NO Snuffing here: Isaiah is full of prophecies about the Messiah, Immanuel, or as we refer to him, Jesus. In Isaiah 42:3 he gives a prophecy about the gentleness of Jesus. Matthew quotes this and applies it in Matthew 12. “A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick (flax) he will not snuff out.” Most want to interpret this in our today context, let me tell you the story of the bruised reed and the smoldering wick/flax that Jesus won’t snuff out. After many a wind storm I saw my father out in his garden propping up wind blown stocks that were bent over and nearly broken in two by the force of the wind. Often he bound a brace on the tender stock to keep it from coming a part, breaking in two. Dad was the blue ribbon farmer and rancher; he loved plants and animals that grow. Many a farmer would just break off the bruised and broken stock and toss it aside, not dad, he made it whole again. This is what Jesus did with broken people, and what we are to do. Too many Christians think they are the spiritual police and they come to arrest and jail, not heal. The portion most missed in this prophecy, is about the smoldering flax (wicks were made of flax) they think of snuffing a candle out. Not so in the ancient Hebrew society. We are so used to striking a match today, or flicking our Bic, to start a fire. Not so in Isaiah’s day. Let me give you a lesson in flint and steel or flint and flint in starting a fire. Preparation is every thing. First you have two good pieces if silicon dioxide, flint, etc., or a piece of steel and flint. You take your knife and make a pile of minute splinters and progressively larger pieces; You charcoal a piece of flax, linen cloth. And you go to work. You hold the one item, steel or flint between you left thumb and forefinger. You hold your hand palm up and place the charcoaled flax in your palm, and you take the flint or steel in you right hand and start striking the piece in your left hand to make sparks that are aimed at the flax. A spark will catch and you huff and puff like the wolf blowing the little pig’s house over, a small flame will appear and you start carefully placing slivers of wood on the small flame in your left palm. As soon as you got a good fire going your transfer it to the ground and carefully add fuel little bits at a time. You soon have a cooking camp fire going. While the small flame is in the flax in the palm of your hand, it is easy to snuff out, one thumb, and no burn. Once it is a camp fire, don’t try that. People are the same way, when their faith is new and just getting started, it is easy to snuff out with careless words and deeds, Jesus would not do that and has asked us not to. It is a shame many don’t listen to him. Our job is to fan that spark of faith, not snuff it out. Sometime I’ll tell you about Max and me placing in the winners circle in the L.A. Coliseum Scout Jamboree in flint and steel fire building. Hard to believe folks paid in 1947 to see that; a much different time. My concern today is to strike the spark of faith in a seeker, and then to fan it into a roaring forest fire of passion for the Lord. It is a never ending job. Some of my listeners have wet flax and the spark never gets a chance. Many are afraid of the flame and snuff it out themselves, and others allow friends to talk them out of the flame. Please don’t let that happen to you, no snuffing here. Love//Herb
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 14:28:44 +0000
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