The Short End Of The Stick
In his book, The Art of Biblical Narrative, Robert Alter makes the following observation:
The Biblical tale, through the most rigorous economy of means, leads us again and again to ponder complexities of motive and ambiguities of character because these are essential aspects of its vision of man, created by God, enjoying or suffering all the consequences of human freedom.
In case you were wondering, I did debate whether or not to include that quote in the blog LOL. It isn’t the clearest or most precise observation that I have ever read. But it certainly is one of the most profound. Alter’s observation is so profound that I had to reread it several times to grasp its’ profundity. His point is that the Bible says a whole lot without saying a whole lot (what they call in Latin “multum in parvo” or much in little), and much of what it says revolves around what happens when we get what we want. Most of us assume that we will be happy when we get what we want. However, there are plenty of instances in the Bible where we learn that suggest that unfortunately, that rarely is the case.
One of best examples of this truth is found in 2 Kings 10:-32-33. In that passage, the author shares what seems to be on the surface some pretty dry and dull data. This is what it says:
In those days the LORD began to cut Israel short: and Hazael smote them in all the coasts of Israel; from Jordan eastward, all the land of Gilead, the Gadites, and the Reubenites, and the Manassites, from Aroer, which is by the river Arnon, even Gilead and Bashan.
This is not exactly information that stirs the blood. I mean, ho hum. So what. Hear me yawn! But upon closer examination, I realized that the author was saying a whole lot more than those two verses might suggest. On the surface, it seems pretty tame. Ok, God begins to “cut Israel short.” Got it. No big revelation there. Sometimes God does cut us down, and cut us short. But thank God he will never cut us off! But what piqued my interest is where God decided to cut Israel short. As is the case in real estate, location is everything! The geographical precision is precisely the point. The scripture says that God initiated the reduction “from Jordan eastward,” in the “land of Gilead.” This territory belonged to 3 tribes: the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and Manasseh.”
What makes that bit of data such a big deal is an incident that occurred several centuries before that is recorded in Numbers 32. The Bible informs us that the children of Reuben and Gad approached Moses and informed him that they didn’t want to cross the Jordan River and enter the promised Land. They wanted to remain on the east side of the Jordan, in the land of Gilead. The rationale behind their request was that they had a lot of livestock, and they believed that since Gilead had plenty of grass, it would be better for them if they stayed behind. Initially, Moses was furious. But then he granted their request. So instead of joining the rest of the nation when they inherited the Promised Land by crossing the Jordan River, the tribes of Reuben and Gad decided to remain where they were. Later, the tribe of Manasseh also joined them. Another way of understanding their request is that instead of going where God wanted them to go and waiting to receive what God wanted them to have, they decided to stay where they already were and keep what they already had. They got what they wanted.
But if you fast forward from Numbers 32 to 2 Kings 10, the Bible shows us the folly of their request. Even though they got what they wanted, they really got the short end of the stick. When God decided to start cutting Israel short, the first tribes who felt the knife were the tribes who decided not to accept God’s original plan to relocate to the Promised Land. The key takeaway is that whenever you decide to accept what you want instead of what God wants for you, you are choosing the short end of the stick. When cutbacks come, God always cuts back your agenda—not His!
So here’s today’s question: Do you want what you want? Or do you want what God wants for you? Sheesh. That’a tough question.
Sometimes we look at our lives and are confused, angry and upset that we are experiencing cutbacks of one kind or another. It might be that God is cutting back the opportunities, relationships, and options that you wanted—not the opportunities, relationships and options that God wanted for you. This is why Jesus instructed us that when we pray, to always ask that his “will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Our will is imperfect. We tend to be shortsighted and prefer shortcuts. As result, the choices we make often result in us getting the short end of the stick.
According to various definitions, getting the short end of the stick is a proverbial expression that means to “to suffer the bad effects of a situation,” to “to be in a worse position or situation” or to “end worse off at the end than at the beginning.” Take heed: whenever we decide not to choose what God wants for us, all we are doing is choosing the short end of the stick. It may work for a little while. But rest assured, cutbacks are coming.
Oscar Wilde once said that there are two tragedies in life. The first is not getting what you want. The second is getting it.