Down an Unfamiliar Road

WHAT’S IN A NAME – In 1852 an English Confectioner named Sam German was working for the Baker’s Chocolate Company, located in Lower Mills Village on the Neponset River between Dorchester and Milton, Massachusetts. He was experimenting with various blends of chocolate and came up with an interesting mix. The Baker Company execs were so impressed that they begin to produce and sell this chocolate bar, and in honor of it’s inventor named it “German’s Sweet Chocolate Bar.” It took over one hundred years before the first published recipe for what we now know as German’s Chocolate Cake showed up in a Dallas newspaper in 1957, and came from a Texas homemaker named Mrs. Marie Baca. But it became so popular that soon a cake mix was being produced and sold for German’s Chocolate Cake. It wasn’t long before in recipes and packaging the apostrophe was dropped from German’s, and it simply became “German Chocolate Cake.” Ask anyone today and they will tell you that German Chocolate Cake had its origin in Germany. But that could not be further from the truth. The same seems to be what has happened to the original spiritual formula once called the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was developed by none other than a Jewish prophet known as Jesus of Nazareth who ministered in the country of Israel over 2000 years ago. But over time the name Jesus Christ was dropped from the title and it simply became known as “The Gospel.” Even today there are certain ingredients missing in the recipe such as: virgin birth, Son of God, the Way, Truth and Life, sacrifice for sins, blood that cleanses from sin, and resurrection from death. As a matter of fact, many people sitting in pews think the recipe for the gospel was invented in England or the United States. In the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul left no doubt as to where the gospel he preached came from, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (1:8). So it is important that we know the true identity of author of the gospel we preach and hear.

WHAT’S IN A NAME – In 1852 an English Confectioner named Sam German was working for the Baker’s Chocolate Company, located in Lower Mills Village on the Neponset River between Dorchester and Milton, Massachusetts. He was experimenting with various blends of chocolate and came up with an interesting mix. The Baker Company execs were so impressed that they begin to produce and sell this chocolate bar, and in honor of it’s inventor named it “German’s Sweet Chocolate Bar.” It took over one hundred years before the first published recipe for what we now know as German’s Chocolate Cake recipe showed up in a Dallas newspaper in 1957 and came from a Texas homemaker named Mrs. Marie Baca. But it became so popular, that soon a cake mix was being produced and sold for German’s Chocolate Cake. It wasn’t long before in recipes and packaging the apostrophe was dropped from German’s, and it simply became “German Chocolate Cake.” Ask anyone today and they will tell you that German Chocolate Cake had its origin in Germany. But that could not be further from the truth. The same seems to be what has happened to the original spiritual formula once called the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It was developed by none other than a Jewish prophet known as Jesus of Nazareth who ministered in the country of Israel over 2000 years ago. But over time the name Jesus Christ was dropped from the title and it simply became known as “The Gospel.” Even today there are certain ingredients missing in the recipe such as: virgin birth, Son of God, the Way, Truth and Life, sacrifice for sins, blood that cleanses from sin, and His resurrection from death. As a matter of fact, many people sitting in pews think the receipt for the gospel was invented in England or the United States. In the Second Letter to the Thessalonians, the apostle Paul left no doubt as to where the gospel he preached came from, “He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.” (1:8). So it is important that we know the true identity of the gospel we preach and hear.

BEWARE THE FOG OF WORDS –

As David moved from camp to camp and cave to cave he began depending on locals and others who showed support for his cause. In so doing he let his guard down on occasions. While hiding in the hills of Hakilah among the Ziphites, whom he thought were his friends, little did he know that they had sent a messenger to King Saul to reveal his location. No wonder he was shocked and alarmed when 3000 troops sent by King Saul suddenly arrived to capture him. This betrayal left him hurt and somewhat bitter. But he knew it wasn’t his God who betrayed him, and his heavenly Father would never let him down. It certainly shook his trust in others, but it only strengthened his trust in the One who called and anointed him.

