We have all, at various points in our life, experienced disappointment and discouragement; perhaps even serious doubts about our own worth, or about God, or about our life choices. These can be dark days filled with dark thoughts, leaving us emotionally, physically, even spiritually drained. Most of us experience such times, and most of us get through them successfully and move on to brighter days. For some, though, these dark days quickly devolve into a debilitating and at times deadly despair. In this state, hope is abandoned; one's spirit is crushed; one surrenders to the darkness. Robert Frost (1874-1963) defined despair as "Nothing to look backward to with pride; Nothing to look forward to with hope." The Jewish poet and activist Marge Piercy (b. 1936) observed that to despair is "to believe at last that the enemy will prevail." It is a sense of deep hopelessness; no matter how hard we tried, the darkness prevailed. In a very real sense, Francis Bacon (1561-1626) wrote, "All despair is a kind of reproaching of Deity." God wasn't there. He failed us. He didn't care. When we abandon hope, we abandon God. This led C. S. Lewis (1890-1960), in "The Screwtape Letters," to declare, "Despair is a greater sin than any of the sins which provoke it."

The prophet Isaiah described this despair quite dramatically as it overwhelmed and threatened to destroy the Israelites during their decades of Babylonian captivity. It is the kind of despair that has been felt by many peoples and nations since that time, as well. When a nation falls; when a people are in bondage; when they are horribly oppressed, and they have no power or resources to prevail against their oppressors; it is then that despair descends upon them. The apostle Paul certainly understood this feeling, for he wrote the following to the church at Corinth: "For we do not want you to be uninformed, brethren, about the affliction and oppressing distress which befell us in the province of Asia, how we were so utterly and unbearably weighed down and crushed that we despaired even of life itself" (2 Corinthians 1:8, Amplified Bible, classic edition). The ancestors of Paul, as they languished in a foreign land after the fall of their nation and the destruction of their temple, felt that same despair. Isaiah says that the chastening hand of God was upon them for their sins and rebellion against Him; for their transgressions they were led into a cruel captivity. "Lord, they went to You in their distress; they poured out whispered prayers because Your discipline fell on them" (Isaiah 25:16, Holman Christian Standard Bible).

Yes, for a time, the people cried out to their God during their time of distress. They sought relief, just as the Jews did while living as slaves in Egypt centuries earlier. God had heard their cry, those in Babylon reasoned, so perhaps God would hear their own cry as well. "The Lord said to Moses, 'I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land'" (Exodus 3:7-8a). What we often don't realize, however, is that this deliverance did not come immediately for the Jews in Egypt. They suffered under Egyptian bondage for 400 years! The Babylonian captivity would not last nearly that long, yet the emotions of the captives were just as intense. Indeed, whereas those in Egypt cried out to God in their distress, Isaiah says those Jews in this later captivity "poured out whispered prayers" in their distress. When one is fearful, one cries out; when one is despairing, little more than a sigh comes forth. The Hebrew word employed here "means properly a whispering, muttering; then a sighing. This is the sense here. In their calamity they sighed" [Dr. Albert Barnes, Notes on the OT - Isaiah, vol. 1, p. 410]. Some translations read, "They could barely whisper a prayer!" Such was the extent of their distress and despair. "Sorrow renders one speechless in the long run ... it crushes completely" [Drs. Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the OT, vol. 7, p. 449].

In describing the condition of the people during the Babylonian captivity, Isaiah uses the analogy of a pregnant woman. "Like a woman having a baby, writhing in distress, screaming her pain as the baby is being born, that’s how we were because of You, O God" (Isaiah 26:17, The Message). The Living Bible reads, "We suffered as a woman giving birth who cries and writhes in pain." The difference, though, as Isaiah is about to point out, is that with the suffering of the woman about to give birth, there is also a joyous hope. The time of a great delivery has at last come; a child is about to be born! The joy she is soon to experience will quickly cause the time of her suffering to fade away and seem insignificant by comparison. Yet, this was not the case for those Israelites in captivity who were despairing. In the next verse, Isaiah continues the analogy: "We were pregnant, we writhed, but we have given birth to wind. We have accomplished no deliverance in the earth, and the inhabitants of the world have not fallen" (Isaiah 26:18, English Standard Version). "We writhed in labor but bore no baby. We gave birth to wind. Nothing came of our labor. We produced nothing living. We couldn’t save the world" (The Message). "We too have writhed in agony, but all to no avail. No deliverance has come from all our efforts" (The Living Bible). Notice a few other translations:

