Gleaning from the Wheat Fields: A Defense Against Our Enemies

Although rarely mentioned, the Bombardier Beetle is a fascinating creature. I first stumbled across it during my "Creation vs. Evolution" personal study. Its special design comes from a special Creator. It has a unique defense against its enemies, which is almost a mixture of tear gas and a tommy gun. It shoots a boiling 212° mixture (the boiling point of water) out of 2 rear nozzles, which can be rotated at an 180° arc for aim accuracy. It's similar to an explosion when activated. Also, it never blows itself up because it was designed with the 2 twin nozzles to release the brewing hydrogen peroxide, hydroquinone, and benzoquinone mixture. Amazingly, this insect only ever aims at its enemies. It knows its foes from its friends and acts accordingly.

(Video on the Bombardier Beetle)

Bombardier Beetle

When I first began studying this insect, I was fascinated. It is one thing (of many) that Evolutionists cannot explain. I mean, how does a bug brew inside of itself a boiling mixture, yet not blow itself up in the process? It was specially designed by a Special Creator to respond to its most common enemies in this unique way. If you stop and ponder that thought, so are we. If we take a look around our world today, it is not hard to find "enemies" everywhere. We see children's TV programs showing direct disregard and violations of God's marriage ordinance (1 man, 1 woman, for life); we see horrific crimes unfolding in our schools because hatred boils thicker than the love does. We see miscommunications, petty arguments, and immaturity divide marriages and families. We hold grudges for years and become "grievance collectors," all the while locking ourselves in a prison of bitterness (#guilty). Yet, with all these things, we were never intended to become like this. We were never created to be enemies of God or each other; we chose to become that. When Adam and Eve chose to heed the voice of Satan above the Lord that gave them everything, they signed the agreement to become an enemy of God (deceived or not, it was still a choice they were responsible for). From that first bite of fruit, sin crept inside of mankind and due to that sin, we were deemed enemies of God (Romans 5:10). Yet, through all this chaos, God left us an example of how to deal with our enemies. That example? Love and forgive them like He did.

In Matthew 18:21-22, Jesus says to forgive 490 times DAILY. It is practically impossible to be offended 490 times a day (although some days, I question :) ). I might become agitated 489 times a day, but not 490 😀. Working in a call center, I deal with rudeness all day long. I get yelled at, cussed at, lied on, and treated poorly sometimes by callers over things that are not my fault. No joke, the ice cream machine could be down at McDonalds and, already agitated, they will call me and fuss because the application they submitted 10 seconds ago has not been viewed yet. Sometimes I want to argue, somedays I want to reach through the phone, slap them, and hang up. Other times, I want to chunk my whole phone system through the window and leave. I have learned that it is so easy to become annoyed...and yet, that alone shows the magnitude of the example Jesus left behind with a basin of water, a towel, and a servant's heart. Curious now, eh? Let me explain...

If we take a look at John 13:1-20, we will see John's account of the Last Passover. If we really pay attention, we can see the beginning stages of Jesus' s agony and the obliviousness of the disciples who were hearing to His words, but not listening His words. After having feasted, Jesus rises from the floor (in Bible times, they ate on the floor), and fills a basin with water. Now Jesus was fully aware that although He had 12 disciples in the room, He only had 11 friends present. One (Judas) had already planned to betray Him that night, and was just waiting for the right moment to do so. I can't imagine the sense of betrayal that you would feel, knowing that one of your disciples, one that had witnessed you teach firsthand, watched you in all the moments unrecorded in the Bible, dedicated 3 years of their life to literally follow you, and had just shared in your last meal on earth, was the same one anticipating your capture and demise. If I were Jesus (and thank God, I'm not), I would have dumped that basin of water all over Judas, and then, not so gently, knocked him in the head with the basin. Yet, Jesus didn't do that. He didn't explode on him. He didn't yell. He didn't fight. Instead, He knelt down, took off Judas's sandals, and washed his feet. The very feet that, in less than an hour, would run faster than Sonic to go betray his "friend" for 30 pieces of silver (anywhere from $250-$3500, depending upon the coin's weight). I can only imagine the memories going through Jesus's mind at that moment. Yet, Jesus knelt right in front of him, looked the snake in the eye, and washed the feet of an enemy alongside the feet of His friends. You see, Jesus was Judas's enemy, but Judas was never Jesus's enemy (enemy of God due to sin? Yes. Jesus’s personal enemy? No.). He went to the cross to save people like Judas. Jesus chose a servant's role (only servants washed feet in Bible times) when washing the disciples' feet, showing the depths that love would go to show man the main message since The Fall: That God loves and God forgives.

At any time, Judas had a free-will to accept the gift of salvation. It's a sad reality that Judas let the Lamb of God wash the dirt off of his feet, but not the sin out of his heart. He chose fortune, while Jesus chose forgiveness. This was symbolized with every step He took to Calvary, with every mocking taunt left without a rebuttal, with 10 legions of angels standing at the ready, yet never called upon, with "Father, forgive them..." being one of the last sentences He uttered while literally suffocating on Calvary. It shows the great depth Love goes to mend a broken relationship, to heal a wounded past, to become a grievance forgiver instead of a grievance collector. As for Judas, he ended up hanging himself because fortune never satisfies, especially when you betray friends for it. At the very moment Judas looped that rope around the tree, Jesus was on trial in order to forgive mankind's sin, and that included Judas's, if only he would've asked.

As with the Bombardier Beetle, the marvelous nature of the Creator is always evidenced in His creation. He designed it so unique that there isn't anything like it, and scientists cannot explain it. We can be the same way. When a situation demands a negative response, we can practice love and forgiveness, just like Jesus. When the most common response to an enemy is violence, hatred, or bitterness, we can be unique (just like our Creator) and forgive. God did it and God never gives us anything that He Himself does not possess (Example: We are not made to hate because God is not a God of hate, but a God of Love- that is why hatred is against nature). He would never tell you to forgive if He Himself did not forgive. The goal is that we are what He is, modeling after His example and character. In all 783, 137 words in the KJV Bible, we see the example left for us on how to handle our enemies: Love them and forgive them just like He did.

(If you pull up on the video from the top left and pull down from the bottom right at the same time, it will enlarge the video. The words are harder to see on a phone)

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