Posted by Steven Benjamin on November 3, 2009, 12:40 pm, in reply to "Re: Sabbath Greetings"
October 30th, 2009
The Shofar Sounded a bit ago. You wont read about this on Sabbath, at least it wont be THIS Sabbath, nor will I post it in person of by proxy to another. But I will post it.
I have had several encounters in the past 2 weeks with trespass violation on my land in the middle of the night, once being aroused from my sleep to the sound of a loud Bang against my trailer, my dogs going off and the sound of an undiscernable or unknown male voice yelling threats into my home after midnite on Sabbath a couple weeks ago.
As such, my schedule has been off a bit with my trips to town, as they are budgeted in advance.
Today found me unexpectedly in town, and I saw the nasty post placed on the Discussion Board.
I was told not to reply, nor to place any greeting this week while online today. I did as told in the Spirit.
When I left I went to see a friend, and stayed for an hour or so. As I began to leave, she called me back in, one of her friends had been moved of the Spirit to pass along a Bible verse to me from Proverbs.
At the top of the note which had been waiting ‘til my visitation, was a question…”When is LESS BETTER THAN MORE?”
She used a different version of the Bible than I use, and while I don’t have the note now, I recall the passage, is Proverbs 15:16. “Better is Little with the fear of the Lord THAN GREAT TREASURE and Trouble therewith.”
Somehow, that seems in this moment, in reflection to this afternoons finding of that abusive post, overwhelmingly appropriate.
I had intended this week to continue with the Bible studies in Exodus, and we will, but I have been distracted by several troubling encounters with uninvited visitors in the wee hours of the morning or the middle of the night. And I have spent much of my time this week foraging, not of necessity in any immediate terms, but in the long term…learning to live off the land, in face of the events to come.
I cropped some Wild rice, had some for supper tonight by the way, as well some wild onions, prickly lettuce and found some other wild edibles.
It has rained a lot lately. And I must confess I welcomed the clear afternoon sky today, and the cloudless sunset. In my quest to understand some of these visions I have, and in my quest to prepare, I found myself reaching out to an Apache Indian scout a few years ago. I honestly believe one of these visitors may have been him, as a trail had been clearly left the following morning, and as well a calling card which suggested it may have been him. I followed the trail, discovering obvious markers, and at each…a wild food source. IT was as if he was guiding me. I know by the calling card, A HUMAN had definitely been there, and had left such with intent. I don’t know with any true certainty, well, maybe, but I can’t say that I have actually seen him, only that I know a Human was there by the calling card left behind, and I hope it was him. The thought that it was, is certainly comforting, though I am sure on at least 3 occasions it was not him, though he may have been watching, and that is comforting. On 2 occasions, I was dressed in night gear and waiting, both times 2 people came, and both times I startled them, both times one of them broke into a neighbors empty trailer to get away from me and the dogs. Both times I found the door which I heard them break into, hanging open the next morning.
So, I find myself at times, hoping at least one of these visitations, at least 5 in the last two weeks, is from that of an ally, a watchful eye, guarding my back. I can say with certainty, it was not a raccoon yelling expletives and threats into my home in the middle of the night two weeks ago. Nor was it my imagination to 2 other accounts in which I witnessed 2 intruders on both occasions stalking my yard in the middle of the night, nor one on each breaking into the empty home next door.
I borrowed a gun this week, and I hope the last occasion was the end of it. But if not, well, I am as prepared as I can be. Last week, about the final occaision so far, I was 20 feet from one of them as the two were trying to sneak closer to the land. I could make out only the silhouette, and they did not know I was waiting for them. This would be the 2nd occasion I would startle them. The first by the sight of me in night gear…”Ninja’d Out” and this time, they simply did not see me, but I saw one of them clearly.
I had set several snare alarms around the perimeter of the property in the woodlines and such. Set at least one snare running to small logs hanging some 12 to 14 feet in the air from a nearby tree. Not big enough logs to seriously injure someone, but enough to induce a scare, and perhaps cause a good yelp.
