A testimony rolled in dust - Lars Widerberg
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A testimony rolled in dust
By Lars Widerberg
Five cities to the west. One of those old stories, which is so much more than just another tale, tells us how these city-states, covenanting together, were trying to add a solid object of worship and protection to their house of various idols. Their effort resulted in a dramatic display of holiness confronting their formula of power and protection. And the men set in position to provide cover and peace in the land had to reconsider their ways and to find proper approach to that which is intrinsically holy.
If names reveal character and purpose, one or two things might be considered of value in the case of these city-states:
Ashdod, a friend of fire. “The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath seized the godless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
We are, many of us are, subscribing to a baptism of fire. But who is trembling in our presence, in our midst?
Ashdod speaks as if godliness holds certain value, but is far removed from the inner reality of such values. There is no trembling in Ashdod.
Askelon, the city of shame. This is the setting in which a testimony is brought to shame. Testimonies are ridiculed and made a laughingstock among these city-dwellers. A godly nation is reduced to feebleness and frailty in front of this great and self-reliant city-power – our present-day culture – a culture which was once created and established on the foundation of the laws of Zion.
Ekron, the city of uprooting. A haughty configuration without roots or home, displacing all men from their native, habitual surroundings. This is the city of fugitives, the city which has no room for kindness and godliness. This is a place in which love has grown cold.
Gat, the winepress. This gigantic apparatus is constructed to pressurise anything and everything to the very point at which life itself is given up and poured out for the sake of lustful pleasure. Gat is the inversion of the principle of the Cross, which is life given up for the sake of pouring Life eternal into the situation and setting of each and every man.
And then we have Gaza, the strong one, the powerful one, the perennial annoyance. This one never gives in to the charges and requirements of Heaven. This one does not adjust to or accommodate the least among those who honour what is fair and warm-hearted. This one will not respond to testimonies which are not producing sufficient spiritual maturity.
This is the Philistine codex and its character. This is the comprehensive Philistine. To many this strong city-power represents a seductive and a valid alternative view and lifestyle in the natural realm. By this approach the many are captured and are forced to carry a heavy yoke, a giant’s burden. The Philistine is marked by dust, his name holds his reality – rolled in dust. His land will never bring the heavenly reality of milk and honey. Not until true reality is revealed, in Christ.
The first king and his army were under severe pressure. The tall king, king Saul, and his army of good men were pressed on every side by the giant from Gat. This very tall man, Goliath, stood firm, raised and reared for the sake of taunting, every morning even at the bedside of each soldier in the army of the young Israel. Goliath was by all means the inclusive and all-encompassing representative of the Philistine codex. The five-state constellation was to its full measure represented in this insolent and preposterous figure.
Israel had its full forty days of the most embarrassing and shameful exercise, up and out to look at and to hear this life-threatening creature, back into the barracks for breakfast to share dismay and dishonour with other men who were thoroughly deprived of dignity. Goliath bore his rightful name – taken captive. He was totally tied in with his role and he performed with full force, convicting in every aspect, fully able to captivate his whole audience. The auditorium was packed to the last seat, but for one. . .
God is looking for someone who is looking for God. Within the framework of this tiny and elementary statement the appointment between the Eternal and men who dare to break away from the Philistine codex finds its full expression. “The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
Our hero of the story which we are contemplating at this point carried a heart within his chest tempered by the fear of the Lord. In him was no place of arrogance. The Philistine could not find any ground in which to plant seeds of diversion or defection. David’s heart was a heart tempered by the heart of God.
In one of his psalms he later wrote: “The Lord is righteous; he loveth righteousness. The upright shall behold his face.” David’s face is said to have been fair, and this perhaps not only because of his young age but also because it reflected the light that he had seen in the face of the Father.
The Philistine is not able to handle the fact that Christ in us is our hope of glory, and he looks with disdain at faces shining as if polished by tears of joy and gratitude. “In thy light shall we see light.” A heart tempered by the Heart, a face reflecting the Face. This reality gathers contempt in the tents of the Philistine.
Even more, David’s heart was already a heart set on things eternal: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in his temple.” To him there were no other options. His mind was set and fixed, decisions were taken, never to be reversed. He had applied a heavenly plumb line over sources of life and power and come to irrevocable conclusions. Young he was, but the depths of his inner man were old as eternity itself.