“Do politicians really mean what they say? Are judges truly without bias? No! Some knowingly consent to injustice, thereby promoting lawlessness throughout the land. Such evil-minded people are born that way; they are dishonest from the day they came out of the womb. Their words are like the venom of a poisonous snake; they act like vipers that pretend as though they don’t hear the sound of the snake-charmer’s flute no matter how skilled he may be in casting a spell. O One True God, take away their ability to hurt people with their words; O LORD Eternal, render them as harmless as a young toothless lion; let their influence be like water that quickly evaporates; and when they aim their sharp words of criticism, let those words become unintelligible. And may any effect they’ve had dissipate like the trail of a snail, and be dead on arrival like a fetus in miscarriage that never sees the light of day. Pull them out by the roots before they have a chance to grow any bigger so they can be blown away like a bramble bush by a whirlwind. Then those who live right will smile when such people get what’s coming to them, by putting them in their place. This will cause everyone to say, ‘It does pay to live right! There is such a thing as divine justice after all!’” Psalm 58:1-11

Reflection: On a foggy Friday morning, July 4, 1952, a young woman named Florence Chadwick waded into the cold waters off Catalina Island intending to swim the channel to the California coast. Earlier she became the first woman to swim the English Channel in both directions. Now the water was numbing and the fog so thick she could barely see the boats that accompanied her. She swam for more than 15 hours before finally asking to be taken out of the water. Her trainer tried to encourage her to keep going since they were getting close to land. But all Florence saw was the fog, and the water seemed to get colder and colder. After she got into the boat, she found out that she was only one more mile to go before she reached the shore. Too often many believers follow Florence’s example and give up on God’s destiny for their lives. Not because they are afraid, but because of the fog caused by peer pressure and the cold water of discouragement tire them out. When they don’t see any end to the discomfort these things cause, and with the uncertainty of success they let themselves begin to believe it’s impossible. David found himself in such a predicament, but refused to give up and allow his confusion to take control. He trusted the fact that God sent him out with a goal in mind and promised to go with him until he reached the finish line. The choice is ours, either believe God’s promise and be encouraged by His presence, or let our environment dictate our choices.

SENSING THE PRESSURE –

Even though he experienced many hardships during the time he fled from King Saul and his squad of assassins, these incidents proved to be some of the most inspirational opportunities for David to write his best heartfelt psalms. One such occasion occurred after David left Goliath’s home town of Gath and hid out in a cave near Adullam so his brothers could visit him in secret. We can only imagine how David must have felt sitting in such a dark and lonely place while trying to figure out why God was putting him through this type torment after anointing him as the next king of Israel. But he knew he could only reach the finish line if he kept going.

“O One True God, show me Your love. I need Your protection now; shelter me with Your presence until this storm passes by. That’s why I’m calling out to my One True God Most High; to the One True God who is always there when I need Him. I’m sure He will reach down from above and get me out of this situation brought on by those out to finish me off. There’s no doubt that my One True God will stand by me and prove that I am who He wants me to be. I feel like I’ve ended up in the midst of hungry lions; whose spears and arrows are like their teeth, and their tongue is like a deadly dagger. That’s why I need some help, O One True God. So from high up in the heavens give a sign for everyone to see. They tried to trick me so they could catch me, which really caused me a lot of anxiety, but they ended up only tricking themselves. So in my heart I’m determined to make it all the way, O One True God; yes, I’m determined to keep going so I can sing and worship You in songs of victory. So let’s get with it! Yes, let’s get our instruments so we can start out each morning with praise! I want to let Your praises ring so loud all can hear. For Your love reaches to the sky, and Your faithfulness beyond the clouds. O One True God, let people see the One I serve; yes, let the whole world see how fabulous You really are.” Psalm 57:1-11

Reflection: In September 1938, a man living on Long Island, NY, finally satisfied a longing ambition by purchasing a very expensive barometer to hang in his great room. When the instrument arrived on Tuesday the 20^th, he became very upset because the needle was apparently stuck on the sector marked “HURRICANE.” After shaking the barometer vigorously several times, he was unable to move the needle, so he sat down and wrote a scorching letter of criticism to the store from which the instrument came. Early the following rainy morning on Wednesday, September 21, 1938 he mailed the letter on the way to his office in New York. He fumed all day at work over waiting so long only to be disappointed. But later that evening after a lonely ride home on the train, he was even more devastated when he reached Long Island. Not only did he find his barometer was missing, but so was his house. Yes, the barometer was right after all! A hurricane did hit at 3:30 PM that afternoon just as the instrument predicted. In the same manner David kept checking the spiritual barometer God placed in his heart. Even though his fellow fighters felt he was all wrong, David trusted God’s instrument to guide his actions instead of misreading the elements of the situation he was in; or take the advice of those who didn’t know how he really felt and what he was actually going through. No wonder the New Testament tells believers to trust the barometer of the Spirit by walking in faith, not by sight. So why not trust the indicator God has placed in your heart, and let it become your guide to interpreting what kind of situation you might be facing and how God wants you to prepare for it, and how He plans to get you through.

