Soldier Priest

While sitting in class the other day with the 'after lunch heavy set eyes' taking over me, My mind was captured by an argument posed by my Old Testament professor. He was discussing the fall and the role of Adam and Eve. Through a series of connections with Hebrew verbs he presented the argument that Adam was to be a soldier-priest. One who would protect the garden while living in communion with God. To close the argument the professor made the claim that Adam's true failure was not that he followed his wife by eating of the tree, but his true failure was allowing the serpent in the garden to get to his wife. It will still take me some time to processes this theologically, but there is a pearl of great truth in the idea of Adam protecting the garden and his wife.


Walking outside the other day to go to church I heard a commotion from the downstairs apartments. 3 young ladies and one guy were standing on the sidewalk pointing back at the door of their apartment. I asked them if everything was ok. They responded that there was a snake half way into their apartment. I came down the stairs to find the snake wrapped around the door handle hanging into their apartment. I told the lady to go get a broom and I would get rid of the snake. The Lady handed me the broom and I quickly brushed the snake out of the apartment and into the bushes outside. Yes!!! Let the crowds applaud. I had saved the day. Later that evening my wife and I were heading up the stairs to our apartment when we spotted the same snake blocking our path up the stairs so we took a small detour up the other staircase on the back side of the apartment. I ran inside and got a bucket and a broom, my favorite two snake defense weapons, within minutes the snake was back in the bushes with its ego bruised and me taunting it from a ways off. Once again, let the confetti fall I had saved the day.

After going back inside the story and argument my professor had made a few days prior rung in my head. Did I protect my house from the serpent? Sure I removed a small snake from the stairs, but all I did was sweep it into the bushes and went on with my day. I ask the question of us men, is this the current spiritual situation for our homes?  The serpent is lurking outside waiting to destroy and we sweep it into the bushes and think out of sight, out of mind.  Now I am not advocating killing all the snakes you see around your home but from the perspective of sin, are we putting it to death by the power of the Holy spirit or are we sweeping it into the bushes?  I still walk down the stairs today looking for that snake and start thinking, what happens if it comes back and my wife is alone, or I don’t see it and it gets me?  I would be a lot better off knowing its gone completely and not lingering in the bushes, possibly waiting to strike.  My point: Men fight the good fight and don’t just dismiss the sin that surrounds us.  Mortify it, kill it, and make sure it has no place to creep back in or around our homes. Be the soldier-priest of your home and for your family.

Steve