But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure and full of quiet gentleness. Then it is peace-loving and courteous. It allows discussion and is willing to yield to others; it is full of mercy and good deeds. It is wholehearted and straightforward and sincere. [James 3:17 (TLB)]
We were having lunch at a local sports bar filled with televisions airing football, soccer, BMX, skiing, and hockey all at the same time. I find the restaurant’s many glaring screens disconcerting and were it not for the gyro my husband claims is the best one in town, we wouldn’t have been there. While sitting across from him, I looked up and saw two fighters viciously pounding one another in an MMA bout. Evoking images of Roman gladiators in battle and combining combat techniques from boxing, wrestling, judo, jiu-jitsu, and the back alley, this sport seems to allow just about everything short of eye gouging and biting! With neither fighter wanting to be the loser, no matter how battered or bloody, they continue until someone is knocked out, a fighter submits, or the referee stops it because of severe injury.
Unfortunately, most fights aren’t limited to a cage or boxing ring and, while they may be less violent, they are no less damaging. Rather than punching, twisting arms, kicking, or choking our opponent, we use our words, voices, and even social media in an attempt to pummel him or her into submission! With neither party willing to submit, both are determined to keep going until the other person yields to their viewpoint or simply surrenders. Instead of conceding that we might learn something from those with whom we disagree, our sole goal is to convince them of the correctness of our way of thinking and the idiocy of theirs. Wanting to win the bout, we’re unwilling to hear one another or admit that our opposition could have a valid viewpoint. It rarely occurs to us that our differences are something to be respected or that there’s a possibility (however remote) we actually could be wrong.
Rarely, in a disagreement, do we even consider the option of yielding to the other person. Yet, if both people expect the other person to concede and are unwilling to make any concessions themselves, how can our disagreements ever be resolved? Unlike an MMA match, we don’t have a referee to stop the fight, judges to decide the victor, or even a corner man who will “throw in the towel” to stop the bout! Sadly, what often begins as a difference of opinion ends up becoming an argument of huge proportions. At least there’s a time limit for an MMA match; there’s none for arguments and I’ve known some people who have remained in fight mode for decades.
I’ve never been in an MMA bout but I do remember being in a tug-of-war and, from my experience, neither side ever really wins and victory comes at a cost. One side may end up with bragging rights but both sides end up with rope burns, sore muscles, bruises, and muddy clothing! The easiest way to end a tug of war is to drop the rope and the easiest way to end an argument is to stop arguing!
The wisdom from above doesn’t escalate conflicts or contribute to discord. It respects, listens, and knows how to get out of “no-win” situations. God’s wisdom doesn’t let pride take over when peace should reign. It is willing to step back and let the other side “win,” knowing that it hasn’t lost a thing. Wisdom is willing to negotiate and, if necessary, to concede. True wisdom remembers that nobody wins if someone ends up feeling humiliated, besmirched, or defeated.
A Christian has no right being in a fight unless it’s a spiritual fight. [Charles Stanley]
We don’t know how far Philip and the Ethiopian traveled together before the eunuch spotted water. The book of Isaiah is 66 chapters long and there was a lot to cover as Philip told him about the man called Jesus, so it may have been as far as Gaza. It is there that the road split—north to Caesarea and south to Egypt and Ethiopia. While we don’t know the location, we just know that the Ethiopian was baptized when they came to water.
Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. [Matthew 28:19-20 (ESV)]
Once day, the Holy Spirit told Philip to go south and then down the desert road between Jerusalem and Gaza. Although Scripture leads us to assume that Philip’s fortuitous encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch quickly followed, a look at the map tells us otherwise. At the time, Philip was in Samaria and, before he could walk the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, he had a 42-mile uphill trek south to Jerusalem before turning southwest onto the 50-mile stretch of road leading to Gaza, the southernmost of the five chief Philistine cities in southwest Palestine and the last settlement before the desert waste stretching away to Egypt. The trip to Jerusalem probably took at least two days and we don’t know how far down the Gaza Road he walked before the Apostle discovered his God-ordained task and met the treasurer of Ethiopia. In actuality, Philip was on this mission for several days before he knew why he’d been sent.
The book of Daniel begins with the arrival of the first set of Judean captives in 605 BC and the first six chapters describe the events occurring in Babylon until around 536 and the beginning of the Persian empire. In contrast, chapters seven through twelve are filled with visions and dreams. As part of the Jewish and Christian canon, the traditional view is that this book is a factual recounting of Daniel’s life and a record of supernatural predictions written during the late 6th century BC. Skeptics, however, call its author a fraud and the book fiction because of the mention of Belshazzar as the last king of Babylon, Darius the Mede as the one who took over Babylon, and the incredible accuracy of Daniel’s fulfilled prophecies. They claim that the book had to have been written (or amended) 400 years later in the 2nd century BC by someone claiming to be Daniel.
The Israelites were surrounded by various pagan peoples who worshipped foreign deities. Baal ruled over Canaan and Phoenicia, Chemosh over Moab, and Marduk/Bel and Nebo over Babylonia. The Philistines’ had Dagon and the Ammonites worshipped Molech. These gods usually had a domain over which they ruled. For example, Baal’s domain was rain, storms, and the harvest. Moab’s Chemosh presided over war and mountains. As patron deity of Babylon, Marduk/Bel was supposed to protect the city and rule over storms while Nebo’s purview was wisdom and science. The Philistines’ chief god Dagon presided over death, the afterlife, war, and agriculture while Ammon’s Molech reigned over the underworld, which may explain his association with child sacrifice in the Old Testament.
Devotions of the Heart 