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59. Rules of Engagement

10th October 2007 by Arthur Eedle

Way back in August I was pleased to be able to share Paul Fox’s essays with a wider readership. His subject wasFreewill and God’s Sovereignty.  Since then we have been thinking along similar lines, and in this number I should like to present the substance of what my son-in-law Andrew shared with us during a time of fellowship recently. I have entitled it Rules of Engagement, and it may bring to mind a film of that title, in which an American Operations Commander was Court Marshalled for apparently disobeying the rules of engagement laid down by the Military. The point of the film was to show that he in fact didn’t disobey, but was set up by higher powers that were, unknown to him, working against his better interests.

During our time of fellowship, Andrew said that it was his belief that God had limited Himself in respect to the on-going history of world conflict between Satan and Himself, in order that the enemy’s schemes would also be limited, and he would thus be prevented from carrying out wholesale destruction. This immediately presented the thought of a Cosmic Chess Game to our minds. We saw the chess men as human beings and angels, with God as the Commander of the White Men and Satan as the Commander of the Black Men. We appreciated the limitations of the parable, but nevertheless recognised the value of using it to help us understand some of the perplexities of life.  Maybe Mr Spock’s three-dimensional chess board in Star Trek would be better suited to our purposes, but we couldn’t get our minds round the complexities of his game, so we decided to limit ourselves to the conventional two-dimensional board.

As Paul Fox declared, God has granted mankind (and the angels) the blessing of freewill. However, this blessing was seen to be used negatively by Adam and Eve right at the start of world history. Some may argue against the wisdom of God’s allowing freewill to operate, but a few moments of careful thought leads to the conclusion that any other method of creating sentient beings “in the image of God” would be impossible. Freewill, perhaps the greatest of all God’s gifts to men and angels, is the sole cause of the setting up of the Cosmic Chess Game.

However, as Paul Fox concluded, the sovereignty of God is over and above all things, and Satan will finally have to learn that he cannot win the Chess Game. He may propose, but at every turn he sees that God disposes. Man may cry to God for deliverance, for healing, for sustenance, for financial stability, and wonder why it is not always forthcoming. He may even turn away from God because his cries are not answered, and some have cursed God’s name as a result. But they fail to appreciate the limitations God has placed upon Himself, in order to comply with theRules of Engagement. Some may then say, “I thought God was almighty, and able to do anything. Why doesn’t He hear our cries and rescue His people from the grips of the enemy and the vicissitudes of life?”  But there was Onewho, in Gethsemane some 2,000 years ago, pleaded with His Father for such rescue, and it was not granted. Should not this one single historical fact help us to understand what the Chess Game is all about?

Is it not the absolute majesty of God that shines through history, showing that although He has limited Himself to the Rules of Engagement, He is able to turn the Game continually to His own advantage, and the ultimate achievement of His over-arching purpose for both man and the angels?  Are we to believe that if we are left to die of cancer, or killed in a car crash, or spend our lives in some form of misery without very much alleviation, that God has no care for us?  Are we not rather to say, with Job of old, “even if He should slay me, yet I will trust Him”?  (Job 13:15)

It is so easy to live in the belief that everything is going to fold up, and the world will be destroyed by evil men, and God is for some reason not in charge. But we are always looking at things from a very limited perspective. If we could rise above our surroundings and witness the Chess Game from this higher vantage point, we should be able to seebeyond the confines of our lowly position in time and space. But this is not given to us, and for many it creates a perplexity of mind that seems overwhelming. That is why we have felt the necessity of writing this article, in the hope that it might clarify our minds, and enable us to go through life, accepting its limitations, its dangers, and its agonies, and have the courage to believe that God has His purpose in it all, and is always in charge.

If God has chosen this way of achieving His purposes for mankind and the angels, and at the same time expresses Himself as a loving, caring, compassionate God, then we simply have to believe that in the days ahead, beyond the grave, He will make up to us for all the things that we suffer. It is our belief and understanding that the greatness of God’s character is thereby manifested throughout the written pages of Scripture, and that we can understand why He has limited Himself in this way. If our desperate cries for help seem to get lost in space and never answered, it is not because they are not heard. There will be a day when tears will be wiped from all faces, as the glory of God is revealed to all creation, and the Chess Game understood, with all its wisdom and magnificence.

I am reminded of a strange vision the Lord gave me on 14th January 1972. Before me was a marble floor with black and white squares, each about ten feet across.  On some of these squares reposed huge chessmen, now few in number because the game was far advanced.  By comparison my own size was that of a tin soldier. Then I saw a hand reach out and take a white pawn and move it forward one place, which was the far side of the “board”.  A voice said, “Give me back my Queen!” And as I watched, the pawn was replaced by the white Queen, and I heard a chorus of voices crying out with excitement, saying, “Praise God, our Mother has returned!”

