You’re all going to die. Everyone here will die. Everyone you know will die.

An essay on happiness, we’re off to a good start.

But death bears a considerable amount of weight on any discussion of happiness. Death creeps into any vision of happiness like darkness falling as the sun sets. Death reminds us of our impermanence. And any reasonable, robust pursuit of happiness must have staying power. It must have permanence. No one seriously believes that the fleeting joy of trivial pursuits establishes lasting happiness. No one here really thinks the chuckle we get from snark on Twitter has any lasting value. It’s a momentary diversion not any true pursuit of happiness.

Happiness has to have some ability to last. Because if not, then we’re talking about momentary, fleeting dalliances that disappear as quickly as the time bound concept of ‘now.’ Death lays waste to it all. Death makes it all impermanent.

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And since that’s true, common conceptions of happiness don’t satisfy. No singular approach to pursuing happiness brings satisfaction. These conclusions are not my own, they are drawn from the book of Ecclesiastes. Ecclesiastes is the most philosophical book in the Bible and seeks to explain meaning and meaninglessness in a world ‘under the sun’ a world that has death in it and lives that only last for a breath. It reveals man’s restlessness that lives side by side with the reality that there’s nothing new under the sun. Technology may improve, but the nature of man is remarkably consistent.

Ecclesiastes is written by a Solomonic figure, ‘the preacher’, who examines common approaches to happiness and meaning in a temporary world. He positions himself as a king who gained great wealth, power, wisdom, and pleasure, yet found these things lacking.

The preacher examines materialism, pleasure, greatness, work, and wisdom and whether they can solve the existential challenge of meaning in a world under the sun. In short, they fail the preacher. But do they fail us today? The preacher says they do. And I’m hard pressed to find any evidence that alternative means of pursuing happiness satisfy the necessary condition of permanence to happiness.

It is not enough to knock down other conceptions of happiness though. Ecclesiastes accomplishes that well by constantly showing the impermanence of temporal approaches to happiness. But what about a positive vision of happiness? Happiness is a tricky word. When the founders enshrined the phrase ‘pursuit of happiness’ into the Declaration of Independence, they intended something like the free exercise of reason, conscience, and labor in the quest for fulfillment, virtue, and the joy that results from that endeavor. Our modern conception of happiness is more akin to base, fleeting pleasure.

Christianity doesn’t offer the happiness we see in the fleeting delights of modernity. It does rhyme with the Founding Fathers and Aristotelian’s focus on fulfilling the human purpose in a virtuous life. But Christianity claims the end of that pursuit isn’t reason, civic virtue, communal service, education, good laws, or mutually profitable commerce. Christianity claims the purpose of humanity is to rightly worship the God who made us. And what comes with this faith is not happiness per se, but rather peace, blessedness, and contentment. The experience of happiness in the Christian life waxes and wanes, but the condition of being blessed is steady, because the One doing the blessing is omnipotent and unchanging.

From a Christian perspective, the pursuit of happiness must meet certain conditions. First, permanence. The peace that comes through faith in Christ endures through suffering, persists beyond the grave, produces joy in Him, and supplies hope for this life and the next.

The central differentiating claim of Christianity is that its happiness — its joy, contentment, and peace — is both temporal and eternal.

We begin with the Preacher and his attack on alternative methods of pursuing happiness.

The Materialist

“He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves wealth with his income; this also is vanity. When goods increase, they increase who eat them, and what advantage has their owner but to see them with his eyes?…[15] As he came from his mother’s womb he shall go again, naked as he came, and shall take nothing for his toil that he may carry away in his hand. [16] This also is a grievous evil: just as he came, so shall he go, and what gain is there to him who toils for the wind? (ESV)

–Ecclesiastes 5:10–11, 15–16

Mo’ Money, Mo’ Problems.–The Notorious B.I.G

Money. Mammon. Lucre. While there are not many robust philosophical or theological arguments for equating the gain of material wealth with true, permanent happiness, it’s undeniable that large sections of Western Culture ™ believe this. The pursuit of money above all else is found in our music, our movies, our books, and even corrupt parts of our religion.

Ayn Rand might have come the closest to giving a philosophical argument for the pursuit of money as satisfying when she said

“So you think that money is the root of all evil? To love money is to know and love the fact that money is the creation of the best power within you, and your passkey to trade your effort for the effort of the best among men. Money demands of you the highest virtues, if you wish to make it or to keep it.”

Rand’s argument is that money reveals the best in us, it takes virtue to earn money, but most people pursuing material ends don’t go that deep. They think money is an end in itself, not as a sign of productive virtue. And when asked, how much is enough? The answer is ‘More.’

And while I am declaring, ex nihlo, that the pursuit of money is the least convincing vision of happiness, 59% of Americans believe that money can buy happiness. So my assessment of what people find compelling is not in line with the Zeitgeist. Money as an answer to the pursuit of happiness, must be dealt with. Death does this. We the leave the earth as we entered it, with nothing.

