The burden of Dumah.
The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come. (Isaiah 21:11-12 KJV)
He calleth to me out of Seir, Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come. (Isaiah 21:11-12 KJV)
The joke goes like this:
Parent to teacher: You don’t need to discipline Johnny.
Teacher: I don’t?
Parent: No, just slap the child sitting next to him and he’ll get the point.
Of course, we know that’s a joke and not meant as a schoolroom rule, but when we look around at our society we may wonder if some people have taken this to heart. Don’t discipline me, discipline that person over there…
I have learned much since the early days when I began thinking of myself as a ‘writer’. For instance, in the writing world, you need to have a platform. Many of us struggle with this concept.
The thought is What? I don’t just sit down and put words on paper? No, no, the experts tell us you must have not just a rhyme but a reason as well. In other words, your story must have a point.
Well, as someone on the show, Life of Riley used to say, What a revolting development this is. Then there are other criteria, or hoops a writer must adhere to. Rising action, crisis, falling action, and of course The End.
There is the idea that the main character is supposed to go through a change and I presume come out better for the ordeal. Well, that’s the story, and you better stick to it, but…
Life does change all of us in one way or the other—sometimes. I confess that some people learn awfully slow often times repeating the same thing that gets them in uncomfortable situations. I confess that because sometimes that’s me.
My life resembles, at times the top of my desk. I take notes on anything that has a bare spot on it then when it comes time to use the notes I’ve taken, be it from Wikipedia, the doctor’s office, a friend, or someone I don’t know, it’s all there on my desk. On an envelope, or a scrap of paper, or…
O LORD, thou art my God; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done wonderful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth.(Isaiah 25:1 KJV)
The amazing thing is the number of times I need the facts or information and I can find what I need. As long as no one has cleaned my desk. However, there are a number of things you cannot find on my desk.
The things that aren’t there.
So, I am asked, what did you have for your lesson this week? I am feeling quite pleased with myself because without looking in my notebook I can remember not just the title but different points.
At my age that doesn’t always happen—
“Do you guys study a lot about the second coming and the thousand-year reign?” This is a bit more difficult since I know the other person’s stance on this subject.
“No, we do not since it’s not in the scriptures”…There’s an audible gasp and now I’m in for it.
“What do you mean? Why it’s everywhere in the Old Testament and New Testament. What about there…isn’t it in Revelation?”
“No, I don’t recall it there in Revelation.”
—And neither will she, since it’s not there and you can’t find it in Revelation and she doesn’t know Revelation as well as I know Revelation and that’s the way that goes. (Revelation isn’t my forte either but you can’t find something that isn’t there.)
Now in order to deflect from the fact that she really can’t remember where she thinks her scriptures that would support her subject are we go to another subject—the thousand years dispensation of Adam, and Enoch, and Noah…
And we end up discussing prophets, priests, apostles, and the Holy Spirit. We discuss Philip, one of the seven appointed in Acts 6, and Samaria and Simon and the laying on of hands.
We went all over my desktop of memory her looking for a chink in my armor. I wish I were as adept as the men of old who could quote the entire Bible from memory. I’m not, but people like this person do tend to give me a workout, and that’s not a bad thing. Thankfully, she doesn’t get angry or upset as some people are apt to do.
Isaiah hasn’t always been my favorite study, but Watchman, what of the night? Watchman, what of the night? The watchman said, The morning cometh, and also the night: if ye will enquire, enquire ye: return, come. (Isaiah 21:11-12 KJV) is special to me.
The commentary says no one knows exactly what the phrase means—well they probably could tell this much. A watchman is set to watch from the city walls. When they see an opposing army approach they warn the city.
In some places, we are told if the watchman warns us and we don’t heed the warning, the punishment we receive we deserve. In different places, if the watchman does not warn then he deserves our punishment.
Some ask and don’t listen, some hear but don’t care, then some hear and take heed. “The morning cometh, and also the night.” And where will it find us?
