Hushai said; "You know your father and his men, that they are mighty men and they are fierce, like a bear robbed of her cubs in the field. And your father is an expert in warfare...when he falls upon them at first attack...even the one who is valiant, whose heart is like the heart of a lion will completely lose heart; for all Israel knows that your father is a mighty man and those who are with him are valiant men. -2 Samuel 17:8-10
The Hebrew word translated "fierce" means "bitter of soul."
A fierce man is sometimes a bitter soul. Sometimes such bitterness leads one to great action when harnessed with the purposes of God. It can awaken you and stir you to fight.
Many people have grown numb in their soul or become so comfortable that they don't feel robbed of anything. In the words of Jesus...They have need of nothing (Rev. 3:17). A man robbed is a man alive with something potent...something that will fuel a sense of justice. Like William Wallace seeking Justice for the death of his beautiful young wife...he will find a way, a bloody way, a fierce way.
To much of churchianity is Cuddle Commitment. One big group back rub to keep us comfortable and placid. We are not in need of armor but leisure suits. We come into church and like Mr. Rogers we exchange one set of soft clothes for another. But than again what is the point of armor if your not fighting anything anyway? We don't need fierce men to usher or mow the lawn or clean the church or pay the bills. We don't need fierce men to fill a chair or attend a meeting...any old butt will do for that. Fierce men are needed for taking ground, extending dominion, seeking justice, breaking darkness, establishing churches, going to the ends of the earth...we can't even get men to come to the front of the church for prayer.
I want to be surrounded with fierce men...men who live as though they have lost something and are going to be able to take it back. Violent men who know how to take something by force in the spirituals and it wouldn't hurt to see a few who could kick a few butts too! The only time we see any beards these days is when we play like the men in the past who lived lives that made a difference. I don't want to read other peoples stories alone...I want to make stories for ourselves. Live in such a way that someone else would want to escape into our adventure.
Men don't follow programs...they follow men.
The church must have a vision greater than itself if it wants to attract fierce men.
And a church must have David's if it wants mighty men that are valiant.
1 comment:
Dear Eric,
Today I met with an old man that has been on the run for the past twenty plus years. He is a political dissident from Burma living in Thailand now. I have asked him if he will teach me to speak Burmese, because I think it will be useful for my work. We talked a bit about politics and he said something to me, and I was reminded of it when I read this post. He said, "don't be disappointed when you realize we are inefficient, lazy and uncooperative. I have met many people who came with real desire to help us and were turned away disappointed when they found out what we're like." This is coming from a highly respected person who has fought without retreat against the evil regime of Burma. What I took away was 'we are all human, even the ones of us who have great battles to fight'. I would say that in response to your message too, we shouldn't be disappointed in ourselves or the ones around us when we find that we are all but human. And that being said, keep on, regardless.
Love, Matt
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