Death defangs Rand’s arguments and the simple materialists as well. Death is the means of transferring wealth via inheritance, which means inheriting someone else’s ‘virtue’ that can easily be squandered. Rand knew this, she despised the moochers and the looters. Yet amassing great wealth creates moochers and looters. Secondly, even if money is somehow an outward representation of virtue, it ceases being the property of anyone the moment they die. In other words, it’s a temporary virtue that doesn’t go with you. Money cannot keep you alive indefinitely, Peter Thiel’s desire for transhumanism aside, we have not found the holy grail. (And even if consciousness transfer were possible, is what goes into a digital or mechanical repository actually you? We have some real ship of Theseus problems here) Death is coming for Bill Gates, Elon Musk, Jack Ma, and whoever else comes to mind. And the moment it does, that money is no longer theirs. There is no permanent money to be found. The preacher knew this;

“[18] I hated all my toil in which I toil under the sun, seeing that I must leave it to the man who will come after me, [19] and who knows whether he will be wise or a fool? Yet he will be master of all for which I toiled and used my wisdom under the sun. This also is vanity”. –Ecclesiastes 2:18–19

There is the further problem that the accumulation of wealth leads to the desire for more wealth. People adapt to new levels of income incredibly quickly, the novelty wears off.

For the simpler materialist, if money means happiness, why are there such diminishing returns of wealth over a certain amount? Emotional well-being plateaus around $75,000 per year (in 2008 dollars). Average happiness remains stagnant as GDP increases. This is known as the Easterlin Paradox. Tyler Cowen contends that this isn’t an issue of happiness, but rather that people rescale their expectations upon reaching a new income level. In other words, people’s zero point has changed. But if happiness continually requires rescaling our wants and desires, that supports the notion of restlessness in human beings. Rescaling explains the mechanism of longing, not it’s resolution.

The total pursuit of money will not make you happy. It doesn’t last past your life and the happiness it does bring is fleeting. Worse, the desire for money begets a desire for still more money.

The Hedonist

“I said in my heart, “Come now, I will test you with pleasure; enjoy yourself.” But behold, this also was vanity. [2] I said of laughter, “It is mad,” and of pleasure, “What use is it?” [3] I searched with my heart how to cheer my body with wine — my heart still guiding me with wisdom — and how to lay hold on folly, till I might see what was good for the children of man to do under heaven during the few days of their life. [4] I made great works. I built houses and planted vineyards for myself. [5] I made myself gardens and parks, and planted in them all kinds of fruit trees. [6] I made myself pools from which to water the forest of growing trees. [7] I bought male and female slaves, and had slaves who were born in my house. I had also great possessions of herds and flocks, more than any who had been before me in Jerusalem. [8] I also gathered for myself silver and gold and the treasure of kings and provinces. I got singers, both men and women, and many concubines, the delight of the sons of man.

[9] So I became great and surpassed all who were before me in Jerusalem. Also my wisdom remained with me. [10] And whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them. I kept my heart from no pleasure, for my heart found pleasure in all my toil, and this was my reward for all my toil. [11] Then I considered all that my hands had done and the toil I had expended in doing it, and behold, all was vanity and a striving after wind, and there was nothing to be gained under the sun.”–Ecclesiastes 2:1–11

“An ever-increasing craving for an ever-diminishing pleasure is the formula.”–C.S. Lewis, The Screwtape Letters, The Demon’s strategy for stealing a person’s soul.

Pleasure as the highest good. This perspective has been with human beings for a long time. There’s a base sort of hedonist, the person who wants to drink as much, sleep with as many, eat as much, do the most amount of drugs in order to pursue pleasure. This fails the permanence test. All of these activities are limited and the pleasure that comes with them is fleeting. Worse, most of these activities will damage your health or emotional well-being. To take one example, promiscuity is correlated to poor mental health outcomes in study after study. Casual sex was negatively associated with well being, regardless of gender in one study. In Sweden, among female respondents, having multiple sex partners was significantly associated with high depression, high anxiety, and poor mental health. In adolescent girls in the United States, sadness, suicidal ideation, and hopelessness were correlated with promiscuous activity. We could do the same with long term drug use and over-eating, I trust it’s axiomatic that pursuing those things over everything else is a net negative in happiness. These things won’t create fulfillment in people, how many Saturday mornings arrive with the thought ‘what did I do last night’ with about a thousand regrets. The echoes the preacher’s conclusion that pleasure is vanity because it does not last and thereby creates despair.

Yet, bodily pleasure is not the only pleasure there is. Philosophy has grappled with hedonism from its beginnings. And my temptation is to knock people like J.S. Mill for expanding the concept of pleasure to include transcendent virtues, but the preacher counts such things under the general category of pleasure as well. So Mill gets a pass.