1. American Standard Version - "We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen."
2. Contemporary English Version - "But instead of having a child, our terrible pain produced only wind. We have won no victories, and we have no descendants to take over the earth."
3. Douay-Rheims 1899 American Edition - "We have conceived, and been as it were in labour, and have brought forth wind: we have not wrought salvation on the earth, therefore the inhabitants of the earth have not fallen."
4. King James Version - "We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen."
5. New International Version - "We were with child, we writhed in labor, but we gave birth to wind. We have not brought salvation to the earth, and the people of the world have not come to life."

Isaiah is describing the emotional state of the people at that time. As we all know today, deliverance from their captivity did come, and the nations that oppressed them did ultimately fall. The Israelites were restored to their homeland, where they experienced a rebirth of their nation. At the time, though, they had lost hope for this. In their despair, they resigned themselves to ruin; their suffering, they wrongly concluded, would result only in complete destruction. Thus, they were doomed. Their hope was a false one: a cruel joke. They suffered the pains of pregnancy, only to produce nothing. God was toying with them! Such is the nature of despair: it skews our perception of reality, leading us to some very dark places in our hearts and minds. "Panic seized them, and anguish, as of a woman in childbirth" (Psalm 48:6). "Our hands are limp; anguish has seized us; pain as of a woman in childbirth" (Jeremiah 6:24). This is a common comparison used in Scripture to represent great suffering and anguish, and the figure is compounded when hope is removed from the equation. The Jews in captivity were losing (and many had lost) hope. Their distress had devolved into a deep despair, and their crying out to God had been reduced to little more than a whispered prayer or a sorrowful sigh. They were giving up, and were close to giving in to the darkness! The godless inhabitants of the world were never going to fall; the people of God were never going to be delivered; they had struggled to deliver themselves, and they were unable to do so.

They had hoped for the joy of a deliverance; for the joy of new life. Instead, they had merely "given birth to wind." This may seem like a strange expression, but it happens to describe a real medical condition. It is known as a "Pneumatosis," which is a condition where gas and bloating appears within an organ of the body, in this case the womb or uterus. "The learned Professor Michaelis explains this image in the following manner: 'Windy inflation of the womb is a disorder to which females are liable. Some have had this in such wise, for a long time together, that they have appeared to themselves, and even to very skillful medical men, to be pregnant; and after having endured much pain, and even the throes of apparent childbearing, they have been eased and restored to health by the emission of a great quantity of wind from the uterus. This disorder is well known to medical men'" [Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible, vol. 4, p. 118]. Another term that clearly applies here is "Pseudocyesis," or a "false pregnancy" (also known as a "phantom pregnancy"). This "is a very real but rare condition where a person experiences many of the physical and emotional symptoms of pregnancy, despite not being pregnant. It’s a phenomenon that has baffled medical professionals for centuries and is heart-wrenching for those desiring a real pregnancy. It is even believed that Mary Tudor, Queen of England, experienced 'phantom pregnancies' during her reign" [from the Banner Health web site]. False pregnancy can at times be triggered by extreme emotional trauma, and the Israelites in captivity were certainly exposed to such triggers.

The people needed to realize that deliverance and salvation and rebirth to their own land were not within themselves. "Left to themselves, the longing expectations of Israel had been frustrated. It was, as it were, like a false pregnancy, a disease with no birth as its outcome" [Dr. Charles Ellicott, Commentary on the Whole Bible, vol. 4, p. 488]. "The nation tried to achieve her own salvation, when, in fact, God alone could bring His own purposes for her to birth. Israel was like a woman in labor because of the pains she had suffered, yet unlike her in not giving birth to a child. All the suffering had been in vain" [The Expositor's Bible Commentary, vol. 6, p. 166]. Isaiah 26:18 highlights "the ineffectual character of their own efforts. ... The issue of all their painful toil was like the result of a false pregnancy: a delivery of wind" [Drs. Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary on the OT, vol. 7, p. 449]. When hope is based upon our own effort, leaving God out of it, such hope will prove abortive every time! Our hope is in Him. We today need to learn this lesson! Our deliverance from the darkness of this world, our salvation from the forces that oppress and afflict us, and which seek to destroy us, is NOT from ourselves. There is nothing I myself can accomplish to merit my deliverance, and the more I struggle to do so, the more suffering I bring upon myself (both physically and emotionally). Thus, by trying to obtain this new birth to life through my own effort or merit, I only succeed in giving birth to wind. The delivery I seek is only through faith in Him, not by anything I myself can produce. "We are saved by grace through faith; not of ourselves; it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8). All else is just "passing gas."

