SHOULDER TO SHOULDER #31 ---- 7/16/98
Posted by: lifeunlimited <lifeunlimited@...>
Encouraging One Another as we "Fight the Good Fight"
TITLE: "How Far To Rehoboth?"
Dear Friend:
I greet you in the everlasting and sustaining Name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. Again, I feel a mix of joy and excitement on the one hand and
continued heaviness on the other.
More tragedy is in the headlines ---- some 27 people, mostly women and
children, senselessly murdered in Ireland, more deaths by floods and
earthquakes, more suffering. President Clinton testifies today before
the Grand Jury in Washington. What will he say? How will American
citizens react? Will it be with righteous indignation toward any wrong
doing that may surface, or will it be "so what, everybody does it."?
Surely the world is spinning out of control like a broken gyroscope, its
own centrifugal momentum generating more and more speed. When will it
disintegrate? When will all the indicators of Christ's return, like a
multitude of lazar beams from many directions suddenly converge and
intersect at the juncture of "This is IT! I'm BACK!"?
In spite of it all, I love to laugh. And, with much of the world falling
apart around me, I still revel in enjoying life. At times like this, I
am reminded of just how special a blessing God has given us when He
created Humor. Take, for example, the following:
LET'S HAVE A LAUGH:
Randy Cowlings from Kansas included this in one of his "Cyber pathways"
newsletters several months ago concerning "rednecks" and computers.
Incidentally, for those of you who are not from America, a "Redneck" is a
self-imposed term describing a southerner of "plain" intelligence who
still salutes the Confederate Flag of the Civil War, talks with a
distinct southern drawl, loves to eat raccoon, possum, and grits, goes to
family reunions to pick up girls, and thinks his beat up dirty pick up
truck looks as good as the U.S. President's limousine.
I rub shoulders with "rednecks" and find that my personal understanding
of computer lingo is often as far off base as these . . .
REDNECK COMPUTER DEFINITIONS
These came forwarded to Randy from Dennis Hampton.
Them thar Redneck 'Puter Users words... 🙂
LOG ON: Making the wood stove hotter
LOG OFF: Don't add no more wood
MONITOR: Keepin an eye on that thar wood stove
DOWNLOAD: Gettin the farwood off'n the truk
MEGA HERTZ: When yer not keerful gettin that farwood downloaded
FLOPPY DISK: Whatcha git from tryin to carry too much farwood
RAM: That thar thang whut splits the farwood
HARD DRIVE: Gettin home in the winter time
PROMPT: Whut the mail ain't in the winter time
WINDOWS: Whut to shut when its winter time
SCREEN: Whut to shut when its blak fly season
BYTE: Whut them durn flys do
CHIP: Munchies fer the TeeVee
MICRO CHIP: Whuts left in that thar munchie bag
MODEM: Whatcha did to the hay fields last fall
DOT MATRIX: Ol' Dan Matrix's wife
LAP TOP: Whur the kitty sleeps
KEYBOARD: Whur ya hang the dang keys
SOFTWARE: Them dang plastik forks and knifs
MOUSE: What eats the grain in the barn
MAIN FRAME: Holds up the barn ruf
PORT: Fancy Flatlander Wine
ENTER: Northern fer c'mon in y'all
RANDOM ACCESS MEMORY: When ya cain't member whut ya paid for yer new
rifle when your wife asks
Oh, well . . . .
RESPONSE TO LAST LETTER:
By Monday evening of last week I had received several letters regarding
last week's "Shoulder To Shoulder". Apparently my thoughts and the
account of my personal pilgrimage had some familiarity with which quite a
number could identify. One brother referred to the following comments I
made:
>"I was miserable. My family was miserable. We were More than
>miserable---- we were in agonizing trauma, and bleeding profusely.
>I wanted to resign. I tried to resign. I looked for jobs. I wanted
>out ---- at least a sabbatical. I took occupational skills and
>temperament tests ---- I even learned to answer the questions the
>"right way" in order to score the highest possible.
>
>But, I tell you, my friend ---- God either had a really perverted
>sense of humor, or He had something special in mind for me. I tried
>every way I knew to get out, but I couldn't have gotten out of town
>in a coffin.
>
>My friend, there was never a time in my life when I was so
>discouraged ---- so beaten ---- so depressed ---- so despairing. For
>eight months my daily routine read like this:
[I listed them.]
>I felt as if I had been shaken like a rag doll clamped in the jaws of
>a giant bull dog. And I wasn't sure if he was angry with destruction in
>his eyes or if he was just playing. Whichever, ---- it was the ride
>of my life.
Here is some of his response to what I had written:
"Thank you for your timely article, it brought clarity to a "pair of
binoculars that were out of focus" in my life. You had recently asked how
I (we) are doing. Your article painted a very close likeness to what is
going on (has been since [date]).
