Will your shields hold in the soloton wave?

In “New Ground,” a season five episode of Star Trek the Next Generation, the Enterprise has to travel through a soloton wave to keep another ship from crashing into a star…or a planet…or something or other. At any rate, it all rests on the strength of the ship’s shields. 

That’s a common Star Trek occurrence. Whether it’s enemy photon fire or the Crystalline Entity or a weird space anomaly, you can count on deteriorating shield performance for an exciting plot device.

“Report, Mr. Worf,” the French-born Picard says in Patrick Stewart’s British accent.

“Shields holding at 78 percent, Captain,” Worf proclaims in his calm Klingon voice…

or…

“Shields down to 33 percent!” Worf shouts in his “Today-is-a-good-day-to-die” Klingon voice.

The shields are holding...barely.
http://giphy.com/gifs/star-trek-tng-enterprise-8XNDS87OUrir6

 

Of course it’s all resolved in less than an hour, and even if the shields fail and the Enterprise blows up in a magnificent inferno, the main characters survive and Star Fleet’s flagship is rebuilt.

So when I hear or see the word “shield,” I first think of Star Trek’s mysterious, invisible protection, but I realize shields existed for millennia before Gene Roddenberry got this great idea for a space western. I’ve had students well versed in warfare and weapons, and they have educated me about shield history and pointed out inaccuracies of shield depictions in movies. 

(I do like that scene in one of the Lord of the Rings movies where they hold the shields over their heads and it’s like one giant shield.)

The word “shield” appears many times in the Bible. I would need a Mailleue brother to describe what shields looked like when David was king or to explain the differences between Assyrian and Babylonian shields. But I get the concept:  The shield is the thing you hold in front of you to keep from being injured by the enemy’s arrows or swords.

Many times the Bible identifies God as a shield. Here are a few places:

Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward. Genesis 15:1

Blessed are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword.

“As for God, his way is perfect: The Lord’s word is flawless; he shields all who take refuge in him.” 2 Samuel 22:36

But you, Lord, are a shield around me, my glory, the One who lifts my head high. Psalm 3:3

Surely, Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Psalm 5:12

I especially like the Psalms references. They portray God not as an ancient shield that only protects me on one side, but as a Star Trek type shield that surrounds me. Unlike the Enterprise’s shields which lose power when battered, God is always at 100 percent. 

If God is your shield, he will keep you safe in the soloton wave or whatever other dangers or enemies you face.

Here are some more shield references for you to look up:

Psalm 7:10, Psalm 18:2, Psalm 18:30, Psalm 18:35, Psalm 28:7, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 35:2, Psalm 59:11, Psalm 84:11, Psalm 91:4, Psalm 115:9, Psalm 119:114, Psalm 144:2, Proverbs 2:7, Isaiah 31:5, Zechariah 9:15, 1 Peter 1:5

Late one Night on the Subway

“Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me…” Psalm 23:4

The pastor talked about fear this morning in church. He said living in a state or spirit of fear is ill-advised (See 2 Timothy 1:7), but sometimes it’s wise to be scared, like when a bear is chasing you. The sermon made me remember a time I was afraid (one of many) and how I handled it.

            During my Bible college days, a date for freshmen or sophomores meant a double date or a chaperoned date, and that’s how I found myself taking a bus into New York City with Bob and his roommate, Israel. We were going to the best concert ever at Madison Square Garden:  Jay and the Americans! I so desperately wanted to go to this concert that when Bob’s first choice turned him down, I suggested he take me. He must have been feeling fairly desperate himself, because he agreed. Israel was our appointed chaperone.

What I remember most forty some years later about the concert itself is that girls we didn’t know kept trying to get Israel to dance with them. He couldn’t comply. Dancing was another no-no for Bible college kids.

So after experiencing this fabulous performance, we discovered we had missed the last bus back to our college in northern New Jersey. Not only would we miss curfew (yet another no-no) we were stranded in the city. Israel came up with a solution:  We would ride the subway train to his parents’ home in Brooklyn, and borrow their car to drive back to school. I had not realized until that night that Israel was a tough, street-smart, inner city preacher’s kid.

No, I didn't see anyone this scary on the subway.
No, he's not Bob or Israel.

            Descending the stairs into the tunnel unnerved this small-town Jersey girl. Even forty years ago the subway appeared in movies, television dramas, and news stories as a setting for violent crime. The late hour and moving train soon lulled Bob to sleep, so I abandoned my date and moved closer to Israel. Though I didn’t want to be taking this ride at all, his presence made the train a less frightening place. I figured nobody would mess with me if it looked like I was with Israel.

            Like the psalmist, I affirm, “The Lord is my shepherd.” I prefer green pastures, quiet waters, and an overflowing cup, but when I have to walk in the shadowy valley—or ride the subway, or sub fifth grade, or face any number of irrational and rational fears—God’s presence makes it a less frightening place.

            And it doesn’t hurt to have a tough friend by my side as well.

The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
² He makes me to lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside the still waters.
³ He restores my soul;
He leads me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

⁴ Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil;
For You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup runs over.
⁶ Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
All the days of my life;
And I will dwell^[a] in the house of the Lord
Forever.

Psalm 23, NKJV via www.biblegateway.com

What did the sheep say to the Good Shepherd?

            A student can earn a bonus point on my quiz or test by drawing a picture related to the questions or the material studied. Being the antonym of “artist” myself, I’m very generous in my definition of “picture.” I’m stuck in Stick Figures 101, so I expect and accept them and I’m impressed when I get something better. Some students still haven’t received their quizzes back because I’m saving their artwork in case they become famous.

            Over the last sixteen years, I’ve awarded these bonus points in Bible, U.S. History, English Literature, and even vocabulary. I’m possibly the only teacher you may hear laughing while grading tests. Last year a talented student drew a picture of an explorer with a beautiful woman on each arm; the caption read:  Columbus, Nina, and Santa Maria.

            My juniors at SCA are studying the Gospel of John. (Well, to be realistic, I’m teaching it and some of them are studying it.) They recently took a quiz on my outline of John and were, as usual, invited to sketch for a bonus point. A significant feature of John’s Gospel is the list of “I am” metaphors Jesus uses. One girl drew a stick figure shepherd saying, “I am the good shepherd,” and a tiny stick lamb responding, “Baa.”

I liked it. And then I started thinking more deeply about baa. Being a word-ist in inverse proportion to being an artist, spelling is a concern of mine. (Well, to be honest, spelling is more of an obsession than a concern.) Don’t get me started or I will gleefully tell you about the famous Christian author who mixes up reign, rain, and rein in her best-selling fiction.

So I started thinking of baa’s homophone, bah. A homophone, you surely remember, is “a word pronounced the same as another but differing in meaning, whether spelled the same way or not, as heir and air.” * I visited dictionary.com to be sure I understood the difference before posting the information on a blog that could go viral. Here’s what I found:

baa

verb (used without object), baaed, baaing.

1. to make the sound of a sheep; bleat.

noun

2. the bleating cry of a sheep. *

bah

interjection

1. an expression of contempt or disgust*

            Then I started thinking even more deeply about baa and bah.

            What did the sheep say to the Good Shepherd? Did the animal cry out with a bleat, which might be interpreted to mean, “I need a shepherd to lead me and feed me. I will follow you”? Or did he dismiss the shepherd with a contemptuous “bah!” which might be interpreted to mean, “I don’t need you. I can do life on my own”?

            How do I respond to the Good Shepherd? With baa or bah? How about you?

* www.dictionary.com