The hedonists are onto something, delighting in something is of some value. The preacher’s problem is that none of it lasts because we die and even transcendent pleasure is fleeting. And worse, pleasure can be misused to distract us from the central problem of human existence, death is coming. “It is better to go to the house of mourning than to go to the house of feasting, for this is the end of all mankind,and the living will lay it to heart.”– Ecclesiastes 7:2

The hedonic treadmill stands as strong evidence the preacher is onto something. Like the argument against the materialists, hedonists have to grapple with the reality that people adapt to new pleasures and then have to seek more as previous pleasures fade. This suggests that we need to have a source of pleasure that is permanent and forever able to satisfy our innate desires for novelty. This is true regardless of whether the pleasure is high or low.

Simple pleasure can’t do that–a life dedicated to the pursuit of pleasure above all else doesn’t satisfy.

The Vocationalist

[7] Again, I saw vanity under the sun: [8] one person who has no other, either son or brother, yet there is no end to all his toil, and his eyes are never satisfied with riches, so that he never asks, “For whom am I toiling and depriving myself of pleasure?” This also is vanity and an unhappy business.–Ecclesiastes 4:7–8

“Workism is among the most potent new religions in America.” “Workism Is Making Americans Miserable,” The Atlantic, February 24, 2019.

Work as happiness, work as meaning; the pop version sounds something like. ‘Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life!” The humble vocationalist may recognize that transcendent work isn’t on the table, but at least they can dedicate their lives to something they love. Yet, work as the sole source of happiness comes with drawbacks. It demands more and more of one’s time. Work is a cruel mistress. It will take your best years, rob you of human relationships, and only give you a paycheck in return. It leads to impaired health and more difficult family relationships. This is the moment to throw the standard cliche at you, no one on their death bed ever said I wish I spent more time at the office. And yet, that cliche is true. Bronnie Ware worked for years in palliative care and said every male patient she nursed told her ‘I wish I hadn’t worked so hard.’ The opportunity cost as it relates to family, spouses, and experiences was not worth it.

The Achiever

[5] For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten. [6] Their love and their hate and their envy have already perished, and forever they have no more share in all that is done under the sun. Ecclesiastes 9:5–6

“Why do I have three Super Bowl rings and still think there’s something greater out there for me?I mean, maybe a lot of people would say, ‘Hey man, this is what it is. I reached my goal, my dream, my life.’ Me, I think, God, it’s got to be more than this. I mean, this can’t be what it’s all cracked up to be.” “What’s the Answer? I wish I knew. I wish I knew.–Tom Brady, Interview with Steve Kroft, 2005.

So then, what about true greatness? If dedication to a career over all else fails, will greatness succeed?

‘It’s better to burn out than to fade away’ so said Kurt Cobain, quoting Neil Young, about wanting to end having achieved musical greatness rather than to compromise that greatness. Making a generational mark holds out appeal as a source of happiness. It promises a type of permanence, since true greatness outlasts the life of any individual human being. Alexander the Great left cities bearing his name, Steve Jobs transformed the way the world communicates and processes knowledge. Shakespeare wrote great works that continue to expand the minds of young students to this day. Surely this then stands as a source of happiness–work that matters and work that lasts. Humans derive happiness from a job well done and can rest in that their work will go on past their own lives.

Except only a monumentally tiny number of people can achieve that level of greatness, and even the ones who do, time will erase their works eventually.

One might say, well what about Alexander? What about true greatness that has come down to us? It is true their actions are still talked about. But what were any of these people like? What did they find funny? What did they talk about? Think about ? Dream about? We don’t know, even for those figures who have lots of extant works, do any of us really know them? The answer is of course no. Beyond that, they are gone. They don’t know their own legacy because they aren’t alive to see it. Greatness lasts for the world, but not the individual pursuing happiness via greatness.

Even greatness achieved in one’s own lifetime doesn’t satisfy. Tom Brady, the greatest American footballer to ever play said after his third championship, is this it? Worse, the football memory that sticks with him longer than any other is his loss against the Philadelphia Eagles, not his seven championships. Anyone who reaches the top of their profession, or achieves greatness, there remains a desire to do more. We are not satisfied. The happiness derived is not permanent.

The Aristotelian

“So I turned to consider wisdom and madness and folly. For what can the man do who comes after the king? Only what has already been done. [13] Then I saw that there is more gain in wisdom than in folly, as there is more gain in light than in darkness. [14] The wise person has his eyes in his head, but the fool walks in darkness. And yet I perceived that the same event happens to all of them. [15] Then I said in my heart, “What happens to the fool will happen to me also. Why then have I been so very wise?” And I said in my heart that this also is vanity. [16] For of the wise as of the fool there is no enduring remembrance, seeing that in the days to come all will have been long forgotten. How the wise dies just like the fool! [17] So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.”–Ecclesiastes 2:12–17

“Happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing I know”–Ernest Hemingway

If wealth, work, and worthiness fail, what about wisdom? Does happiness lie in virtue rather than indulgence of achievement? I have to admit, living wisely is compelling and of value. The preacher agrees, he declares that wisdom is better than folly. Being Socrates is better than being Mr. Beast. If anyone has given wisdom it’s best case, it’s Aristotle.