"[Wife's name] and I were very encouraged that God has a Rehoboath
waiting for us like He did for you two. Thanks Bob. Time for me to dig
another well...and get past Esek and Sitnah..."
Out of his comments and also my own residual thoughts emanating from last
week's letter, there were two questions that particularly came to mind.
One I want to address now ---- "How Far To Rehoboth?"
The other, "Can I Be Free To Be Me?", dealing specifically with the
question I said the Lord asked me in 1979 ("If you could do anything in
the world you wanted to do in serving me, and money was no object, what
would you do?"), the Lord willing, I want to address next week.
ESEK, SITNAH, AND REHOBOTH:
The brother's comments above, as you probably remember, is a reference
to a series of events in the life of Isaac. Being the "word meaning
fanatic" that I am, I immediately grabbed my Bible dictionary to refresh
my mind on the meaning of those words, listed in Genesis 26:20-ff, and to
also do some background study on the inhabitants of the land of Canaan.
What I found was extremely interesting ---- and considerably detailed.
For that reason, I'd ask you to read my comments at least twice ----
once, just to get the general thrust of my heart ---- and, the second
time IF you are interested in further examination of the typological
implications of this story.
1. "Esek" ---- "Contention". It was a well in the Valley of Gerar ("A
lodging place") re dug and opened up to productivity by the herdsmen of
Isaac, and to which local herdsmen contested ownership.
2. "Sitnah" ---- "Strife". It was a second well in the Valley of Gerar
also re dug and opened by Isaac, over which ownership was again contested
by the local shepherds of the area.
3. "Rehoboth" ---- "Wide places" or "streets". The third well dug by
Isaac and his herdsmen, over which, this time, there was no apparent
conflict. So Isaac lived there.
This is an intriguing story to me, reading it for the very first time as
a "type" illustration of ministry. You probably remember it well:
After the flood, the human family began to multiply again. Ham's ("hot"
or "sunburned") fourth born son, Canaan ("low" or "flat"), the progenitor
of the Phoenicians and subsequent nations from the Mediterranean to the
Jordan River, settled in the area ---- Sidonians ("fisherman" or "fishery
tenders" or "hunting" ---- Phoenicians), Heth ("terror" ---- forefathers
of the Hitites), the Jebusites ("threshing floor" or "trodden down"),
Amorites ("dwellers on the summit", or "mountaineers" or "a sayer"),
Girgashites ("dwelling on clay" or "a stranger drawing near"), Hivites
("villagers" or "showers of life" or "livers"), Arkites ("my gnawing"),
Sinites ("thorn" or "clay" or "mire"), Arvadites ("wandering" or "I shall
break loose"), Zemarites ("double fleece of wool"), and Hamathites
("fortress") (Genesis 10).
As you remember, Abraham received God's promise for a land. Traveling
from Padanaram in what is present day Iraq, he came to the land of
Canaan. It was quite a mix of people he encountered in the territory
between the River of Egypt and what was later to be known as Syria.
He had brought nephew Lot, whom he had given first home steading choice,
with him on the journey. After he had parted ways with Lot, who went to
Sodom, he settled in Hebron ("alliance") and settled near Mamre
("strength" or "fatness").
After leaving there and living for a time at Beersheba ("well of the
oath"), a well Abraham had dug but which had been contested between him
and Abimelech, ("father of the king"), and following the destruction of
Sodom and Gomorrah, he eventually settled in Gerar ("a lodging place")
among the Philistines ("immigrants") because of a famine.
Abraham had dug Esek and Sitnah during the time he had lived there. (I
would love to know their original names.)
Following Sarah's death and Isaac's marriage to Rebekah, Abraham died.
Somewhere in that process, the Philistines apparently filled in the wells
he had dug.
During another famine sometime following Abraham's death, Isaac
instructed his herdsmen to re dig the wells and name them as his father
had called them.
However, when the herdsmen of Gerar discovered the wells flowed with good
water, they claimed them for themselves. Isaac's herdsmen, giving them
up after all their hard work, intense arguments and probable threats,
named them Esek and Sitnah ---- "Contention" and "Strife". I suspect
the contention and strive were internal as well as external, don't you?
I awoke early Sunday morning with an interesting thought on my mind:
"Which is better ---- to go back to the old filled-up wells of the past
to try to find water, or to dig a new well? I'm not sure of the answer,
but ---- you guessed it ---- "Been there; done that."
Isaac's men moved on to dig another well ---- Rehoboth. When Rehoboth
was dug, the outcome was different. The men of Gerar did not fight over
it, and Isaac declared, "At last the Lord has made room for us, and we
shall be fruitful in the land."
