Chapter 7
“If one does not repent, God will whet His sword.”
Psalms 7:12
Angel of the Lord
Suffering
According to the Bible, humans are both physical and spiritual beings. Biblical words that refer to the non physical aspect of people—soul, spirit, mind, heart—overlap in meaning. Among these, biblical counselors tend to use the word heart to refer to the seat of one’s desires, emotions, values, commitments, and beliefs. While our hearts are the rudders that steer our lives, we are whole people: body and heart, material and immaterial, mind and brain. We express and experience evil as whole people. Two aspects of evil that can be distinguished—but often cannot be clearly separated, are sin and suffering.
Suffering includes any kind of trouble from my social, spiritual, emotional, financial or physical environments, including biological problems in my own body. There are three reasons for suffering. First there is a suffering due to no one’s wrongdoing, such as being born with a birth defect. One example of this is found in John 9 where Jesus healed the blind boy. Jesus attributed the boy’s blindness to no one, not the parents or the sons, but so that the glory of God may be seen.
There is a suffering we experience because of our own sin. For example, my brother Dennis has the proclivity to squander money foolishly and rack up credit card debt. The pressure and anxiety he would experience under that debt load is a natural consequence of his actions. He was a womanizer and gambler. Throughout his adult life, the absence of self-control in areas of finances and other pursuits, along with his willingness to act dishonestly in return for personal gain has made him an unprincipled and an untrustworthy man.
Lastly, is the suffering one incurs due to someone else’s wrongdoing, for example; victims of rape, child abuse, or like Joseph who was cast out by his older brothers in Genesis 37. Joseph’s brothers, like mine, were envious and jealous of their younger sibling because he was favored in the eyes of God and was his fathers favorite. The brothers wanted to kill Joseph, instead they cast him out– then sold him to the first caravan passing by. Like my brothers, they returned to lie to everyone about what happened to their younger sibling. The father would never be comforted when Joseph was taken from him, as it was with my mom, she would never be comforted when my brothers took me from her (explained further on).
Two Categories of sins are developed in Ez 22:1-12. The first, shed blood–is injustice toward people, such as, ill-treatment of others, and bribery and extortion. The second category being idolatry–unfaithfulness to God. All sin is a breach of one or both of these relationships.
In Proverbs 6:16-19 is a list of warnings against folly, six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him. They are sins of both action and attitude:
- Haughty eyes, (they reflect a proud heart)
- A lying tongue
- Hands that shed innocent blood (injustices toward people)
- A heart that devises wicked schemes
- Feet that are quick to rush into evil
- A false witness who pours out lies (Proverbs emphasizes the damage done by the false witness)
- And a man who stirs up dissension among brothers (through slander he creates distrust that culminates in alienation and conflict)
What happens when I respond to suffering by finding comfort for my pain in drug abuse, or gambling, or enjoying causing pain to another? I experience that comfort—however temporary—in my whole person, body and heart. But which drove me to seek comfort, my body or my heart? It’s me that goes there, my whole person, driven by my heart, acted out in my body. Our actions result in consequences, and we experience those consequences, again, as a whole person. Now suppose we continue in a pattern of scheming, lying, and bearing false witness repeatedly. The consequences compound and influence future states and desires of the heart and body.
One example of this is an incident that cost myself and my mom the devastating consequences of the loss of a daughter and granddaughter from the family farm due to the sinful choices of both my brothers. The incident involved Dennis’s wife Deborah and her daughter Kim. It was of a delicate matter concerning sexual abuse. Because the young children of both Kim and Deanne played together it was only natural Deanne’s concern.
When Kim refused counseling with Deanne, my mother would insist that Kim cooperate or she would be asked to leave. Jim would interfere, disregarding our mothers decision. He refused support to Deanne, ignoring the seriousness of the situation. Jim’s absence of concern would undermine the direness of the situation. Jim left Deanne no other choice but to have to move from the family farm to protect her child. Jim’s response to Deanne leaving was, “That’s your choice Deanne, you can leave if you want, but Kim needs our help.” Jim’s cool indifference pierced our hearts.
Several categories of verbal abuse were used here. Jim first discounted Deanne’s experience and feelings regarding one parents concern about the issue of the possibility of sexual abuse, as if her feelings were worth nothing. Then in a frank and uncaring tone Jim trivializes the seriousness of the issue by saying, ‘that’s your choice, you can leave if you want, but Kim needs our help.’ Trivializing says, in so many words, that what you have expressed is insignificant.
The third category of verbal abuse used was denial. Denial is one of the most insidious categories of verbal abuse because it denies the reality of the person. In this case, denying the seriousness of an issue that needs to be dealt with, not shoved under the carpet. Why? Because it involves the well-being of all three children; Kim’s, as well as, Deanne’s.
Both were young, single mom’s needing support. The consequences of the loss of a daughter and granddaughter under those circumstances would be heartbreaking for mom, as well as, for myself. Deanne and myself would feel betrayed. Deanne would be the first of more then six families to leave the farm because of Jim. His need for power over by undermining authority would result in similar devastating consequences in the years to follow, influencing the state of the Fife family. Jim’s motive and actions had deviated from God’s design for harmonious, responsible human living.
