Turning The Tables-Part 1 Series

Turning the Tables...Part I

First things first! For the uninitiated the full meaning of the phrase “turning the tables”... the Oxford dictionary sums it up as reverse one's position relative to someone else, especially by turning a position of disadvantage into one of advantage.

Heard of an awl (a pointed object used usually for boring a hole- Deu 15:17) which was “awful” in its work at one time in an individual’s life but after some years became an “awesome” (read very useful) instrument in the hands of that very individual so as to lend a new meaning to lakhs’ of blind people across the world thence? Welcome to the inspirational Louis Braille story... whose father was a saddle maker in a small village namely Coupvray which incidentally lies in the north-central region of France. His Dad’s workshop was quite close to their house. In his childhood when young Louis (all of 3 years) was playing in his Dad’s workshop, he happened to take the “awful awl” into his hands. He tried to replicate his father’s work of boring a hole into leather with it. However unfortunately -quite accidently at that- he ended-up piercing one of his eyes with that “awful object”. It led to not only instant blindness of that eye but also severe infection of the same whereby the other eye also got infected. Very soon young Loius would sadly enter the world of total blindness with his future seemingly as “dark” as night.

Fast forward by 25 years and what do we “see”? After several twists and turns in his life, Loius Braille had created “raised dotted –system” using an awl (awesome one in this case) of all the 26 alphabets (by piercing holes suitably on the pieces of leather) for the blind to read using their sense of touch. Today, the Braille language is used universally so as to serve as virtually “a lamp in the darkness” for the blind.

Coming to the spiritual realm Dear Friends, have you ever contemplated of how greatly our Sovereign wise God (Isa 6:1) used objects or situation which initially were a “curse” to become a “blessing” later on? In this 2-part message, Yours Truly aims to focus on those Biblical events using words beginning with the letter “T” (what else...considering the Title...sic), where one clearly discern how the good Lord “turned the tables” as it were to foster blessings upon His chosen ones’...

Tree...

Hmmm…the tree of knowledge appeared quite pleasing to the eye of our first parents (Gen 3:6) though there were commanded by their loving Creator to stay away from it, leave alone admire its beauty from a distance. The result of their “adulterous advance”, so to say, towards it is now history. Oh yes, they ate of its fruit at the behest of the crafty tempter bringing curse upon themselves and all mankind (Gen 3:1-19). Tree of knowledge truth to tell brought in its wake spiritual darkness to all of mankind, This darkness can be dispelled only when one comes near yet another Tree which by its appearance ironically is at once ugly. Friends let’s travel to the Tree at Calvary…

If love for God which can be exhibited only by implicit obedience to His commands (2 John 1:6) was conspicuous by its absence in the behaviour of the First Adam when exposed to the lure of Tree of Knowledge, then by stark contrast the Final Adam (read Jesus… 1 Cor 15:45) personified obedience by wilfully hanging on the Cruel Tree (Gal 3:13) as per the Father’s will (John 6:38/ John 14:30-31) right in the middle of the Earth (Ezekiel 5:5).

If the Tree of Knowledge proved to be a bane for mankind bringing in its wake spiritual ignorance, then again ironically the Tree of foolishness (so-called by the scholarly Greek peers of Apostle Paul- 1 Cor 1:18) has been a cause for manifold blessings to it ushering in spiritual emancipation and enlightenment. Stretching the comparison further, if the enticing words of the sly snake spoken even while “hanging” onto the former brought forth terrible curse to mankind, the energizing words proclaiming completion of redemption plan (John 19:30) spoken by the suffering Saviour even while "hanging" on the energy-sapping cruel Tree of execution (Gal 3:13/ Deu 22:21) have heralded from the First Good Friday onwards the free release from that curse to anyone appropriating it in his/her life (Romans 10:8-10). We who are all connected to the First Adam (genetically and spiritually) need not remain “chained” to the Former but seek our liberty by looking with saving faith (John 3:14-15/ Numbers 21:4-9) at the Latter where the Final Adam completed the onerous work of providing free salvation at a great cost (can anyone put a price tag on the Saviour’s sufferings?).

Tree of Calvary would be a palaver only to the perishing, blinded as they are, by the arch-enemy of every human soul (2 Cor 4:4) but to those being redeemed by it, it is the power of God in action (1 Cor 1:18-TLB).