Thoughts from Mark "Hat" Rackley

Boilerplate

I’m Harold Dykstra.  I’m retired, but I go to food bank distributions all over Tracy and talk to people that need someone who will listen to their story.  My time is well spent.  A police lieutenant suggested that I write down the conversations that I had with an angel.  I did not know she was an angel at the time.  The angel, for a little over a year, indwelled a life-sized posable action figure my children bought me, so that I would not be perceived as travelling alone.  And in a way, she was training me for what I do while talking to the needy.  She probed my heart to find out what I believed and how I express love for others.  She changed my life.

In her leaving, she said someone would come.  I had thought that was Jesus, in His second coming, but a new Babs, a little older, the model for the posable action figure arrived.  While I had no desire to start over with romance, Morrie helped her move in, thinking she was the other Babs who had returned.

This Week’s Question

One day last week, Babs and I talked about war.  She was against the idea, but she agreed that the last war, when there would be no sin, death, or pain afterward, was worth it.

This week Babs was confused.

I asked, “What are you trying to find on the internet, Babs?”

Babs moaned, “I was just looking for a good definition of the rights that we have.  This whole 250^th Anniversary thing has me wondering if we have any rights at all.”

I smiled, “Babs, our freedom is always limited.  Paul says we should not indulge in the flesh. ‘You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.’ (Galatians 5:13).  And what about the way we exercise our freedom while someone else is watching?  ‘Be careful, however, that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak.’ (1 Corinthians 8:9).”

Babs huffed, “So, is that the reason why we get frisky only when we are alone in the house?  Behind closed doors?  But if we are not to indulge the flesh, can we do that at all?”

I laughed, “Before you go that direction, we need to remember what Paul said about married couples. ‘Do not deprive each other except perhaps by mutual consent and for a time, so that you may devote yourselves to prayer. Then come together again so that Satan will not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.’ (1 Corinthians 7:5).  And frankly, I feel Satan tugged at my elbow.”

Babs asked, “Oh, dear, should we stop our conversation and start talking with our hands, and mouth, and tongue?”

I sighed, “That brings an entirely new meaning to what James said about the tongue.  ‘The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and sea creatures are being tamed and have been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.’ (James 3:6-8).”

Babs laughed, “Harold, stop that.  James was talking about talking, and you are talking about something else entirely.  And don’t try to say that the tongue is untamed when it comes to eating.  Last night, you ate a little too much of the pie, but that is not what James 3 was talking about.  You fuss about me taking things out of context.  You don’t start!”

I smiled, “Yes, dear.  You were being playful and I got playful and crossed a line.  I am sorry.  Now, do you want to go to the bedroom and let me know you have accepted my apology?”

Babs growled, “No, I want to talk about our freedoms but hold that idea.  I think we may have to do some serious deliberations on the boundaries of the truce between us once this is over.  But we have the limitations of God’s Law and man’s law, right?”

I nodded, “That’s what Paul and Peter talked about.  ‘Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.’ (Romans 13:1-2).  And then for Peter…  ‘Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor.’ (1 Peter 2:13-17).”

Babs scrunched her nose, “But what if the emperor is evil?”

I laughed, “Babs. When were these letters written?  What happened to the authors of these two letters?”

Babs pouted, “Okay, the emperors were cruel.  Peter was crucified upside down.  Paul lost his head, literally.  But you know what I meant.  When the apostles were told not to talk about Jesus… ‘Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!’ (Acts 5:29).  And there are people in this world who are arrested for reading the Bible in public or preaching.  And some of these countries used to be Christian countries.  They call it a hate crime just to say something about how God hates sin, and we are all sinners.  The world has gotten thin-skinned, Harold.  When I grew up, you had to know when to take the verbal abuse and when to fight back.  I guess that is another nuance to the idea of our freedom.  Free speech means that you can say a lot, but there are some words that they will bleep out on television.  And can you yell in a crowded department store that there is a fire?”

