More than Incredible

“No matter how many times we save the world, it always manages to get back into jeopardy again. I say to myself, ‘I just cleaned up this mess!’ Sometimes I wish that the world would just STAY SAVED!”

Those “immortal” lines I paraphrase above, came from one of my favorite cartoon characters, the Pixar/Disney creation, Mister Incredible. In the movie, Mr. Incredible is wearing a microphone, being interviewed by a TV person about his heroic exploits. He apparently was born with super-powers, including unbelievable strength and stamina, as well as a physical body virtually impervious to harm. Incredible indeed!

My affection for super-heroes goes w-a-a-a-y back. I forget whether it was George Reeves’ old TV portrayals of the Man of Steel, or the comic book version of Superman that got me hooked, often running around the house with a bath towel around my neck, pretending I was flying, and, at least vaguely, wondering if I could launch myself into the sky literally from the top of my back porch steps…

Supported in my childish daydreams by an equally fascinated older brother, we began collecting comic books about such improbable characters as Flash (“The Fastest Man Alive!”), Green Lantern (His power ring could project any imaginable object, composed of green energy!), The Fantastic Four (Their powers involved stretching, turning invisible, bursting into flame, and clobbering people as a Thing made up of rocks!), and of course, “Your friendly neighborhood” Spider-Man (Wall-crawling, web-shooting, etc.).

Anyway, it took Disney far too many years to catch on to the appeal of super-heroes to moviegoers. The Incredibles (both 1 and 2) explored a “what if” world in which “supers” abound and, due to a battery of lawsuits, are driven underground by an act of Congress. Mr. Incredible (and his super family) come out of hiding to face a threat called Syndrome, who creates an attack robot that only he can neutralize. The robot runs amok and the Incredibles save the day as they work together, combining the powers they have hidden for so long.

This fanciful journey into my love of super-heroes was brought on this morning as I heard part of Robert Godfrey’s series about Samson, Israel’s final judge in the latter part of the Old Testament book of Judges. I’ve found his series on Samson fascinating for a number of reasons, chief of which is Samson’s ordination by God Himself, and the repeated mistakes and rebellious acts that nearly made Samson a walking disaster.

I relate to Samson in so many ways. And, in many ways, Samson’s weaknesses represent those of the entire Israelite nation throughout its history. Surrounded by enemies who worshiped a variety of false gods, they were continually within ear-shot and eye-shot of temptation to idolatry. 

During the days of the Judges, Israel drifted away from the teachings of their great leaders, Moses and Joshua. Indications are that they rarely, if ever, visited Shiloh, the site ordained for the erection of the Tabernacle once they’d conquered the Promised Land of Canaan. The dismal watch-word in this Old Testament book: “Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.” 

Very apropos for the judge named Samson, for it was always “his own eyes” that got him into trouble. Seduced and deceived by Delilah (whose name means “flirty” by the way! No, really!), Samson strung her along when she, in the employ of the Philistines, asked him to reveal the secret of his super-strength. After teasing her with some false explanations, he finally “revealed to her his whole heart” and betrayed his secret to her.

Samson’s love for Delilah was a one-way street. “If you loved me,” she whined, you’d tell me everything! You’d tell me the truth!” Never in the text are we told that this woman loved Samson in return. To her, he was just a riddle to be solved for money. This makes me think of all the lovely ladies who plaster their wares over the internet. They and their filmmakers and producers are laughing at all the guys tuning in to have a peek. Laughing all the way to the bank!

Samson’s fall into idolatry wasn’t caused by some devotion to a god of wood or stone. It was by giving his love to a lying female devil named “Flirty.” The love he gave away was one he was called to reserve for God alone. He’d been set apart for divine service even before his birth. Much like Samuel…much like John the Baptist…much like Jesus of Nazareth. 

Judges teaches me that, without our eyes in the right focus, we will always “manage to get into jeopardy again,” in Mr. Incredible’s semi-immortal words. Over and over again, the disunited tribes of Jacob failed to be satisfied with their one, true, exclusive Deity. They saw other worshipers around them having a ball with their gods and the illicit practices they enjoyed, and they tiptoed into those strange, forbidden temples of pleasure. They forsook the lessons of the past, the holy requirements of their loving, holy Savior and Lord. They had no human king to remind them of their heavenly One.

