Holey Living…Solitary Refinement
April 28, 2012
I must confess that I really like Alcatraz. The prison. I’ve been there a number of times with groups and have taken the self guided tour with the headphones. The stories told by guards and inmates is a combination of eery and cool – I know its weird!
What never fails to make me pause and think and shiver a bit is the part of the tour where you go by the cell called the “hole”. The solitary confinement cell. A double-doored, windowless metal enclosure with nothing in it but four walls and a drain hole. If the tour isn’t too crowded, you’re encouraged to go in and close the door for a few seconds, and experience for just a moment what the prisoner on the guided tour is describing about his time spent in the hole. Of course, he spent days there. I remember the inmate telling the story of how he would often act out and get sent to the solitary cell. He would take a button off his shirt and spend the endless moments throwing it against the far wall in the dark and try to find it with his hands – in the pitch black dark. He did this to not just take up time, but to keep his mind from going insane.
We need to tread lightly when asking trying to figure out God’s purposes in isolating Joseph. Clearly we can say that it was all part of His design and plan to bring Himself glory, as do all things. But beyond that, what was He trying to do with Joseph? My guess is Joseph didn’t know – at least for a good long time. I find myself wondering how long he asked God that question. Was it just part of the initial emotional burst? Or did it slowly bubble up over time?
Back to the punnish title – solitary refinement. It differs from solitary confinement, a la the Alcatraz analogy, in the motive of the one holding the keys. A man is confined to protect himself and more than likely, others. Its punitive, at least in part. It may or may not have a redemptive element, but at best this is probably just a hopeful byproduct. We don’t have much reason to think God’s purposes in confining Joseph were earned on Joseph’s part. Maybe he had become proud due to the blessings received at the hands of his father. It’s easy given our sinfulness to let that sneak into our lives amidst blessing – maybe Joseph started believing all the positive press he had been getting. But we are not told much so we can only respectfully speculate. Whatever God’s reason – it didn’t justify the sin of the brothers, regardless of how He used it afterwards. One cannot rush to Gen.50:20 with hopes of letting the sinful actions of Joseph’s brothers off the hook – that’s neither accurate or the point. That’s a little like giving the Nazi’s credit for Corrie TenBoom’s testimony. Her testimony is a powerful example of God’s faithfulness, but it was amidst and in contrast to the evil that surrounded her.
A gospel note here regarding the idea of solitary refinement. Of the many things that transpired spiritually on the cross, Christ’s sacrifice found its apex in his time of solitary refinement. When “he who knew no sin became sin”, the father’s gaze and blessing, for the only time in eternity, was removed. He who was NEVER alone, became alone, with my sin. The cross was the ultimately confining experience, beyond any Alcatraz cell. Yet, it was also the ultimate refining experience, as we are told that “he learned obedience through suffering”. We, being such visceral beings, immediately think of the physical pain of the crucifixion experience – I do the same thing! Yet, it was the sins of the world that was the real burden, not the nails. It was sin that crushed Him, not a Roman centurian’s whip or boot. Christ’s sacrifice was refined to its purist form in solitude – with our sins. Away from the Father and the Holy Spirit.
As I ponder, on a far less cosmically grand scale, my own solitary refinement, I find this last point to be powerful. Having been removed from most fellowship I had once enjoyed, spiritually it has been hard. Socially and emotionally too, but fellowship with the body of Christ removed has been a uniquely painful experience. Once again, just a shadowy fraction of Christ’s experience, but I find some solace in that He knows solitary in a way that I’ll never (have to) know. And serves as our guide, example and hope. Maybe someday soon I”ll be able to say with the benefit of having been all the way through the tunnel like Joseph, “what you meant for evil…” But until then, the pit can be dark, and refinement seems elusive or at least future tense. Until then, we have faith!
A great Fernando Ortega song says it like this;
“All the days of my struggle, I’ll wait for my change. I’ll wait for my change to come”
coram deo – rob
Exploring Hole-y Living; first steps…
April 24, 2012
In biblical counseling there exists a gleaming point of hope and a guidepost of theology that anchors the troubled soul. It speaks to one’s theology and into their experience, which makes it particularly helpful in that in covers a lot of ground, especially to the one in pain.
It is found in Gen.50:20, and comes from the story of Joseph and his time in Egypt. He’s receiving the long awaited apology from his brothers, who had sold him many years ago into slavery to the Egyptians.
“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today.”
