One of my goals is to (re)read Pilgrim's Progress before Elijah is born. As I do so, I hope to share particularly potent passages.
Immediately after leaving the City of Destruction, Christian is joined be a companion named Pliable. As they were walking across the plain, they fell suddenly into the Slough of Despond. This trouble is enough to send Pliable packing, but Christian struggles to make it to the other side-away from his own house and toward the Wicket Gate. Unable to make it on his own, one named Help comes to his aid.
Many of the most insightful parts of the narrative appear in the questions asked after a particular encounter or difficulty. This first difficulty is no different. "Wherefore, (since over this place is the way from the City of Destruction to yonder Gate,) is it, that this plat is not mended, that poor Travelers might go thither with more security?"
The Slough of Despond is described as "the descent whither the scum and filth that attends Conviction for Sin." And it's directly in the path of travelers headed toward the Wicket Gate. Stepping outside the metaphor and addressing the issue directly, we might ask, "Why cannot people come to repentance and salvation without the troubling and difficult weight of the conviction of sin?" Pliable turns back and never reaches the Cross. Perhaps he would have made it, had the Slough been mended.
The one named Help further characterizes the Slough, saying ".as the Sinner is awakened about his lost condition, there ariseth in his Soul many fears and doubts, and discouraging apprehensions, which all of them get together, and settle in this place: And this is the reason of the badness of this ground."
Bunyan doesn't back away from the fact that the Slough is a bad place to be as a traveler. Help continues, "It is not the pleasure of the King that this place should remain so bad; his laborers also have, by the directions of His majesties Surveyors, been for above this sixteen hundred years employ'd about this patch of ground, if perhaps it might have been mended: Yea, and to my knowledge, here hath been swallowed up at least twenty thousand cart loads; yea, Millions of wholesome Instructions, that have at all seasons been brought from all places of the King's dominions (and they that can tell, say, They are the best materials to make good ground of the place) if so be it might have been mended; but it is the Slough of Despond still; and so will be when they have done what they can."
Despite the best efforts to make the slough more passable, it remains a slough-a difficult obstacle. But there is a way through it so that one can pass through and reach the Wicket Gate.
Help says, "True, there are, by the direction of the Lawgiver certain good and substantial Steps, placed even through the very Midst of this Slough; but at such time as this place doth much spue out its filth, and it doth against change of weather, these steps are hardly seen, or if they be, men, through the dizziness of their heads, step besides, and then they are bemired to purpose, notwithstanding the steps be there."
These steps are the promises of forgiveness. They are the assurance of acceptance by faith in Christ. Not all consider the slough to be a bad place in their final assessment, for "the ground is good when they are once got in at the Gate."
So to some, like Pliable, escaping the City of Destruction is not worth the trouble of the Slough. The conviction of sin is such a nuisance, that many would run from any twinge of guilt before the Living God. That's really the theme of our culture. By accepting the ridiculous notion that everyone can decide what's right and wrong for themselves, they are kept at a "safe" distance from the slough. But those who lay themselves at the mercy of Christ at the cross do not skip the slough.
The picture of the slough for the believer is not merely one of a weary struggle, for we did not remain there. In turning to Christ, we have left the gloomy slough behind and been freed from having to bear the burden of our own sins.
The LORD is God, and there is no other. Among the many throughout the course of history who have acknowledged this truth, Elijah the Tishbite stands out as perhaps its most prominent messenger.
Elijah lived under the rule of the one Scripture repeatedly identifies as the most wicked king of Israel up until that time, King Ahab. First Kings says that Ahab "did evil in the sight of the LORD, more than all who were before him." It was certainly not an easy time to remain loyal to Jehovah. Neither was it popular, for the vast majority of Israel was not following God.
Elijah's first recorded words are his bearing of bad news to evil king Ahab. The man of God proclaimed a drought which would not end until Elijah said it would. The book of James suggests that Elijah wasn't merely a passive mouthpiece for God, but actively sought God to bring this disaster upon Israel. Such an event would be a direct affront to Baal, the god of rain whom Ahab worshipped.
