An Ominous Sound

He’d been away a long time

They longed for his return

They waited and they waited

And in them impatience burned

He had been their shoulder

Their counselor and their friend

He had been their guide

Without him all this would end

He had gone up the Mount

At the insistence of their God

Not likely to return they thought

And spread this news abroad

No word was heard from him

For more than forty days

And the people decided

To do something about the delay

Since he had been gone

It appeared that God had gone too

So they communicated to Aaron

What they thought he should do

Make us a golden calf they said

So that we may have a God

For there is certainly none

Since Moses went abroad

Well Aaron in his weakness

Acceded to their demand

And as we all surely know

This was against God’s plan

Of course God was always aware

Of all that they were doing

And this he told to Moses

And insist that he be going

God was mighty angry

And thought to destroy them all

But because of his promise to Abraham

He wouldn’t make that call

  

And so Moses left the Mount

And later with Joshua connected

Who had journeyed part of the way

Since at the top he was not expected

Moses would hear from God

This was at God’s request

So while Joshua stopped midway

Moses went all the rest

While on their way to the camp

They heard a peculiar sound

To Joshua it was the noise of war

Moses felt he was wrong

It was not the sound of victory

Or the cry of the vanquished

Rather is was the noise of something

That neither of them would wish

It was the sound of idol worship

The sound of revelry

The people were eating and drinking

And playing immorally

They professed to worship the Lord

By means of the golden calf

God had given his word to them

But they chose a different path

This was the sound of rebellion

And many of the people died

It is God’s word we must obey

And not that which men decide

Stewart Russell © May 2018

Bitter or Better

Bitter or Better

So near yet so far

One letter differing

Rogue or star

One letter difference

An “I” or an “E”

A life of improvement

Or one of misery

It’s the “I” in self

Or the “E” in HE

The “HE” being God

And self being “ME”

No “I” in self

I hear you are argue

But that’s all there is

Like the “U” in you

Bitter or Better

Is it God or self?

It’s like the exchange

Wealth for Health

One letter difference

Not an illusion

But like the Word says

A strong delusion

And for a moment

It may seem to work

But what a difference

Between

A smile and a smirk!

“Better” is God

And “Bitter” is self

Obsession with wealth

Will cost your health

So continue with self

If you like the “Bitter”

Or turn to God

He is infinitely “Better”

Stewart Russell © October 2018

Famous Last Words

Last words can tell

Quite a lot about a man

How he lived his life

And his insurance plan

Could be about regrets

And sometimes hope

Or his final counsel

On how to cope

This poem will focus

On some famous last words,

Some are familiar

Some you may not have heard.

Some may not be last words

But indicate a trend

Giving us an idea

Of that person’s end

I will start in the Old Testament

Then go to the New

But what mine will be

I don’t have a clue.

Let’s begin with King Saul

His ring loud and clear

Perhaps beyond redemption

When his end did appear.

 “I have played the fool

I have erred exceedingly”

What devastating words

To leave as a legacy!

“Let me die with the Philistines”

Not a suicide note

But Samson in his last moments

Expressed this hope.

His prayer was answered

And the building came down,

Many Philistines died

Inside and around.

“Be strong

And show yourself a man

Walk with God

Follow his decrees and command”

The words of King David

To his son, Solomon

His successor as King

Over Israel’s kingdom.

Goliath was certain

This one was in the bag

And so much so

That he began to brag.

But he was deluded

As his end showed up,

A pebble in his forehead

Was his final cup.

These are the words

That he finally said

Just before that pebble

Stuck in his head.

“I’ll give your flesh

To the birds of the air

And the beasts of the field”

Then his life disappeared.

“May the Lord see this

And call you to account”

Zechariah to King Joash

As the Word recounts.

Just before his death

By order of the king,

Concerning Joash’s ingratitude

These words did ring.

“Who is this David

And who is this Jesse?”

And in ten days time

Nabal was as dead as can be.

He had adamantly refused

To help David’s men

When in his drunken state

He had not seen the problem.

“I stood over him and killed him”

Maybe part truth and lie

But for these words

The speaker did die.

The Amalekite was killed

After he spoke these words,

Concerning Saul’s death

David went by what he heard.

He never believed the prophet

So he went up to fight,

King Ahab didn’t want to accept

That the prophet was right.

Outfitted in a disguise

He felt this would be wise,

But by an unintended arrow

He met his demise.

Hence the following words

As the word of God recounted

“Get me out of the fighting

I have been wounded”

A wound unto death

A mortal wound,

Propped up in his chariot

He later succumbed.

As I had promised

From the Old to the New

So from the New Testament

I will just give a few.

As I did in the Old

I will start with Saul

But this Saul in the New

Was also named Paul.

  

 “I have fought a good fight

I have kept the faith”

Words full of hope

Of regret,  not a trace.

“Lord Jesus receive my spirit

Hold not this sin against them”

Assurance and forgiveness

In the dying words of Stephen.

When he had said this

He fell asleep,

Very similar to Jesus

So profound and so deep.

"Yes," she said,

“That is the price.”

It behooves us to remember

That lying is not nice.

In collusion with her mate

Sapphira lied

And just like her husband

She also died.

“It is finished”

The greatest are these

The dying words of Jesus

When seemingly under siege.

Some may have felt

These were words of defeat

But instead, they trumpeted

Mission Complete!

Mission Complete!

For all who trust in him

Mission Complete!

We are saved from sin.

Stewart Russell © April 2019

Absent from My Own Funeral

 

Permit me to be morbid

Just another time,

I need to share something

That is stamped on my mind.

I’ve been attending funerals

More than a few,

These were mostly persons

That I really knew.

In a few cases

Some were relatives of friends

But there were so many

I thought they wouldn’t end.

I have had a break

For the last three weeks

But concerning so many funerals

I trust there’s no repeat.

Sometimes three in one day

I just had to be there

To pay my respect,

I want to make that clear.

One day if Jesus should tarry

You will attend mine

But I will not be in attendance

Not at that time.

I have the Bible’s backing

It is found in God’s Word:

To be absent from the body

And to be present with the Lord.

And while I do not understand

All that this means,

When you come to my funeral

Do not expect me at the scene.

I would have long vacated

My temporary tent

That facilitated the time

That on this earth I spent.

  

This bivouac you see

And in which I now reside

One day will be buried

But not with me inside.

The real Stewart Russell

Would have been whisked away

To await his resurrection

On a divinely appointed day.

So if I go before you do

And that is very possible,

Remember that I told you

I will not be at my funeral.

If you believe God’s Word

You’d appreciate my stance,

Mine is a biblical reality

I am not in a trance.

Turn with me now

To 2 Corinthians 5 and verse 8

To be absent from the body

And to be present with the Lord.

The apostle Paul was confident

And so am I,

The born again believer

Will live again though he dies.

I will not be in attendance

I hope you can now see,

The real me would have left,

They will inter my body.

Stewart Russell © November 2018