Today's Scripture Reading (November 15, 2024): Exodus 15
He became the voice of a generation, almost the
conscience of a generation. Even if you didn't like his thought process, you
couldn't ignore his voice. He possessed two voices: a physical voice and a
prophetic one, and neither was to be overlooked. He has been called a poet, the
great philosopher, and the folk hero of the Rock Generation. Nobody who
followed him seemed to be the same; he had that kind of an effect on the people.
He is the only
Rock Artist I know who was booed for coming on stage with a band. The only one
that I know of who heard his audience's displeasure when he stepped out on
stage with an electric guitar (it happened in 1965). It seemed that his image
went beyond who he was. And I'm not sure that even he could live up to the
image he had created or was created around him.
His name was
Bob Dylan. He was distinctive and
known. And he spoke the thoughts of a lot of people. And then something
happened. It seemed like overnight
we went from protest songs like
How does it feel
How does it feel
To be without a home
Like a complete unknown
Like a rolling stone?
to songs with
lyrics like
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
Yes, indeed, you're going to have to serve
somebody
Well, it may be the devil, or it may be the
Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody
What happened? I
know, it's obvious. Somehow, Jesus grabbed the voice and the contemporary
prophet. And then, just as quickly, Bob Dylan did a U-Turn. He was just joking
with us for two CDs. Dylan had never become a Christian. The only church he had ever
joined was the church of Bob Dylan. And once again, the people were left scratching their
heads.
Some in the
Christian community agreed with Dylan. He had never become a Christian. He had
been out trying to get some money from us. However, there wasn't as much money there
as he had anticipated so he did his U-turn and returned to what Bob Dylan did
best.
But is that really
what happened? Did Bob Dylan fake his conversion, or did he make a real change
but then slipped out the back door with many other new believers? Was Bob Dylan's
salvation real?
We could ask
the same question of Israel. In my mind, there is no doubt that the Israelites
had been saved. After all, the plagues hadn't affected them. You can't mistake
the physical reality of being led out of Egypt, where they had spent time as enslaved
people, and into a freedom that they hadn't known for generations. They were
alive, but the Egyptians who had chased them weren't. It was a concrete
reality. But at the same time, they were willing to give that salvation back
for the security of the way things used to be when they lived as slaves.
I have a real
problem with people who say Bob Dylan was never saved. The words that he penned seem too real. There is truth in the
words. I don't want to dismiss his conversion experience. I think it happened.
But the problem is maybe that he didn't develop any further.
We will all
walk in the desert, and it is then that our faith will be threatened. Have we
done anything to grow our faith so that it can survive the desert? Only you
will know the answer to that question. The time to develop your faith is before
you begin your journey through the dry wilderness of the desert.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading:
Exodus 16
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