Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Learning from the Book and Eli


First of all, let me say, I'm not a movie snitch. Those who have read my only movie review posted on http://www.servinemup.com/, Dirty Pretty Things, know that I'm not one to spoil the movie for others who have not seen it. Unless of course it's a movie that's been out for over 20 years, then all bets are off.


As a mater of fact, at the time of this writing, I haven't even seen the other D. Washington's new movie, The Book of Eli, yet. But I am a Denzel fan, and my wife and I next movie date will more than likely be this movie.


I like Denzel's work. I think he represents himself well in his profession and in his walk as a man of God. Denzel is one of the few publicly professed Christian leading men in Hollywod. I always try to support those who represent for the Blood whenever I can.


Of course, some will look at some of his past movies and point out all of the characters/scenes that he's portrayed that don't seem too 'Christian'. One of my favorite Denzel movies was Malcolm X, but I thoroughly enjoyed Training Day too.
It's very easy for Christians to be boxed in to the gospel section of the bookstore. Held to a higher standard and criticized whenever we step outside of the 100% walk of our mentor and role model Jesus Christ.


As a writer, I've faced a lot of the same criticisms. But in the end, I know that we all must answer for the work that we do. For they shall surely follow you. But in the bigger picture, away from the screen, Denzel has handled himself very admirably. He's a money making black man in Hollywood that's married to a black woman. He gets a lot of cred in the black community for that.
So now his latest endeavour brings more attention to the Book, which is always a good thing. I believe the Word of God is the lamp for our lives. It's not something that was meant to be read only on Sunday morning during devotion or the sermon. God has always meant for us to meditate on His Word daily.


Of course, a lot of people start arguing over exactly which book is God's Word. There's a lot of faith's that claim their texts to be 'sacred'. But there is One that stands apart above the fray, the most read, most fought over, most disputed, most discussed, most debated book of all time, the Holy Bible.


Despite what some may think, King James of Scotland did not write it. He just commmissioned an English translation of it, that has stood out to be the most popular. But the original texts were written in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek, and in these original autographs there is no error. I truly believe the Bible is God breathed and when you get into the history of the transmission of the Book, and how it has withstood centuries of translations, I stand by the prophet Isaiah's notes of God's dictation..


"So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." - Isaiah 55:11


I know everyone doesn't recognize the Bible as God's Word. Some scoff at it. Some try to completely ignore it. What's even worse is the one's who claim to represent the Word, but yet they never study it and their lives are lived in ways completely contrary to the Word.


There is no such thing as a Book of Eli in the Bible. Eli was actually a prophet/priest/judge in the Bible. He trained the prophet Samuel. And you will see a lot more about Eli and his role in God's plan starting in the 1st book of Samuel. The thing about Eli that stood out to me, was that although he was an upright and righteous man, he had 2 sons who were 'throwed off'. They were corrupt judges and priests, not a good look for those who are supposed to be representing the Blood.


What's even more interesting, is when you see how God handled not only Eli's throwed off sons, but how he held Eli accountable also:


12 In that day I will perform against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them. - I Samuel 3:12-13


Obviously, those who are claiming the covering of the Blood are held to a higher standard. If you know better, you're supposed to do better.


As a parent, it makes me more attentive to my duties of raising my children. I believe you can abuse children by being too strict, I also believe you can cripple children by being too lenient. It sets them up for failure, because they're not prepared to deal with the hard truths of the real world and the real Word. These deficiencies usually manifest once parents are not longer able to shield them from these realities.


My father always says that proper parenting is a very thin line. You can be too strict and you can be too easygoing and each child requires a different level of guidance. It's one of those things that will make you learn all you can from the Book and the stories within. We can learn from all the players in the Book, not just our role model Christ, even the one's who made mistakes like Eli.



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