A Lesson from the Rockbiter

Some may remember the movie called “The Neverending Story” in which a boy finds an extraordinary book in an extraordinary bookstore, which he “borrows” from the store. One of the characters he finds is called the “Rockbiter” who finds sustenance in rocks, and his entire body is made of boulders and stones. He was a giant of a being, and he was as strong and sturdy as a mountain.

“The Nothing” began to sweep through the land, simply sucking everything into a sort of black hole, and it disappeared. As the Nothing came close to where the Rockbiter was located, Rockbiter tried to hold his friends close to him in his hands, but as the nothing came closer they slipped from his grasp.

As the boy came upon him, a single phrase slipped resignedly from the lips of the Rockbiter, “They look like good, strong hands…don’t they?” The Rockbiter continued on recounting the episode to the boy, how he lost his dearest friends, and how he felt his good, strong hands had failed him.

What a sad predicament to be in, placing such trust in that which could never save those dearest to him. Many times we can do the same thing, placing our trust in our money, or in modern sciences, or in our house or our car. During good times, these things may look like good, strong hands, but in the end our soul, that which is truly important, will be lost to the depths of Hell. We must place our trust in the Lord God. He is the One who truly has good, strong hands with which to save us. Trust in the Lord.

What are You Doing Here?

The account being spoken of can be found in I Kings 18, if you wish a fuller reading. I would suggest that you read it, it is a rewarding study, as is all scripture.

Elijah was a man of God who placed a challenge in front of 400 prophets of baal and, with God's help, proves that baal is no god at all, but that God is the only God. This man is faithful through many trials, but when Jezebel, the evil queen of Israel, threatened his life, he ran. When he came to a juniper tree, he laid down and requested that he might die, using these words, "It is enough; now, O Lord, take my life, for I am not better than my fathers."

A short time later, the Lord speaks to Elijah, and simply says, "What are you doing here, Elijah?"

Elijah was not in the place that God wanted him. God had other plans for Elijah. Elijah, rather than trusting in God to take care of him in whatever circumstances he found himself, ran away from the trials that were facing him.

How often do we run away from our trials? Is it when we see something that is not as God would have it, but, in order to maintain our social status, we let it go? How many times could the people of God, the christians here on the earth, have made a difference, but instead we simply sat by and watched? Like Elijah, we have all had times when we stood for God, stood for the truth, but we also have times when we say, "It is enough."

Who decides when it is enough? It is not us. God is the one who knows us, and knows when it is enough. I Corinthians 10:13 says that God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we are able. When we tell God, "It is enough," either using words or deeds, we are, in effect, calling God a liar. God knows us better than we know ourselves, and we need to have enough faith to stand for God in the trials we are faced with.

For us, the question is posed, "What are you doing here?" Whenever you have the chance to stand for God, ask yourself, "What am I doing here," and don't be afraid to go straight into whatever trial has been presented to you.

Listen to the Sound...

 

Luke 16:19-31 is one of the few places that we, as humans still on this earth, get a glimpse into the life after death. Several notable lessons can be gleaned from this set of verses, but as you read through this passage this time, take special note of the words of Lazarus.

 

Luke 16:19-31, The Rich Man and Lazarus.

19 “Now there was a rich man, and he habitually dressed in purple and fine linen, joyously living in splendor every day.

20 “And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores,

21 and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.

22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.

23 “In Hades he lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus in his bosom.

24 “And he cried out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus so that he may dip the tip of his finger in water and cool off my tongue, for I am in agony in this flame.’

25 “But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your life you received your good things, and likewise Lazarus bad things; but now he is being comforted here, and you are in agony.

26 ‘And besides all this, between us and you there is a great chasm fixed, so that those who wish to come over from here to you will not be able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’

27 “And he said, ‘Then I beg you, father, that you send him to my father’s house—

28 for I have five brothers—in order that he may warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

29 “But Abraham said, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them hear them.’

30 “But he said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent!’

