"Thou Shalt Not Lie"

The 9th Commandment is often quoted thus, as saying "Thou shalt not lie." But it does not say that. It says that we must not bear false witness.

While elsewhere in Scripture we are told that God hates a lying, deceitful tongue, this commandment specifically addresses witnesses. (Pr. 24:26)

And there is a vast difference between "Thou shalt not lie" and the condemnation of a lying tongue and a deceitful heart.

There are times to lie! There is never a time to be a liar. Just as there are times to kill, but never to be a murderer.

Look at the examples in Scripture of those who deceived the wicked for The Glory of God- and indeed, in obedience to God:

1. Jehu pretended to serve baal so that he could rid the land of servants of baal. (2 Kings 10)
   
2. Rahab lied to save the Hebrew spies (Joshua 6)
3. Ehud used deciet to come before Eglon. (Judges 3)
4. The Hebrew midwives lied to save Hebrew babies- and God blessed them for it! (Exodus 1)

Now, don't think that this then justifies lying to your mom about stealing the cookies. That is not only being dishonoring to your parents, but is also being deceitful for wicked ends. God hates these things.

Let us be shrewd...

The Eyes of God

Proverb 23:17 - How do cheeseburger-eating contests teach The Fear of The LORD? Not that the contest is malum-in-se, but to come to Church and do such a thing... then again. It is basically institutionalized gluttony. If not malum-in-se, at least we surely can in wisdom find more redemptive uses of time, even if not at Church!

And while I chose the cheeseburger-eating contest as a fun and easy example, there are many other appropriate places where we must look to God that He may "lead us with His eyes." (Ps. 32:8)

"Do not let your heart envy sinners," but live in the fear of The LORD... what would God want me to do? We must be aware of God's Gaze always. We must walk in fear of him. Before He gave His Law to Israel, note how He displayed a taste of His power in Exodus 19. The Fear of The LORD is The Beginning of Wisdom.

Oh yes, God loves us, and we must love Him as well. But it starts with the fear, the honor, the respect. He is The LORD- let the nations tremble.

Delighted to Obey

I've often thought how silly the Israelites of the Old Testament seem. How could they have so often rejected The God that so often rescued them? Over and over and over they call out to Him, He saves them, and then they leave Him, and then He punishes them, and then they call out to Him, and then He saves them, and then they leave Him again. How could they be so... sinful? So foolish? Then today it hit me... we do the same thing.

Think of this great nation America. Founded as a Christian nation which Almighty God delivered from tyranny by great wonders of His Providence, how many times have we left Him, and how many times have we repented after receiving our just recompense, and how many times have we left Him again?

And how many times have we only "repented" on a shallow and emotional level? After 9/11, the churches were filled, surely. So why do we continue to retrograde?

Maybe because the foundations are destroyed. The family has been splintered. And now, we have a truly irrelevant "Christianity," one which conforms to the world in a vain attempt to bring the world to conform to Christ. One which is more man-centered than God-centered, more fun than faithful, more enticing than confronting, more worldly than Scriptural- in other words, a "Christianity" which has forsaken its savor in hopes of getting itself sprinkled onto the world. We are determined to use whatever means necessary to achieve a good end- but by compromising God's Ways of doing things, we cannot but compromise the things themselves.

This is irrelevance and impotence- we reject God's Law as too hard, and we choose the easy, painless, broad path. And in so doing we have sold our birthright to satiate our hunger.

Oh, the assembly of believers is a beautiful and joyous thing! "Behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity." But true unity is forged around a core of Truth and a unified vision- not around a lack of a Standard. Chesterton said that "Tolerance is the virtue of a man without convictions." Is the Church slipping to that degraded state today?

It is fitting that this post should fall so near to Father's Day. The father plays a crucial role in the process either of true repentance or lack thereof. I thank God for a father who leads in the old paths, the paths of God, unafraid to shed tradition and to "offend," but rather afraid to disobey God. And not only afraid to disobey God, but excited and delighted to obey Him.

We need more men to take up the torch, to return to God's Word, to do God's Work God's Way.

