Cross The Rubicon

Part II 

“Wholehearted”

Crossing the Rubicon is all about never going back and never looking back.  It is an unwavering focus on the other side that defines a point of no return.  It is the proverbial “line in the sand” that once crossed epically describes the irrevocable steps of commitment.  It is the application of entirety to the cause no matter what happens.

On July 21, 1861, the first major battle of the American Civil War was fought.  Called the “First Battle of Manassas” by Confederate forces and the “First Battle of Bull Run” by Union forces, the fighting proved to be fiercely intimidating.  With bravery and fortitude demonstrated on both sides of the battlefield, the conflict highlighted wholehearted commitment amongst the soldiers and compelled many sobering reflections for all involved.  The high number of losses for both sides was a vivid indicator to everyone that the war would be long and bloody.  A relatively unknown Confederate General named Thomas J. Jackson earned his nickname “Stonewall” during the battle as he stood unflinchingly in the face of the enemy while other lesser known stories of audacity surfaced later.  One such story involved an unknown soldier of the top-notch Fifth Maine Regiment fighting for the Union.  As the Maine troops were leaving the battlefield, the unknown soldier stepped up to an officer, and requested to borrow a knife.  The officer took out a pocket knife, and handed it to the soldier.  Promptly, the soldier sat down at the side of the road, pulled up his pant’s leg, and proceeded to dig a musket-ball out of his leg.  After his painful self-administered road-side surgery, he then jumped up and resumed the march.  Later, upon hearing the story of the unrelenting toughness and commitment displayed by the unknown Union soldier, Reverend Henry Cox, a Confederate supporter, was taken aback.  While preaching at a Confederate camp meeting, he noted the story and finished his sermon with the following words; “Brethren, we had better adjourn this camp meeting, and go home and drill.” (1)

Very few individuals could withstand being shot, much less dig the very projectile out of their own leg, then get back up and resume marching.  That is a wholehearted commitment!  As Reverend Cox noted, that is intimidating, better-drill-more, hard-to-beat, wholehearted commitment.  That is the definition of a soldier that crossed the Rubicon and never looked back.  And that demonstrated wholeheartedness is a fearsome force to be reckoned with.  Imagine if we mirrored that kind of unwavering commitment and dedication in our own Christian lives.  Nothing could stop us.  Indeed, onlookers would step aside and exclaim, “March on, Christian soldier!”

Tragically, approximately 3,500 years ago, the Israelite assembly was turned away from the banks of the Jordan and the wonderful milk-and-honey-flowing Promised Land.  Dejectedly, they trudged into the barren desert to begin forty years of aimless ambling.  However, there were two individual exceptions to the generational judgment against Israel that forced them to wander in the wilderness for forty years.  Due to their lack of faith and well-nourished spirit of fear, God had declared that anyone twenty years and older would not see the Promised Land and would perish in the wilderness.  Only two men, named Joshua and Caleb, proved to be the exception.  

“Not one of you will enter the land I swore with uplifted hand to make your home, except Caleb son of Jephunneh and Joshua son of Nun.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14:30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Why?

“But because my servant Caleb has a different spirit and follows me wholeheartedly, I will bring him into the land he went to, and his descendants will inherit it.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14:24‬ ‭NIV‬‬

When the twelve Israelite spies returned from reconnoitering the land of Canaan, only two men trusted God enough to advise the Israelite assembly to cross the Jordan.  Both Joshua and Caleb exclaimed, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.”” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭14:7-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Both Joshua and Caleb had a different spirit about them.  They both were faithfully committed to God, and wholeheartedly followed Him.  

Wholehearted is an interesting word.  As an adjective it means complete commitment and/or full sincerity.  Unlike it’s closely related, but antonymic brother “half-hearted”, wholehearted denotes entirety, fullness, and devoutness.  Separated apart, “whole-hearted” still offers the same definitional concept — application of your whole heart at all times.  

Jesus stated, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Matthew‬ ‭5:48‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We know that sinless perfection is impossible in this life so we might find that command to be a rather daunting and unreasonable request.  Irrefutably, God is absolute in His perfection, but when applied to us, “perfect” also means to be found complete, mature, and thoroughly finished.  In other words, in our relationship with God we should strive to be whole.  There’s that word again.  Variations of whole, like wholly, fully, complete, and wholehearted, show up in the Bible many times.  It isn’t a coincidence.  It is a concept that permeates the pages of the Bible.  We are to have a resolute commitment to walk wholeheartedly with God.  King Solomon offered the same advice to the Israelites during the dedication of the Temple.  