Like Samson, like Israel, you and I are no good on our own. We need the body of Christ to encourage us, to instruct us, to remind us, to challenge and warn us. We need the Word and the Holy Spirit to keep the Lord “always before my eyes” (Psalm 16:8). Otherwise, we are “flirting” with disaster just like Samson. Perhaps it was his own super-powered giftedness that made him so vulnerable. Like Simon Peter among Jesus’ twelve apostles, he might have thought, “I can handle it. I won’t fall. I’m capable of passing this test on my own.” Then, BOOM, denial…denial…denial…cock crowing.

Throughout Samson’s ministry as Israel’s final judge (not counting Samuel in the following book), he seemed to be denying his commission again and again and again. By what he looked at, by what he said, by what he did. But there were redeeming moments that made it clear that Yahweh was still at his right hand, ready to strengthen the poor sap when he came to his senses. Faltering, willful, foolish Samson was, for all his faults, GOD’S MAN. Sadly, it was by his death that he gained the ultimate victory over his enemies. Just as, by HIS death, our perfect, virtuous Savior gained HIS.

The word “judge,” as used in the Old Testament book, doesn’t really mean a person in a black robe who rules in a courtroom. It rather has the connotation of a chosen savior and leader who rallies the faithful for battle and eventually achieves victory. Praise the Lord that His choice of such leaders doesn’t always depend on their sterling character or flawless track records. Bone-headed “Samsons” like me are often the very people our gracious God might choose to rally the troops and gain the victory.

To me, that is truly the INCREDIBLE message of Samson’s life.

Blessings!

MNA

11/10/2022

Two Heroic Women

There is a fine old saying that tells us: “Behind every great man is a great woman.” And many of our Biblical heroes such as Samson, Samuel, David, and even Jesus Himself, were given birth and supported and raised by admirable women.

Proverbs 31 asks the question: “A virtuous woman who can find? Her value is far above rubies.” If I, as a man, want to gain something of surpassing value in my life, getting myself a godly wife is a far better investment than the costliest jewels in the world.

When the Lord God had completed His work of creating the heavens and the earth, He looked upon the good world He’d made–--specifically at the first man, Adam. And the Lord said, “It is NOT GOOD that the man should be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him.” And then, after putting the man into a deep sleep, God took a rib from Adam’s side and fashioned it into a woman. Eve was created from Adam, to become Adam’s HELPER.

The Hebrew word used here is the word EZER. This word goes beyond being a servant or an assistant who is somehow inferior to the one being helped. In fact, God uses this term EZER most often to refer to HIMSELF, the helper and rescuer of His people. The One who hears their cries and comes to their aid when they face a strong enemy! It is a word that means “hero.”

When I think of modern-day heroes, the first one who comes to my mind is Superman. In the typical Superman story, someone gets into big trouble--–either a mugger or a gunman or a natural disaster of some kind–--and begins crying out for help. Next, we find Clark Kent, a plain, ordinary, mild-mannered news reporter who is never suspected of being, in reality, the heroic Superman! Clark picks up the cry for help with his super-hearing, jumps into the nearest closet or phone booth, and changes into the Man of Steel, who takes flight and saves the day.

We see again and again in Scripture, that God chooses unlikely people to do remarkable things in order to carry out His sovereign plans. And this is certainly true of Shiphrah and Puah, two Hebrew midwives who performed a great rescue out of reverence for the Lord. They pulled this off by disobeying a powerful king, then covering up their disobedience by telling a lie.

In the book of Exodus, we find the children of Israel--–the twelve tribes of the family of Jacob--–in bondage down in Egypt. Having moved to the region of Goshen during the time of Joseph, the Israelites had become too numerous in the eyes of the Egyptian king, the Pharaoh. So the king forced them into slavery, in order to build his store cities, and to keep them from being a military threat during times of war.

But our sovereign God had other plans for His people. His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob had been to make them a great nation, give them the land of Canaan, and eventually to save the whole world through this holy people. And, Pharaoh or no Pharaoh, our God ALWAYS keeps His promises!

You see, behind the scenes of the Egyptian plots and the Hebrews’ plight, and behind all the political upheavals happening in our own day, there is a greater war going on. Ever since Adam and Eve chose to eat the forbidden fruit in the Garden of Eden, God had been promising that a Redeemer would free mankind from slavery to sin and to Satan. The Seed of the Woman, Adam’s helper, would be this ultimate EZER, or rescuer: The God-Man, Christ Jesus.

