Stephen
Terry, Director
Preamble to Deuteronomy
Commentary
for the October 2, 2021, Sabbath School Lesson
"Because he loves me," says the Lord, "I
will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call
on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him
and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation." Psalm
91:14-16, NIV
Ralphie* enjoyed visiting his
great grandparents' farm. He loved climbing the fruit trees and tasting the tree-ripened
lusciousness. He especially loved the sweet, yellow plums. On sizzling summer
days, he could play in the tiny creek that ran through their acreage, floating wooden
boats from one end of the farm to the other. Although they were merely twigs
and bits of fireplace kindling, to him they were mighty ocean vessels exploring
new continents. He also loved watering the dusty ground between several rows of
raspberries, plucking the ripest berries and enjoying their sweetness as they
dissolved on his tongue.
The farm was also like a country
boy's zoo with all sorts of animals. Horses enjoyed pasture under the fruit
trees. A family of hogs had their sty on another part of the farm. These days,
we have garbage disposals in our kitchens for food waste and weekly curb pickup
of whatever does not go in the disposal. On the farm, hogs or pigs took care of
all food waste and the animals that consumed it became food themselves with
leftovers being fed back into the cycle. As a boy,
Ralphie did not understand all of that, but he loved to watch his grandparents
slopping the hogs, with all the grunting and squealing that ensued.
There was also a flock of
bantam chickens that patrolled the place, protecting the crops from bugs and
small rodents. They also contributed to the food chain, supplying eggs and
chicken meat. Occasionally a cow was fattened and
butchered in the barn. While some vegetarians may be offended by this, it is
how life in the country was lived for thousands of years. Those living in the
cities tap into the same food loop. The farms produce more than they can
consume and make possible much of the food, including the burgers, fried chicken,
and pepperoni pizzas in the cities. Even the veggie burgers and soy wieners
would not be possible without the farms.
Along with the farm livestock, several feral cats and their offspring kept rodents at bay,
a task also shared by many garter snakes that were often seen sunning
themselves on boards or rocks in the summer sun. With so much to see and do, Ralphie
was rarely bored. His imagination was free to explore and play wherever he
wanted on the farm. Although he did not know the words for it then, the farm
was an idyllic Eden that was a refuge from living in town. His grandparents
warned him of only one thing; to keep the livestock safe, they had installed an
electric fence around the pasture. While it was not there to endanger him, he
would still find it painful if he touched it This seemed a minor restriction,
and Ralphie was always careful around the fence.
Next to the farm was a public
elementary school with a playground. Although the school closed during the
summers, Ralphie could hear children playing there sometimes when he was playing
on the farm. One day, as he was floating his boats in the creek, he was
surprised to look up and see an older boy watching him. He had apparently come through
the fence between the farm and the school. He came over and asked Ralphie what he
was doing, then asked if he could float boats also. For a while they both had
fun sailing navies down the creek. But eventually the older boy got bored and suggested
they wander about the farm and find something else to do. When they got near
the fence, Ralphie warned him not to touch it because his grandparents had said
he could hurt himself. The older boy laughed and said "Nonsense!" He had just come
through the fence from the school. "You can touch the fence! It is OK! Your
grandparents just do not want you to enjoy the entire farm! If you touch it,
you will see!"
"But...," Ralphie objected.
"But nothing! Didn't I just
come through the fence? Go ahead!"
Trusting his new friend,
Ralphie reached out and grasped the wire. The jolt knocked him off his feet.
His friend just laughed. At that moment, grandma, who had been watching from
the window, came out, and the interloper ran off back to the schoolyard. While
Ralphie struggled with confusion, feelings of betrayal, and new-found wisdom
about life, grandma tried to comfort him. She reminded him of her love and care
for him, that she wished he had not had the jolting experience of the electric fence
or the betrayal he had suffered. That was why she warned him. She reminded him
that although the experience had changed his relationship to the farm, his
grandparents' love for him had not changed. They would continue to care for him
and warn him of dangers as they arose, but no matter whether he took those
warnings seriously or not, their love for him would not change.[i]
Some may recognize this story as like the Garden of
Eden experience. [ii]
Although Ralphie's story is true, there is a moral depth to the experience that
goes beyond any literalness. Our lesson this quarter is based on the Great
Controversy between Christ and Satan, but it might easily also be, like Charles
Dicken's novel, "A Tale of Two Cities." From Genesis to Revelation, two cities
vie for supremacy. Babylon, a city identified with confusion and opposition to
God through the confusion of languages at the Tower of Babel,[iii] was founded by Nimrod, a man obsessed with setting up a
kingdom on Earth. His kingdom, which stretched across the Euphrates and Tigris
Rivers, was often at war with the Israelites. The other side of that conflict
is represented by Jerusalem, meaning "City of Peace," and referred to by the
Israelites as the City of God. At the time of the Israelite exodus from Egypt,
it was a Jebusite city. The Jebusites were descendants of Nimrod's uncle, Cush,
and therefore Nimrod's cousins, several times removed.
Nimrod set up hereditary,
authoritarian kingdoms. It was the power of those kingdoms that caused Israel
to want to cast aside their theocracy in favor of rule by kings as they saw
modeled around them. They saw others touching the forbidden fruit and thriving.
Though God had led them from Egypt, and they had defeated the occupants of
Canaan, it was not enough for them to feel secure when faced with the new threat
of the Philistines. This pattern repeats throughout history. Do we trust for
our security in the force of arms that we are able to muster, or do we find
refuge in the strong tower that God supplies us with by his presence? Now as
then, most put their trust in the weapons they can obtain. They believe like Chairman
Mao's "Problems of War and Strategy"[iv]
states , "Political power comes from the barrel of a gun!" It does not help
that because of our willingness to trust others for our safety instead of God
that we find ourselves in trouble with this kind of thinking. When that
happens, our enemies are quick to point out that God has failed to protect us,
like the "friend" laughing at Ralphie's misfortune. The electric fence, which
was meant for good, and erected for the protection of the livestock, becomes an
evil structure built to limit our freedoms by an arbitrary and capricious God.
Unfortunately, some who claim to be God's people are using every means,
from political power to weaponry, to force their political will upon people.
Inevitably, those who trust in armaments will make use of those arms, not for self-defense,
though they may claim that, but to impose their will on their opponents. However,
this is the method of Nimrod and Babylon. Jerusalem stands for not only peace,
but freedom.[v]
As the capital of those who escaped from four centuries of slavery, it is a
fitting monument to freedom, both now and ultimately with
the Parousia.
As we study Deuteronomy this
quarter, some will want to portray God's character as being more like that of
Babylon. They may want to impose and enforce laws they find there. They will
not see those laws as a loving fence erected for protection, but as a hammer to
hit others with who do not give in to their willful manipulation of God to
control the activities, and if possible, the thoughts. of others. Those tempted
to do so would do well to read Paul's letter to the Galatians. The gospel
message is not about imposing heavy requirements on others.[vi]
It is about freedom, and the joy that freedom provides.[vii]
As we go through Deuteronomy, lets look for that God. He is surely there and
ready to be found. This may require the exercise of a faith hitherto unfamiliar
to us, but as the writer of the powerful faith chapter, Hebrews, chapter 11,
wrote. "...without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes
to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek
him."[viii]
*Name changed to protect
privacy