Tag: sign

Posted in neighbor, neighborhood, noticing

Do not disturb

Posted on by William Douthwaite

This is another chapter in the bizarre happenings at my neighbor’s house. In our last episode, he had removed all the glass from the solar landscape lights around his front yard.

The other morning, the front door looked different. I couldn’t really tell what was across the front door and what was written on a piece of paper. I hesitated to walk up to the front door at 6 am. What if there’s a camera behind the doorbell or watching the front of the house?

But that evening, my curiosity got the best of me. I couldn’t see any lights on in the house. What did I have to lose? The big dog and I walked up to the door to find two handwritten warnings: “Do not disturb.”

Interesting. From what I’ve seen, this is the last house in the neighborhood I’d like to disturb. On the other hand, I’ve gotten tired of door-to-door tree services, alarm companies, pest control companies, and well- meaning religious groups knocking on my door. I’ve just haven’t gotten around to putting a stylish “No soliciting” sign by the doorbell.

What’s going on in that home? Something illegal? Something sinister? I don’t know. But I’ll bet this isn’t the last post I’ll write about this house!

Posted in Through the Bible Devotions

Ask for a sign

Posted on by William Douthwaite

A “through the bible” devotion from Isaiah 7.

When Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel stage an invasion of the southern nation of Judah, the prophet Isaiah relays a message from God: “Don’t worry about it.”  

In fact, the Lord says, “Ask a sign of the Lord your God” (Isaiah 7:11). It can be anything. No limits. Just name it Ahaz, and God will put any doubts to rest.

Have you ever wanted a sign from God? Have you ever wished he would give you some kind of tangible indication that you were making the right choice.

I think all of us envy Gideon’s experience with God in Judges 6. He receives two definitive signs from God to affirm that he is the one who will save Israel. The first is a dewy fleece on a bone dry threshing floor in the morning. The second is the opposite, a dry fleece when the rest of the ground is damp with dew. He gets both. He’s the guy.

But Ahaz said, “I will not ask, and I will not put the Lord to the test” (v12).

An offer like that rarely, if ever, comes along. You can ask for something big. Or small. Whatever you need to confirm God’s Word.

Ahaz says, “No thanks.”

It’s not because Ahaz is super faithful and doesn’t need proof of God’s protection. It’s just the opposite. Ahaz doesn’t trust God. He will buy protection from Assyria, a bigger and badder bully than Syria and Israel put together. He doesn’t want a sign because he has chosen to reject God.

If you ask for and get a sign from God, you’re locked in, aren’t you? You’ve painted yourself into a corner. You might not like the answer. Too bad. There is no doubt what God wants you to do.

Plus, you’re off the hook. If something goes wrong, it’s not your fault. It was his idea.

I’ve had conversations with people who wanted my opinion on something. At least that’s what they said. But that’s not what they wanted. They knew what they wanted to do. They wanted approval or permission to escape accountability.

Requesting a sign from God is a dead giveaway that you don’t trust him or his word. It exposes a lack of faith or even rejection of God.

God wasn’t surprised. In fact, he says, “I’m going to give you a sign anyway.” By the time a virgin conceives and gives birth, my plan will be in motion.

This sign would come to complete fulfillment much later, when Jesus was born, God’s plan from before the creation of the world.

Posted in Life, neighbor

Of course it’s private property

Posted on by William Douthwaite

It feels strange to call a house “lonely,” but every time I walk by, I think, “What a lonely, gray house.” Maybe it’s the signage that has scared everyone off. There’s not just one, but three of these signs on all sides of the house, announcing Private Property: No Trespassing.

Why would you put a sign like that in your yard? It’s not like we’re in the middle of nowhere and someone might wander through and decide to hang out for a while. This is a residential area. All the property is privately owned. Random door-to-door sales people may walk up, but I’ve never thought of that as trespassing. And if someone did want to break and enter, they wouldn’t pay attention to a sign like that.

When I’ve gone to visit some folks who live in the rural, unincorporated parts of the county, there’s often a sign like this on the front gate of a long driveway. Out in the woods or among hundreds of acres of farmland, it’s hard to tell where one property ends and the next one begins. If you don’t know where you’re going, you don’t belong here. I always called ahead to make sure they knew I was coming. There was a good chance I’d be met by someone with a shotgun if I just showed up.

Actually, a sign like that makes me wonder what someone is hiding in that house. I’m curious. What are they making or distributing or storing up in that house? Who was the last trespasser? Whatever happened to them? It is a little creepy. There isn’t much landscaping.

Such a sign doesn’t add to the curb appeal. Along with signs like No Soliciting, No Pooping (even though dogs can’t read), and a sign about who just repaired the roof, it makes the neighborhood look trashy.

But what are you going to do. It’s their property. It’s their private property.

Posted in Devotions

Matthew 1:22-23 Fulfillment and a sign

Posted on by William Douthwaite

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I find it very interesting that Matthew draws on so much Old Testament prophecy to tell the story. Here, he quotes Isaiah 7:14 and links it to Jesus’ birth. I can’t imagine anyone at the time of Isaiah had the slightest clue what these words would later mean.

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