I smiled, “That would be inciting a crowd into panic.  You would probably be held responsible if someone were killed by being trampled.  You did not trample over them, but you created the fear.  I’d have to call my friend Deviled Yeggs to be sure.  I would say that you couldn’t tell people to pick up a gun and shoot people or the police to be specific, but those words are in some rap music and it is excused as art.”

Babs groaned, “And getting naked in a movie can turn the rating from PG to R and a lot more people will attend for a ten second quick peek.  And the excuse is art, but we know that they do it for sales, for money.”

I smiled, “I agree with that.  Expressing things that would get you arrested might be dismissed due to the art label.  But that is part of our world’s depravity.  No offense, Babs.”

Babs laughed, “I agree.  I was in the pure smut side of the film industry.  I made a lot of money, but that was before I knew Jesus.  And if God can forgive me, He can forgive just about anybody.”

I went over and gave her a hug.  “Yes, Babs, you are forgiven.  Everyone in your old line of work who drew a line and said they would not do something would get fired in the process.  But for every one of those, there have been tens of people in a business setting who have said something innocent that had the word ‘God’ in there, and they got fired.  No hate speech.  They were genuinely concerned and lost their job in the process.  So, we are not free to say anything at all, but in some countries in this world, you can lose your life by professing to be a Christian.  We are not there yet.’

Babs sighed, “But you said ‘yet.’  But in looking up freedom in the NIV, the first use is in Leviticus. ‘“‘If a man sleeps with a female slave who is promised to another man but who has not been ransomed or given her freedom, there must be due punishment. Yet they are not to be put to death, because she had not been freed. The man, however, must bring a ram to the entrance to the tent of meeting for a guilt offering to the Lord. With the ram of the guilt offering the priest is to make atonement for him before the Lord for the sin he has committed, and his sin will be forgiven.’ (Leviticus 19:20-22).  This confuses me.  They are not put to death because she is not freed from her slavery?  All the man has to do is offer a ram for a sacrifice.  What about the woman?  Where is her justice?”

I shrugged, “But adultery carried the death penalty.  Just a few verses after how a son who curses his parents must be put to death, Leviticus 20 says… ‘“‘If a man commits adultery with another man’s wife—with the wife of his neighbor—both the adulterer and the adulteress are to be put to death.’ (Leviticus 20:10).  It then goes on to incestuous relations, almost all end up in both people being killed.  But put yourself in the place of the female slave.  She does not know that she has the right to refuse.  So, why hold it against her.  In a way, it cannot be consensual, since she was not free to make a choice.  But you said that we are not free to break God’s Law.  ‘I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.’ (Psalm 119:45).  We gain our freedom by having Jesus in our hearts.  But we gain even more freedom by loving God’s Law.”

Babs smiled, “Thank you, Harold.  But what about Jeremiah 34? ‘”Every seventh year each of you must free any fellow Hebrews who have sold themselves to you. After they have served you six years, you must let them go free.” Your ancestors, however, did not listen to me or pay attention to me. Recently you repented and did what is right in my sight: Each of you proclaimed freedom to your own people. You even made a covenant before me in the house that bears my Name. But now you have turned around and profaned my name; each of you has taken back the male and female slaves you had set free to go where they wished. You have forced them to become your slaves again. “Therefore this is what the Lord says: You have not obeyed me; you have not proclaimed freedom to your own people. So I now proclaim ‘freedom’ for you, declares the Lord—‘freedom’ to fall by the sword, plague and famine. I will make you abhorrent to all the kingdoms of the earth.’ (Jeremiah 34:14-17).  What is that talking about?”

