If their
words did not spell out their thoughts more clearly, these two authors’ vision
of something metaphorical might have been misunderstood to be something
physical. After all, who thinks of the human body as a “Sanctuary” in the way
that John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs wrote in 1982? Most of us think of a
very exclusive place in a worship space, perhaps not unlike what we can read in
our bibles and imagine (like this picture). It’s a very hallowed meeting place,
reserved for the very few who meet some strict standards. It might even have
been described as a dangerous place – this holy of holies. So dangerous, in
fact, that Jewish tradition and some scripture indicates that the priest who
entered that area wore bells, so that when others outside heard them, they were
reassured that the priest was still alive and that the offering had been
accepted. If the opposite were true, a rope tied around the unfortunate priest’s
ankle allowed those outside to retrieve his body without entering the area.
Hmmm…still wanna be a sanctuary?
We know but
a few details about John W. Thompson and Randy Scruggs in the year 1982, the
year associated with the publication of the song ‘Sanctuary’. John’s co-authorship
of the song was close to the time when he wrote another song – El Shaddai (with
Michael Card) – that has gone on to various accolades. John was 32 years old,
when he wrote about a human being accepting the notion of being a holy dwelling
place for God. Randy was 29 years old at the time, and had already been busy in
the music-making business for over 15 years, pretty exceptional for someone who
hadn’t yet reached the three-decade mark. His first recording was as age 13, so
he apparently wasn’t intimidated by songwriting. Yet, did Randy and John ponder
long the gravity of what they were saying in ‘Sanctuary’? We know no details of
the circumstances of the song’s emergence, including where they were; we have
only the words they penned. Preparing to be a holy receptacle for God’s presence
– His Spirit – is something every believer accepts, although none of us totally
understand that at the beginning. You get the sense from the words John and
Randy wrote that they appreciated the difficulties involved in this
proposition. Verses two and three contain suggestions that the human might fall
short in this endeavor – ‘…weakness’, and ‘temptation’ inhabit some of their words.
They ask the Holy One to intervene to purify this fallible vessel, with words
like ‘Who gives me strength’ (v.2), and ‘Take away all my sin’ (v.3). In fact, ‘prepar(ing)’
to be a sanctuary is not a one-time event, as John and Randy might have been
implying they understood in the poetry that they wrote. ‘Prepare me to be a sanctuary’
is the song’s refrain (and therefore, sung repeatedly), so they perceived that this
reshaping of the person is an ongoing process. It’s never over, is it?
God must
know us well by now, after trying to inhabit all of us all these centuries. On
the other hand, do His people know Him as well? Those who stood outside the
temple, and on occasion drug out the priest with the rope, might have feared
Him more than others, wouldn’t you say? Those people thought the sanctuary was
pretty imposing. A good measure of gravitas is probably a good thing when
considering Him dwelling inside. Yet, He’s there also to comfort and guide, not
just to convict. ‘Wonderful Counselor’, I’m told is His name. I should think
about that more, as I encounter those who don’t yet know Him, and convey that characteristic
more readily. He’s here to counsel me, but He can take on many more in His
court of justice. Is he wonderful to you today?
See also
these two links for some scant information on Thompson, and a bit more on
Scruggs: https://hymnary.org/person/Thompson_J
No comments:
Post a Comment