Aristotle puts forward his vision of living wisely in Nicomachean Ethics. He recognizes many of the same arguments for happiness that the preacher does and cites them as part of, but not the entirety of happiness.

“For to some people happiness seems to be a virtue; to others prudence; to others some sort of wisdom; to others again it seems to be these, or one of these, involving pleasure or requiring it to be added; others add in external prosperity…it is reasonable for each group not to be completely wrong, but to be correct on one point at least”–Nicomachean Ethics, Book 1, Chapter 8, § 6

But Aristotle goes further, to eudaimonia, the concept that happiness is an ongoing way of living in light of true virtue. It’s a pattern observed over a complete life. “One swallow does not make a spring…nor one day or a short time make us blessed and happy.” Happiness must have permanence. Human function and flourishing finds its good in the activity of the soul in accord with virtue, and since humans fulfill their purpose, find happiness in doing so. For Aristotle, happiness is found in doing what self-evidently corresponds with virtue because it is excellent in itself.

But death stands in Aristotle’s way. His answer is something like we cannot escape mortality, but we can participate in the eternal through contemplation. But if we’re dead, what does that matter? Does it last? We’re in religious territory now, the domain of Ecclesiastes.

The Christian

[11] He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. [12] I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; [13] also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil — this is God’s gift to man. Ecclesiastes 3:11–13

“You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”–Augustine

The very knowledge that this life ends robs us of joy, even in this life. Yet, there’s wisdom in being mindful of death. The preacher endlessly reminds us that life is a breath, here and it’s gone. We can’t keep it, we can’t make it come, we can’t hold on to it, the good moments we get, we cannot make them last forever. But existence is better than non-existence, better a live dog than a dead lion as the preacher says, or better a miserable man than a happy pig, to paraphrase Mill. The wise thing to do, even if you reject my Christian perspective, is to take life as it comes, enjoy the parts you can, and avoid clinging too hard to the things that don’t last. It’s better to be wise than foolish, but it doesn’t matter because both die. There’s nothing better than for a man to enjoy his toil, life, and family, but none of it will last. Recognize the limited reality of human existence, and be grateful for the opportunity to experience life.

The preacher points us to the reality that life is a gift and in the fullness of scripture, Christianity reveals the Giver. There’s more to be found. The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. Aristotle echoes the Bible when he claims that happiness results from humanity performing its highest function, the difference is the Bible claims that highest function is to glorify God by worshipping him, and in so doing, we find joy and happiness, that is permanent because it relies on God who is infinite and can satisfy our restlessness, and because it extends into eternity. And here’s the real value add, Christianity offers a source of peace that has permanence in this life and the next.

To put it nakedly, every other pursuit of happiness listed in this essay has no comfort to offer a parent who just buried their child. Money, success, pleasure, achievement, wisdom, all these things flail at the graveside of a loved one. Christianity gives hope in suffering, in the belief that even death serves a greater, divine purpose that we cannot see fully.

The full picture of Christian happiness and contentment hinges on individuals walking between two worlds, the already and the not yet. The Apostle Peter, famously, hopped out of a boat to walk towards Christ as he was walking on the waves. Peter falters, he sinks, and he cries out for help. Christ lifts him up and walks with him back to the boat. This is a picture of the Christian life. Sometimes we joyfully, confidently walk towards our Lord, sometimes we completely fail and suffer. In either case, our eyes are fixed on our singular hope and with that comes peace in any storm. The Christian can be sorrowful, and yet still rejoicing.

The reason a Christian can rejoice in sorrow is in the knowledge that God himself, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ has offered peace to all mankind and received by his people. The restlessness found within man, the longing for something this world cannot satisfy, it’s rooted in the separation between God and man. Christ addresses our deepest need by making way for us to be reconciled to God. Christianity passes the permanence test. Its peace can’t be taken and it becomes a rock of refuge in this life, and the next.

Originally published on Substack

Happiness was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

I had served as a lay pastor at a church in Washington, D.C. and endured three years of conflict, dispute, and impact from sin. Pastors left, members left, we left. I had experienced incredibly wonderful community at that church. We made friends for life at that church. I was hurt and I was angry. ‘No need to dive into leadership again, let’s keep all the crazy at arm’s length. Pastors be crazy.’ That was my mantra. I felt that deeply.

Enter Anacostia River Church. My family and I moved to SE DC in 2014 simply because we wanted to be in the city and that’s where we could afford to live. We didn’t know we were moving near an incredibly kind-hearted, gentle, and loving church that met 7 minutes from our new home. The pastors were a big part of that and some day I hope to write about Thabiti and Matt who were so instrumental in caring for me pastorally. But the congregation itself was a conduit of God’s grace to us. Slowly but surely, simply being among God’s people, building relationships, and reminding each other of the truths found in Scripture began to strip away layers of bitterness and hurt. I can name many names, George and Michelle, Peter, Dennis and Tarsha, Malcolm, Malcolm, Akeem, Michelle, Langston, Nick and Wensa,Deborah, Ashley, Terrance, Stephanie and so many others. This was the church that demonstrated Christ-like gentleness to me. Paul talks of loving people like a nursing mother. I experienced that at ARC. And they loved our kids. ARC was the first church where Emily really started to experience Christ’s bride. She still talks to her best buddy Maddie.