JUST IN TIME –

David experienced a lot of turmoil in his flight from King Saul, but nothing compared to the time when he was informed by his best friend Jonathan, Saul’s son, that because he missed the New Moon Festival, King Saul was livid and threatened to punish him for it. Little did David know that Saul’s real anger was due to the fact by missing this festival it took away another chance for him to kill David. After hearing this, David borrowed Goliath’s old sword from the priest at Nob, and headed straight toward an 800 foot high mesa, known today as the Gaza Strip, right into Goliath’s home town of Gath, just to get away from Saul’s clutches. If he ever needed God’s protection and guidance, it was now.

“O One True God, please help me endure. There’s one man who doesn’t like me and wants to get rid of me, and it’s causing me so much stress. O Most High God, his men keep hunting for me day after day, trying to end my life; and there are a lot of them pursuing me. You know I always come to You when I’m afraid because I absolutely trust You. O One True God, I admire Your Word, and depend on every promise You’ve made; that’s why I’ll press on and do not worry about what these weaklings are trying to do to me. Every day it becomes more and more stressful because they are only out to make my life miserable. They have even devised a plan to ambush me by keeping track of every move I make so they can accomplish their task of taking my life. Let my constant escaping be their reward for such evil intentions, O One True God; then maybe they will become so upset they will call this whole thing off. You also keep track of where I’ve been and where I’m going; You’ve caught my tears in Your flask, in fact You have everything written down in Your ledger. So today as I call out to You, let my opponents turn around and leave; that way I’ll know that my One True God is on my side; yes, this One True God whose word I admire; the LORD Eternal whose word I cherish; the word that I trust without question; so I’m not going to worry about what humans are trying to do to me. I will continue paying my tithes and offerings to the One True God. After all, He’s the one who has saved me from dying and kept me from losing faith, that’s why I will continue walking side by side with my One True God; being happy that I’m alive.” Psalm 56:1-13

Reflection: As the sun begin setting on an isolated stretch of Florida beach, an old man with a curved back, bushy eyebrows, and bony cheek features, hobbled down to the shore carrying a bucket. He walked out on the pier to welcome a flock of seagulls that suddenly filled the sky. He took shrimp out of his bucket and threw them up into the air, on the dock, and all around him. Some seagulls landed at his feet, some on his shoulders, even one landed on his hat, joyfully eating the shrimp. However, long after all the shrimp ran out his feathered friends still lingered around until he left. That man was Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, the famous flying ace in WWII whose B-17 Flying Fortress went down in the Pacific Ocean around 2:30 PM, on Monday, October 19, 1942. Rickenbacker and his crew of eight drifted on two rafts for 24 days. They ran out of rations after 8 days. They fought hunger, thirst, the sun, and sharks. Yet, they never failed to have their devotions and prayer time every day. One day after devotions Rickenbacker leaned back and put his hat over his eyes to get some sleep. He felt something land on his hat and knew instantly it was a seagull. They were hundreds of miles out to sea and he wondered where the bird came from. He quickly grabbed it and with thanksgiving he and the crew ate the raw flesh. They used the intestines as bait to catch fish for food, until rescued on Friday, November 13^th, 1942. After returning to the States, Captain Rickenbacker showed his gratitude to that sacrificial bird by going out every week with a bucket of shrimp as his way of saying, “Thank you, thank you, thank you.” In 1947 a six lane thoroughfare connecting Miami with Key Biscayne was built and named “Rickenbacker Causeway.” Sadly, few who drive over it today know the story behind its namesake. David found himself adrift in dangerous territory, but God miraculously delivered him, in a place where there were no altars or houses of worship dedicated to the God of Israel. That’s why after he returned to his home he wanted to show his gratitude by bringing God his tithes and offerings, and let everyone know that it was God, and God alone who delivered him; all because he trusted God’s Word without a single shred of doubt.

