Ancient Landmarks

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There is a verse in Proverbs that warns against removing the "ancient landmarks" erected by previous generations whereby we may cheat our neighbors. The traditional interpretation of Proverbs 22:28 and 23:10 regard the cheating and deceptive measures of gain obtained by such a practice. It is akin to false weights and balances. This morning, however, while meditating on the Word of God, and in particular on Romans 6 and 7, I was inclined to suddenly see these "ancient landmarks" in a new and curious way.

Those of you who know me, know that I work in the funeral industry. I am a mortician, and a large part of my job has to do with visiting cemeteries and sub-contracting gravediggers for burial preparations. Needless to say, my experience in the death industry opens up all kinds of interesting vistas to see gospel truth in an often other-than-coventional light!

This morning, while I was thinking about hypocrisy, and about the differences between attainment and obtainment in the Christian walk, I saw how all false religious systems of hypocrisy focus on personal efforts and one's laborious [i]attainment[/i] of holy position rather than the free [i]obtainment[/i] by God through faith. I suddenly thought about how bequiling the whole concept indeed was, and how devilishly simple it would be to sell a house with a grave in the backyard. (This is why I reminded you of my profession in the first paragraph!)

For example, I thought that the easiest way to make a grave "disappear" from a plot of land would be to simply remove the headstone, or the "landmark". Of course, this would be abominably deceitful, as the body would still be interred, and now you have a grave without a gravestone. I began to think how this is just like hypocrisy: the [i]attainment[/i] of outwardly good deeds, the removal by our own power of the "stone of incrimination", the whitewashed sepulchre (or nicely mowed lawn), and all the while the festering body is still beneath the surface. God is such that He sees the hidden body as children play on their swingsets above it. As long as the body lies beneath, the proprietor of the land is unclean.

Religion is removing the headstone before exhumation; Christianity is exhuming the body before touching the headstone. I confess I am guilty of chiding land owners for not promptly removing their headstones, even though the body has been exhumed. But I am not the cemetery proprietor! Some empty graves take longer than others before the Land Owner gets around to taking down the old landmarks. This is not as crucial; the priority is getting those festering bodies out of the land.

I was thinking this morning how a fresh, green grave [i]without[/i] a marker indicates an [i]attainment[/i] through hypocritical and godless effort. Even the flowers that grow above the surface are unclean, and the landscaped trees that grow there are but gloomy stalks, with filthy rags as fruit. Brethren, what impressions do you get from an old pear tree growing near a markerless grave? Would you be inclined to taste the fruit, knowing where the roots are mingling?

A marked grave [i]without[/i] a body, however, is a symbol of [i]obtainment[/i] as only God has the power to exhume the object of defilement. Let us not think of removing the markers, therefore, before God has removed the casket, for in doing so, we would cheat our neighbors, and if we are in ministry, cheat the flock.

Brother Paul

This is very good brother, much to dwell on ...

This morning, while I was thinking about hypocrisy, and about the differences between attainment and obtainment in the Christian walk

Very interesting ... had just shelved something for lack of clarity along the lines of mystery vs. mathematics and the mindset ofttimes of the latter approach to so much ... of formulaic, 'puzzle solving' attributes of God. It seems at first to be dissimilar to this, but those words 'attainment and obtainment' jumped out at me.

but those words 'attainment and obtainment' jumped out at me.

Yes, I know what you mean. The first time those two words jumped out at me was during a reading of Whitall-Smith's [i]"The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life"[/i]. It doesn't take much to grasp the full implication of how these two words pertain to genuine Christianity.

Especially, the word "obtain". Paradoxically, though it be quite easy to grasp the ubiquitous concept of obtainment by faith, we see that to [i]spiritually demonstrate it[/i] is extremely challenging. Mental comprehension is one thing; spiritual comprehension is totally different. I think the greatest example God gave us is the "exhumation" of Sin, an event we couldn't possibly do ourselves. The removal of this dead body from the grave is not accomplished by attainment. Attainment, however, can successfully remove the headstone marker -- the [i]indicator[/i] that a body is beneath.

And so, what God has begun, He will finish, and the Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Another thing we must beware of is attaining in the flesh that which was obtained through the Spirit. If God has exhumed the body, He will also remove the headstone...in due time. His wisdom for leaving certain headstones erect over exhumed graves are for manifold reasons.

Of course, the concepts of attainment versus obtainment during the exhumation process is really the crux of debate betwen the Calvinists and Arminians. Suffice it to say that before [i]any[/i] grave can be exhumed, a judge must first give his authorization. And judges will usually [i]not[/i] consider an exhumation without the petition being first brought to them (unless it be one of personal concern). Brethren, I think there are many spiritual corollaries here.

Brother Paul