Are you trying to find your "slot" in the kingdom? Is there a need for
God to make room for you so your ministry can again be fruitful?
One thing that intrigues me is what the circumstances might possibly have
been that created the contention over the first two wells but not the
third. Normally, we would blame the Philistine herdsmen of Gerar ----
"Those selfish Pagans!"
However, my mischievous mind has hatched another question ---- "I wonder
what Isaac's herdsmen might have themselves done that perpetrated such
opposition to having a good well?" From all descriptions, it apparently
was at least as good and perhaps better than Esek and Sitnah. Why
wouldn't those herdsmen want it as well?
Is it possible that "an abandoned claim is no claim" idea disqualified
Isaac from legally taking them, or that the Philistine shepherds felt
that the "use it or lose it" principle gave them ownership? Is it
possible for a minister to, even temporarily, have abandoned the well of
living water to the extent that he has not further legal right to claim
it as his own, much less use it for his sheep?
Is it possible that the conduct, the method,or the attitude of Isaac's
guys are what ticked the other shepherds off? That has been known to
happen, you know ---- at least it happened at times in my ministry. What
about yours?
Well ---- whatever, . . .
All we know is that fights broke out over the first two, but not the
third. Intriguing.
ANY APPLICATIONS?
Friend, there are dozens of parallels that can be drawn from these
events. Yours may be different from mine ---- but that's O.K., because
your life and ministry are yours. However, I believe there are some
reminders of ministry that God wants to refresh in our hearts. For
example . . . .
1. I can tell you that I have lived and ministered among some "hot" and
"shallow" people who were spiritually flat. In fact, I have been one of
them myself. Frankly, it's no fun trying to live among the descendants
of Ham, (those Cantankerous Canaanites!) much less minister to them.
But ---- that's where God wants us to be.
2. If you're going to be where God wants you to be in the part of Canaan
He has chosen for you, the arena of your ministry incorporates a vast
array of people who are both extremely different and often difficult. In
just about every situation you will have the . . . .
1) "Sidonians", who would rather "fish"or "hunt", willing to "pay
homage" rather than make serious commitments, and, in rare cases where
"homage" isn't enough, rebel against the demands by doing battle.
2) "Hethites", to create "terror" in your life by their arrogant
bullying tactics, but seldom amounting to much spiritually.
3) "Jebusites", an interesting minority group who "thresh" to
preserve their own identity and will even make alliances with the
Amorites in order to protect themselves. Fortunately, they have a great
possibility of being changed from "Jebus" to "Jerusalem" and becoming
some of your greatest blessings as people of peace.
4) "Amorites", often arriving, as was apparently the case when
Abraham came from Ur, along with the new minister. They are known
primarily as "uncouth" nomadic people who come and go, leaving little
more than "graves" when they move on. Being "dwellers on the summit",
they are always in search of the mountain top experiences or the
"mountaineering" opportunities that will give them some sort of prophetic
or authoritative "say" in things. Eventually, however, they'll move on
in search of another "mountain".
5) "Girgashites", apparently non-descript folks who not only seem
to be non-threatening, but, perhaps because of their "feet of clay"
usually stand at an uncommitted arm's length like "a stranger drawing
near". They can be greatly influenced by your ministry, but they can
also be dangerously swayed by others who would undermine your ministry.
While they seldom offer anything significant, they sometimes end up being
the ones who cast the "deciding vote".
6) Hivites, indispensable blessings! Originally from the Lebanon
("whiteness") hills of the Hermon ("devoted") range, they are the real
work horses of your ministry ---- the "villagers" who are "show ers of
life" and demonstrate what it really means to be not only "hearers" of
the Word, but also "doers" and live out what they profess. Expanding
even to Hamath ("enclosure of wrath"), they provide two major services to
the ministry ---- they have the capacity to overcome and control pockets
of anger and rebellion, and they also, as in Solomon's day, provide
practical hands on labor in the building of the temple of Christ.
7) Arkites, on the other hand, are rebellious people driven by that
"my gnawing" feeling. Though also originally from Lebanon ("whiteness"),
something has happened that causes them to constantly oppose whoever is
in authority and positions of leadership. It is a wise and fortunate
minister who is able to discover the painful source of their rebellious
attitude, lead them to healing and restoration, and redirect their
energies into kingdom building enterprises.
8) Sinites ("thorn" or "clay" or "mire"), though hard to identify,
were also apparently from Lebanon ("whiteness") and seem to be identified
with Sinna, a mountain fortress northeast of Tripolis that specialized in
maritime trade between Phoenicia and the maritime parts of Syria. In
your ministry you also probably have some folks that are somewhat
non-descript and hard to identify ---- or locate.