Throughout the pages of Scripture, we see Satan seek to prevent this rescuer, this great hero, from fulfilling God’s promise of redemption. Even though the king of Egypt had his own personal reasons for what he did, the real contest was between the plans of Satan and the plans of God going forward. God had foretold that His people would be enslaved in a land not their own (Gen. 15:13). But then, He promised that those enslaving them would be judged and that Israel would leave that land with great possessions. And, as Job confessed to the Lord, “I know that You can do all things, and that no plan of Yours can be thwarted” (Job 42:2).

Can you imagine how humbling it must have been for this great Egyptian king to realize, first of all, that his plan of enslaving the Israelite people wasn’t making them less numerous, but even MORE numerous? And, second, to seek to further his plans, he had to meet with these two lowly Hebrew midwives? The Pharaoh was supposed to be divine. A god among the other Egyptian deities. But here was this great ruler, reduced to giving orders to Shiphrah and Puah, whose names mean “fair one” and “little lass.” He thought these simple servant-level females would just loyally follow his commands and kill the boy babies as they were being born.

We see here a clear picture of how low and how base our sinful natures can make us. The birth of a child is always a cause for joy and celebration as a new life is coming into the world. But the desire of Satan and all his followers is the prevention of new life. The destruction of life. The bringing of misery and tears and mourning, to reach their goals. The Hebrews had become too numerous and too strong, too worrisome to the Egyptian people. Killing the male children was the Pharaoh’s sinful solution. So, would these two simple midwives obey this earthly master?

How eager are you and I to please our earthly masters, friends, family? To earn their pleasure and their praise, are we willing to disregard our duties to the Lord and disobey His laws? These two women disobeyed the instructions of the Pharaoh by allowing the Hebrew boys to live. They may have done this for many reasons. Maybe because they hated the king and his evil policies. Or maybe they were proud of their profession, and didn’t want to have a bad reputation as midwives. Or maybe they just couldn’t take such precious little lives so callously at birth…

But, in fact, the Bible tells us plainly why Shiphrah and Puah disobeyed the king’s command: It was because they “feared the Lord.” Throughout the word of God, the claim is made again and again: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” The two Hebrew midwives had a settled conviction in their hearts and minds, that to displease GOD would be a much more serious matter than displeasing their earthly ruler. Is this the way our minds work, yours and mine?

Jesus instructed His followers not to fear men, who can only kill the body; but to fear God, who can kill both body and soul in hell. If there is a real God, who is both our Creator and our Judge, and a real hell, where bodies and souls will face eternal destruction, then NOT to fear this God is the supreme foolishness. Many, if not most, of the people around us are living their lives AS IF there were no God to Judge them, and no hell to face after we die. “The fool has said in his heart, ‘there is no God.’” (Psalm 14:1) They fear the Pharaohs of this world rather than the Lord.

Shiphrah and Puah are heroic examples of godly women who rescued baby boys who the king had condemned to death. And their motivation was a healthy, sensible, godly fear of the Lord God. The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The God who had promised deliverance to the enslaved children of Israel. They were willing to face an earthly king’s wrath rather than to displease the God of their fathers.

As we read further in our text, we see that these ladies were wise in another way. It happened eventually that the Pharaoh became aware that the male babies were not being killed as he had commanded. Shiphrah and Puah once again found themselves in the king’s presence, having to give an account of why this was happening. The two midwives had obviously discussed what answer they would give the Pharaoh: that the Hebrew women were more vigorous in their labor and gave birth before the midwives could get to them. And this was obviously UNTRUE.

Were the two women simply lying to avoid the wrath of the king? What would have happened if they had told the truth? The king may have had them killed, and then chosen OTHER midwives to carry out his plans. The new midwives may have obeyed him, causing the death of the baby boys yet to be born. The lie that Shiphrah and Puah told was designed to get the Pharaoh to give up his evil plan. In effect, they were saying, “It isn’t our fault the babies aren’t being killed. It is the natural vigor of the Hebrew women. Something beyond our control. Your plan won’t work!”

All things being equal, it is NEVER a good thing to tell a lie. But we live in a sinful, fallen world. A world in which lies lead to even BIGGER SINS. Once a situation becomes a matter of life or death, being totally truthful can become a risky business. If an evil ruler is seeking to kill an innocent person and you are hiding that person, then it might be your duty to hide the truth from that ruler. A person bent on murder cannot expect the truth from a victim’s protectors.

