Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 15: Tent Stakes At Stake

Key Verse

Look at Zion the city of our appointed festivals. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, a quiet habitation, a tent that won’t be removed. Its stakes will never be plucked up, nor any of its cords be broken. Isaiah 33:20 WEB

Lesson

Tent stakes are a small piece of gear. But if you have ever spent a night without them you know how big of a difference they can make. They have a very big job. Tent stakes are used to anchor tents to the ground in one place. In the past, tents could not even stay erect without the stake to hold the fabric tight. Today a tent can be set up with out stakes but they are still necessary to make the tent secure.

Tent stake are great because they can turn almost any type of ground into a place to call home. Without this key part, the tent may not be much good. Stakes can make the difference between an enjoyable night and a miserable one. In severe weather they can even save your life. When you purchase a new tent, they come with instructions warning that the tent is not secure unless it is staked down.

In Isaiah 33:20 we read a promise God is making to the Children of Israel. He says that Jerusalem, their capital city and the place where God’s temple is, will never be removed. It will be like a tent with stakes they can never be plucked up. However, this promise is conditional. In verse 15 we see that the promise is conditional on the Children of Israel keeping their end of the covenant—they must stay faithful to God.

Throughout the bible we find instructions on how we are to keep our end of the covenant God made with us by sending his Son to die for our sins. We must follow the 10 Commandments and we should worship Him. But this is not enough. We must also love our enemies; we must show mercy to those who don’t deserve it. We must be willing to sacrifice everything to follow God. Only then will we be sure that our salvation is secure as a staked tent in a storm.

Tent stakes might make your tent look complete but don’t do much good if they are not used. Likewise, if we appear to have a relationship with God outwardly by doing all the right things, but don’t use God’s word to change our inward character, those outward actions don’t really do us much good. Tent stakes work best when used properly.


Questions

What other instructions does the Bible provide for us to keep our covenant with God?

How does a relationship with God change us on the inside?

What keys does the Bible provide to know when we are being changed by God? (Think Galatians 5:22-23)

Written by David F. Garner
Photo Credit: Jan Uthoff via commons.wikimedia.org under a CC 3.0 License.

Christian Outdoor Object Lesson 9: The Raincoat of Faith

Key Verse

“above all, taking up the shield of faith, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the evil one.” Ephesians 6:16 (WEB)


Lesson

Note: An umbrella could be substituted for a rain-jacket as the object in this lesson.

If you have ever had to depended on a rain jacket in a storm, than you have no doubt been thankful for it’s ability to repel water. Or perhaps you have spent a wet, stormy night outside and been grateful for a dry tent. What makes it possible for these fabrics to repel water?

A lot of technology goes into the fabrics that keep us dry in the rain. We often take this technology for granted. But the waterproof fabrics we enjoy today have only been around for a few decades. Before modern things like Gortex and Nikwax, raingear and tents were made of much heavier fabrics and often were not as water resistant.

Modern waterproofing methods are the result of years of research and constant improvement. That is one reason why good waterproofing is so expensive! If you have been kept dry by a nice raincoat or tent, then you probably felt it was worth the high cost and extensive work put into its design. The same is true for a warrior and his shield. What warrior would not purchase the best shield and amour he could afford? This is indeed a situation to buy the brand name and not the generic off-brand!

Paul, in Ephesians 6:16, compares faith to a warrior’s shield. A shield is the first line of defense against the enemy. Likewise a raincoat is the first line of defense against foul weather. Here we see the first comparison to faith, it is our first line of defense against the Enemies attacks.

Both a warrior and a camper want their gear made with skill. Skill takes time and practice to acquire. This is the second comparison, and a key reason, why Paul likens faith to armor. We must spend time exercising and developing our faith just like a craftsman would his skill. We need to read and memorize the promises of God so they are available when we need them. You would not venture into the woods without a raincoat if you knew there was a chance of rain. Neither should we go about without God’s promises when we know there is a good chance we will need to exercise our faith.

Questions

Did you pack your raincoat of faith today?
What is another way raingear is like our faith in God?
Has your faith ever protected you in a storm?
Does our faith make life's storms easier to weather?


Written By David F. Garner

Photo Credit: David F. Garner