And then they graciously sent us off the Del Ray Baptist Church to do a pastoral internship.

Del Ray Baptist Church welcome us in and trained us up. The Scriptures were ever present. The pastors and the people were quick to turn to God’s Word. Yet this knowledge wasn’t dry, it was shaped by a heart for Christ and Christ’s people. This fueled the church’s support for the pastoral internship program. This is a congregation that wants to see churches built up and made healthy through the teaching of God’s Word. We were introduced to counseling through John, Danny, and Melissa. I relearned what it meant to be a pastor by watching DRBC’s elders strive to love the Lord, each other, and the congregation well week after week. I eventually was called to join their number and see first hand how deeply they longed to honor Christ by fulfilling their calling. It is rare to see a group of elders love one another and the Lord so well. We gained life long friends in Ben and Anna, Joey and Emily, Bill and Katie, Chris and Lauryn, and too many more to mention. We saw a group of elders genuinely love the Lord and each other. I had never seen a group of elders that was so humble, so willing to defer, and so unified even in disagreement. We traveled to Scotland to see people on the other side of the ocean worship our same God and proclaim the same gospel. Again and again, we watched the members of Del Ray pursue hurting sheep, care for the sick, share with one another as each had need. And then they sent us, along with 30 other members to revitalize a church in Mount Vernon, VA.

I want to be as gentle, gracious, and generous as these two church bodies. They were not stingy or tight fisted with people or resources. They gave. They gave because they knew they had a Savior who gave it all for their salvation. Neither of these congregations kept us at arms’ length, they weren’t afraid to risk hurt and loss, despite what craziness came. I needed to see, hear, and experience that. I’m grateful to God for putting us there.

They knew, deep in their bones, that there are many churches out there, but only one Lord.

Two Churches, One Lord was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Note: This was adapted from a session given at Del Ray Baptist Church in November 2020 on King David and his son, Absalom.

The tragedy of King David and Absalom has its roots in David’s moral failure in pursuing Bathsheba and murdering Uriah the Hittite in order to cover his sin. The Lord told David there would be consequences to his sin and there was.

Now therefore the sword shall never depart from your house, because you have despised me and have taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your wife.’ Thus says the LORD, ‘Behold, I will raise up evil against you out of your own house. And I will take your wives before your eyes and give them to your neighbor, and he shall lie with your wives in the sight of this sun. For you did it secretly, but I will do this thing before all Israel and before the sun.-2 Samuel 12:10–12

The Lord, as He always does, keeps his word. Enemies rise up out of David’s own house, but what’s even more tragic is that these enemies are raised because of David’s own actions and inactions.

It begins in 2 Samuel 13. Amnon, David’s oldest son, so his presumed heir at this point, decides that he wants to have sex with Tamar, his half-sister, by any means necessary. He is so lost in his depraved desires he makes himself ill. Yet, Amnon has a friend, a cousin actually, who hatches a plan for Amnon to pretend he’s sick and ask Tamar to feed him. King David sends Tamar to just that. And Amnon rapes her, and to compound his evil, he despises her after and throws her out of his house.

The punishment for this rape should have been death. (Deut 22:25) Yet David, though angry (2 Sam 13:21) does nothing. He fails to enforce God’s law. As a result, Absalom, Tamar’s full brother, hated Amnon from that day forward. Many pay the price for David’s failure, but perhaps none more than Tamar “2 Samuel 13:20 “So Tamar lived, a desolate woman, in her brother Absalom’s house.” Her public life was effectively over from this time on.

Yet, the tragedy doesn’t end there. The poison of this unpunished evil spreads to Absalom’s heart, In the second half of 2 Samuel 13 we see Absalom’s plan for vengeance. He waits two years, then through a deceitful trap (ironically) he murders his older brother, David’s oldest son. Absalom then flees, but David desires to be reconciled with Absalom. (2 Sam 13:39)

2 Samuel 13:37–39 “But Absalom fled and went to Talmai the son of Ammihud, king of Geshur. And David mourned for his son day after day. So Absalom fled and went to Geshur, and was there three years. And the spirit of the king longed to go out to Absalom, because he was comforted about Amnon, since he was dead.”

Justice Denied Leads to Injustice Multiplied

Application 1

It’s easy to think of King David’s failure to punish Amnon and Absalom as a governmental failure, as a criminal justice failure. In our own day, it’s easy to leap to these broader structural issues. But David’s failure here isn’t first a political one, it’s as a Father. David fails to give Tamar justice, he fails to punish the evil of Amnon, and later he fails to punish Absalom’s evil. The consequences are unfathomable. Rebellion, war, abuse of women, (what does Absalom do when he reigns in Jerusalem? Has sex with his father’s concubines)

David failed to bring God’s justice to his children. And he failed as a king. This sin turned Absalom against him fully and completely.

