I. Introduction
We learned them as children. They are forever burned into our memory. However, just because we learned them doesn't mean we learned from them. Let's look at one of these fairytales we know so well and see if we can learn from it today.
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who lived in a village near the forest. Whenever she went out, the little girl wore a red riding cloak, so everyone in the village called her Little Red Riding Hood.
Little Red Hiding decides to go visit her grandmother. Mom prepares a basket and warns - "Remember, go straight to Grandma's house," her mother cautioned. "Don't dawdle along the way and please don't talk to strangers! The woods are dangerous."
But when Little Red Riding Hood noticed some lovely flowers in the woods, she forgot her promise to her mother. She picked a few, watched the butterflies flit about for awhile, listened to the frogs croaking and then picked a few more. Suddenly, the wolf appeared beside her.
"What are you doing out here, little girl?" the wolf asked in a voice as friendly as he could muster. "I'm on my way to see my Grandma who lives through the forest, near the brook," Little Red Riding Hood replied. Then she realized how late she was and quickly excused herself, rushing down the path to her Grandma's house. The wolf, in the meantime, took a shortcut... The wolf, a little out of breath from running, arrived at Grandma's and knocked lightly at the door. "Oh thank goodness dear! Come in, come in! I was worried sick that something had happened to you in the forest," said Grandma thinking that the knock was her granddaughter.
The wolf let himself in. Poor Granny did not have time to say another word, before the wolf gobbled her up! The wolf poked through Granny's wardrobe to find a nightgown that he liked. He added a frilly sleeping cap.
A few minutes later, Red Riding Hood knocked on the door. The wolf jumped into bed and pulled the covers over his nose. "Who is it?" he called in a cackly voice.
"Grandmother! Your voice sounds so odd. Is something the matter?" she asked.
"Oh, I just have touch of a cold," squeaked the wolf adding a cough at the end to prove the point. "But Grandmother! What big ears you have," said Little Red Riding Hood as she edged closer to the bed. The better to hear you with, my dear," replied the wolf. "But Grandmother! What big eyes you have," said Little Red Riding Hood. "The better to see you with, my dear," replied the wolf. "But Grandmother! What big teeth you have," said Little Red Riding Hood her voice quivering slightly. "The better to eat you with, my dear," roared the wolf and he leapt out of the bed and began to chase the little girl. And depending on version - He eats Red Riding Hood or a woodsmen comes to her and grandma's rescue and he deposes of the wolf.
Let me share the lessons quickly and then point you to the Biblical account that sounds much like this fairytale.
1. The straight path is the only safe path.
Notice that Red Riding Hood was instructed to go straight down the path. It was only as she detoured and was distracted that she put herself in danger.
How many of us would have stayed safe if we had stayed on path? How many of us would have avoided injury if we had remained on path? Isn't it true that our own disobedience leads us to distraction which we discover is deadly. He orders our steps, but we have to take them! He can show us a path but we have to be willing to stay on it! Your Word is a light unto my path but if I walk out of the light I also walk out of safety.
Even a small detour can be deadly. Stick as close as possible to the path. Don't see how far away you can get!
How far off The Path have you gone? Some of us are a long way from the path He told us to take. He said walk in holiness and we are wilding out. He said walk in generosity and we have detoured to stinginess! He said walk in kindness and we are walking in anger. He said walk in humility and now we are on a path of pride!
Some of us are taking wayward steps and it is time to take way steps.
Get back on path! Stay on path.
2. It is deadly to repeatedly ignore repeated warnings.
Red sees repeated warnings signs that something isn't right. Ignoring the voice, big ears, big eyes results in experiencing the big teeth. She had repeated warning but repeatedly ignored them.
Warning signs must be heeded. You don't suddenly become deceived. You don't suddenly find yourself destroyed. It is usually the result of repeated warnings being ignored.
I have to ask . . . how many of us are ignoring repeated warnings. Warnings from His Word that what you are doing will bring destruction. Then in conversations you hear the same thing. Then you see someone else doing what you are doing and they are destroyed. But we continue to ignore thinking that we are the exception to the rule! How many of us have been repeatedly warned to let go of bitterness? To get out of the toxic dating relationship? To follow His standards of holiness in relationship? To follow His way of handling finances? To guard our eyes and ears?
It is deadly to repeatedly ignore repeated warning signs. Believe the first warning sign! Exit on first glimpse of red flag. Get out on the voice and you won't have to worry about the teeth! Look at your neighbor and ask them . . . "Have you been warned?"
3. Destruction is always corporate!
Notice that Red's detour resulted in not only her demise but the demise of her grandmother. Her decision had implications and impact on someone else.
What we do always has corporate implications. If you ignore the warning signs, then the pain produced won't just be felt by you. No man is an island. The reason I want you to stay on the path isn't just so you won't experience pain, but also so that I won't have to feel your pain! We are connected. The idea that what I do doesn't impact anyone else is a lie from the wolf! We are a package deal. If you suffer, then I suffer. If you hurt, then I hurt.
Tell your neighbor I feel your pain! Live right so I won't have too. Choose right so I won't have to feel your pain. Act right so I won't have to feel your pain.
You say this is cute but this isn't Scripture. I beg to differ. The account of Red Riding Hood is in the Bible but Red is a he instead of a her. His name is Samson.
According to Judges 13:5 an angel tells an Israelite woman - "You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines.”
He is supposed to be a Nazarite from birth. His Nazarite vow means he can't touch anything dead, drink strong drink, or cut his hair. He has a clear, defined and straight path on which he is supposed to walk and yet just in Judges 14 he touches a dead lion, 30 dead soldiers, 1000 dead men, a dead donkey and drinks wine. He detours from the path.
He also repeatedly ignores repeated warning signs.
In Judges 16, Delilah (a woman he isn't supposed to be around) tries 3 times to discover the source of Samson's strength. He would tell her a lie . . . tie me with 7 fresh bow strings and I will be weak. She ties him up and then sends in soldiers to capture him. Hello . . . red flag! He ignores it and she asks again. Tie me with 7 new ropes. She does! Hello! Ding ding. Repeated warning! She does and he ignores it. Weave my hair into the fabric on the loom. He wakes up to towel head. 3rd warning and yet he ignores. He ultimately tells her the real secret which is he will lose power if hair is cut. Surprise - grandma is really a wolf. And repeated warning signs repeatedly ignored leads to "sudden" destruction. He thinks he is the exception. Judges 16:20 - He awoke from his sleep and thought, “I’ll go out as before and shake myself free.” But he did not know that the Lord had left him. How many of us want to blame God for leaving us when the truth is we had repeated warnings!
Finally, his destruction was corporate. Remember his promised purpose? "He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines." He is a judge. He is the protector of Israel from enemies. He was born to guard God's people. Now their judge is in bondage. The people are exposed to defeat by Samson's actions and choices. For as long as it took for his hair to grow back there was no judge! No protector. No warrior. How long are people who count on you exposed while you wander down other paths? How long do others suffer because you want to detour into sin?
Today I want to encourage you to either learn from Red or Samson. There is a wolf who will steal, kill and destroy if given the opportunity! Check yourself before you wreck yourself! Stay on path and heed the warnings!
