Shifting Sand or Solid Rock

A certain young woman has been a common topic of discussion in the United States and elsewhere for months now. “Poor Patty Hearst,” or “Wicked Patty Hearst.” “Innocent Patty Hearst,” or “Guilty Patty Hearst.” “Weak Patty Hearst,” or “Rebellious Patty Hearst.” What would happen if our Patty or Betty or Carol or Jane were kidnapped, tortured, and taught a whole new set of values, given a whole new base for judgment, given totally new goals for which to work? If the base upon which our “Patty” stands is not firm, how could it do anything but shift and slide, allowing the feet to be pulled or pushed by some determined force?

As I read about Patty Hearst and hear people discuss her, a children’s chorus keeps surging through my head: “The wise man built his house upon the rock … and the rain came tumbling down.… The rain came down and the floods came up … and the house on the rock stood firm. The foolish man built his house upon the sand.… The rain came down and the floods came up … and the house on the sand fell flat!” I can see children as they sing this song, smacking their hands together to show the total collapse of the foolish person’s house.

How very many of the children who have sung this song have later been taught that what they learned in Sunday school was only religious myth, crutches to help the weakminded, a kind of escape from reality. How many children have gone on to high school, college, graduate school and have had impressed upon them the principle that there is no absolute, that everything is relative. How many children who sang heartily about the contrast of base, rock versus sand, and the difference it makes, are later told by people whose teaching they sit under, and must respond to and take exams on, that there is no firm base in the universe, nothing but shifting sand?

Shifting sand, given as a base for life by teachers of history, science, philosophy, literature, and political science, is also given as a base for the new theology. Relativism in every field is exactly what Jesus was talking about when he spoke in Matthew warning all who “hear” to “do”—to do something different because of having a different base. “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine [Jesus is speaking], and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock. And everyone that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it” (Matt. 7:24–27).

Psalm 18:2 tells us that the Lord is our rock, our firm base, and Psalm 61:2 comforts us with the specific possibility of crying out “when my heart is overwhelmed, lead me to the rock that is higher than I.” Yes, God himself is our Rock, but in Matthew, Jesus is pointing to “these sayings of mine,” or his Word, as the solid rock that does not shift. Jesus’ is making very vivid, so that no one can miss the point, what he says in another way in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” His Word is the firm rock that can be counted on to support the lives of generations of his people in the shifting, changing circumstances. His Word is the factor that remains constant and can be trusted. His Word is that by which other things are to be judged. His Word is that by which discernment can grow. Rains of false philosophies can pour down, winds of false political ideas can blow, floods of false ideologies can break out of the river banks, hail of false values can beat mercilessly, thunder of counterfeit religious doctrines can startle, streaks of lightning can rip the skies with false miraculous force, but those who keep their feet grounded in God’s Word have been given the assurance that they will not collapse.

Come to Psalm 119 and determine with the psalmist to be more immersed in the unchangeable Word of God than ever, daily building the house of your life on the Rock in every area, spiritually, emotionally, psychologically, intellectually, in church life, in business or profession, in political life, so that the storms will not break up your house. These verses are all from Psalm 119: “I will meditate in thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statutes: I will not forget thy word.” “I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts.” “I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies.” “The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: but I will consider thy testimonies.” “I have more understanding than all my teachers: for thy testimonies are my meditation.” “Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.” “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”

The Word of God will give us stability sufficient to carry us through prison camps, kidnappings, the blasts of false teachings, brainwashings by the wicked. The Word of God sheds light in the midst of gathering darkness, whether in a stuffy closet where we might be imprisoned, or in the discussion of those who would try to put walls of dogmatic denial of truth around our minds to imprison us in another way.

Turn the pages of your newspaper. Is Patty Hearst the only one who has been twisted and turned around to act upon a different base than she acted upon before? In this period of history when the prevalent teaching is that of relativism, we see example after example of individuals, groups, governments, whole chains of countries, where shifting actions show that the “base” is one of shifting sand. The base changes, and changes, and changes, as the sand shifts and slides.

The shifting sand of relativism is what many are building their lives and basing their actions on. In the churches as well as in government, in the teaching of children at home as well as in schools and universities, the solid rock of biblical teaching is spurned. If Jesus stood beside Patty Hearst and spoke of the similarity between what took place in her confusion and the shifting, sliding base of many who sit piously discussing her, how many would be left to “cast stones”? But what of the other Pattys and Bettys and Carols and Janes? What parents or teachers or churches are going to be held responsible for pouring truckloads of sand into their building areas?

We are told in Second Timothy that “evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Tim. 3:13–17). This is the solid rock Jesus spoke of as the basis for life: his Word, the Holy Scriptures, the Word of God.

EDITH SCHAEFFER

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