“And may your hearts be fully committed to the Lord our God, to live by his decrees and obey his commands, as at this time.”  1 Kings‬ ‭8:61‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is an interesting psychological principle called the Gestalt Shift.  Basically, it describes the moment that an aspect perception, or the “seeing-as”, changes.  The most common and famous example given is the simple duck-rabbit image.

Given one perception, the image is a duck.  With another perception, the image is a rabbit.  Nothing in or about the image changes.  Just our internal “seeing-as” is altered as we shift from duck to rabbit.  Some people have difficulty making the switch.  Some only ever see a duck.  Others only ever see a rabbit.  Sometimes, prompting is required to help the person see the other image.  Once both images have been “seen”, however, most people can shift back and forth at will.  Interestingly, there is also another intriguing point that remains with Gestalt Shift images.  That point of certainty is that we cannot see both images at the same time.  The image cannot be a duck and a rabbit at the exact same moment.  The shift can happen very quickly, but it still is either a duck or a rabbit at any given moment.  Most people, in fact, can’t see a duck and a rabbit together even when given the same image side by side unless another prompt is given.  The Gestalt Shift is an interesting human behavioral condition that has been applied to many topics including theist vs. atheist propositions.  Some questions within those arguments include; Is an atheist an individual that can’t make the shift?  

“He (Jesus) went on to say, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them.”” John‬ ‭6:65‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Or is an atheist an individual that hasn’t been given a prompt? 

“No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.” ‭‭John‬ ‭6:44‬ ‭NIV‬‬

There is no desire on my part to dive into those tangential topics.  Whether the Gestalt Shift accurately describes deep theological views or not, it is a perfect illustration of what many of us “Christians” do in our personal lives.  Regrettably, many Christians (myself included) shift perspectives from worldly to Godly and then back to worldly views all the time.  

First it’s a rabbit, then, two seconds later, it’s a duck.  We shift from seeing God in everything to seeing a self-centered image bombarded by the things of this world.  For example, a Christian makes a resolution to keep God first each and every day and then skips church the next three Sundays to go skiing.  Another example could be offered where a Christian sees and feels the need to offer tithes but then squelches the idea so that a newly purchased toy can reside in his/her garage.  

Unfortunately, that constant shift between wholeheartedly following God and keeping step with the world results in a halfhearted approach.  Half-heartedness is what displeases God, and makes a victorious Christian life very difficult if not impossible.  When God is our focal point and frame of reference, our minds and vision see things completely different.  Everything is compared to God which makes the giants in our lives seem small.  On the other hand, a worldly shift to where God is no longer the main reference point makes the giants grow and makes us appear like grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33).  It is nearly impossible to overcome spiritual battles with that perspective.

In the Book of Revelation, Jesus rebuked the Laodiceans by declaring, “So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” ‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Those words seem rather harsh, but, in point of fact, a lukewarm or halfhearted approach to following God is equivalent to rejecting Christ because no one can serve two masters. (Matthew 6:24)

Wholeheartedly following God, then, is keeping the image and perception from shifting.  It is keeping a God centered perspective all of the time just like Caleb.

Caleb’s victorious example set God as the reference on which everything in his life hinged.  His vision revolved around God which, in turn, kept his focus and a powerful faithful perspective.  Hence, Caleb was able to loudly proclaim, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” ‭‭Numbers‬ ‭13:30‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Caleb is a testament to perseverance and unyielding faith as well.  He endured forty years of wandering the wilderness while patiently waiting for God to fulfill His promise.  Then, at the appropriate time, Caleb stated to Joshua, “Now then, just as the Lord promised, he has kept me alive for forty-five years since the time he said this to Moses, while Israel moved about in the wilderness. So here I am today, eighty-five years old!  I am still as strong today as the day Moses sent me out;  I’m just as vigorous to go out to battle now as I was then.  Now give me this hill country that the Lord promised me that day.  You yourself heard then that the Anakites were there and their cities were large and fortified, but, the Lord helping me, I will drive them out just as he said.” ‭‭Joshua‬ ‭14:10-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

What an amazing proclamation of faith.  Here we see Caleb, at eighty-five years old, ready and willing to take on the Anakites.  That was no small task!  The Anakites, also referenced as the Anakim, were a giant race of people.  Some schools of thought believe the Anakim descended from the Nephilim, an extremely powerful race referenced in pre-flood times. Speculation carries the Anakim race forward through genealogy to the notable “Goliath” giant that David encountered and killed.  Despite opinions concerning ancestral lineage, the Anakim were, indeed, tall, strong, and great warriors that were primarily responsible for the Israelites’ fear to cross the Jordan.  Yet, vigorous and fearless Caleb, at eighty-five years old, is ready to drive them out and take his piece of the Promised Land.  How can he be so bold and confident?

