HARNESSED? (Psalm 129)

Their plowmen plowed long furrows up and down my back;
Then God ripped the harnesses of the evil plowmen to shreds. (Psalm 129:3-4, MSG)

"Harness" brings vivid images to my mind.

You see, one of the TV series that I watch is TNT's scifi, "Falling Skies." (I know, I watch too much television.) The premise is that not too far in the future, aliens have conquered the earth and the "second Massachusetts regiment" are leading a valiant resistance movement.

The aliens capture as many human children as possible and put them into a "harness" attached to their backbones. The harness controls their behavior. In one riveting episode, Mason (played by Noah Webster)watches a line of children march by, all in harness, oblivious to the presence of the adults nearby. His son Ben is among them, but he is unable to rescue him at that time.

When they do rescue Ben, they face a bigger challenge: undoing the harness from the back. It's more than a mechanical device; it's a living organism that binds with the host and turns them into "skitters." Even after the harness is removed, Ben is tempted to return to the Skitters. The tendrils remain in place, and he must choose to resist.

Combining the Falling Skies mythology with the verse in Psalm 129, my mind teems with analogies. The enemy, Satan, attached his harness to my back, training to give in to my evil desires.

At Salvation, God tears off that harness. It was ripped to shreds at Calvary.

And yet . . . in spite of my new life in Christ. . .The tendrils continue to tempt to return to an old allegiance. With God's help, I can resist. But I must choose, on an daily, hourly, minute-by-minute basis.

Praise God for His radical surgery.

Today's favorite verse: If you, God, kept records on wrongdoings, who would stand a chance? As it turns out, forgiveness is your habit, and that's why you're worshiped. (Psalm 130:3-4, MSG)