Articles
About Rabbits, Goliaths, & Our Help
Dateline: Plains, Georgia, April 20th, 1979: That was the day President Jimmy Carter was attacked by a rabbit while on a fishing trip. The rabbit swam toward his boat, “hissing menacingly, its teeth flashing and nostrils flared.” President Carter was forced to swat at the vicious beast with a canoe paddle, which apparently scared it away.
Upon his return to the White House, Carter told his staff about the furry amphibian’s assault. Most of them refused to believe him, insisting that rabbits can’t swim (they can), and that even if they could (they can), they certainly wouldn’t attack humans, and certainly not presidents.
Fortunately, a White House photographer had been on the scene, and had recorded the bizarre attack. The photograph showed Carter with his paddle raised, warding off a small creature which might, or might not, have been a rabbit. One staffer was quoted as saying, “You couldn’t tell what it was.” Undaunted by their skepticism, Carter had the image enlarged, and there it was — a killer rabbit, apparently bent on assassinating the president.
White House Press Secretary, Jody Powell made a belated attempt to impress the public with the seriousness of the attack, calling the creature a “swamp rabbit”.
I’ve edited the above history lesson for space. You can read more of the story here :<http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/972968/posts>
I can’t tell from the picture exactly what kind of rabbit it was that “attacked” President Carter on that day, but it certainly does appear to be bigger than your ordinary, everyday, run of the mill, cottontail variety of bunny rabbit. Daddy used to tell my brother and me about the size of the “swamp rabbits” he’d once upon a time hunted and that evidently had been fairly common in western Craighead County. And, like 5¢ Pepsi Colas, he figured they were pretty much a thing of the past — that is until we jumped one while cutting firewood on a hot summer day. If you’ve never seen one of those overgrown critters, you ought to. Biggest rabbit I ever hope to see. It ran the other way, but, if it’d made a move in my direction, I might've (would've) felt the need to back up. A giant sized rabbit can cause you to forget, when all’s said and done, it’s still just another rabbit.
And in another time, in another place, in another circumstance, there were some other folks who also felt the need to back up.
“Now the Philistines gathered their armies together to battle...And a champion went out from the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, from Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span...And the Philistine said, ‘I defy the armies of Israel this day’...When Saul and all Israel heard these words of the Philistine, they were dismayed and greatly afraid.” (1 Samuel 17:1a, 4a, 10a, 11)
So, what would you do if you looked up and there was a nine and a half foot (six cubits and a span), fully armored, ready to do battle giant—a Goliath all your own—calling you out? You can’t back up. You can’t go around him. You can fight...or you can surrender. What would you do? Obviously, it’s not something any of us are going to spend too much time worrying about because we know it’s not going to happen. We don’t care about the question or its answer.
But, what would you do if there was a “nine and a half foot” temptation calling you out? What would you do with a “giant size” trial that was suddenly and unexpectedly there to challenge your faith? How about a fully armored, ready to do battle “prince of this world” standing before you promising you everything you desire if you’ll but give in to him? Would you be “dismayed and greatly afraid”? Would you fight...or would you surrender?
Walking by sight can be a risky venture when you’ve a “Goliath” of sorts in front of you that threatens you and your faith. When something’s in our way on the road to Heaven, if we’re not careful we can forget. We forget that we serve and depend upon the same God who created all that there is (Genesis 1:1, John 1:1-3); the same God who made a dry path through the Red Sea for His people (Exodus 14:21-22); the same God who caused the sun and moon to stand still (Joshua 10:1-15); the same God who closed the mouth of the lions (Daniel 6:19-22); the same God who’s healed the sick and raised the dead (Matthew 9:35, John 11:43-44); the same God who’s kept and will keep every single promise He’s ever made to His creation.(Psalm 89:34, 2 Peter 1:4) We forget that, whatever our own particular and personal “Goliath” may be, we’ve the same calm assurance that belonged to David when he said, “...for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17:47b)
I’ll always remember what Daddy said after seeing that swamp rabbit: “Well boys, that means there’s two more somewhere”. Isn’t that the way of the temptations, trials, and troubles—the “Goliaths”—we tackle in our lives. There’s always “two more somewhere”. Isn't there?
But, regardless of the number, strength, or size of our adversaries, God has promised us we needn’t have to deal with them alone. We’ve got His help and “If God is for us, who can be against us?...we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” (Romans 8:31b, 37b).
Don’t let whatever giant sized foe you’re facing cause you to forget that, when all’s said and done, it’s still just another battle that belongs to the Lord.
“Our help is in the name of the LORD, Who made heaven and earth." (Psalm 124:8)
Amen, anyone?
