Posted in bible reading, Bible teaching, daily devotion, devotional, discipleship, Faith Journey, Inspiration, motivation, spiritual journey, tagged discernment, good news, sheep and wolves, Shibboleth, Shibboleth Test, the Onion, WWII on January 12, 2016|
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Story of the Day for Tuesday January 12, 2016
The Shibboleth Test
The men of Gilead would ask, “Are you from Ephraim?” If he replied, “No,” they responded, “All right, then, say ‘Shibboleth’.”
Judges 12:5-6
In the 1930s, F. C. Brown found an English translation of traffic instructions in a Japanese police station. Among other things, it warned:
“When a passenger of the foot hove in view, tootle the horn; trumpet at him melodiously at first, but if he still obstacles your passage tootle him with vigor.”
“Beware of the wandering hourse that he shall not take fright as you pass him by. Do not explode the exhause box at him.”
“Go soothingly on the grease road as there lurks the skid demon.”
These traffic instructions have an eloquent charm about them, but we immediately recognize it as the work of someone who learned English as a second language.
We can spot foreigners by how they speak, but also by how they think and act. When U.S. pilots were shot down in France during World War II, German soldiers were trained to spot them by looking for men who whistled and walked with their hands in their pockets. Americans didn’t see that these traits made them stand out as foreigners.
The Onion is billed as “America’s Finest News Source,” and appears to be a legitimate on-line news agency. But as soon as you scan their news stories you realize they’re all spoofs.
In May of 2002, the Onion ran a story about Congress threatening to move out of Washington D.C. unless they got a new capitol. Instead of a “drafty old building” they proposed a new building with a retractable dome and were prepared to move to Memphis or Charlotte, North Carolina, unless their demands were met.
China’s Beijing Evening News, which reaches an audience of a million people, picked up the story and reported it as serious news.
In the Bible, the tribe of Ephraim got into a squabble with Jephthah and the men of Gilead. As Ephraimites crossed the ford of the Jordan River, they were approached by men from Gilead. How could the men of Gilead know whether they were enemy soldiers? They had a simple test: “Say ‘Shibboleth’.” The Ephraimites couldn’t pronounce the first syllable like a native, and would say “sibboleth.”
Jesus warned that the flock of believers would be infiltrated by wolves dressed in sheep’s clothing. Since then, there has been no end of hucksters and false teachers posing as true Christians.
How do you tell the difference? Look for the foreign accent: the sappy, phony grin, the self-serving prophecies, behavior that doesn’t reflect a message drenched with grace.
We shouldn’t be surprised if outsiders to the faith can’t distinguish sincere believers from counterfeits. They lump us all in the same pile. We’re all foreigners to them.
But we shouldn’t make the same mistake. The Good News is our “Shibboleth Test.”
(copyright 2012 by climbinghigher.org and by Marty Kaarre)
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