘how’ in other posts.

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David 5, Goliath 3

By Kirk Browning | October 11, 2007

When reading the Bible, it is often useful to ask the 5WH (who, what, when, where, why, how) questions. OK, maybe we should save asking God why for rare occasions. Asking practical questions leads to practical results. Two big questions came to me from 1 Kings 17. First, why did the Israelites give the battle cry for 40 days without doing battle? Second, how far could someone skilled with a sling propel a stone and how far could a javelin be thrown?

What could contribute to there being no real battle for 40 days? Success in this battle would allow the Philistines to expand their control of trade over the Shephelah, a fertile area for agriculture and a trade route from the Mediterranean coast eastward to Jerusalem. The Philistines already had a monopoly on blacksmithing. Goliath wore or carried several examples of advanced metalworking so it is easy to think that a center for this monopoly was Gath, his hometown. Goliath was possibly an enforcer of the high monopoly prices. It’s easy to think that many of the Israelite warriors had already run into Goliath personally, or knew someone who had. They had been intimidated in the marketplace by the enemy.

When the battle started, Saul and Jonathan were the only ones in the Israelite army who had iron swords. This lack of weapons probably led to a beaten, defeatist attitude on the part of the entire Israelite nation. Imagine each farmer / soldier trying to put on a brave face at home when he has to go to the enemy to have his plow sharpened and pay too high a price for it (1 Samuel 13:19-22). Imagine the assault on each one’s confidence to know that if war does come, he doesn’t know how to fight, because he and his countrymen have been without real weapons. This defeat of the nation sets the stage for God to get victory through David.

Goliath’s weapons look like real weapons of war, appropriate for a fierce, experienced giant warrior. David’s weapon seems like a toy, appropriate only for Israel’s warrior of last resort. 1 Samuel 17:45 says “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin …”. By being standard military weapons they seem intimidating, but look closer. Goliath’s longest range weapon would have been his javelin because it was the lightest. The modern world record for the javelin is 98.48 meters, or 107 yards. (http://www.iaaf.org/statistics/records) Goliath’s spear had a 20-pound point on the end, heavier than the 16-pound shot put used in competition. The world 16-pound shot put record is 23.12 meters, or 25 yards. Even for someone as large as Goliath, the spear would have less range than the javelin.

Consider David’s weapon with some fresh thinking. (GREAT WEAPONS OF THE ANCIENT WORLD NUMBER 47, http://www.staff.ncl.ac.uk/nikolas.lloyd/weapons/sling.html). The effective range of slings is in excess of 360 yards. This range is so much greater than any of Goliath’s weapons that it invalidates any argument about ancient versus modern materials, methods or training, or giant versus teenager. This illustration stands the test of time.

There are actually many advantages to a sling. Sling stones (also known as bullets) are difficult to see in flight, especially from a distance. It is also more difficult to judge which way they are going, as they are seen as a dot rather than a line. Sling stones can cause internal injuries underneath armor, and make the underside of armor jagged so that it must be removed to prevent lacerations. They leave the sling and arrive at the target as “all hurt”. There is no excess baggage as when you mount a knife on the end of a stick and call it a spear.

The sling motion is in rhythm with running forward and is generally made over-arm, like pitching a baseball. If major league pitchers can throw a baseball faster than 90 miles per hour so that helmets are required for batters, it is no stretch to think that the extra mechanical advantage provided by the length of cord could propel a rock fast enough to disable an enemy. You can attach the sling to the end of a staff like David’s for even more throwing force.

A sling can be made with a minimal amount of inexpensive, readily available material. A sling can be easily concealed in a pocket. When you are carrying a javelin, spear or sword there is not much concealment about it. Sling ammunition can be found onsite as needed. In fact there is a brook in the Valley of Elah near Socoh that is dry much of the year. When the rains do come, the water rolls the rocks against each other and rounds them, making them perfect for sling stones. No occupying army could deny a populace the materials for a sling and stone. The biggest obstacle to being armed with a sling is taking the time to practice.

Standoff range is a military term meaning “the distance that a weapon’s maximum effective range exceeds that of an opposing weapon’s maximum effective range. The advantage of standoff range is the enhancement of survivability by the shooter.“ In street terms this translates as “never take a knife to a gun fight.” One of the goals of all weapons research and battlefield tactics is to give your fighters standoff range over the enemy. David’s sling actually has standoff range over Goliath’s weapons. David actually has the better weapon, if he fires first and fires accurately.

Why did David run to the battle? The shield bearer was between Goliath and David (verse 7) and Goliath was advancing toward David because he knew David had the longer range weapon. This complicated the shot for David. Hold your Bible in one hand at arm’s length and the fist of your other hand between an eye and your Bible. Side by side, your fist is probably smaller than your Bible, but when held one in front of the other, your fist probably almost completely blocks your view of your Bible. In that same way, David’s view of Goliath was blocked by the shield bearer. Does your enemy ever shield himself from you? David ran toward Goliath to get a better shot. Seeing that David was so completely courageous and intentional raises my faith sky high.