We need more men who are delighted to obey.

"All that is human must retrograde if it does not advance."

~ Edward Gibbon

Self-Defense
Gabriel Hudelson’s notes on a talk by Steve Ringer

Principles of self-defense:

1. Be aware! (Pr. 22:3 – If you feel that something’s not right- if you “see it coming”- don’t just continue right into it! And don’t ignore gut feelings, either.)
a. Be Wise (Pr. 15:1 – Don’t be “stirring up anger” with foolish speech)
b. Travel in pairs
c. Avoid trouble if possible (Pr. 26:17)
d. Carry yourself well

Don’t trust everyone. Respect to whom it is due, but trust only a few!

2. WATCH YOUR CHILDREN – “Line-of-sight”
a. Kids’ first response- train your children to respond “let me ask my Dad.” Example: potential villain says “Can you help me find my dog?” or “Would you like some ice cream? It’s out in my car.” The child should respond “let me ask my Dad/Mom.”
b. Have a code-word for if the parent sent someone. Say the parents got in a car accident and sent someone to pick up their kids- the parents should be able to give that person a word that will assure the children that he is really from their parents. If he doesn’t know the word, the kids know he’s a fake.
c. Teach kids to scream! And not just to scream- there are screaming kids all over these days. They need to scream something that will get attention: “Fire!” “Help!” “Kidnap!” “You’re not my Dad!”

Think through scenarios so that you’ve “been there” mentally. On an adrenaline rush, people fall back on instinct and lowest level of training.

Don’t give up! “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” Don’t stop resisting just because it looks hopeless.

Go into taking a knife from an attacker knowing you’ll get cut! This way you aren’t surprised when you do. Also make sure that YOU decide WHERE you get cut- block the knife with your outer forearms as opposed to letting him stab you where he wants. DON’T let him get at your inner arm- crucial veins and arteries there.

God is sovereign over death- we are responsible for what we do with our life and the lives of others.

It is our Biblical, moral duty to defeat the bad guy- but it is also our duty to not “kick a man who’s down.” If he has been vanquished, it is not for us to continue to attack him. Get him and get away.

Protect and attack the “centerline”- eyes, nose, chin, neck, solar plexus, groin.

For the face, use the claw, not the fist. While the fist can be used, you’ll hurt yourself eventually. Instead, jab with all five fingers. Go for the eyes. And remember- this isn’t a “made you blink” jab. GO FOR THE EYES.

Palm to the nose.

You can use your elbows, knees, feet. Fists and head-butts if you need to- but not preferable! You could break your own hand or knock yourself unconscious!

If grabbed from behind- scrape shins with feet, stomp on his feet, break his fingers, sidestep and punch groin, smash his nose with the back of your head.

Scream while you fight. The sheer oddity of someone yelling at the top of their lungs may deeply unsettle the attacker- and it also might call attention to your predicament.

Don’t take a life to save your car or your wallet. But remember that that might not be all that they want. They may say things like “I won’t hurt you if you get in the car.” DON’T GET IN THE CAR. Whatever he’s gonna do, make him do it in the parking lot, the street. Don’t get in the car, don’t go down the alley, no matter how reasonable it sounds. Do not let him handcuff you.

Throw the keys or the wallet away from you both or in their face and RUN.

PRACTICE. ROLE-PLAY. HAVE A PLAN.

God gave you gut instinct. Don’t ignore it. If it doesn’t feel right- leave! Call the police! Scan your house when you come home. If something looks wrong, call the police. They’d be glad to play Superman for you- but if something is truly wrong, it was the right choice! Don’t let your pride get in the way of doing the wise thing.

The ol’ High-School grab-you-by-the-shirt-and-shove-you-against-the-locker- don’t wrestle the hands off the shirt. Go for the face, the centerline.

Do NOT back away. They throw a punch- move in! They won’t expect that. They’ll expect you to back up, to dodge. Get right in their face. Literally.