On reconsidering this vision in the light of our recent discussions, we see the way in which God takes His little pawns, so insignificant and limited, to achieve great things for the Master when lives of trust and obedience are concerned. It brings to mind Tolkein’s Lord of the Rings where Frodo was asked to achieve a momentous task and against all the odds and with all the limitations of a mere little hobbit finally, but with help, was the pawn that accomplished the final battle. If we appreciate, that as God’s children, we are part of a similar cosmic battle, then the Chess Game has reason and wisdom.

“Jesus spoke a parable to illustrate the constant need for prayer without giving up. There was in a certain city a godless judge who held all in contempt. A widow of the city came constantly to appeal against a man who had harmed her. The judge ignored her for a while, but eventually she got on his nerves. He said, ‘I fear neither God nor man, but this woman bothers me. I’ll avenge her to stop her irritating me by her persistence.’  The Lord said, ‘If an evil judge can be worn down by such persistence, shall not God most certainly bring vindication to His people who cry to Him day and night?  Yes, I tell you that He will vindicate them speedily. But the question is, when the Son of Man returns, will He find faith on the earth?”  (Luke 18:1-8)

“Vengeance is mine, says the Lord. I will repay.”  (Romans 12:19)  That is a promise, even if we do not see it in action very often during our lives. There will come a time when all wrongs will be called into question by the Great Judge, and justice will be done. Furthermore, God’s judgments will be seen to be restorative rather than merely punitive, as the sheer majesty of God’s lovingkindness is displayed to all the world.

This world’s judicial system may seem to be like Chancery in Dickens’ “Bleak House,” a mockery of the very word ‘Justice’. But God may be relied upon to execute total, fair, and unquestionable justice. Are we near to the “Great and dreadful day of God’s judgment”?

Filed Under: The Wellspring

About Arthur Eedle

Arthur was born in 1931, and became a Christian in 1948. At London University he gained a 2nd honours degree in Physics. He went on to get a Teaching Diploma, and throughout his career life taught physics in England, Kenya, and Hong Kong. Coupled with his love of science, he was a keen student of Greek and Hebrew, and gave many lectures on Biblical subjects. Read more

The Wellspring

1. God’s Megaphone

1st September 2001 By Arthur Eedle

2. Suicide

1st October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

3. Petra

12th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

4. Two different Gods?

20th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

5. I AM

23rd October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

6. “Not I but Christ”

25th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

7. How I Love Your Law!

27th October 2001 By Arthur Eedle

8. The Jewish Problem

2nd November 2001 By Arthur Eedle

9. The Evaluation of Coincidence

15th November 2001 By Arthur Eedle

10. Gracious Uncertainty

30th April 2002 By Arthur Eedle

11. Jasper & Sardius

8th May 2002 By Arthur Eedle

12. Antithesis

19th May 2002 By Arthur Eedle

12a. The Essential Role of Free Will in Universal Reconciliation

17th June 2002 By Arthur Eedle

13. The Importance of Earnest

10th August 2002 By Arthur Eedle

14. The Millennium

14th August 2002 By Arthur Eedle

15. Cancer – A Personal Testimony

17th December 2002 By Arthur Eedle

16. C.S.Lewis on the New Year

1st January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

17. Yesterday, Today & Tomorrow

5th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

18. Repetitive Strain Injury (RSI)

12th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

19. “The Intolerable Compliment”

12th January 2003 By Arthur Eedle

20. The Power and Practice of the Truth

22nd February 2003 By Arthur Eedle

21. The Power and Practice of the Lie

1st March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

22. The Use and Abuse of Power

8th March 2003 By Arthur Eedle

23. What on earth is happening?

29th July 2003 By Arthur Eedle

23a. A reply to “What on earth is happening?”

4th August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

24. Equality

17th August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

25. Paul to the “Ephesians”

31st August 2003 By Arthur Eedle

26. Mystery

3rd September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

27. Ephesians 1:15-23

10th September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

28. Ephesians 2:1-10

27th September 2003 By Arthur Eedle

29. Ephesians 2:11-22

6th October 2003 By Arthur Eedle

30. Cain and Abel

19th January 2004 By Arthur Eedle

31. Laying the Foundation of the Lord’s House

1st February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

32. Tomorrow’s Bread

22nd February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

33. Grace Parables

27th February 2004 By Arthur Eedle

34. The Responsibility Factor

5th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35a. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 1