This giant had, of course, a thorough knowledge of the advantage being big, but he could not comprehend the absoluteness of the gap between what is big and that which is intrinsically other, that which springs forth from a heart fully tempered by God. He is never able to apprehend the fact that “the arrogant shall not stand in thy sight”. Again, the Philistine mindset cannot relate to the fact that Christ in us is our hope of glory. This earthly creature, though big he is, will never step down from his assumption that he will be able to gather glory through natural means.
The Philistine appears in close proximity to the things of the Lord. This rough-handed disclosure of natural life is ever so ready to come alongside in matters pertaining to the Kingdom of God. A Nehemiah is confronted by its expressions during the restoration of the wall of Jerusalem. Paul confronts men in the giant’s position by these words: I consider myself in no way inferior to the “super-apostles”. 2 Cor11:5.
We will always find men who are inclined and attracted to “bigness” rather than to greatness, men who are a menace to that which is spiritual. The Philistine stands for the uncrucified, natural life which proceeds into the things of God without any solid experience of the work of the cross. This giant ignores the fact and the necessity of the cross of Jesus Christ. This giant is in no way able to grasp the fact that all things must proceed from God, even the smallest of stones.
Real faith is revealed faith, faith given by the Father. The faith which develops in a man’s heart in this way does not need any earthly means of protection or provision. A couple of stones polished in a small, unsignificant brook are fully sufficient for a warrior. A small winged force of ravens might be enough to fill a prophet’s daily needs. The means mirror the purposes of Heaven. Small is definitely beautiful compared to the giant’s taunting, disdainful avenues of self-reliance.
According to the mind of the Philistine the things which are sacred are the very things which are there to provide the greatest benefits. He considers himself to be the greatest among men and the very epitome of godliness, who is ready and able to employ and exploit these areas of reality. He is at all times persistent in setting forth that which is “good” as something which easily matches and which is even preferable to that which is heavenly and therefore perfect. He subverts and overthrows standards, disregarding the very fact that the cross in itself is the eternal measuring rod laid over all human appearance. The Philistine taunts and haunts the Church at the very point of its main purpose of existence, namely as a corporate expression of the fruits of Light which is all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
The Philistine is a man of pre-eminence. His name may be Goliath, the man who imprisons the testimony or Diotrephes, who loves to have first place and who never receives the godly man into his counsels. The natural man does not have resources enough to govern the Church. Skill and professionally applied techniques may provide an impressive armour, but the sword of a Ditrephes always carries the mark of the Philistine blacksmiths – 1 Sam 13:19-21.
Many are the men and women who proudly strut about in mantles and with swords of formidable authority, mantles which they say belong to their admired forerunners thereby pretending a role in the Church which they cannot possibly cover Their testimony belongs to Philistine category – rolled in dust. And all they do is to cause breakdown after breakdown in a very sensitive machinery which cannot handle any dust. Theirs is a testimony which cannot take out the giant, the strong man.
Israel is thereby paralyzed. Only a David with his five polished stones and a good sling in his hand will be able to take out the taunting Philistine. Only innocence will stand in the face of insolence. A recovering of the Davidic intensity in regards to seeking the face of the Father will alone save us from the intonation of Philistine incantations which provides necessary exhilaration to open for deception and thereafter hollowness and bitterness.
There will be no sign of that which intrinsically other, that which is characteristically heavenly among the people of God for the to be able to move forcefully even on a Gaza strip of our cities and societies if we do not give ourselves to finding that little brook out there which holds the five stones which at a proper occasion takes out our Goliath by a nice little twist.
The Davidic heart is desperately eager for truth. Davidic intensity brings the lordship of Jesus Christ into focus. Paul expressed it in its New Testament form: Not I but Christ. Christ in us, the hope of glory. The Davidic mind is a mind set on things eternal for the sake of the one single throne to become established – to each and every ruler at any level of authority: “Kiss the Chosen One, lest He be angry, And ye lose the way, When His anger burneth but a little, O the happiness of all trusting in Him!” Ps 2:12. The Davidic realm of reign is the realm of power in which no man dares to play according to other rules than those set up in eternity and which will last through eternity.
Our minds may be set to this and thereby prepare polished stones for the necessary throws at the giants of adversity.
Our testimony may turn from one rolled in dust to one carrying the full force of eternal values.
*******************
A testimony rolled in dust
By Lars Widerberg
Five cities to the west. One of those old stories, which is so much more than just another tale, tells us how these city-states, covenanting together, were trying to add a solid object of worship and protection to their house of various idols. Their effort resulted in a dramatic display of holiness confronting their formula of power and protection. And the men set in position to provide cover and peace in the land had to reconsider their ways and to find proper approach to that which is intrinsically holy.
