Fauquier Baptist Church
Thursday, December 05, 2024
Psalm 33:17, "An horse is a vain thing for safety; neither shall he deliver any by his great strength." Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots, some in horses; but we will remember the name of the Lord our God."
   The Bible has a lot to say about the animal we call the horse. Me personally, I like horses, we had horses and mules, back on the farm in South Carolina and since then we have had horses and ponies on our farm here. I like them all, but I reckon the quarter horse is my all around favorite. Built right, strong, smart, willing, and not too awfully big. Around 14 1/2 to 15 1/2 hands is about right.
   One horse in particular stands out in my mind. I was no more than 12 - 13 years old then. Where Dad got him I don't recall, but he was a light gray speckled quarter horse that followed us boys where ever we went out in the pasture. We had to put the horse in the barn if we didn't want him to follow and be a pest! He was so gentle that you didn't need a bridle, he would respond to pulling on his mane... and he could run. Fast!! When Mom went to the store she trusted us to be busy doing chores, but as soon as she got our of sight, we would get on this horse and up and down the highway we went. Those hooves made a sound, galloping sound, just like the westerns we watched on t/v. But, we got caught. Dad didn't like the horse lathered up like he was ready to be shaved, plus, the neighbor told on us. Mom and Dad said cars and horses didn't mix.
   Out in Texas, for a good Saturday night's entertainment and to see who could lay claim to the best horse, it was common to meet on one of the dead end roads and mark off a length (a quarter of mile) and race. This was in the Mineral Wells area. This was as good and as far as I'm concerned, better than a car race any day! I believe that a horse ought to be put to use, be a USING HORSE rather than a pet or yard ornament. A fellow from Colorado was in town some time back and remarked that we had more horses and cows in this part of the country than in Colorado. "What do you all do with all those horses?" A friend standing next to me said, "not much of any thing."
   Around here, there are not many USING HORSES. There are some, though, that are trained for various events: Roping, barrel racing, trail riding to name a few, and they are quite good, but most are pets and take on the characteristics of a pet. Or should I say the characteristics of people?
*They want to be waited on. If the horse could talk, he'd say, "You feed me, your brush me, you pick my feet, you keep the flies off, give me snacks and plenty of attention.
*Most don't particularly like to work.
*Most don't especially want to learn.
*Most don't want to get to far from the barn where their friends are.
*Most are set in their ways, moreso as they get older.
*Most don't have goals on their own.
Sounds like a lot of people!
   But clean the horse up and he looks pretty good. A noble animal, the horse is, that has a lot of potential and gets plenty of admiration. Looks Good! Reminds me of an old farmer who sold his horse to a city slicker. He said, this is a good horse but he don't look too good. Wasn't long 'till the slicker brought the horse back, mad as a hornet. Said, "This horse is blind as a bat!" The old farmer said, "now look here, I told you that horse didn't LOOK good!"
   Yep, I like horses and I like people who like horses, but, a horse has never saved one single soul!  We are told in Revelation 19 that when Christ comes again He will be on a white horse and the armies that follow will also be on white horses. You say, "PREACHER, you really believe that?" Yes I do. I believe God said what He meant and meant what He said. Not only about the horse and riders but about everything in His Holy Word. Everything, every jot and tittle! 
   Used to be that the horse pulled the chariot, but now-a-days the chariot pulls the horse, culturally speaking. Things are turned around. Confusion has set in. The tail wags the dog, the chariot pulls the horse. 
Isaiah 5:20 states, "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil."
  I'm sure you have noticed that things are out of whack across our land, north, south, east. and west. America is struggling. The fastest growing religion according to the pollsters is the non-religion speaking of atheism in it's various forms. Biblical and morally, things are turned around. Think about it... over 50 million babies slaughtered called abortion. Sodom and Gomorrah strutting up and down main street, across the t/v screen, ingrained in our universities, even in many pulpits, unashamed, and full of ungodly pride and liberal media and government calls it "good, normal, good family values that must be taught to our kids." God has said, "Woe unto them that call evil good and good evil." Indeed, in so many ways, the chariot is pulling the horse. If ever there was a confused and deceived generation it is now. We could go on about the "hot-button" issues of this generation, but remember this, God said  all this would come so we should not be surprised, nevertheless, what people do, what the media has to say, what the government declares, does not drop the temperature of hell by one degree.
   "SOME TRUST IN CHARIOTS, AND SOME IN HORSES; BUT WE WILL REMEMBER THE NAME OF OUR LORD OUR GOD."
  One thing desperately needed is for the churches and people of God to quit cowering down like an old flea bitten dog with his tail between his legs and STAND UP AND SPEAK UP for our Lord Jesus Christ, the One and Only One that can be trusted... "But we will remember the name of the Lord our God."
   How is it with you? Is it the mighty steed that you have trusted with your soul or is it the Lord God, Jesus Christ?