Many of you, no doubt, will remember March 1980, when a series of volcanic explosions began at Mount St. Helens in Washington. This has often been declared the most disastrous volcanic eruption in U.S. history. An eruption column rose 80,000 feet into the air and deposited ash in 11 states. Hundreds of square miles were reduced to wasteland, leaving agricultural crops destroyed and killing over 1,500 elk, 5,000 deer, and an estimated 12 million salmon.
57 people were killed – among them was innkeeper Harry R. Truman. Truman rose to fame as a folk hero in the weeks leading up to the eruption after refusing to leave his home despite multiple evacuation orders. Truman was famous for his antics, once even getting a forest ranger drunk so he could burn a pile of brush. He poached, stole gravel from the forest service and fished on America Indian land with a fake game wardens badge.
Unfortunately, Truman showed little concern over the potential eruption. His comments were telling: “This area is heavily timbered, Spirit Lake is in-between me and the mountain, and the mountain is a mile away. The mountain ain’t gonna hurt me.” Famous last words!
State officials ordered an evacuation (again) of the area and attempted one final time to persuade Truman to leave his home – all to no avail. The next morning at 8:32 Mount St. Helens blew -Truman and his 16 cats died of heat shock in less than a second – too quickly to even register pain. They were buried under 150 ft of volcanic debris. Poor Truman – he was warned. Friends tried to save him but he just wouldn’t listen.
Years ago, I had a book that I could never remember the title of. I just called it “The Bloody Hands Book.” Basically, it was about the dialogue God had with Ezekiel when he was called to be a “watchman” to his countrymen. Great responsibility is tied to this calling. Here’s what God told him: “When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.”
This was the job of the watchman – one of constant vigil and warning. It was not a popular message then and certainly not a popular message now! But the church is not a religious social club – there are people outside the building who need God, and we can never forget that we are responsible for others. Our modern challenge is to take the time from other activities and do the call of a watchman.
The late great Reinhard Bonnke once remarked: “God always works with workers and moves with movers, but He does not sit with sitters!” Amen to that. About 2500 years ago the Greek Historian, Herodotus, gave our postmen their famous motto, adapted from the wars between the Greeks & Persians, whereby the Persians used a system of mounted couriers. “Neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail, shall keep the “postmen” from their appointed rounds.” I think that would make a terrific motto for us – as todays watchmen!
The Apostle Paul made a gripping comment in Acts 20, just before he was martyred.“I declare today that I have been faithful. If anyone suffers eternal death, I am innocent of the blood of all men.” He had stood his post as a watchman for his generation to the very end. This is the one and same man who also testified that he was called to “open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.”
George Whitefield (1714-1770) who, in his thirty-four years of ministry, preached eighteen thousand sermons and was heard by as many as ten million people said this: “God forbid that I should travel with anybody a quarter of an hour without speaking of Christ to them.” Now that is a watchman! Selah!!
Bob and Susan Beckett pastor The Dwelling Place City Church at 27100 Girard Street in Hemet, CA. For more information, you may contact them at DPCitychurch.org