From a Reader in Texas:

Dear Brother Al, Enclosed is a check for a signed copy of the second edition of your book "One Bread, One Body: An Examination of Eucharistic Expectation, Evolution, and Extremism." I have recently reread your Reflections articles regarding the Lord's Supper. For some time now, I have been reconsidering my entrenched views about the Lord's Supper, and I am very much looking forward to reading your book. I can best describe myself as a "recovering legalist." I'm not there yet, but I'm willing to reconsider all my beliefs. I want to thank you for your well-considered and thought-provoking articles. It's not an easy thing to allow yourself to challenge what you have believed for decades, but the liberating truths gained are well worth the effort.

From a New Reader in Tennessee:

Al, I have been introduced to your Reflections Archive by an elder in our church who has recently retired after serving for 37 years. After looking through that archive, I am very interested in subscribing to your Reflections via email. I do pray that this request finds you well and able to continue this great work!

From a Reader in Virginia:

Al, I just read your article titled "The Tithe that Binds: Should Tithing be Bound on New Covenant Disciples?" (Reflections #108). You have an amazing anointed ministry, Al. Thank you so much for that study.

From a Reader in Florida:

Dear Al, I appreciate your Reflections articles, and I really appreciated your most recent one: "The Book-Binding of Believers: A Reflective Examination of John 8:31-32" (Reflections #892). You're right, it truly is all about what He did for us, and about having an intimate relationship with Him, that is most important. I had never heard that term ("book-binding") used in that way before. Also, would you please send me a signed copy of your book (the second edition) titled "Immersed by One Spirit: Rethinking the Purpose and Place of Baptism in NT Theology and Practice." Thank you! May the Lord continue to bless your influence on His behalf.

From a Reader in Texas:

Al, I want to thank you for your great writings! I enjoy your Reflections so much. Thank you also for your Joy in Christ. I am presently recovering from a fall, where I crushed some vertebra, and now, on top of it, shingles. Not to mention I'm also getting OLD. Please keep writing and teaching, Al.

From an Author in Arizona:

Al, my brother! "The Book-Binding of Believers" is very true, and very well-expressed. I, too, hold the same position. The early believers did not have access to what we call "The New Testament Scriptures," for they were not written until many years after the grace era was ushered in. Jesus the Messiah was their salvation, not a book (not even The Old Testament Scriptures). These writings inform us of salvation and Who provides it, but they do not claim to BE our Savior. Good to be on the same page with you on this!

From a Reader in North Carolina:

Hey, brother. I hope you are doing well. It's been a while since your last Reflections. Anyway, I just wanted to say that paragraphs two and three of your article "The Book-Binding of Believers" is pure Holy Ghost Fire!! It puts to shame the "Bible thumpers" and their brand of Pharisee-like religion! I am going to share this article with some brethren who are still "drinking the Kool-Aid" of legalism. It should be interesting to see how they respond to it. The peace of Christ be with you, Al.

From a Reader in California:

Brother Al, I can't tell you how much your article "The Book-Binding of Believers" spoke to me today! I was raised (as you know) in the Church of Christ faith tradition. I heard almost every Sunday that "the Scriptures will save you!" This is so misguided, and beyond belief. Jesus called such people "blind guides." Although we sometimes have to deal with such people, we surely don't have to follow them. The Scriptures are just the vehicle whereby we learn about a loving God. I'm reminded of the bronze serpent that was raised up for the Jews when they were bitten by poisonous snakes. Hezekiah had to tear it down later because the bronze serpent itself had become an object of veneration instead of God Himself through Whom the healing actually came. That's where these people are at with the Scriptures. In effect, they worship the snake, not the Savior. This year, I'm reading the Bible through (both OT and NT) with no other purpose than for God to teach me what He wants me to know about faith. I'm just a little over a month in, and I have already been transformed. I once had someone ask me how accurate I thought the Bible was. My response today would be: "I don't proofread love letters. That's tacky." I truly look at the Bible now as God's love letter to me ... and not just a love letter to mankind, but TO ME.

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