-Genesis 50:20 ESV
What a great verse! Making sense or at least giving eternal meaning to what had been years of suffering. Giving God glory for not only His sovereignty, but His goodness – which often gets neglected in the discussion of His sovereignty and world affairs.
Joseph was 17 years old, we are told, in Gen.37 when due to the favor his father Jacob showed him, his brothers conspired against him. They stripped him of his robe of color, and threw him into a pit. While murder was discussed, they ultimately decided to sell him, so they could be rid of him – but there would be no blood on their hands, so to speak.
We aren’t given much insight as to what happened in the heart of Joseph between Gen.37:23-24 and 50:20. But in thirteen chapters Joseph was able to say, as the hymn writer sings, “it is well with my soul”. But how did he get there? Think about what must have gone through his mind. His own family, his brothers, sold him out. His most trusted social structure, his fellowship base. These were the people he ate and laughed with. Went to worship with. Shared life’s joys, work and sorrows with on a daily basis. And in a moment, it all changed. I wondered what he thought when he hit the bottom of that pit. What did he yell up, into the dark, as he was held without water for who knows how long? Was he mad? Sad? Did he see it coming? Was he penitent? Did he think thoughts of vengeance and evil towards his brothers as he was hauled out, bound and sent down the road? He was taken from the people and life he loved and given away for 20 shekels of silver. The pain of betrayal must have lasted much longer than the lingering pain of his brother’s hands pushing him in the back – into the pit.
Somehow in those thirteen chapters he learned the power of Christ as he was ‘set apart’ for God’s task. Taking the literal meaning of what it means to be holy – to be set apart, he was physically, emotionally and geographically ‘set apart’ as well. To turn the pun…he learned holiness in holey-ness.
This is the holy grail of suffering for those in faith, isn’t it? We are told often in the Word about impending trials in this life. It’s the process itself that is part of the faith task. More than likely, even though there are some universal similarities, the faith walk in the hole is a largely personalized experience – on purpose. This may sound less than emotionally satisfying for those in the hole. I find myself wincing at how trite it looks in print, knowing full well it deserves more but this is just the beginning of the discussion, certainly not it’s conclusion.
If nothing else, as I find myself looking up and still smarting from the treatment of my brothers, I will dispense the truth of Gen.50:20 with more deliberation. More sobriety and compassion. Knowing its hard to even read that awesome truth in the darkness of the hole will certainly shape how I share it. For I know it’s true – regardless of the pain of the heart or the dirt in my fingernails.
Coram Deo – rob
Oct.24 – “Living Beyond our Circumstance”
October 24, 2009
How many times have you heard or been told to “act, not react!” What does that mean, exactly? So much of our life is spent in reaction. We touch a hot stove – we pull back. Someone cuts us off in traffic, we get mad. Someone tells a joke, we laugh! Obviously not all ‘reaction’ is bad. Its just a real observable phenomenon that we tend to be…well…reactors.
Today’s readings take us to the book of Job, one of the more famous biblical figures. In Job 1-2, we see the setting of the stage for one of the great tests of all time. It almost seems like a cosmic game of chess, except the players are God and Satan, and the pieces are people. I often wonder what it would have been like to have been in the room when that conversation took place, with the angels in attendance. At least we have part of the transcript. God asks Satan, “where have YOU been?” and gets in response, “roaming around”. Of course, I’m editing a little. God asks him if he’s seen his servant, Job. He asks Satan to ‘consider’ him. To really think about him and how he is. Blameless, God tells us! A solid guy! Of course, he is, Satan says. He’s got all the blessings! He’s living the life! He’s just righteous because he has no reason to complain!
Which brings me to the “reaction” point. In ch.1 and 2 we see God remove blessing from Job; first his family, his stuff and even his good health. All he has is his life, which given he’s sick and covered in boils, probably isn’t TOO fun. How does he react? Read Job 1:20-22.
Perspective is hard. Seeing the big picture requires us to know what is true sometimes DESPITE what seems go be happening around us. How many times has our love for God or others been directed by what we feel or how we unthinkingly react based on our initial reading of a situation? I have to think that Job and his rock solid character delivered his response based not on his situation, but despite it. Based on what He knew of God to be true.
This week, you could make a list of things that happen, good and bad, and decide based on that list if God is worthy of praise and worth following. Or you can determine beforehand who God is, and act that way, instead of reacting.
So, are you a list maker or not? (If you find you’re a list maker, then your response will look a lot like Job 2:7-9!)
coram deo
rob