Shiphrah and Puah did their best to rescue the Hebrew boys under threat of death, putting their own lives at risk. And then they gave Pharaoh an answer designed to forestall his wicked plans. And because they did these things, a Levite woman named Jochebed would soon give birth to a Hebrew baby who’d grow up to be Israel’s great deliverer and lawgiver: Moses!

Apart from the grace of God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, people are alienated from the source of true wisdom, and will naturally live as if there were no God. They will follow the crowd down the broad road which Jesus said would lead them to damnation in the end. Satan will use any means to hinder the outworking of God’s plans. The Lord purposed to bring life and light into the world by sending His only Son to be our Savior. This was to be the fulfillment of His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. To use their descendants to bring Christ to mankind. The devil uses the Pharaohs of this world to oppose God and keep us in death and darkness.

We are born as sinners alienated from God--–natural enemies of the One who created us. It’s only by God’s grace that our hearts are changed so that we love and trust and fear the Lord. Because the midwives feared God and chose to please Him rather than man, the Lord rewarded them by giving them a family line of their own. You and I are promised a great reward as we follow our Savior faithfully and trust His word, especially in the face of opposition and rejection by evil people. Doing the right thing even when it’s hard, shows people that our God can be trusted.

So, who do we trust? Who do we fear, love and respect? Who is it we desire most to please? God’s word tells us the kind of world God is planning for us, the new heaven and new earth He has promised for those who love Him. A perfect world of holiness, love, light and life. A world where all sin, death and darkness have been banished. 

When we are born again, born of the Spirit, born from above, we take our first steps toward that heavenly kingdom. The Lord Jesus made that new birth a reality by living a perfect life, laying down His life for us on the cross, and being raised to new life to rule in Heaven for all who trust in Him.

Looking to Jesus Christ, trusting in Him, that is how one is taken from death to life. And it’s how a Christian lives his new life from day to day. Jesus became the perfect Son of Abraham who made it possible for you and me to be a part of that eternal family. A family that extends all the way back to Exodus, and to a pair of heroic midwives who feared God and dared to rescue God’s children. Praise the Lord for raising up such faithful followers.

Amen.

Unveiling UN-man

Zoe Zane here, reporting for the Weekly Planetoid News Network. There’s a new hero here in Bigopolis, and he’s just apprehended a gang of thugs who may be connected to one of the city’s top crime syndicates. He seemed to appear out of nowhere when the alleged gunmen were making their escape from the First Bigopolis Bank and Trust Company (FiBBATCO).

Moments after this strange visitor showed up, all the stolen cash vanished from the robbers’ hands and then rematerialized inside the vault of the FiBBATCO Building. I’m hoping the new superhero will consent to an interview...Oh, here he is now...Uh, excuse me, sir, are you responsible for the miraculous recovery of the FiBBATCO cash?

“I am. I just moved here to the big city, and felt it was time to reveal myself to the people of earth.”

Oh! So you are not a native of our world?

“No. I was born on the planet Dript-on. It’s a rather dreary world where it’s constantly raining. I moved here mostly for the sunshine.”

Did you visit any other planets before deciding to settle on earth?

“Oh, sure...let me see. I took a short siesta on Napt-on, got bitten by flying wolves on Nipt-on, nearly lost my footing on Tript-on, got tied up by vines on Strapt-on, was covered with crawling weevils on Crept-on, chased by giants on Stept-on…”

Wow! That’s quite a journey! Ever visit Krypton?

“Superman’s planet? Actually, I did stay there awhile before it went kaboom. It had this wonderful health spa...I took a week-long cleansing treatment after my visit to Crapt-on.”

I can understand THAT!

“Now THERE’S a planet where ya gotta watch your step!”

So, what should we call you? I see you have an insignia on your costume, like a “U” and an “N”...are you with the United Nations?

“Nope. U-N is actually my superhero name: I am...the UN-man. The Un-doer of Crime and Criminals!”

Impressive! So, I may call you “UN-man”?

“Yep. That’s me! Whatever bad guys do, I can UN-do.”

And that explains the disappearing, reappearing moolah?

“Exactly. I simply close my eyes and concentrate on whatever was done in the last minute or so, and it undoes itself.”

That’s a very unique ability! Do you have other super-powers? Do you fly, for example?