If names reveal character and purpose, one or two things might be considered of value in the case of these city-states:
Ashdod, a friend of fire. “The sinners in Zion are afraid; trembling hath seized the godless ones: Who among us can dwell with the devouring fire? Who among us can dwell with everlasting burnings?”
We are, many of us are, subscribing to a baptism of fire. But who is trembling in our presence, in our midst?
Ashdod speaks as if godliness holds certain value, but is far removed from the inner reality of such values. There is no trembling in Ashdod.
Askelon, the city of shame. This is the setting in which a testimony is brought to shame. Testimonies are ridiculed and made a laughingstock among these city-dwellers. A godly nation is reduced to feebleness and frailty in front of this great and self-reliant city-power – our present-day culture – a culture which was once created and established on the foundation of the laws of Zion.
Ekron, the city of uprooting. A haughty configuration without roots or home, displacing all men from their native, habitual surroundings. This is the city of fugitives, the city which has no room for kindness and godliness. This is a place in which love has grown cold.
Gat, the winepress. This gigantic apparatus is constructed to pressurise anything and everything to the very point at which life itself is given up and poured out for the sake of lustful pleasure. Gat is the inversion of the principle of the Cross, which is life given up for the sake of pouring Life eternal into the situation and setting of each and every man.
And then we have Gaza, the strong one, the powerful one, the perennial annoyance. This one never gives in to the charges and requirements of Heaven. This one does not adjust to or accommodate the least among those who honour what is fair and warm-hearted. This one will not respond to testimonies which are not producing sufficient spiritual maturity.
This is the Philistine codex and its character. This is the comprehensive Philistine. To many this strong city-power represents a seductive and a valid alternative view and lifestyle in the natural realm. By this approach the many are captured and are forced to carry a heavy yoke, a giant’s burden. The Philistine is marked by dust, his name holds his reality – rolled in dust. His land will never bring the heavenly reality of milk and honey. Not until true reality is revealed, in Christ.
The first king and his army were under severe pressure. The tall king, king Saul, and his army of good men were pressed on every side by the giant from Gat. This very tall man, Goliath, stood firm, raised and reared for the sake of taunting, every morning even at the bedside of each soldier in the army of the young Israel. Goliath was by all means the inclusive and all-encompassing representative of the Philistine codex. The five-state constellation was to its full measure represented in this insolent and preposterous figure.
Israel had its full forty days of the most embarrassing and shameful exercise, up and out to look at and to hear this life-threatening creature, back into the barracks for breakfast to share dismay and dishonour with other men who were thoroughly deprived of dignity. Goliath bore his rightful name – taken captive. He was totally tied in with his role and he performed with full force, convicting in every aspect, fully able to captivate his whole audience. The auditorium was packed to the last seat, but for one. . .
God is looking for someone who is looking for God. Within the framework of this tiny and elementary statement the appointment between the Eternal and men who dare to break away from the Philistine codex finds its full expression. “The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth that He may strongly support those whose heart is completely His.”
Our hero of the story which we are contemplating at this point carried a heart within his chest tempered by the fear of the Lord. In him was no place of arrogance. The Philistine could not find any ground in which to plant seeds of diversion or defection. David’s heart was a heart tempered by the heart of God.
In one of his psalms he later wrote: “The Lord is righteous; he loveth righteousness. The upright shall behold his face.” David’s face is said to have been fair, and this perhaps not only because of his young age but also because it reflected the light that he had seen in the face of the Father.
The Philistine is not able to handle the fact that Christ in us is our hope of glory, and he looks with disdain at faces shining as if polished by tears of joy and gratitude. “In thy light shall we see light.” A heart tempered by the Heart, a face reflecting the Face. This reality gathers contempt in the tents of the Philistine.
Even more, David’s heart was already a heart set on things eternal: “One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after; That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in his temple.” To him there were no other options. His mind was set and fixed, decisions were taken, never to be reversed. He had applied a heavenly plumb line over sources of life and power and come to irrevocable conclusions. Young he was, but the depths of his inner man were old as eternity itself.
This giant had, of course, a thorough knowledge of the advantage being big, but he could not comprehend the absoluteness of the gap between what is big and that which is intrinsically other, that which springs forth from a heart fully tempered by God. He is never able to apprehend the fact that “the arrogant shall not stand in thy sight”. Again, the Philistine mindset cannot relate to the fact that Christ in us is our hope of glory. This earthly creature, though big he is, will never step down from his assumption that he will be able to gather glory through natural means.