For us, what roles do we have? If you’re a father, are you rightly rewarding the good and rightly punishing the evil in your home? If not, what consequences might that lead to? Most of us are not kings in Old Testament Israel, but we’ve been given roles and vocations by God. Husbands, fathers, sons, church members, employees, bosses, and so forth. God has established the boundaries of our dwelling places. Let us pursue the good in those spheres. If we participate in evil, it can, and often does multiply evil around us. Let us flee from that.

Yet, the story of David’s failures is not done. David allows Absalom to return in 2 Samuel 14. David’s failures are growing. David continues to fail in doing what the law requires. Despite this lack of punishment, Absalom is not healed. He never forgot what happened to Tamar. I assume this because Absalom had three sons and one daughter, What did he name his daughter? Tamar. (2 Sam 14:27) He never forgot his father’s injustice.

Absalom even asks for judgement in 2 Sam 14:32.

“Absalom answered Joab, “Behold, I sent word to you, ‘Come here, that I may send you to the king, to ask, “Why have I come from Geshur? It would be better for me to be there still.” Now therefore let me go into the presence of the king, and if there is guilt in me, let him put me to death.”

Absalom isn’t repenting here. He’s almost daring the King to try and execute justice. He started this whole exchange by setting fire to Joab’s fields! This isn’t someone trying to make amends, it’s someone forcing his way back into power.

David responds, not by bringing justice, but by restoring Absalom.

Repentance Requires Real Work

Application 2

Dietrich Bonhoeffer, somewhat famously described the concept of ‘cheap grace. He said this “Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out the eye which causes him to stumble; it is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.”

Absalom gives us a picture not of someone who is willing to give all to receive grace, but of a man who is willing to do anything to force his way back into power. For us as believers, repentance means working towards a complete abandonment of our sin and trying to repair the damage done. Zacchaeus gives a picture of this in the New Testament. He admits his sin, denounces it, and tries to make restoration for it.

“And Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor. And if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it fourfold.” (Luke 19:8, ESV)

If the person we’ve sinned against is a tree (it’s a metaphor, bear with me) and our sin is trying to chop them down, repentance requires four things. First, stop chopping. Second, acknowledge the chopping and the harm it did. Third, try to repair the harm done (patching the tree). Fourth, break your axe (take steps to avoid the sin in the future).

The story continues. Absalom has a sense of irony. His plans twist the knife a bit by imitating his enemies’ failings. First, he murders his brother through a deceitful invitation, much like Amnon deceived Tamar, now he uses the supposed injustice of King David as a means to turn Israel against David.

“Absalom would say to him, “See, your claims are good and right, but there is no man designated by the king to hear you.” Then Absalom would say, “Oh that I were judge in the land! Then every man with a dispute or cause might come to me, and I would give him justice.” And whenever a man came near to pay homage to him, he would put out his hand and take hold of him and kiss him. Thus Absalom did to all of Israel who came to the king for judgment. So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.” 2 Samuel 15:3–6

Absalom steals the heart of the people (15:7) by promising them justice. Once his conspiracy has grown widely enough, he rebels.

King David knows its time to run, he knows Absalom won’t treat him with kindness, which begs the question, why didn’t he confront his son before? Either way, it’s time to go.

“And a messenger came to David, saying, “The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom.” Then David said to all his servants who were with him at Jerusalem, “Arise, and let us flee, or else there will be no escape for us from Absalom. Go quickly, lest he overtake us quickly and bring down ruin on us and strike the city with the edge of the sword.” 2 Samuel 15:13–14

When you’re running, run to the Lord

Application 3

Where does David turn? The Lord. Here we start to see some of David’s Godly character. In his desperation, he turns to the Lord. He cries out in prayer.

And it was told David, “Ahithophel is among the conspirators with Absalom.” And David said, “O LORD, please turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness.” 2 Samuel 15:31 ESV

Everything human has turned against him, he’s lost it all, through his own foolishness and his own sin. Absalom enters Jerusalem and has sex with David’s concubines in the sight of all Jerusalem. David can do nothing about it. (chapter 16) and is a fulfillment of what God said would happen after David’s sin with Bathsheba.

Yet, the Lord answers David’s prayer. He turns Ahiphophel’s council to foolishness. (17:23) This begins the reversal of fortunes that ends with David returned to his throne and Absalom dead. Hushai convinces Absalom not to pursue David. David and his army use the delay to regroup, organize, and prepare to fight. They win and Absalom is killed. When David hears of this, he is broken hearted.

And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

King David Can’t Save You, but Jesus Can.

Application 4

David is mourning the loss of his son, who deserved his death. He wishes he could exchange his life for his sons, but he cannot. (2 Samuel 18:33 -19:1–7)David’s mourning of his son is offensive to his men, and Joab rebukes him, warning him that if he mourns this rebel and traitor, he will lose more support in Israel.