I said, “What Jeremiah references is in Exodus 21.  ’If you buy a Hebrew servant, he is to serve you for six years. But in the seventh year, he shall go free, without paying anything.’ (Exodus 21:2). This is more like an indentured servant than a slave.  Someone makes some bad choices and they go into debt.  They sell themselves to someone else to be their slave, but they must be released in the seventh year.  Their work then has paid the debt.  And something else is in Ezekiel about property, real estate.  A prince might give property to a loyal servant, but it must not stay with that servant.  The apportionments made by Joshua mean that the land stays with that family.  Ezekiel 34 says… ’Look “‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: If the prince makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his sons, it will also belong to his descendants; it is to be their property by inheritance. If, however, he makes a gift from his inheritance to one of his servants, the servant may keep it until the year of freedom; then it will revert to the prince. His inheritance belongs to his sons only; it is theirs. The prince must not take any of the inheritance of the people, driving them off their property. He is to give his sons their inheritance out of his own property, so that not one of my people will be separated from their property.’”’ (Ezekiel 34:16-18).  Notice how it says the ‘year of freedom.’  That pertains to those seven years.  So, the grand gesture by the prince is not that grand if in a few months, the land goes back to the prince’s relatives.  But if the year of freedom is a few years away, the wise servant can make money off the land.  Then, when he has given up the prince’s land, he will be able to make his own land more profitable.  Remember that this is talking about a fellow Jew as a servant.  He would not be forced to give up his land, but the person he owes might be using it until he returns.”

Babs asked, “A lot of this is confusing.  But we have talked about how we have freedom, but that freedom is limited.  When we sin, we are forgiven.  But, we should not sin so that we cause others to stumble.  We mustn’t violate man’s law unless that law violates God’s law.  And while God allowed a type of slavery that is more like indentured servitude, they had to release the fellow Hebrews after six years of service.  And then, even today, there are limits on freedom of speech, whether in the laws of the land or guidance from God.  I still am a little muddled, but what were you saying about how we disagreed earlier and you apologized?  Are you ready to make up for upsetting me?”

I smiled, “You don’t sound very upset.”

Babs sighed, “But, you could sleep on the couch tonight, buster!”

I said, “Oh, I would hate to do that.  I have found a couple of lumps on the couch.”

Babs sighed, “When have I made you sleep on the couch?”

I said, “Never in my recollection, but I have fallen asleep while watching a television show.”

Babs smiled.  “Well, you lock the deadbolts, and I’ll change.”

Our children do not have a key to the deadbolts.  Willie and Morrie know to leave a note and come back after we tell them to return.  Tony and Joe still have access to the garage, but they wouldn’t be able to enter the house.  But since Tony and Mary Jo have married, they usually knock at the front door.  Sugar is free to run around the backyard, so Little Joe doesn’t have to come in the house to play with her.

I locked the doors.  When I got to the bedroom door, I knocked, “Are you ready to receive.”

Babs purred, “I am ready if you are.”

I opened the door and said, “Wow!”  She was wearing the lingerie that she picked up three times during our honeymoon, and she shook her head and put it back in the suitcase.  She had muttered that she did not know if she was ready for something so naughty.  But all that I saw was the most beautiful woman that I had ever seen.  Yes, I had been married many years to a lovely lady, but this was something completely different.

Babs smiled a wry smile, “Well, Sweetie, are you wondering whether I have forgiven you?”

I stammered, “I-i-i-I can’t remember what the argument was about.”

Babs came over and unbuckled my belt and unzipped my fly.  The pants hit the floor.  “I can’t either, but let’s pretend that you were a very naughty boy.”

I smiled, “If I get this kind of treatment, I’ll be naughty more often.”

Babs giggled, “No, Harold, I think this pretending to say something naughty and then kissing and making up is a much better way of doing it.  We do not need any real hurt involved.”

I sighed.  I wanted to say something, but my brain was fried.

She did not take long in getting my clothing off.  And I had fun exploring how this contraption was constructed.  After all, I needed to do something.

And just when we were enjoying the pleasures of holy matrimony, the doorbell rang.  I took a sneak peek out the window.  A vehicle from the rival internet provider was parked in front of the house.

When I crawled back into bed, I asked, “Now where were we?”

Babs gasped, “Good heavens, Harold, are you having a senior moment?  But don’t worry, covering ground that we have already covered means just more fun.  I do not want any 1 Corinthian 7 complaints from you.  And I especially do not want to have to make a complaint myself.”

Credits

All these conversations remind me of my conversations with my wife.  We would talk about anything and everything.  And most of the time, it sounded like a discussion in a Sunday school class.

I don’t think there are any other Credits to mention.

Soli Deo Gloria.  Only to God be the Glory.