Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

Good good morning, dear people.

The sun is painting the tops of the cedars out this window—and will soon be painting the entire view. There’s not a cloud in view from here. Very nice. It’s kind of hard to be very depressed when the Creator demonstrates such a display of beauty and faithfulness. I guess my brother is afflicted with some of the same sensitivities. He and his wife arrived last night for a little visit—and we will soon be going out to breakfast together. But he just showed me a picture in a magazine taken in the inner passage of southeast Alaska. He said that that incredibly beautiful scene impacted him with such a rush of emotion that he cried. Yup! My brother is kind of strange—just like me!

Here’s what I honestly believe: People like us who perceive the finger-prints of Creator surrounding us have far more fun living than those who don’t—than those who view it all as simply the result a bunch of time-plus-chance.

May you discover beauty and blessing in your day.

Love, Dad/Ray.

Called to appear before Festus and Agrippa, Paul recounts his personal experience of having Jesus dramatically get his attention on the road to Damascus. It happened about 30 years previous, but it was still fresh in Paul’s memory. Let’s consider here the statement that Jesus makes to Paul in that encounter when He says, “It is hard for you to kick against the goads.” The KJV uses the word “pricks” rather than “goads.” They are the same.

It is interesting to learn that Jesus is actually citing a Greek proverb. But what does He mean?

First of all, it is helpful to understand what a goad is. It is a sharp pointed spear-like instrument used by men to guide and control work animals like oxen. There were many types. A goad may be a rod of about 8 feet long, sharpened on the end. Or they may be sharpened projections mounted into the frame or harness of a plow to keep the animal from kicking or misbehaving. The ox is supposed to learn that for him to resist submitting to his master, he only hurts himself.

That’s enough to give us insight into the proverb’s meaning. It means that it is absolutely foolish for a man to resist the Will and Laws of Almighty God in favor of his own ideas, plans, and desires. To do so is to invite the painful consequences of rebellion against God’s Will—His intolerance of sin. So, like an ox that bloodies and injures himself when he “kicks against the goads,” a man actually hurts himself when he resists God.

Have you ever been one to “kick against the goads?” Sure you have. We all have. And we can all testify that disobedience to God never produces the fruit of blessing—of righteousness, peace and joy. It always produces guilt, anger, fear, pain, and insecurity. Let’s understand that it is in our best interests to love and serve God according to the standard of His Word. It is an expression of His love to give us those standards. To go our own way and “kick against the goads” will never never never never never never never (How many times do we have to say it?) never produce desirable results.

Paul was smart enough to embrace this principle of life as soon as he encountered revelation light. Some never do.