Timshel

We have choices.  Everyday we face the struggle of what we should do, what we want to do, and what we actually end up doing.  The question always haunts us.  Can we?  Will we?

“And you have your choices
And these are what make man great
His ladder to the stars”

Mumford and Sons in another one of those bands of whom I am convinced has a deep connection to the muse that is the Holy Spirit when it comes to writing lyrics and melodies.  This song, “Timshel” is haunting and full in a way that few songs are (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kl-VCHzS1So).  That is all.  Any more words from me about the song can only diminish its magnificence.

As we move into Holy Week, we recognize the path that seems unavoidable, the path of Christ’s sacrifice.  But as we consider the series of events that are slowly approaching, we have to remember two things about Jesus; He is God, but while He was on the earth, He was a man.  Because of His willingness to come into the world and be like us, He was faced with the same temptations, the same choices that we all have every day.

Christ’s choices and the potential they represent go all the way back to the very beginning of creation and the first men who walked the earth.

The word “Timshel” is a reference to John Steinbeck’s “East of Eden”. This is one of my favorite books for many reasons, but the exchange between Lee, Adam and Samuel about the Hebrew word “Timshel” is one of my favorite revelations in all of literature.  I won’t spoil it for you, but just as I believe Marcus Mumford and his crew are in touch with the Holy Spirit’s gift of music, Steinbeck certainly got this one right.  We are the choices we make.  And they can make us triumphant.

“And I will tell the night
Whisper, "Lose your sight"
But I can't move the mountains for you”

The focus in this part of the book is about the conversation between God and Cain.   Cain has expressed frustration, is crestfallen over God’s favor for Able’s gifts of sacrifice.  God tells Cain:

“If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” (Genesis 4:7)

And when given the choice, what does Cain do?  In the next verse, he invites Able out into the field.  And we know what happens then.

God cannot force or command us to choose the right path.  He does not even guarantee that we have the fundamental ability to make good choices at all times.  He gives us the right to choose.  He says to us “…thou mayest.”  He won't move the mountains for us.  We might do it, we might not.  But the choice is our own and when made, especially when the choice keeps us closer to the path moving ever towards Him, it is all the more valuable.  When we work for something, when we make the conscious decision to do what is right, to do the hard thing as opposed to the easy…the wrong…we are triumphant over evil.  God allows us to be the one who reaps the reward, both emotionally and spiritually, of our good choices.

Cain, a son in early scripture, makes one choice.  He chooses a death and a sacrifice of his brother that ended in damnation. Jesus, another son, also chooses death.  But His choice is death as a sacrifice of Himself.  His choice ended in salvation.  But not for Him.  His choice resulted in salvation for you, for me, for all of us.

So today, what choice will you make?  To put it bluntly, will you choose a path towards death or a path towards life?  The choice of life is its own reward and will be your own triumph.  The choice is always and eternally ours.  But thankfully, graciously, mercifully, even if we choose the path that leads away, Jesus Christ has negated it for all eternity.  Even though you might, He will.