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Apples of Gold
Radio Script for June 18, 2009
“A Most Unusual Flame”
Hello, I’m Doug Apple…with Apples of Gold.
(begin music and nighttime sfx)
I saw the torch a mile away, from my position on the hillside.
It burned a most extraordinary orange and blue, like a regal flame. I’d seen nothing like it before.
Night had fallen, and the roar of our busy camp had quieted. The men were in their tents, and the animals were calmed by the sound of the pipe, probably Eliezer.
So I decided to discover the source of this unusual flame. As I walked I saw the torch flare up as it moved, and the light revealed something else, a smoking firepot. They were both moving, but I couldn’t see who carried them.
They moved in the direction of my master’s tent. I doubted it was him, however. I had gone to see him just after sundown and he was already in a deep sleep. Deep yet restless, because even though he stirred, I could not wake him.
I wanted to ask him if I should clean up the animals. Earlier in the day he said the Lord had spoken to him in a vision, and he told me to bring him a heifer, a goat, a ram, a dove and a pigeon. But he didn’t say why.
Yes, you could say it had been a strange day. Master had been irritable, which was unusual for him. He was a very successful man and had most everything anyone could want.
Except one thing. A son. He had no son, no heir. What good was it to accumulate if he had no son? His legacy would end when he drew his last breath. He would be forgotten, one grain in the vast sands of time.
But today he said the Lord had spoken to him. And the message was clear. He would have a son of his very own. And not only that, but he would inherit this land as well.
“So the Lord told you this?” I asked.
“Yes,” he said.
“And did you speak in return?”
“Yes, but not well. I said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, how can I know that I will gain possession of it?’”
“And did He respond?”
“Yes, and that’s why I called you to bring these animals. I’m going to cut them in half and arrange the halves opposite each other.”
“Oh,” I said.
Now I wasn’t sure what Master was planning, but I know the custom. It’s an oath. You slaughter an animal and cut it in half. Then you separate the halves and walk between them which confirms the oath, and you say, “May it be so done to me if I do not keep my oath and pledge.”
It’s a chilling, unforgettable reminder to keep your word.
So Master had arranged the halves, but then…nothing. The sun went down and so did he, into that deep but restless sleep.
Suddenly I was aware. Sensing but not physically. My eyes widened, absorbing the scene but seeing nothing more than the brilliant torch and the smoking firepot.
An awe settled on me. The sky was full of stars. I took a couple more steps but stopped. I slipped to my knees in the tall grass. And watched.
The torch and the smoking firepot moved gracefully, by whose hand I could not see. Then I noticed what the light of the torch revealed. There on the ground . . . the animals.
The flaming torch and the smoking firepot gracefully moved, purposefully moved between the pieces.
A solemn oath was being made. A pledge of one party to another.
And I knew. The Lord had spoken to my master. He had promised a son. He had promised the land. And now He was confirming His . . . covenant. Yes, a covenant.
On this night the Lord made a covenant with my master – Abram.
Comments?
E-mail me: dougapple@wave94.com.
May God bless you today! With Apples of Gold…I’m Doug Apple.
A story based on Genesis 15
© 2009 The Arrow’s Tip
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(Proverbs 25:11 – “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.”)
Why “The Arrow’s Tip”? Each morning, after diligently seeking the Lord, I write Apples of Gold. Then before I release it to the public I pray one final prayer, “Lord, send forth your arrows.” I envision Apples of Gold as arrows, tips dipped in the river of the water of life that flows from the throne of God (Rev. 22:1), sailing toward the hearts and minds of men and women around the world.
Doug Apple
General Manager - Wave 94
Christian Radio for Tallahassee
PO Box 4105
Tallahassee, FL 32315
(850) 926-8000
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