Our youngest son (a 23 year old man) took our 6 month old puppy for a walk in the woods today. The puppy was on a lead because he has not proven himself to be anything but disobedient at this point in his little self-absorbed life. That lead proved to be life-saving today for our fluffy little rebel. Caleb, our son, first led our pup on a path through a thick part of the woods on WORD Center Ministries property and then out along the edge of an open meadow next to a neighbor’s field. The puppy started growling and barking like a confident full-grown dog because he sighted another animal in our neighbor’s field. That other animal was a small cow. The cow did not make a move, but just stared at our little guy (our puppy, that is).
Caleb was amused at first; there were about four cows in sight and it was apparent that our puppy was singularly focused on the little cow right across the fence; but my son's amusement turned into nervousness and even a little fear as he watched the scene unfold. What had started out as a field full of only four cows transformed before his eyes as dozens of cows appeared from seemingly nowhere and quickly approached the fence line where Caleb and our now ridiculously noisy puppy continued to bark at the little cow.
Caleb quickly surmised the situation and came up with a flight plan; he thought, “Cows don’t like woods.” And determined that should the, by now, huge herd of cows suddenly stampede through the not so well kept fence into the meadow, he would lead our puppy and himself to safety by running back into the woods. (Now, where he learned that cows don’t like woods, I do not know. I personally home-schooled him and never once taught him that cows do or do not like woods. Truth is, all I remember teaching him about cows is basic knowledge about moo and milk. Truth also is, our woods are littered with bones of animals, cows included, that must have liked woods at some point before their demise.) Anyway, once his plan was in place he slowly walked along, keeping his eye on the unfolding situation, while the cows made up their minds whether to attack or not.
Caleb bravely faced down the now quickly approaching cow herd he witnessed one of those once in a lifetime moments. While our pretentious puppy barked his little heart out, the dozens of cows that had appeared out of nowhere showed their true destination. It was not to flatten the fence, pup and Caleb, but it was to surround the little cow. Each one in turn, as they arrived from somewhere across the field, took its place in an ever thickening protective circle around the threatened little cow (turns out, the little cow was a young calf.) All the cows, although encircling the calf, still physically faced the “menacing” duo in the meadow across the fence, with the scariest of them all, the black bull, right up front.
As Caleb continued to literally drag our pup along him, distancing them both from the herd, he continued to glance backward and saw another fascinating sight. The cow circle became and acted as one unit; it slowly and intentionally made its way toward the fence line where Caleb and the threatening pup were located. It actually made its own threatening move toward the perceived danger. Amazing! Once Caleb and the pup were far enough away from the circle of cows that Caleb could relax, he stopped and watched the circular wall of cattle sort of flatten itself against the fence line still surrounding the little calf from all angles protecting it from all danger. The protective (and menacing) cow circle went as far as it could to both protect the calf and send a message to my little pup and my grown son: Danger!
I couldn’t help but think of how this adventure was a picture of spiritual truth. First of all, there was real danger from the cows and it was because my son and puppy had violated their law—the law of the cows. In this case the law was leave our calf alone. So, too, there really is danger from God and it is because each one of us have violated the law of the Lord. It is His universe and we are to be holy to Him in it. Instead, each one of us has gone our own way, rather than His.
Secondly, there were two reactions to the danger. One reaction was from the puppy which was to ignore the danger and in fact, put himself in more and more danger by continuing to bark in the face of the cows. He could have stopped his barking at any time and perhaps lessened the danger—in other words he could have repented, but he didn’t and made matters all the worse. We can repent the first time we realize that we are not holy, that we really don’t even deserve to live in God’s holy universe alongside of Him, or we can continue in our sin and heap up judgment that corresponds to our sin.
The other reaction was from my son— he made a plan to save himself, but the truth is that his plan was destined to fail. Why? Because it was based on a false assumption (that cows don’t like woods) and because even if cows didn’t like woods that wouldn’t stop the cows from chasing him into the woods. They were mad and their dislike of any woods would not deter their anger. So many, so very many, people believe a lie about God and salvation. They think that He won’t “hurt” anyone as long as they aren’t really, really bad people. I am not saying here that people are trusting in their own righteousness (although that is sadly true, too). I am saying they are trusting in the false “fact” that God is not terrible—they believe wrongly about God; they believe He is a pushover. God is a wrathful and avenging God and His wrath is coming against all ungodliness and all unrighteousness. (Romans 1, Nahum, Exodus)
Thirdly, there was really only one way out of the danger and that was to stop offending the cows with puppy barking and make friends with the cows. God is offended by our sin and we must stop it forever (repent). The only way to be safe from the wrath of God is to be reconciled to him; go from enemy to friend. The only way to do that is to accept God’s offer of forgiveness in His Son (the cows have nothing to offer here, this is a unique offer from God alone. With the cows we would have to “work” to earn their friendship). If, however, we accept God’s incredible offer made available through faith alone in His Son, then we become, not only His friend, but His child, as well, and we are as safe as the young calf was inside the circle of cows today. Nothing was going to touch the calf that wasn’t first okayed by the power surrounding it. Once we are believers, nothing will touch us that hasn’t been sovereignly approved by a very loving God.
God is a wrathful and avenging God and His wrath is coming against all ungodliness and all unrighteousness, and like I said, there is only one way out of it...