GIVE IT UP –

After Absalom killed his brother Amnon for raping his sister Tamar, Absalom fled to avoid possible repercussions from his father King David. After years of communicating that he wanted to reconcile, Absalom finally returned to Jerusalem. But he and his father didn’t speak to each other for two years. Finally David felt Absalom had suffered enough and gave him his freedom to come and go; little did David know that during this time his best friend Ahithophel had joined Absalom in plotted a rebellion against him. The whole thing would blow up in David’s face and put him through one of the most trying times of his life.

“O One True God, You’ve got to listen to me; I need to know that You hear me so I can get an answer from You. I’m sick and tired of the way those who call for my defeat are cheering each other on. It’s causing me more stress than I can handle, especially when I see how enthused they are about making me miserable. My heart is racing out of control and the thought of dying just numbs my mind. I’m shaking all over because I’m terrified of what will happen. If I could fly off like a bird to a hideaway somewhere, I’d go right now. At least I could have some peace of mind, having gotten out of this horrible situation. If it was someone I didn’t know who hated me so much, I could handle that; or if it was someone I just couldn’t stand, I’d stay out of their way. But it’s my best friend, my confidant, my trusted supporter; the one I confided in and worshiped with. So I’ve decided to put it all in Your hands O LORD Eternal, I know You can help me keep going. Because You will never let those who live for You lose hope.” Psalm 55:1-8, 12-14, 22

Reflection: Rev. Charles A. Tindley, the son of slaves owned by southern plantation landlords, taught himself to read and write by age seventeen. He worked as a janitor at the Calvary Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia while attending night school. It wasn’t long before he became pastor of that same church. By the time he died in 1933, over 12,500 members attended services there each week. Because of his struggles, he was inspired to write a song entitled, “I’ll Overcome Someday.” The civil rights movement in the U.S. chose that song early on as its anthem and it became known as, “We Shall Overcome.” During his pastorate, one of his members who was a chronic worrier stopped by one day to see him, and after listening to what the parishioner told him, Rev. Tindley told the man, “If I were you, I’d put all my troubles in a sack, take ‘em to the Lord and leave ‘em there.” Perhaps it was this Psalm of David that influenced Pastor Tindley to say that, and later on inspired him to write another song that became one of the church’s most famous hymns: “Leave it there, leave it there, take your burden to the Lord and leave it there.” Don’t be like some believers and fall in love with your burdens; this makes them hard to give up; makes you want to hold on to them no matter what because they bring you pity and sympathy. Rather, treat them like trinkets, not like treasures. Sometimes God takes our troubles and strife and transforms them into real jewels for our crown of righteousness. But He can only do that if we take them to Him, and leave them in His care.

DON’T BET ON GOD, BELIEVE IN GOD –

After David’s friend Doeg the Edomite betrayed him, David narrowly escaped King Saul’s clutches. But the poor people in the village of Nob were not so lucky. Doeg had decided that sticking with King Saul was a better choice than sticking with wannabe king, David, so he willingly participated in a horrendous massacre of the villagers in Nob, something that still seems to be prevalent in that part of the world today. David was shocked, but it did not deter him from following God’s plan and will for his life. He knew who would come out the victor in the end.

“O One True God, I know I can trust You to prove my innocence and show everyone I meant no harm. Hear my prayer O One True God; listen closely to what I’m about to tell You. A bunch of cutthroats I’ve never met are suddenly trying to get rid of me; they are the kind of people who don’t give a second thought to what they are doing to people. I want them to know that the One True God is on my side; He’s the one who backs me up in situations like this. That’s why I believe this will backfire on them as soon as what they are up to is out in the open. Then I will praise and worship You for who You are and for Your goodness, O LORD Eternal. Yes, I’ll tell how You got me through this ordeal and allowed me to be a victor and not a victim.” Psalm 54:1-7

