THE HOUND OF HEAVEN
“Since the early 18th century, monks living in the snowy, dangerous St. Bernard Pass—a route through the Alps between Italy and Switzerland—kept rescue dogs to help them on their search and rescue missions after bad snowstorms. Over a span of nearly 200 years, about 2,000 people, from lost children to Napoleon's soldiers, were rescued because of the heroic dogs' uncanny sense of direction and resistance to cold” (Blumberg 2008).
In the not so distant past, God or more specifically the Holy Spirit, has been referred to as, "The hound of heaven". This unusual reference to Him, comes from a poem by Francis Thompson (1859-1907) with the same title, about a man who was running away from God, only to discover that he, like a small rabbit being pursued by a bloodhound, was woefully incapable of escaping the superior tracking skills of the hound that pursued and eventually overtook him. It opens with:
"I fled Him, down the nights and down the days;
I fled Him, down the arches of the years;
I fled Him, down the labyrinthine ways,
of my own mind; and in the mist of tears,
I hid from Him, and under running laughter.
Up vistaed hopes I sped; And shot, precipitated, down... chasmèd fears,
From those strong feet that followed... after."
I will admit that this is an odd way to view the Holy Spirit and some may not appreciate or may even take offense to God being referred to in this way, but I mean no disrespect. Rather, this is actually an apt description of the pursuit of many of the men that God pursued in Scripture. Specifically, the Apostle Paul, who ran from God for years most likely, until that fateful day when the Lord finally overtook him, and threw him to the ground with the blinding light of His glory, demanding from him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?... I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks" (KJV Acts 9:4-5)!
The “hound of heaven” caught up with Paul eventually, and he caught up with me as well, throwing me to the ground; as I'm sure He has done with many of you also. But oh how loving and wonderful was the experience, because He pursued us with His love and grace, washing away our sins, and removing the burden of guilt and condemnation from our minds and hearts. In the words of Jesus Himself, “…the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10). I was lost, but now I’m found because God lovingly pursued me after I ran from Him as far and as fast as I could run; but I never could outrun the sound of His still small voice calling me to return. When finally my own strength gave out and I could run no longer, He gently overtook me, but He did not devour or destroy me, His presence brought peace, comfort, and meaning to my life, and very soon afterward, vision and calling for the future.
Paul would agree with this analogy, acknowledging that he was, “…a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief” (1 Tim 1:13-15). I wish I could say that I never ran from Him again; "Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone to leave the God I love" (Robinson 1758), but each time I returned, He greeted me with open arms and nail pierced hands, forgave me, and the calling upon my life for serving Him became stronger each time.
So if you can allow yourself accept this analogy of the persistence and life-saving prowess of the Holy Spirit; I would encourage you to see Him not as the bloodhound moving in for the kill, but as the gentle and majestic Saint Bernard, seeking to save the lost and weary traveler in the Swiss Alps, with a cask of hot chocolate around his neck; bringing comfort, hope, peace, and salvation.
By Pastor Glen Mustian
Works Cited:
Blumberg, Jess. A Brief History of the St. Bernard Rescue Dog. Smithsonian.com. Accessed at: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/a-brief-history-of-the-st-bernard-rescue-dog-13787665/#JEy2GSGorREwpuT5.99 Web. 12/07/2015.
NKJV New King James Version. Holy Bible. Thomas Nelson. Nashville, TN: 2000. Print.
Robinson, Robert. Come Thou fount of every blessing. 1758