Just as Elijah said, there was no dew or rain for three and a half years. Just before rain would fall again, Elijah called for a public showdown between himself and the prophets of Baal. They would setup two altars and wait for the true God to answer with fire. After hours of boisterous rituals and vain cries, the prophets of Baal finally step aside. Elijah is absolutely certain of the outcome, but just to emphasize the point he gives himself a disadvantage. He orders the altar, the wood and the offering to be drenched with water. When fire from the Lord consumes not only the offering but the wood, the stones, the dust and the water, the Israelites fall on their faces and proclaim "The LORD, He is God!"
Elijah was a man of God who would stand in notable contrast to our Christian culture. We are terrified to be confrontational in almost any matter of substance. As a result our loyalty to the one true God is too often all but concealed. Even among believing friends and family, allegiance to Jehovah is perhaps taken for granted but far too often barely evident in our lives. Elijah, on the other hand, took a radical stance. He was called the "troubler of Israel," and in a certain sense it was well deserved. He would have no peace while Israel was wavering between the LORD and false gods.
When the rulers and authorities of his day did evil in the sight of the Lord, God's prophet didn't sit idly by and chalk it up to the inherent depravity of man. He stood up. He spoke out. He didn't buy into the worldly philosophy of minding your own business as far as religion is concerned. He didn't simply live a moral life waiting for the day someone would ask him why he was different. Elijah boldly presented the necessity of worshiping Yahweh with a fiery confrontation that no one could ignore.
The LORD is God. Not only are there no other gods, but there are no other objects, persons or ideals worthy of our allegiance. The name Elijah means "Jehovah (YHWH) is God" or possibly even "My God is Jehovah (YHWH)." It's a name which in its affirmation implies the denial of all other gods. Elijah was God's chosen instrument for confronting Israel. He called for an end to indecision. It wasn't enough just to offer mild lip service. If the Lord is God, follow Him. Like Elijah, let nothing else mingle or meddle with your allegiance to the One.
John Bunyan's famous work, Pilgrim's Progress, is a remarkable encouragement to any follower of the One True God. The allegory narrates the difficulties and joys of the journey of faith for a character aptly named Christian. Along the journey Christian must never forget the promises of God or lose sight of the goal. Only then can he withstand the charms and objections of the world, friends and even family.
Bunyan writes with remarkable clarity describing the common episodes of faith and failure in the life of a Christian. From his writing, you can tell a lot about the man. Not only did he take his faith seriously, but he thought carefully about what it would take to complete the race of faith and reach the celestial city. He was a man who if you cut him would bleed Bible. You get the sense that Bunyan was a man who truly would rather have Jesus and the joys of heaven than any pleasure or happiness of the present world. The weight of heaven's glory was massive in his mind.
A few days ago I said to my wife, "If you don't love Pilgrim's Progress, you either haven't read it or you aren't saved." While I admit there may be some measure of hyperbole in the statement, it's probably not too far from the truth. If you aspire to reach heaven having lived well for the King, then Bunyan's work is well worth reading. If the world to come doesn't occupy much space in your mind, put down WORLD magazine and fill your mind with thoughts of eternity by reading the Bible and the works of men who counted everything else as loss to be found in Him at the end of the age. And live as Bunyan's character Christian-with a great hope and desire to attain heaven.
No, not me this time. Elisha and I went back to our old TMC stomping grounds to see Hannah (Elisha's cousin) off. While I've got plenty of family within reasonable driving distance, Hannah is the first one from Elisha's side to be nearby.
Pictures follow...
Paperwork and the soon-to-be-famous ID picture
She's in C-Dub
Strolling the campus with the family
Posing first with her WOW leader, then the proud parents
Elisha and I are expecting! Yes, it's true. We're expecting our adopted daughter to be born any day now. To that end, I've acquired a new TLD, copied some bits and am now proud to present to you...[insert drum roll here]... larsenkids.com. While we realize that we currently have zero kids (if we don't count the ones in heaven), and the first adopted kid will not be finalized for a few months, the domain seemed a better choice than larsenkid.com or larsenhope.com.
Now that I've cleaned up 95% of the comment spam problem with my hand-coded blog engine, I may soon begin blogging here as well.
And they say she looks like Jack!
If you follow my wife's blog, you might think it's our soon-to-be-born-and-adopted girl. However, Henry Mayo, my new nameless niece was born. She missed sharing a May 9th birthday with her mommy by just 71 minutes. Elisha and I have been on Jack duty at Fort Hogan, and the three of us are eager to meet her.