One Thanksgiving Day, a single man with nowhere to celebrate the holiday was invited to eat with Debbie’s family. During the meal, the Holy Spirit spoke to him: This is the woman you are going to marry. Mark barely knew Debbie—they had never dated. The voice he heard stunned him, like a lightning bolt out of a clear blue sky. Did Mark immediately tell Debbie what he had heard? Or did he ask for her hand that evening? Of course not. Mark did not jump the gun.
Instead, he followed the customary protocol, saying to himself, Well, if I’m going to marry her, I guess I better start dating her. And he did. Today the two have been married almost thirty years.
Jump the Gun refers to a runner who begins a race before the starter pistol is fired. We call it a “false start.”
If someone says “Don’t jump the gun,” what they mean is don’t begin things in such a hurry that you make mistakes.
God promised to give Abraham the Promised Land, or what would become known as Israel. God repeated that promise five times, in Genesis chapters 12, 13, 15, 17, and 26. For years, Abraham lived in the Land of Canaan, land he knew God had promised to give to him and his descendants. But Abraham lived as nomad, a migrant who, though fantastically wealthy, actually owned no real estate of his own.
Then Sarah died. Suddenly Abraham needed a piece of land for a burial. What should he do? Should he attack the locals? He had proven that he had the men and the strength to win battles. But Abraham did not attack anyone.
Instead, he went to the locals, told them he needed to bury his wife, and paid the asking price. Abraham followed the local customs and protocol. Though God promised him the land around him as far as the eye could see, Abraham did not jump the gun.
Abraham first asked for a place to bury his dead. The locals answered that he was a prince among them, a great man, and they would give him any property he wanted. Abraham bowed down and asked for the Cave of Machpelah, currently owned by a man named Ephron—and Abraham insisted he would pay the full price.
Ephron then told Abraham “I will give you the cave and the field that surrounds it. Let me give it to you right now in front of these witnesses” Genesis 23:11.
Abraham insisted that he would pay for the field.
Ephron answered “My lord, listen to me. The land is worth 400 shekels of silver. But what is that between me and thee? Bury your dead” Genesis 23:15.
Ephron says take the field for free; why quibble about the price. But commentators say Ephron actually named a high price, probably double what the field and cave were worth, because as is customary even today, he expected Abraham to reply with a counteroffer of perhaps 100 shekels, and the two might then settle on 200 shekels. However, Abraham went off script when he took the “high-ball” offer.
“And Abraham hearkened unto Ephron, and Abraham weighed to Ephron the silver which he had named … four hundred shekels of silver … And after this, Abraham buried Sarah his wife in the cave of the field of Machpelah” Genesis 23:16,19.
Even when God has promised you something, you must follow the rules, the customs, the protocol. Or, to be more precise, you must follow the leading of the Holy Spirit—and in my opinion, the Holy Spirit will usually guide you to follow the customs and protocol of the world around you.
Just as there is a right tool for every job, so also there is a right way to approach every goal.
When God gives us a goal or destination, he will also give us a plan to get there. That plan will often mean following the commonly accepted path. For example, if God leads you into the law, that path will require law school and a passing score on the bar exam. If God leads you into medicine, that goal will require medical training and passing scores on various state licensing exams. If God calls you to preach, he will also call you to education, training, and ordination. There are customs, protocols, and proper ways to achieve goals.
Don’t look for shortcuts.
Put in the work.
AΩ.
Household Words: 