I knew they would be back, and I was waiting. And I picked up a rock, threw it the 20 feet or so on the other side of the wire fence that separated us.
Then I spoke loudly…”Ten Feet to the Left…You Know, that was a rock, it could have easily been my arrow. Keep messing around…” And they froze, the other some 80 feet to the left, a couple minutes or so later set off one of the snare alarms, then went across another fence at the back edge of the property and then ran, as the dogs broke into the scene as well, and know where the hole in the fence to the other property is. I called the dogs back onto my land and could hear as The other intruder broke into the neighbors empty home. The 2nd time in 8days at that time such had occurred.
I don’t know who they were, kids playing a prank…thieves…but I rule out nothing, including human elements of the beast agencies of this world, and whomever they are, they had better come correct.
Such is a bit un-nerving. But while they startled me the first night, my visions, my instruction in the Spirit led me so that on two occasions following, it was I who startled them.
So, concentrating this week, on things such as daily bible studies, and composing posts of the same, well, has been somewhat beyond my level of tranquility to achieve. But I did find tranquility in hiking, foraging and made some video documentary to the same.
And so as I observed the setting sun today, I was overwhelmed with peace in my soul. I recounted how that time, the time on Friday just at sunset is my favorite throughout all of the week. As such signifies the arrival of the safehaven of rest that is Sabbath. That Safehaven which has sheltered me so many times prior from the rat race of this world. IT was a beautiful Sunset.
As I watched the final minutes of light, the sun already out of view, I thought to earlier years when I observed the actual orb lowering in the sky by Naval standards and timelines to be sunset. Such reveals my mindset in the timeframe concerning Sabbath in those days. My concern was more to myself, that I not displease God, “Better Early than Late.” And that was just fine, especially where I was at. Now, I wait, and that orb of Fire, we call THE SUN, is long out of view before I sound the shofar. I think about the attitude of tolerance to which God extends to the wicked to change their ways, giving them so much time and opportunity, extending to them to the very last moment to change before Judgement must finally be executed. And so such reveals my heart in these days, to my ministry, and to “THE HOPE”, that very last minute, that NONE SHOULD PERISH in my waiting.
And then there is that light, that white, pure light, no longer yellow, nor orange as that orb casts it’s light to other parts of this exposed globe slowly turning likewise into even, into Sabbath, and with hopes for those there…into rest.
I recount the Shofar, sometimes it sounds, and it seems a mighty alarm, a WARNING! Other times, it seems a call to repentance. Sometimes it sounds, and thunders crisply through the evening air like a BATTLE CRY! Still others, it is the sound of Jubilee, the joyfull arrival of an event so long anticipated and the return to Grace.
I am finally told in the Spirit why I was told not to post earlier today. There is a silence in those last moments of the setting sun on Friday. I was told to tell you my absence this week would seem to some of you overwhelmingly silent, and the parallel is to the same as I hear it on the setting sun approaching each Sabbath. That overwhelming moment of silence when each sound in the distance is exactly that, and where it should be…distant from myself. I am home, my labors ended, I am at rest in my soul in the very anticipation of the next moments heralding the arrival of yet another Sabbath, another day of rest.
I smile, and I don’t smile so much anymore, but in that time, each week, my cares fade.
I think of you, and I hope yours fade likewise, that next Sabbath, you can see that light, not quite day, yet not quite night, just pure white as a cottonlike halo around each silhouette of the horizon, with perhaps only the slightest tinge of yellow, discernable with only the eye of an artist, trained to see color where others do not. And the same white, gradiently hazing upwards into blues, one darker than the next into the ceiling that is…the approaching evening sky, that is Sabbath. I pray you too hear that silence, for a moment, as if the whole universe is not sighing for you, but with you, in unison, in harmony, praising God that you have found rest, if only for an instant, if only for this week, if only for a day, if only for…another Sabbath.
THE SHOFAR PIERCES THE EVENING SKY!
And to the next…may you long for it as do I, may you seek it, and on the next setting sun of the final day of the upcoming week approaches…may you find it, and in such find yourself at rest, may you then find…a Happy Sabbath.
Steven Benjamin
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