Caleb constantly applies God to every equation.  Accordingly then, he knew that the Anakites were nothing compared to God.

“With God we will gain the victory, and he will trample down our enemies.” ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭108:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Unswervingly, Caleb gives the Lord credit for his life and his strength.  Then he mentions the Lord in reference to His earlier promise.  Finally, Caleb states that the Lord will help him succeed.  That is a man with a solid and unwavering perspective — a Godly perspective.  That is a man wholeheartedly committed to God which, in turn, stimulates mountain moving faith.  Caleb could have selected much easier land to occupy, but that was not his spirit.  He wanted the land of the giants, and he knew that it was possible through God who gave him strength.  Caleb demonstrated a “cross the Rubicon” mindset in his words and his actions.  He knew, very well, the consequences of crossing the Jordan and, even at eighty-five years of age, he was prepared for them with God leading the way.  Caleb also understood the great rewards that God provided on the other side.  He was a man willing to go forth crossing the Jordan to take hold of the promises that God offered.  We see Caleb’s life as a great example of what is possible for us too if we are willing to wholeheartedly plunge across the Rubicon in spirit and then obediently follow God with our hearts across the Jordan.

The world and flesh are at war with a God-centered life.  Just like in the Gestalt Shift, it is not possible to see and yearn for things of this world while still wholeheartedly following God.  We either see God painting a beautiful picture in our lives or we see ourselves painting our own worldly picture.  We cannot have it both ways.

Does that mean we cannot enjoy anything or have anything or do anything in this world?  Of course not!  God understands our needs, our desires, and our lives.  He understands that we need cars, computers, and phones.  He knows that we need clothes, shoes, gas, and groceries.  He sees the need for money to pay bills and mortgages.  And He also comprehends our emotional and physical limits including burnout and fatigue.  Therefore, fun activities and vacations are totally acceptable.  So when does this worldly shift become a problem?  Once again, the answer can be found in the word wholehearted.  It is and will always be about the heart.  If we long for a sports car more than we long for quiet time with God, we have just shifted.  Now, it’s a problem.  If we would rather count the money in our bank accounts than read Scripture, we have shifted.  Who or what is the true God of our life?  If we would rather memorize football stats than memorize the Living Word of God, we have shifted.  Notice that I said “would rather” in all those examples.  There is nothing wrong with memorizing football stats or saving money.  But there is a lot wrong with prioritizing those things above God.  God commanded us to NOT place any other gods above Him, and, in the blink of an eye, we ratcheted a car, money, and football above Him.  Not good!  That is the worldly switch, and it can happen quickly.  It is no different than the Israelites longing for the things of Egypt.  We’ve read the accounts and cringed inside each time.  We learned that a halfhearted approach to following God didn’t go well for them.  Should we expect a different outcome for ourselves?  

It is critical and essential that with the whole of our hearts, we keep God first.  We will sabotage innumerable blessings if we don’t comply.

So why the long discourse on wholeheartedly following God?  Quite simply, it is the requirement to cross the Jordan.  Without that maturative prerequisite in place, we will never see victories in the Promised Land.  We will cross the river only to experience humiliating losses.  To reiterate with hazards flashing, crossing the Jordan while still shifting views will result in some devastating defeats.

There is nothing easy and immature about crossing the Jordan.  On the other side of the Jordan is where heavyweight spiritual battles are fought and won, but only if we surrender all first.  We have to be willing to commit everything to Christ.  We need the same tenacity demonstrated by that Civil War soldier at the Battle of Bull Run.  We must be willing to dig out the Adamic nature of self, toss it aside, get back up, start marching, and never look back.  Having then crossed the Rubicon, we can pick up our crosses and march into battle on the other side of the Jordan where God always leads triumphantly in Christ.

(To be continued...)

(1) http://docsouth.unc.edu/ramsey