DAD'S RAMBLINGS -- THE DELECTICAL MOUNTIANS

PILGRIM'S PROGRESS – THE DELECTABLE MOUNTAINS

"Know that the LORD, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture" (Psalm 100:3)

"They continued on their path until they came to the Delectable Mountains, which belong to the Lord….Now on the top of these mountains shepherds were feeding their flocks, and they stood by the side of the highway….They asked, 'Whose Delectable Mountains are these? And whose sheep are these that are pasturing the mountain?' A shepherd answered, 'There mountains are Immanuel's Land, and they are within sight of His City. The sheep are also His, and He laid down His life for them.' "

The Delectable Mountains were within eye-shot of the Celestial City. But there was more to come in their journey. The shepherds were called Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere, and they gave some warnings of things on their future walk that Christian and Hopeful needed to beware of. The first was the hill called Error which had a very steep cliff from which some Pilgrims had fallen. Another hill was called Caution, where they saw blind men walking in a cemetery. Another hill had a door which was called Byway to Hell. Before they continued on their way, the shepherds took Christian and Hopeful to another hill from which they could see the Celestial City. As they left the company of shepherds, Knowledge gave them a map so they could avoid the bad places, Experience warned them to beware of Flatterer, Watchful warned them to avoid the Enchanted Ground, and Sincere wished them Godspeed. So they continued their journey.

Nearing the Celestial City does not mean that there will be no further challenges. It is true that Knowledge and Experience help avoid certain pitfalls. But regardless of how long a person has walked with the Lord Jesus, there will still be pitfalls to be Watchful for. That's why God says to "walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise" – keeping an eye out and looking around (Ephesians 5:15). The word "circumspect" is composed of two words: circum meaning "around," and spect, which has to do with vision (as spectacles). As Pilgrims, we need to walk with eyes wide open – alert and attentive to our surroundings.

Love, Dad