9) Arvadites, island dwellers, tend to "break loose" and "do their
own thing", pretty much from the rest of the people. As in the original
tribe, they tend to live as oarsmen and warriors, probably with their own
accompanying arrogant strut.
10) Zemarites, those who have migrated from the pagan "Tripoli" to
dwell among God's people, have tasted of both worlds, and have chosen the
things of God. These people are blessed of God in their capacity to
produce a "double fleece of wool" in their giving, their energy, and
their service. No minister wants to be without such faithful people who
have abandoned the things of the world to follow Christ.
11) Hamathites, "fortress" people firmly established along the
waterways of spiritual nourishment, and strategically located to be of
influence to the people and cultures around them, their confidence not
only in who they are but also what they have gives them forthright
boldness for Christ in their everyday living. They are people who have
learned how to be "in" the world without being "of" it.
3. I have lived in Hebron, where everyone was in sync and unity, and
have enjoyed the "fatness and fruitfulness" of Mamre. It is to be highly
preferred over the descendants of Ham, the Canaanites.
4. I have also been at Beersheba, where my efforts were contested and
required some type of mutual agreement. It certainly isn't the ideal
way, but God does use such times to remind us all of just Who is to get
the glory ---- and the credit ---- for the good that is done.
5. But, whatever else may be said about the ministry, we will ultimately
find ourselves ending up in Gerar,lodging among immigrants ----
Philistines ---- transient people who so often have difficulty making
serious commitments to becoming "permanent" in their walk with the Lord
and their faithfulness to His work.
6. Whenever you dwell among such people ---- and, I might add, just
where else would you think the Lord would need your ministry but among
those who need stability and maturity? ---- there will always be strife
and contention. It's part of the package.
There are too many influences from their varied roots to not expect
frequent manifestations of the ancient ways of life. Jesus didn't come
to heal those already well, and you shouldn't expect Him to send you to
minister to people who are already well. The most logical place for you
to be, both for your benefit and theirs, is among the sick people.
7. However, my friend, no matter how many wells of Esek and Sitnah you
must dig, there will always be a Rehoboth that comes along to bring you
peace and refreshing ---- to give you sustenance and space for
fruitfulness.
HOW FAR TO REHOBOTH?
You may be saying, "Bring on Rehoboth! How much further to Rehoboth?"
One mistake you can easily make with this story is to assume, when God is
leading you to Rehoboth, that He is moving you FROM Esek or Sitnah TO
Rehoboth ---- as if it is a new ministry somewhere else. It may well be.
However, if you read the story carefully, you discover that they were
all three in Gerar, "a lodging place" ---- where Philistines,
"immigrants" lived.
"Your job, should you choose to accept it", is to keep tending sheep,
digging wells, and sharing with the Philistines, until they become your
neighbors and ---- friends!
And ---- along the way, God will provide you with a Rehoboth, giving you
freedom, space, and refreshing out of which to minister. Just keep in
mind, God DID promise Abraham that land would be provided for him ----
and his descendants ---- and theirs ---- and theirs ---- and . . .
So, it isn't far to Rehoboth.
In fact, it's not a matter of Distance, but rather of Disposition.
It's not a matter of moving on to "greener pastures", but rather of
digging a good well and making the pastures green where you are.
Sheep really like green pastures ---- and they need them!
Don't ask, "how far to Rehoboth?". Just start digging! ---- where you
are!
Rehoboth may be just outside the door.
"Lord, lift up the hands that hang low. Raise up my brothers and sisters
in ministry, and give them release from Esek and Sitnah. Give them a
fresh and loving compassion for all the Canaanites in their part of the
kingdom, no matter what species they may be. Give them courage with
integrity for the times of confrontation they may face. Give them
tenderness and patience for the times of binding up the broken. Fill
their hearts with hope and their minds with confidence that Rehoboth is
emanently just ahead. Amen."
In Christ's Bond,
Bob Tolliver ---- Rom 1:11-12
Copyright August, 1998. All rights reserved.
Life Unlimited Ministries
E-mail: [email protected]
Ph: 417-275-4854
Fax: 417-275-4855
P.S. For your information, I used the following sources for definitions
of the many proper names used:
+ Smith & Peloubet's Bible Dictionary
+ Loizeaux's Dictionary of Scripture Proper Names
+ Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words
+ Unger's Bible Dictionary
+ Douglas' The New Bible Dictionary
+ Selah Merrill's A Comprehensive Dictionary of the Bible
+ Wilkinson's Personal Names In The Bible
+ PC Study Bible Ver 2.1B Reference Library Plus
+ The Master Christian Library Ver 5 by AGES Digital Library
(Have you ever tried to use a spelling check program on stuff like this?)