31 “But he said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

New American Standard Bible : 1995 update. 1995 (Lk 16:19-31). LaHabra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

 

Did you get it? What words did Lazarus speak? Lazarus said nothing. In this entire account, Lazarus is recorded as saying absolutely nothing.

The rich man in this passage is portrayed, after his death, as being in utter and complete torment. He is in flame and agony. He is burning, but he is not blind. He clearly sees the peace and rest that he so desperately wishes he had. He can see Lazarus in the bosom of Abraham, resting peacefully without a care.

What did you notice when the rich man called out? Who was it who answered him? Abraham, right? Never does the Bible portray Lazarus as having any knowledge that the man in torment is able to see him or is calling out for him to be sent for water.

Is this significant, or just a coincidence? Although it does not really matter to our immediate salvation, I wonder if perhaps this is a clue about what sort of peace is included in our reward after this life. And, perhaps this is a clue that those who are tormented will, at least in this phase, be able to see those who are at rest.

Let me illustrate the point I am making. When you are having a bad day, what is the worst thing that can happen? How about, someone you know is having the best day of their life, and they tell you all about it? For some reason, that always seems to make your bad day worse than it was.

When we think of the man in torment, how much worse would his torment be if he could see the man in rest, and know exactly what he's missing?

On the side of Lazarus, how much better would his peace be if he knew nothing of the man in torment, could not see the place of torment, and was not bothered with the wails of those who are suffering?

Many, I'm sure, have observed this side of the passage before, but some, I'm sure, have never thought about it. I hope that this thought has sparked an interest in you for the Bible and the teachings of Jesus. Don't forget to listen to the sound...of silence.

Preaching Out

Just an update for all of those who are out there. I'm going to the Greeley Congregation on the 27th of April to teach class and preach the lesson on Sunday morning. Greeley is about 2 hours away from here, so I'll be leaving in the wee hours of the morning to get there before 9:00 class. Pray for a safe trip there and back. Talk at you all later! Remember to count your blessings!

My Two Cents

Have you ever been given too much change at the grocery store? Many have been, and if you haven't, you probably will be some day. What did you do when you found out? Did you simply continue with your day, feeling as though you were just getting what is rightfully yours, especially in light of this year's taxes? Or, did you go back and set everything right, knowing that the money you received was not rightfully yours, and that it should be given back to the owner?

This is a dilemma that many of us face, and it is made harder since nobody would really know who had the missing funds. When presented with this choice in a hypothetical situation, it is easy for us to make the right decision. Of course all of us would give the money back! But when the situation comes at us in reality, what will we do? I believe the apostle Paul can help us with our dilemma.

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are imprisoned, and they are singing praises to God. In the middle of the night, an earthquake came and all the doors were opened, and all the prisoners were let loose of their bonds. Now, the prisoners and Paul and Silas had a decision to make. They could either take the extra change they had gotten and run with it, or they could stay and pay their dues. This would have been an even harder decision for the prisoners, since many would lose their lives. But, even in light of those consequences, the prisoners and Paul and Silas decided to stay and do the right thing.

Now is where things get a little more interesting. The jailer in this scenario would have been killed if any of the prisoners were found missing. This puts a different spin on things, eh? While the jailer was about to kill himself, Paul and Silas and the other prisoners made their presence known, and saved the jailer's life. I found the jailer's next actions quite important. When he saw that these men had not fled, as most would have, he fell at their feet and pleaded with them to tell him what to do to be saved. Wait a second, I thought that his life was just saved because the prisoners were there, why is he asking them how he might be saved? The answer is that the jailer is no longer concerned with his physical life, but is now more concerned with his spiritual well being. Because of Paul and Silas and the other prisoners' righteous actions, the jailer was taught how to be saved.

Now let's look back at our illustration we started with. We are given too much change at the store. Now, while someone may not lose their life over a few dollars, their soul may be gained because of its return. Our actions that show us to be a different sort of people will open the door for spiritual interaction and discussion. Even though the extra money, or whatever the item may be, would be nice, a soul is more precious and important than anything we may accidentaly receive. Let us remember to store up for ourselves treasure in heaven, and keep everything in its rightful place here on earth.

Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.