“No need for that...I just undo the fabric of space-time, and zap myself from place to place, like this…”

Now, where did he...OH! There you are!

“Neat trick, huh?”

Very!

“Of course, you need to be able to SEE where you’re zapping to, or you might end up where I did...on CRAPT-ON!”

Or inside a person, or a solid object…?

“Or in the middle of a Clinton or Trump rally!”

Well, I can see the criminals of Bigopolis are in for a real hard time when you perform your feats of derring-do!

“Derring-UNdo, actually.”

Right. I see you’re wearing a mask. Is that to disguise your secret identity?

“Indeed. If evildoers like Rex Ruthless discovered my alter ego, they could kidnap my significant others and threaten harm to them if I refused to do their bidding!”

Do...do you have a significant other, UN-man?

“Well...not anymore. There was a gal I was fond of years ago; we met on the Klingon planet…”

Too possessive, was she?

“WAY too possessive! She was another reason I settled here. Women here are much more down-to-earth, so to speak. No more serious attachments for yours truly!”

Must’ve broken her heart?

“Naw--I just un-did her memory of our breaking up. Left her a very tender suicide note and then zapped myself outa there.”

Still seems kinda heartless to me…

“Hey, you don’t know how clingy Klingon ladies can be! Besides, taking one’s life over a love affair is a real status symbol there--for the survivor, that is…”

Anyway, we DO appreciate you choosing our li’l old planet.

“Yeah, I feel pretty much at home...especially when it rains a lot.”

Your un-doing power must come in handy for you at times…?

“Actually, I’ve taken a superhero oath NEVER to use my special gift for personal gain...well, never AGAIN, that is.”

C’mon, haven’t you been tempted to be just a tiny bit naughty?

“Oh, I admit I had my share of peccadilloes during my younger, wilder, pre-oath days…”

Such as?

“Like in 7th grade when I un-did Mr. Hoggett’s trousers after he’d emerged from the men’s room…”

Ooh, the kids must have loved that!

“Then there were those wardrobe malfunctions at the Paris fashion show in ‘05…”

YOU caused those??

“Just a button here and a zipper there, and...oops!”

Well, UN-man, speaking for all the women of Bigopolis, I’m glad you have mended your ways.

“Right you are! Unless you are a miscreant masterminding malicious mayhem, you have nothing to fear from ME!”

Can’t you give us a little hint about your secret identity?

“You mean like Clark Kent admitting that he’s Sup- --uh oh!”

You’re kidding! Really??

“Mmmmm...concentrating...Poose-zee-gnittim-dat-neck-cralk-kyle-neem-ooee…”

Can’t you give us a little hint about your secret...wait...what just happened?

“Uhh...nothing!”

You just undid something you said, didn’t you?

“I’m afraid so...just a little slip of the tongue. There are some secrets, Ms. Zane, that should never be given away. Especially to a citywide audience!”

So...no hints about who you are under that mask?

“Sorry, Zoe. Unveiling the UN-man would be UNsafe and UNwise.”

Doesn’t anybody else know your secret? Any wisecracking assistant or a youthful sidekick?

“Hmm. I hadn’t thought about that. Maybe I should start taking applications. Now that I’m out in the open, I might at least need someone to answer the phone.”

Do you think that the crime syndicates will be out gunning for you now? I’m sure that shady industrialist Rex Ruthless will be seeking ways to take you out of commission.

“He already HAS attacked me several times! You just aren’t aware of those ‘cause I undid them and zapped out of harm’s way. It’s a kind of cat-and-mouse game. We each try to stay a step or two ahead of the other. One of these days, no doubt things will come to a head.”

So, you’ve already been using your powers in our midst without our knowing about it?

“Certainly. I’ve been doing a good deed here, stopping a bad one there, then un-doing people’s memories of them, just to get practiced up for my big city debut! When I ran across the creeps who were pulling that bank heist, I figured today was a good day to finally get noticed.”

Well, now that you’re a public figure, how do you plan to go about offering your services? Can the police summon you with a special phone or a signal in the clouds?

“Naw, I’ll just listen to my ultra-mega-super-advanced police scanner. It lets me spy on all the law enforcement agencies...FBI...CIA...IRS...CNN…”

Good grief, UN-man! Is that even legal? Where did you come across a device like that??

“Where else? The planet Snoopt-on.”


MNA
10/25/2016