13th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

35b. Our Wilderness Journey. Part 2

14th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

36. Genetic Modification in the Bible

20th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

37. Arthur’s Testimony

28th March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

38. Identified with Christ

31st March 2004 By Arthur Eedle

39. It Would Have Been Better…

6th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

40a. Friday’s Man was nailed upon a Cross

9th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

40b. Sunday’s Man was nowhere to be found

11th April 2004 By Arthur Eedle

41. Jeremiah’s Cryptogram

11th May 2004 By Arthur Eedle

43. The Gospel of Humanism

14th August 2004 By Arthur Eedle

44. Cosmetic Christianity

5th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

45. EXPERIENCE versus KNOWLEDGE

6th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

46. “Just a wearyin’ for you”

13th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

47. Islam by ex-Muslims

24th September 2004 By Arthur Eedle

48. Six Particular Men

9th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

49. Ten “Everlasting” wonders in Isaiah

13th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50a. Missing the Mark. Part 1

18th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

50b. Missing the Mark. Part 2

21st April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

51. The Mark of the Beast

29th April 2006 By Arthur Eedle

52. Irreducible Complexity

2nd May 2006 By Arthur Eedle

53. No historical Jesus?

4th July 2006 By Arthur Eedle

54. The Power of God’s Spoken Word

17th March 2007 By Arthur Eedle

55. God’s chosen fast

19th April 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56a. Resurrection and the Change – Part 1

1st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56b. Resurrection and the Change – Part 2

7th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56c. Resurrection and the Change – Part 3

10th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56d. Resurrection and the Change – Part 4

12th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56e. Resurrection and the Change – Part 5

13th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56f. Resurrection and the Change – Part 6

14th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56g. Resurrection and the Change – Part 7

15th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56h. Resurrection and the Change – Part 8

16th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56i. Resurrection and the Change – Part 9

17th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56j. Resurrection and the Change – Part 10

18th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56k. Resurrection and the Change – Part 11

21st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56l. Resurrection and the Change – Part 12

22nd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56m. Resurrection and the Change – Part 13

23rd May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56n. Resurrection and the Change – Part 14

24th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56o. Resurrection and the Change – Part 15

25th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

56p. Resurrection and the Change – Part 16

27th May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57a. Before He Comes – Part 1

31st May 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57b. Before He Comes – Part 2

8th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57c. Before He Comes – Part 3

10th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57d. Before He Comes – Part 4

11th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57e. Before He Comes – Part 5

12th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57f. Before He Comes – Part 6

13th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57g. Before He Comes – Part 7

14th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57h. Before He Comes – Part 8

18th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57i. Before He Comes – Part 9

19th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57j. Before He Comes – Part 10

24th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57k. Before He Comes – Part 11

29th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57l. Before He Comes – Part 12

30th June 2007 By Arthur Eedle

57m. Before He Comes – Part 13

3rd July 2007 By Arthur Eedle

58. Free Will Versus God’s Sovereignty

28th August 2007 By Arthur Eedle

59. Rules of Engagement

10th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

60. Cameo. Part 1

15th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

61. Cameo. Part 2

18th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

62. Cameo. Part 3

26th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

63. Cameo. Part 4

28th October 2007 By Arthur Eedle

64. In His Hands

1st November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

65. The Starlings

5th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

66. “Dead Truth”

13th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

67. “Dead Sin”

18th November 2007 By Arthur Eedle

68. “Dead Faith” and “Dead Works”

2nd December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

69. “Dead Worship”

18th December 2007 By Arthur Eedle

70. A Pseudo-Bunyan Author

19th March 2008 By Arthur Eedle

Article Series

  • All our Yesterdays (30)
  • Before He comes (13)
  • God's Spoken Word (37)
  • Mysteries of Science & Faith (8)
  • New Series (101)
  • Newsletter (2)
  • Original Series (109)
  • Prophecy considerations (5)
  • Recognising the Hand of Judgment (33)
  • Resurrection and Change (16)
  • Seekers Corner (14)
  • Simple Statements on Serious Subjects (6)
  • The City of God (18)
  • The Millennial Octave (23)
  • The Restitution Times (22)
  • The Song of Solomon (6)
  • The Standard (19)
  • The Wayside Pulpit (107)
  • The Wayside Pulpit 2015 (96)
  • The Wellspring (101)
  • The Wellspring 2017 (55)

Index of Topics

Arthur & Rosalind Eedle's Personal Testimonies Discipleship Expository Items Good and Evil Human Pre-Existance Jane Leade. Philadelphian Numerology in the Bible Quotations from other Authors Resurrection and the Change Ron Wyatt. Archaeology Science Topics The Kingdom of God the Millennium and the Return of Christ The Sabbath Day Universal Reconcilliation

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