The Philistine appears in close proximity to the things of the Lord. This rough-handed disclosure of natural life is ever so ready to come alongside in matters pertaining to the Kingdom of God. A Nehemiah is confronted by its expressions during the restoration of the wall of Jerusalem. Paul confronts men in the giant’s position by these words: I consider myself in no way inferior to the “super-apostles”. 2 Cor11:5.
We will always find men who are inclined and attracted to “bigness” rather than to greatness, men who are a menace to that which is spiritual. The Philistine stands for the uncrucified, natural life which proceeds into the things of God without any solid experience of the work of the cross. This giant ignores the fact and the necessity of the cross of Jesus Christ. This giant is in no way able to grasp the fact that all things must proceed from God, even the smallest of stones.
Real faith is revealed faith, faith given by the Father. The faith which develops in a man’s heart in this way does not need any earthly means of protection or provision. A couple of stones polished in a small, unsignificant brook are fully sufficient for a warrior. A small winged force of ravens might be enough to fill a prophet’s daily needs. The means mirror the purposes of Heaven. Small is definitely beautiful compared to the giant’s taunting, disdainful avenues of self-reliance.
According to the mind of the Philistine the things which are sacred are the very things which are there to provide the greatest benefits. He considers himself to be the greatest among men and the very epitome of godliness, who is ready and able to employ and exploit these areas of reality. He is at all times persistent in setting forth that which is “good” as something which easily matches and which is even preferable to that which is heavenly and therefore perfect. He subverts and overthrows standards, disregarding the very fact that the cross in itself is the eternal measuring rod laid over all human appearance. The Philistine taunts and haunts the Church at the very point of its main purpose of existence, namely as a corporate expression of the fruits of Light which is all goodness, righteousness, and truth.
The Philistine is a man of pre-eminence. His name may be Goliath, the man who imprisons the testimony or Diotrephes, who loves to have first place and who never receives the godly man into his counsels. The natural man does not have resources enough to govern the Church. Skill and professionally applied techniques may provide an impressive armour, but the sword of a Ditrephes always carries the mark of the Philistine blacksmiths – 1 Sam 13:19-21.
Many are the men and women who proudly strut about in mantles and with swords of formidable authority, mantles which they say belong to their admired forerunners thereby pretending a role in the Church which they cannot possibly cover Their testimony belongs to Philistine category – rolled in dust. And all they do is to cause breakdown after breakdown in a very sensitive machinery which cannot handle any dust. Theirs is a testimony which cannot take out the giant, the strong man.
Israel is thereby paralyzed. Only a David with his five polished stones and a good sling in his hand will be able to take out the taunting Philistine. Only innocence will stand in the face of insolence. A recovering of the Davidic intensity in regards to seeking the face of the Father will alone save us from the intonation of Philistine incantations which provides necessary exhilaration to open for deception and thereafter hollowness and bitterness.
There will be no sign of that which intrinsically other, that which is characteristically heavenly among the people of God for the to be able to move forcefully even on a Gaza strip of our cities and societies if we do not give ourselves to finding that little brook out there which holds the five stones which at a proper occasion takes out our Goliath by a nice little twist.
The Davidic heart is desperately eager for truth. Davidic intensity brings the lordship of Jesus Christ into focus. Paul expressed it in its New Testament form: Not I but Christ. Christ in us, the hope of glory. The Davidic mind is a mind set on things eternal for the sake of the one single throne to become established – to each and every ruler at any level of authority: “Kiss the Chosen One, lest He be angry, And ye lose the way, When His anger burneth but a little, O the happiness of all trusting in Him!” Ps 2:12. The Davidic realm of reign is the realm of power in which no man dares to play according to other rules than those set up in eternity and which will last through eternity.
Our minds may be set to this and thereby prepare polished stones for the necessary throws at the giants of adversity.
Our testimony may turn from one rolled in dust to one carrying the full force of eternal values.
*******************
The European Prophetic College
EPC@Comhem.se
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EPC@Comhem.se
Please, allow these articles to be circulated among your friends.
To become partaker of the regular flow of mailings from the College, mail us a request.
Lars Widerberg
The European Prophetic College
Storskiftesgatan 87
S-58334 Linkoping, Sweden
The European Prophetic College
Storskiftesgatan 87
S-58334 Linkoping, Sweden
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