My mom and dad had intended the farm to always be home for any of their children to live, if, any of them so had a need and/or desire to. That went without saying for my daughter Deanne, too. What should have been a place of refuge and security for me and my daughter had now become the beginning of the end of continuous bitter betrayals in the years that followed.
Another injustice done to me by Dennis is when he would write a letter to the court justice system slandering my character while covering for my brother Jim’s physical assault on me. Dennis wasn’t even present at that incident. I received a serious injury from that assault. It would take one full year before I was pain free. Jim should have had to serve jail time for that assault; instead, he got away with it and would be left to terrorize and cause havoc in the family, including, several other women’s lives, among which would be his elderly mother and his wife. Jim’s wife Sue was in the house that day, and she knew I had not caused any kind of disruption, but that Jim had turned hostile for no apparent reason. When she saw me lying on the floor Jim signaled her to leave the room. She left Jim shortly after this incident.
Note: The damage done by Dennis’s false witness gave Jim the liberty to run rough shod over me and any one that crossed his path. The next two visits I made to see my mother, Jim would answer the door hostile, and I would have to run from him as he would come after me to physically hurt me. He would do damage to my truck on one of those visits, then proceeded to fabricate a pack of lies to the Sherriff and have me thrown into jail for just showing up to visit my mom. Jim would never let me see my mom again until her death, all most four years later. Separated from the love and comfort of each other would break our spirit, mines and my mothers. The actions of these two men would be nothing less then what the Nazi’s did to thousands of innocent people. They were treacherous and without any conscience of wrong doing.
Loyalty to family is given only lip-service by my brothers, and is discarded when it gets in the way of self-fulfillment or personal gain. There is easy abandonment of verbal promises when something more attractive comes along. Commitment is severely shaken when I trust them to do righteousness, but discover later that my trust has been violated. The sinful actions of Dennis, Deborah, her kids, and Jim would be the beginning of the end of the Fife family as we knew it.
Two Types of Swords
Corruption of a society can go beyond the level of the individual. It can become part of the institutions of that community, whether civil or religious. Corruption has many and varied expressions. It can be easy to accept practices simply because they are the ‘doing thing’ or supported by the ‘hierarchies’, but that does not justify such practices. Sometimes bribery is part of the way everyday business is carried out. Unfair treatment of the weakest is also widespread.
In John Paul Jackson’s book, Needless Casualties of War, he states, the word sword in Scripture refers to one of two types of swords. The short sword, the length of a forearm, is used only in hand-to-hand combat. The use of this sword in Scripture implies arming oneself with the Word of God.
The second type of sword however is long and extends the length of the body. A devastating first-stike weapon, this sword is used in long-distance fighting. In Scripture, only Jesus and His angels wielded the body-length sword. It suggests second Heaven warfare which God does on our behalf. It is this sword that my friend saw coming down on my brothers place.
May 2004, eight-an-half years after the Turkey dream, my friend Kathy and myself were doing a prayer walk around the perimeter of my families 10 acre farm, praying over the land and those who dwelt on it as God would direct us. We stopped midway along the boundary of the east side of the property adjacent to Dennis’ house when Kathy recieved a vision. She saw a giant sword coming down out of the heavens.
A Giant Sword
Angel of the Lord
A giant, glistening, gold sword came down from heaven next to the back section of the house, Dennis’s workshop. It came down with such force, that when it hit the ground, the dirt splattered high and wide. Then again, coming down in force, but this time in a controlled manner. The extremely sharp point of the sword would just touch the ground, as if to touch on something specific.
Interpretation
The first time the sword comes down is symbolic of divine judgment. The psalmist in 7:12 warns us, “If one does not repent, God will whet His sword.”
In Ezekiel, Scripture speaks of God’s judgment as ‘the sword of the Lord.’ A sword, a sword, sharpened and polished– polished to flash like lightning! . . .The sword is appointed to be polished, to be grasped with the hand; it is sharpened and polished, made ready for the hand of the slayer. Ezekiel 21:9-10 NIV
Double Stroke of the Sword
Controlled and precise is the image of the sword coming down the second time; Pointing to specific issues, issues requiring repentantance. A clear indication for indivdual responsibility. The significance to the sword coming down twice is symobolic of war. With injustice on the farm and corruption at every level, I would hear a resounding echo of the Spirit referencing Ezekiel’s time with Jerusalem in chapter 21. Ezekiel confronts Jerusalem with all her detestable crimes, and proclaims;
‘You are a city which has made itself guilty through bloodshed (ill-treatment of others, and bribery and extortion) and unclean through idolatry. You have hastened your end by doing so. Many strands of corruption are within you, but I will put an end to it.’
Five years after that vision, my brothers house would burn to the ground. God is gracious and patient, but there is a limit to His patience toward those who do not repent. Like that of the tree that produced no fruit in Luke 13:1-9, it is fit only for destruction. The man was prepared to feed it and give it another chance, so God is prepared to allow any an opportunity for repentance. If a person fails to respond, their fate would be their own responsibility. Three years is a period of ample opportunity. In the parable of the fig tree, God reveals His patience in that He extends an extra year.
God loves justice – When man repeatedly fails to do justly, and continuously refuses to accept his responsibility in the matter and repent, then God Himself will exact His judgment. When He does, His punishment will fit the crime.