Then Joab came into the house to the king and said, “You have today covered with shame the faces of all your servants, who have this day saved your life and the lives of your sons and your daughters and the lives of your wives and your concubines, because you love those who hate you and hate those who love you. For you have made it clear today that commanders and servants are nothing to you, for today I know that if Absalom were alive and all of us were dead today, then you would be pleased. Now therefore arise, go out and speak kindly to your servants, for I swear by the LORD, if you do not go, not a man will stay with you this night, and this will be worse for you than all the evil that has come upon you from your youth until now.” 2 Samuel 19:5–7, ESV

David loves his son. He’d give his life in exchange for his sons. But even King David can’t make this trade. He cannot pay for Absalom’s sin, he cannot take the consequences in his place. Indeed, his own sins were responsible for much of the damage done here.

But there is One who can pay the price for sinners.

I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. When he commits iniquity, I will discipline him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men, but my steadfast love will not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure forever before me. Your throne shall be established forever.’” In accordance with all these words, and in accordance with all this vision, Nathan spoke to David. 2 Samuel 7:8–17, ESV

This promise is fulfilled by Jesus Christ. Jesus, this descendant of David, can pay for Absalom’s sins, he can pay for our sins, he can pay for the world’s sins. Why? Because he is the sinless, spotless lamb of God. His sacrifice can atone for rebellion beyond measure, because his righteousness is beyond measure.

It is this Jesus to whom we must cling and look to. And it’s our faith in Jesus that fuels our points of application today. As we pursue justice in our lives, we look to Jesus as the model and enabler of any good we do. As we repent, we remember that Christ makes repentance possible. As we run through this life, through trials and away from sin, we run to Jesus who is the only One able to bind our wounds and reconcile us to God. So let us remember that no one, not King David, not the powerful, not the wealthy, no one can save us from our sins except Jesus, the greater David.

Justice Denied Leads to Injustice Multiplied was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

by Jonathan Edwards

This is actually a pretty cool story. My father-in-law was a seminary student in the 1980s and he used to have to walk around to his professors asking which books he’d have to buy from Banner of Truth. Predictably, professors seemed to be inclined to say all of them. Regardless, he bought these collected works of Edwards and even developed a reading plan to get through several chunks of Edwards work. I love that it looks like it was legit printed on the Macintosh II.

If you’re not familiar with Edwards, he is considered by many to be the greatest American theologian. He lived in New England in the 1700s, served at a congregation in North Hampton Connecticut, served as a missionary to Native Americans, and finally served as a president of Princeton University. He’s buried in Princeton Cemetery. Famously, he wrote an account of the Great Awakening in New England and preached the sermon “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” which you may remember from high school textbooks.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones: The First Forty Years

by Iain Murray

This biography covers Dr. Martin Lloyd-Jones first four decades (obviously) of ministry in Wales. I came to this biography with very little knowledge of Jones other than his famous dislike for humor in sermons and that he was a successful doctor who gave up a promising career for ministry in a small town. What I found was a deeply encouraging tale of God using one man to reinvigorate the evangelical movement in Wales. And he seemingly did it with only the assistance of the Puritan writers, God’s word, and his Holy Spirit. Truly amazing.

The Book of Swords

Edited by Gardner Dozois

This is a collection of fantasy/sci-fi stories…that have swords in them. Not overly complicated and some are better than others. The most well-known author is George R.R. Martin of Game of Thrones fame, his chapter is quite entertaining. Worth a vacation read.

Isaiah: God Saves Sinners

by Ray Ortlund

Ortlund is a pastor in Nashville with a long history of serving the church. He was also previously a pastor of Old Testament Theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. As such, he combines a gentle and humble spirit with deep theological knowledge. The results are spectacular. Ostensibly, this is a commentary, but I read it as a devotional, it is that accessible.

What I’m Reading: Winter Edition was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Harvey Weinstein, Roy Moore, Bill Clinton, Kevin Spacey, Louis C.K. and the list of sexual abusers grows and grows as the days go by. I believe the New York Times has a running list and over 80 ‘prominent’ people have been named as abusers. There have been many public apologies, remonstrations, and outcries. Perhaps I’m a bit skeptical, but Hollywood can spare me its hand-wringing, I remember Meryl Streep and company giving Roman Polanski a standing ovation at the Oscars.

The general numbers are shocking. One in five people have been sexually assaulted or abused in some way (1 in 4 women and 1 in 6 men). As these stories continue to gain traction, various writers are revealing systems and structures that enable such sexual abuse, from Hollywood to Washington to my particular concern, the church. Horrifically, the church is yet another institution that has been complicit at times in matters of sexual crime.

One writer has taken a deeper look at the evangelical Christian world. Roy Moore, who lost the Senate race in Alabama, became the flash point for this attention. Since then, Rachael Denhollander’s story, of her leading the charge against Larry Nassar’s decades of abuse, showed us what courage at an individual level looks like. Yet, suspicion remains about how evangelical structures have responded to sexual abuse scenarios. Denhollander herself raises some of those. Without delving into the specifics of the Sovereign Grace scandal, it is clear that at best, Christian institutions don’t know what to do in circumstances of sexual abuse and at worst, instinctively defend their own instead of doing whatever it takes to stop predators.

