Do not revile the king even in your thoughts,
or curse the rich in your bedroom,
because a bird of the air may carry your words,
and a bird on the wing may report what you say.*
Where’d that bird come from? And where did it go?
I didn’t even notice it was here.
Just a bird.
That’s what the German Nazis should have been saying to themselves if they wanted to keep their secrets secret, stationed as they were in the frozen north of Norway. As it happened, WWII Germans used a system of anti-submarine nets to protect their bases from submarine attacks. The allies knew these nets existed but needed to know exact details on their location and at which depth they were. So… local ‘Sami’ people were used to ‘map’ these fjord defenses for the Norwegian resistance, who then passed on the info to the allies.
The point was that to the Germans these Sami were simple sub-humans in crude canoes trying to catch fish. The Nazi racial paradigm didn’t enable them to see anything serious in the primitive culture and practices of these people. But in reality the Sami were plumbing the fjords that they already knew so well, measuring depths and taking detailed notes in their head and by making notches on sticks, etc.
It’s funny to think of it, but the Nazis should have been reading Ecclesiastes 10:20.
But then, so should we.
We should know that there’s nothing hidden that won’t be revealed. We should know that we actually control very little. And we should know that attempts at damage control after the fact only make us look worse.
What’s inside always comes out . . . even our private thoughts. It’s best to do what Jesus recommended: Clean up the inside of the cup, then there’s nothing to worry about how the outside looks.
And we won’t have to worry about those little birds
carrying our words
where we’d rather they not be heard.
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*Ecclesiastes 10:20
Our Lives Together
Its About Life
11:24 am
Good word that I needed to hear. I was starting to get an Elijah complex again. “Illegitimi non carborundum” Romans 12:17-13:14.
12:02 pm
Great analogy with the submarines/Norwegians. I learned something today. Yes, better to clean the inside of the cup first rather than trying to constantly cover up all the lipstick marks.
Pastor Adam Barton
Akron, Ohio
12:25 pm
Oooh…how hard it is to clean the inside. That’s why I always opt to try to clean the outside. At least I see something. But it’s not lasting and it’s enslaving. I guess I need to realize it’s impossible for ME to clean the inside. The Gospel is my only hope for the inside. Thanks Hyatt for pointing me to the hope of Gospel today – His life on my behalf!
4:04 pm
Great thoughts, Hyatt. All of a sudden, it’s no pretending. Which is a good thing. It causes me to judge myself, rather than to constantly critique others. With appropriate repentence on my part, I then find rest. And the cup’s again, clean. Sola dei gratia.
10:38 am
Well written word Hyatt…shared it with my husband while sitting on the lanai, having our morning coffee, on the last day of our vacation in Hawaii. It was a good reminder as we go home, to take time like this and allow The Lord space in our lives to do His good work. Thanks Hyatt!