As dry as the hills of Gilboa" has become a hackneyed expression, virtually meaningless. As used twice in Gospel Workers, however, the simile is very expressive. It is a pointed, grave warning to ministers to watch carefully their mode of delivery. In both instances the figure is used to describe the end result of failing to follow the proper procedure laid down in God's Holy Word. That procedure is to "preach the word," being "endued with power from on high."
Must Not Be Stereotyped
Under the caption, "Formal Discourses," the above phrase is first used in this volume in the following setting:
Sonic ministers, in the preparation of their discourses, arrange every detail with such exactness that they give the Lord no room to lead their minds. Every point is fixed, stereotyped, as it were, and they seem unable to depart from the plan marked out. This is a grave error, and if followed, will cause ministers to become narrow-minded, and will leave them as destitute of spiritual life and energy as were the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain.
When a minister feels that he cannot vary from a set discourse, the effect is little better than that produced by reading a sermon. Tame, formal discourses have in them very little of the vitalizing power of the Holy Spirit; and the habit of preaching such discourses will effectually destroy a minister's usefulness and ability.—Gospel Workers, p. 165.
These are serious words that demand our careful attention. They must neither be brushed aside nor considered outdated—unfitted for the modern tempo of life. That they apply to our time is clearly seen from the next instance in which the simile is used.
Can anyone doubt that this instruction fits our feverish mid-twentieth century age?
I am instructed to say to my fellow-workers, If you would have the rich treasures of heaven, you must hold secret communion with God. Unless you do this, your soul will be as destitute of the Holy Spirit as were the hills of Gilboa of dew and rain. When you hurry from one thing to another, when you have so much to do that you cannot take time to talk with God, how can you expect power in your work?—Ibid., p. 272.
So much to do that one does not take time to get a message from God! How often we must plead guilty to this charge! The tendency, when secret communion is neglected, is to rely upon detailed outlines for our sermons rather than go to the desk charged with the urgency of Spirit-filled messages.
Manuscript and Impromptu Preaching Depreciated
Does this instruction forbid the making of notes? Does it encourage extemporaneous, even impromptu speaking? By no means. What it does depreciate is the manuscript method of delivery, and any approach to it. The method approved throughout the book is what is sometimes called the extemporaneous method, by which one carefully prepares by meditation, prayer, and study, and builds a logical outline, which can be mastered and kept in mind while speaking. Impromptu speaking—that which relies upon the inspiration of the occasion instead of making proper preparation—is condemned in no uncertain terms. Ministers must not "bring to God a maimed sacrifice, an offering which has cost them neither study nor prayer."—Ibid., p. 64.
Does someone object: "The extemporaneous method may be all right for one who has a photographic mind, but I must have full notes"? Let me ask you: If you were an attorney defending one wrongly accused of a capital offense, would you be content to make your plea to the jury by reading a prepared manuscript, or by having to refer to copious or even occasional notes? You would strive to keep the undivided attention of the jury. You would look them straight in the eye. What political speaker would be content to read his address? What actor would risk his career by constantly referring to notes?
As we consider our pioneer preachers we think of the statement, "There were giants . . . in those days." They were filled with their message. They preached with power. Were they constantly referring to notes? Those who knew them give an emphatic No. Did they make careful preparation by study and prayer? How else could the distinctive doctrines have been worked out so positively? I have in my possession a rare book, Sermons on the Sabbath and Law, by J. N. Andrews, published at Battle Creek in 1870. This little book was a precursor of The History of the Sabbath. Yes, there is much evidence of -their scholarship. They gave a forthright, Spirit-filled message.
Giants in Preaching Needed
Is it possible for us, too, to become giants? Here is the inspired answer:
But some who have been preaching for years are content to confine themselves to a few subjects, being too indolent to search the Scriptures diligently and prayerfully, that they may become giants in the understanding of Bible doctrines and the practical lessons of Christ.—Gospel Workers, p. 281.
To become giants in preaching we must pay the price. Do we not see a tendency to rely more and more on notes and manuscript? Some young men seem afraid to launch out in extemporaneous speaking. They feel their need of manuscript to fall back upon. Let such write out their manuscript—and leave it at home. (The writing of it will make them more fluent.) Then they should take into the pulpit only such notes as can be readily used.
Growth comes with study and prayer and experience. Spirit-filled preaching, which blesses the souls of both speaker and hearers, results from seeking for a timely message from God and His work.
Someone has said that to be constantly referring to notes while preaching is like a horseman with one foot in the stirrup and one dangling along the ground—neither riding nor walking. Emphasis becomes forced and unnatural. The voice loses its ring of sincerity. What is worse, the preacher becomes devoid of spiritual power. Have we not on occasion seen such retrogression on the part of some gifted ministers—particularly those whose responsibilities require that they devote much of their time to ministerial activities other than the preaching of the Word. All too often they have begun to rely on fuller notes, and have lost their appealing power. Sometimes talented young men, who have thrilled audiences with powerful sermons, having obtained their advanced degrees, resort to speaking from a manuscript and lose their power. Surely it is time for us to follow the instruction that the Lord has so graciously given us.
Our Greatest Need
Our greatest need is a personal relationship with Christ. We must speak from experience. "We need constantly a fresh revelation of Christ, a daily experience that harmonizes with His teachings. High and holy attainments are within our reach. Continual progress in knowledge and virtue is God's purpose for us."Ibid., p. 274. We are admonished: "Give yourselves the culture of spiritual thoughts and holy communings."—Ibid. "The word of God is to be presented with clearness and power, that those who have ears to hear may hear the truth"—Ibid., p. 353. If we follow this instruction, our preaching will be more and more like the Saviour's. "In His teaching there was an earnestness that sent His words home with convicting power."—Ibid., p. 188.