Reflection: Here’s how the story goes: A hurricane bore down on a coastal area with threatening power and speed. Police cars went around warning everyone to evacuate immediately. As they passed a church parsonage, the preacher was standing in front and calmly told the officers that he had full faith and trust in God to help him survive. The winds and tidal wave hit with unbelievable force, and as the water rose rapidly the Coast Guard passed by the parsonage in a boat and offered to give the pastor who was looking out the window of the second floor a ride to safety. But the Reverend waved them off with a smile as he told them emphatically that he trusted in God completely to carry him through. It wasn’t long before the minister was standing on his roof to get away from the rising flood. A Navy helicopter overhead saw him and lowered someone to pick him up. But the preacher remained adamant that he still believed that God would protect him. After being swept away with the parsonage by the roaring flood, the pastor, who couldn’t swim, drowned before he could be rescued. When he arrived in heaven the minister approached St. Peter and demanded to see God immediately. As he was ushered into the throne room, he begged God to explain why He let him suffer such humiliation when all along he believed that He would save him. Gently God replied, “I sent a police car, a rescue boat, and finally a helicopter, and you kept turning down My efforts to take you to safety. What else did you expect Me to do?” While David’s experience was quite different, the same principle applies. When we ask God for help in a crisis, we cannot expect Him to do things our way because we believe it’s the way it should be done. We often give Him our definition of a miracle and we want Him to perform it the way we outlined it. Believe it or not, some believers have such a superior attitude, that they expect God to do things in their way so they can be seen as having super-faith. But David had no such interest. He simply went to God in prayer and asked for directions. He wanted God to get all the glory for his deliverance, even if God’s way of helping him went against his concepts of deliverance.

No doubt we’ve all heard about whether someone or something is the subject or object of an act or conversation. Knowing how to distinguish will help us figure out when to use “who” or “whom,” or “lay” or “lie.” There’s an easy way to do that. The subject is the person or thing that is doing or saying something. The object is that to which something is being done or said about. Here’s one way to remember it: When you say “I love you,” I is the subject who is providing that love, and You is the object toward whom that love is being directed. So we can see Who is expressing love, and to Whom that love is being expressed. Unfortunately for some people, as the Who they get so caught up when things don’t go the way they want them to, or things don’t turn out the way they planned, they want to blame it on the Whom. However, in many cases, they don’t realize that the subject has become the object of their own mistake, be it foolishness, carelessness or blindness to reality. So the next time something doesn’t work out, instead of looking for a culprit outside yourself, first look within yourself and you may find it there. Not only is that helpful in solving the error, but it’s a lot easier dealing with yourself than someone who is not under you control. – Dr. Robert R Seyda

THE PART YOU DIDN’T KNOW – We all know the story of Shadrach, Mesach and Abed-Nego in Daniel. But did you know that in the Babylonian Talmud, which is the Rabbi’s commentary on the Bible taken from oral traditions, they give us a somewhat different version. Not only about the three Hebrew Children, but about Abraham having to go through the same ordeal. Here it is in its original form:

Rabbi Na’ham bar Itz’hak said: The small Hallel is recited for another reason, namely, because it contains the transposition of the souls of the righteous from Gehenna to Heaven as it is written [Psalms 116:4]: “I beseech thee, O Lord! release my soul” (from Gehenna). Hez’kyah said: There is still another reason why the small Hallel should be recited, namely, because it is mentioned that Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were thrown into the fiery furnace and came out alive: because the passage, “Not for our sake, O Lord,” was said by Hananiah; “But unto thy name give glory,” was said by Mishael, and “For the sake of thy kindness, for the sake of thy truth,” was said by Azariah; and the next passage, “Wherefore should the nations say, Where now is their God?” all three said together. This happened when they were thrown into the fiery furnace, and when they came out Hananiah said the passage [Psalms 117], “Praise the Lord, all ye nations!”; Mishael said: “Praise him, all ye people!” Azariah said, “For mighty is his kindness over us,” and “And the truth of the Lord endureth forever, Hallelujah!” was said by all three in unison. According to another version, this last sentence, “The truth of the Lord endureth forever,” was said by the angel Gabriel, because it was said that when Nimrod the wicked threw Abraham our father into the fiery furnace, the angel Gabriel said to the Lord: “Permit me to go and make the furnace cold, that it may do no harm to Abraham,” and the Holy One, blessed be He, replied: “Abraham is now the only one who has forsaken idolatry and believes in God, and I am the only One in the world, hence it would be but fair that the only One should rescue the other. And as the Holy One, blessed be He, would not deprive any one creature of the reward due, He said to Gabriel: “Thou shalt have an opportunity to rescue three of his children from a fiery furnace, while I Myself shall rescue him [Abraham].” (Whereupon Gabriel is supposed to have said: “The truth of the Lord endureth forever.”) Rabbi Simeon of Shiloni preached: When Nebuchadnezzar the wicked threw Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the fiery furnace, the angel Jurqami, master of the waters, came before the Lord and said: “Permit me to go and cool the furnace, so that I might rescue the righteous from death.” Said Gabriel to him: “This would not prove the power of the Lord, for it is well known that water can extinguish fire, and thou art the master of waters; hence it would be but commonplace if through thy means the furnace were cooled. Rather should I, who am the master of fire, be permitted to go, and I shall remove the fire on the inside and make it so much more fierce on the outside, which will be a miracle within a miracle; for a master of fire will make the fire cool in one place and so much hotter in another.” Whereupon the Lord said: “Go thou, Gabriel, and do so,” and Gabriel said: “The truth of the Lord endureth forever.”