As it turned out David only needed the first stone to kill Goliath, so if David says in 1 Samuel 17:47 that “the battle is the Lord’s”, why did he pick up 5 stones in verse 40? Assume for a moment that David’s first shot missed. Many of our first shots miss. In the heat of one-on-one battle, even a mighty warrior like Goliath can only throw his javelin and spear once each. Even if David takes the first shot from a distance outside Goliath’s javelin range and misses, it will probably provoke Goliath to return fire with his javelin. You can expect the enemy to return fire in some way. Then David’s second shot might provoke Goliath to retaliate with his spear. If Goliath is still standing that leaves David three more shots, well out of range of Goliath’s sword, and maybe David can pin Goliath down and pick up the javelin for his own use. It would be difficult for Goliath to retrieve his javelin and spear for second shots because David can still shoot at him from a distance.

God prepared David with a weapon, skills and attitude to get victory over Goliath. David had a sniper rifle compared to Goliath’s rather short-range knives. This is an Old Testament prefiguring of 2 Corinthians 10:4, “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but are mighty, to the pulling down of strongholds.” The weapons talked about in Ephesians 6 are outside the range of the Enemy’s weapons, especially when we are practiced in their use, shoot first, and keep shooting. We can’t just stand there with our salvation and watch the enemy advance. Just as no army could deny a populace sling materials, no enemy can deny Christians Ephesians 6. Through the Cross, the Lord has placed us beyond the reach of the enemy. “But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57) “But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.” (2 Corinthians 2:14)

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Elijah, Role Model of Obedience

By Kirk Browning | September 11, 2007

Do you feel like you need big miracles in your life? Are you maybe a little bewildered about the direction your Christian walk has taken? Maybe Elijah’s life in 1 Kings 17 and 18 would provide some answers. Even though Elijah was a mature adult, look at the events through the stages of “The Complete Guide To Living With Men” by Dr. E. James Wilder.

Stage 1, Infancy – learning to eat. God told Elijah to go to the Brook Cherith, where ravens will feed him. There were several problems in this for Elijah.

· Who would think that a raven would bring food to someone? Ravens need to eat food equivalent to most of their body weight every day. They typically eat everything they find.

· Even if a raven brought me food, should I eat it? Who knows where his beak has been?

· In Leviticus 5:2, 7:21, 10:10 11:1 and 20:22 (a.k.a. THE LAW), ravens are described as unclean. It says that anyone touching an unclean thing becomes unclean and is to be cut off from his people, so it’s probably convenient that if he is to be fed by ravens, that it happen away from people.

· Elijah’s home town was near the Brook Cherith. He knew the dry season was coming for that area. Not only would he not have water to drink, he wouldn’t have water to purify himself from interacting with the ravens.

All this means that Elijah was put in a huge mental and spiritual bind. These events in the context of everything he knows means he has to be asking if he really heard from God.

Stage 2, Childhood – learning to take care of himself. In 1 Kings 17:7, the brook dried up, so Elijah had to think about a new source.

Stages 3 & 4, Adulthood & Parenting. Now that the ravens-and-brook test is over, life should get better. But in 1 Kings 17:9, God told Elijah to go to Zarephath, which means “a workshop for the refining and smelting of metals.” Elijah will be refined there. God told Elijah that a widow would care for him. The widow turns out to have a son. But Exodus 22:22, Deuteronomy 14:29, Deuteronomy 24:19 and Deuteronomy 27:19 tell people like Elijah to care for aliens, widows and orphans, not to be cared for by them. Elijah had to go from one difficulty, cross Ahab and Jezebel’s territory from Gilead to Zarephath to intentionally experience yet more difficulty.

Leviticus 21:1-4 says that a godly Jew unrelated to the deceased, was prohibited from touching the deceased. With water in short supply, Elijah couldn’t cleanse himself from touching the dead boy. Normally one would shrink back from stretching out on the body of a dead boy, but Elijah became so able to identify with pain that he became a parent in the spirit, interceded for the boy and identified with the corpse. Elijah has started to have so much faith in God’s plan and purpose that he looks past the demands of his religion and lives by faith.

Stage 5, Elder – Preparing to sacrifice for the community. In 1 Kings 18:19, Elijah asked for “all the people of Israel” to come to Mount Carmel. In front of that very thirsty crowd, he commanded that about 40 gallons (152 liters) of water be poured over a sacrifice, and onto the ground. The 40 gallons wasn’t enough to satisfy any one individual, family or community but the apparent waste of it would have angered many of the crowd into a murderous frame of mind. But the whole community had plenty of water after the fire fell and consumed the sacrifice.

How does someone like Elijah have the faith and courage to stand there in front of the nation and antagonize them, knowing that it is the way God will deliver them? Because Elijah had learned to trust God despite logic, religion and adversity. Many of us thought of ourselves as adults, spiritually mature, but we also recognize signs of the times. Though the steps of your Christian walk might seem to contradict some of what you were taught, are those steps preparing you for further steps and producing progressively more life?

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