For more than Laish

I often hear many talks from Christian leaders about keeping focus on God and that your eyes should be firmly fixed on Him and Him alone. I have often also heard the talks that "we" as a society spend to much time looking behind us "looking in our rear view mirror", focusing on our mistakes, problems and faults, so much that we don't pay attention to where we are going and end up walking into trouble time and time again. Both these points are often true to all of us and often true when combined.


The Highway Code

But what people don't always realise is that there can be a little more to this direct looking at God route and ignoring the things from behind you.

I would disagree with some of the above statement though.

Continuing with the car metaphor, I honestly believe that sometimes you need to look into the rear view mirror, as a driver you need to, even if it is at a glance.

According to the highway code, it states that " Drivers are advised to check their rear view mirror every seven seconds to monitor what is happening on the road behind them and should check both their rear view mirror and wing mirrors before making a manoeuvre, as well as their blind spot."

This I find really interesting, it tells you to check every seven seconds in your rear view mirror, this therefore is clearly telling you not to become fixed on what is behind you, but it also mentions using your wing (side) mirrors to help in the avoidance of any incidents by checking all around ou, including any blind spots.

So how often do you look around?

Do you know who you have beside you?

Who do you trust to walk and stand beside you? To look after you? In Rugby and American football terms, to block and tackle the attacker or even to cover you with support when you need to pass the ball.

This is a lesson that I have recently learnt, I have managed to realise that I need to look around me, to see my team mates, the people who still after all this time are still standing strong. But when I was listening to the speaker Dary Northrope he made me rethink this whole concept.

Has everyone heard of Laish? I hadn't, never heard of it. But then it is very breifly mentioned in the Bible, but the lesson in it is very important.

(If you get a chance Read Judges 18)

In the beginning you hear about the Dan(ites) they were power hungry and wanted to be recognised for their authority, power and strength.

"1 In those days Israel had no king. And in those days the tribe of the Danites was seeking a place of their own where they might settle, because they had not yet come into an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. 2 So the Danites sent five of their leading men from Zorah and Eshtaol to spy out the land and explore it. These men represented all the Danites. They told them, "Go, explore the land." "

These 5 men go forth and come across Laish, in their discovery of Laish we see that the people living there were living very happily.

"7 So the five men left and came to Laish, where they saw that the people were living in safety, like the Sidonians, at peace and secure. And since their land lacked nothing, they were prosperous. Also, they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else."

They were living carefree, wealthy, quiet, secure and very happy lives.
Who wouldn't want to be part of that? Isn't that what we all ask of God?

But did you see their weakness?

"they lived a long way from the Sidonians and had no relationship with anyone else."

They had no allies, they had no other relationship with anyone else, they were standing by themselves.

When you continue to read, you see that the Danites were coming to attack the land, to take it from them. Who is going to stand and help them defend their homes and town, to help defend Laish?

A small explosion

We continue to see in the story that the people of Laish, were so kind that they asked the 5 soliders to stay. These 5 stayed, settled, spyed and continued to feed information to the remaining 600 soliders, who at this point were camped to the neighbouring hill. The 5 men continued to cause trouble, whilst the 600 stayed waiting:

"16 The six hundred Danites, armed for battle, stood at the entrance of the gate. 17 The five men who had spied out the land went inside and took the idol, the ephod and the household gods while the priest and the six hundred armed men stood at the entrance of the gate. "

Where was the instance defense? Quite often when something is closely happening to you, you cant see the danger, you may at times need someone to say to you what is wrong. Some may argue and say that it is best to stay out of others business, but there is a distinct difference between being nosey and interfering and lifting your voice and clearly stating that some things are NOT OK.

But what you quickly see in the story is that what starts with 5 turns to 600. We should all recognise this point. How many times have we done something so small, so insignificant (to us) that then "BANG" it turns into this big problem. Once the 5 settled they allowed so many more in.

House hunting

When someone goes looking for a new house, how many people get a second opinion?

I know that I would. When looking to buy my own place, I spent time, carefull consideration into where I would buy, how much I would spend. And then once purchased, I changed it to how i wanted it and then put effort into keep it the way I would like it.

When renting a property I found that it was different, not so much care, not so much money and realistically not so much love in the property as it had been when I could put more time on making it a home that I wanted to be in.

Friendships and relationships should be like the home you own, it may take you more effort but in the long run you will value the property and the relationship more.

Jesus taught us all about the importance of relationships. (Matthew 22 love your neighbour as yourself)

In a previous blog I asked you who truly knows you, this truth, this is the truth of trusting in a good relationship. I mentioned at the beginning about passing a ball in Rugby or American football. When you pass the ball, you have to make that split decision to pass it to the person that you trust, that you truly trust to take that ball forward whilst you deal with what is around you.

In the end of the story Laish is destroyed:
"27 Then they took what Micah had made, and his priest, and went on to Laish, against a people at peace and secure. They attacked them with the sword and burned down their city. 28 There was no one to rescue them because they lived a long way from Sidon and had no relationship with anyone else. The city was in a valley near Beth Rehob.
The Danites rebuilt the city and settled there. 29 They named it Dan after their ancestor Dan, who was born to Israel—though the city used to be called Laish."

Make sure you have a good side view of your life. See who your allies are, who you would pass the ball to. I have a good team, some very good friends, one of which would be happy that I used the rugby terms in this blog. To all of them I am grateful for their support.

Church isn't always a place to hide yourself, it is a place to be open and to have open trusting relationships.
We were designed for more. We were designed for relationships. Laish didn't realise this, they didn't realise that there is more.

This is a quotation from John Donne (1572-1631). It appears in Devotions upon emergent occasions and seuerall steps in my sicknes - Meditation XVII, 1624:

"All mankind is of one author, and is one volume; when one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated...As therefore the bell that rings to a sermon, calls not upon the preacher only, but upon the congregation to come: so this bell calls us all: but how much more me, who am brought so near the door by this sickness....No man is an island, entire of itself...any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind; and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls; it tolls for thee."

No man is an island, entire of itself.

As I mentioned before, Laish had everything right in what we (the majority of society) would deem as things we would like our lives to resemble, but we too must look around and want for more, more than Liash, See who is standing next to you, see who is holding your hand.

For more than Liash!