This shows you what creative minds can do to an original story! Unfortunately, the same has been done with the Gospel at times.

WHAT’S YOUR WEAKEST POINT –

The compilers of the Psalter wanted to show that David did trust God to be on his side when people with biased hearts and treachery in their minds tried to get him to forsake God and thus bring an end to his mission to be the king God anointed him to be. So they included this Psalm reflecting David’s feeling of disbelief that a close friend would betray him for personal gain, but also show how David still maintained his faith in the God he knew would never deceive him and he would be able to trust Him through good times and bad.

“Why are you so proud about what you so shamelessly did to me? It won’t stop my Sovereign King from being my best friend. You betrayed me with your pretentious words; they were like a steel chisel aimed at carving your insults on my heart. You lied rather than tell the truth because you prefer doing what’s wrong instead of doing what’s right. You spread malicious gossip meant to embarrass me because you’re deceitful and two-faced. But our Sovereign King will see to it that you get what’s coming to you; you’ll end up being half the man you were and lose your standing in society. When believers see this they will be awestruck; they will then be unafraid to tell you what they think of you because you decided to put your faith in your ranking and your ability to fool others, rather than putting your faith in the One True God to get you through. But look at me now; I’m blossoming like a tree in the front yard of our One True God; for I trusted His unwavering love to get me through. That’s why, O One True God, I’ll never ever stop thanking You for what You did for me; oh yes, I will openly testify of my faith in You for who You are so that others who’ve put their hope in You will be encouraged.” Psalm 52:1-9

Reflection: Years ago I visited an exhibition of relics from the 900-foot opulent cruise ship Titanic that sank in 1912 on its maiden voyage from England to New York. Fifteen hundred people died in the freezing waters of the North Atlantic Ocean, resulting in the worst maritime disaster of that era. In school I heard that it struck an iceberg which caused it to take on water faster than it could pump it out, followed by a loud explosion that tore it in half. Recently an international team of divers and scientists used deep-sea submarines to probe the wreckage buried in mud some two-and-a-half miles under water. To their amazement they discovered that the original damage was not as large as once thought. Instead of finding huge, long gashes in the side of the hull, they discovered that when the ship hit the iceberg, some poorly-made rivets with a high content of slag sheared off in the collision. This caused the deficiently made steel hull to buckle, thereby flooding the so-called watertight compartments that made the ship list forward and then sink. In other words, a small almost invisible failure resulted in an enormous ship to go down, taking its passengers and the company’s reputation with it. Someone who had once been David’s friend decided to leave and sail on the ship that Saul was captain of. It was a tragic mistake. The king who once stood head and shoulders above all other men died in defeat by falling on his own sword. This former friend of David’s named Doeg, who became Saul’s chief shepherd, gets no further mention in Israel’s history. Their ruin did not result from big things that overwhelmed them, but from little things they neglected that ended up tearing them apart at their weakest point. This should be a lesson to all believers that during times of storm and turmoil keep an eye on the little weakness in your life; put your trust in God’s ability to strengthen you in those areas so you come out victorious on the other side.