When they pull the gun on you- don’t look at the gun. Raise your hands forward, looking innocent. Then get the muzzle away from you. Get control of the gun! Bring one hand down on the top of the gun, the other on the bottom of the handle. Twist it to the outside of their arm. This gets the muzzle away from you and also traps their hand in a very painful position- you can bring them all the way to the ground.

GET CONTROL OF THE WEAPON.

Appease the attacker. Get them to relax.

Shoot to stop. This may kill, it may not, but shoot to stop, not to kill. Shoot center mass- torso area. If you are justified to shoot, shoot center mass! If they keep coming after a few rounds, go for the head.

Don’t hide your guns, but don’t have a readily dischargeable firearm where kids can reach them.

TEACH YOUR KIDS ABOUT GUNS. GUN SAFETY is crucial- even if you don’t own one.

DON’T fire at noise or movement, especially in your house. You could shoot a child. Identify your target.

Follow the rules. CHECK THE GUN. Check it when you give it to someone. Check it when they give it back. EVERY. SINGLE. TIME.

When it comes to laws, ask “Where is that in writing?”

And remember Pr. 20:3- it is an honor to keep away from strife. Don't be a fool!

Legacy

Legacy

G. A. Hudelson
9/10/08

I come to tell you of myself,
A venture not of pride,
But a tale of glory, and of Truth,
To give my children when I’ve died.

I cannot speak highly of myself,
For I would be at a loss for words,
But I shall tell you what is True,
To affirm what you may have heard.

I am a warrior, even now,
Though still within my youth,
A soldier of The Cross,
Fighting for my LORD, Who is The Truth.

I fight a bloody battle, now,
Against the crimson night,
Following my Great King Jesus Christ,
The Leader of The Light

And my children, when you read this,
I want you then to say,
“My father served his LORD The King,
From day to bloody day,

“And he fought many a battle,
So that with him I would sing,
‘Jesus is my Master,
And my father’s LORD my King!’”

And now I stand on the bloody battle field,
That my father for me won,
And remember the splendid and the great
Things that he for King has done,

And I know that our King’s victory,
Has only just begun,
And so I fight, and boldly,
And I fight for you, my son,

That one day you, like me, may stand,
Before our mighty foe,
Stand for your wife and family
That this dark world may know,

That my father served A Greater King,
And for Him I have died,
And now my children, ‘tis your turn,
To fight together, side by side,

And if you stand true, for my King,
Then I shall testify,
If all my life was meaningless-
For that, I’d gladly die!

HOLY HOLY HOLY

HOLY HOLY HOLY
G. A. Hudelson
10/8/08

Isaiah 6:1-3: “I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.’”

Of all the things that the Seraphim could have said of God accurately- “Gracious, gracious, gracious,” “Loving, loving, loving,” “Merciful, merciful, merciful-” what is it that they cry? “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY.” As if standing in the presence of Almighty God was not enough to overwhelm the senses and bring one to his knees in sheer terror, the cry of the Seraphim slices between body and soul as if they said SINNER, SINNER, SINNER. And there, in the presence of God, we realize how sinful we truly are. And we fall on our face, SINNER, SINNER, SINNER, ringing in our ears, and we beg God to have mercy.

Matthew 7:23: “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts…”

Men

Men
G. A. Hudelson
9/23/08

It will be a dreadful fight,
This, obvious, looking at the night,
The night which might think that it is right,
But which causes this terrible blight,
For this night puts into dreadful plight,
The spineless men that turn to flight,
And will not stand against the night.

It will be a dreadful fight,
The darkness Justice strangling tight,
Giving all a horrid fright,
The drowning of the Glory-Light,
Causing pain with all its might,
To men who cannot bear the sight,
And will not stand against the night.

It will be a dreadful fight,
If there is perhaps one noble knight,
Who brave will stand beside The Light,
And live and die with all his might,
To Love and Freedom holding tight,
A man who cannot bear the sight,
And proudly stands against the night.

It will be a dreadful fight,
And I shall stand beside The Light,
Though lesser men may turn to flight,
My King commands me not to slight,
The covenant I’ve made with Right,
And I shall die, but I shall fight,
And proudly stand against the night,

And proudly stand against the night.