I found myself instinctively wanting to defend evangelicals, since I loosely identify as one (though given some of the people bearing that title, I am getting closer and closer to being done with the term). Yes, some home-school cultures are extraordinarily apt for child abusers, yes, some church leaders have horrifyingly defended abusers and attacked victims but these must be relatively isolated cases right? But I’m quickly disabused of this explanatory rationalization, largely because I was sexual assaulted by a member of my church growing up.

As a victim, what I want to say to those in positions of power in local congregations is relatively straight-forward. If you encounter this type of evil in your congregation, shout it out. Do not remain quiet. Bring in the authorities. Do not try to solve this sin ‘in house.’ Set up structures and procedures to protect your sheep. Boz Tchividjian has done great work in providing resources for churches to enact this very type of preventative measures. If this type of abuse is being perpetrated by leaders/pastors/elders, after immediately notifying the police, you must also tell the congregation. For too long, shame and silence have combined to make this sin go unchallenged by Christians. Remember too that when judgement comes, it begins with God’s people, then the world. Act accordingly. Fear God more than any social, judicial, or financial consequences.

To others who may have faced similar types of assault, I can only offer that which has helped me reconcile what happened to me with the fact that we have a loving God. Simply put, it’s the cross, but specifically the idea of expiation as it relates to the atoning work of Christ. This is a fancy word, but what it means is that Christ can cleanse us. He not only atones for the sins we’ve committed (a glorious miracle in of itself) but he has also cleansed us from the affects of sin others have committed against us.

That’s a fairly theological exploration of the concept, but how does that practically help someone, who like me, feels the anger and shame of being a sexual abuse victim. Christ tells us to give our burdens to him, to turn over all un-justice and unrighteousness. What does this mean? It means letting go, it means releasing that small corner of our hearts that holds on to bitterness, anger, resentment, and shame. It means letting Christ have that. In other words, it means forgiveness and in return, we get the joy and peace that only Christ can provide.

Let me be clear, this does not mean ‘pretend it did not happen’ or ‘shut up about it.’ For me, I wasn’t able to be in a strong enough mental state to confront my abuser as a 6 year old or even 13 year old. By the time I was, my abuser was long gone. If you are, if you have the courage to be like Rachael Denhollander, you are giving a gift to other victims and potential victims that cannot be measured. If you have the strength to bring charges and deal with obstacles, pursue it. On the flip side, if you can’t, if what you need to heal is time away from the constant mental strain of dealing with abuse, do that. That also requires courage. Do whatever it takes to protect yourself and heal.

But we can also trust God for his justice. In this life, that means working with governmental authorities that have been put in place to restrain and punish behavior like this. In the next life, only God’s judgement remains. Our God is no lover of child abuse, apart from Christ, those who abuse will face far greater consequences than we could dream of. Forgoing our own revenge by forgiving gives us peace, and likely greater judgement for those who abused us.

May that day of judgement come soon.

Sexual Abuse and the Church was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Picking up on what I wrote previously, I find doing these pieces a good way to remind myself of what I learned. So without further ado…

Heroes

by Iain Murray

This book is a collection of short biographies of some well-known and not so well-known Christians in the past. Jonathan Edwards and Charles Spurgeon stand out as the most familiar figures while Robert Kalley, William Hewitson, and Charles and Mary Colcock Jones serve as some individuals I was unfamiliar with. There is no precise strand that connects all these disparate people other than a strong sense of Christ, a dependence on the scriptures, and a complete surrender to what the Spirit would have them do. This book certainly serves as a strong encouragement to Christians today.

Fahrenheit 451

by Ray Bradbury

For whatever reason, I’ve found myself revisiting the sci-fi and fantasy classics. Fahrenheit 451 is one of the classic dystopian novels written in the 20th century. Bradbury’s style is very smooth, for lack of a better word, he also does a good job at communicating the mindset of other characters through the eyes of his main character. He does this by using observations of small physical behaviors that reveal the thoughts of the characters around his protagonist. As far as predictions about the future, Bradbury nails modernity’s need to be numbed by entertainment, while perhaps assuming television would be the only medium by which that entertainment is delivered.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

by Phillip K. Dick

This dystopian work famously serves as the source material for Blade Runner. The novel starts off strong by building a believable and depressing world filled with despondent humans and the androids built to serve them. The key struggle is figuring out who is actually human and who is not. Dick is being a bit obvious with his extended work on what actually makes one human, but the narrative is entertaining enough that this doesn’t become preachy. My only critique is the relatively unorganized ending. There’s no clear sense of where the characters are headed.

What I’m Reading: Fall Edition was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Martin Luther, in the first of his 95 theses, said

When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said “Repent,” he intended that the entire life of believers should be repentance.

But what does this even mean? So often in our lives we find ourselves in situations where we have done wrong and though it can be difficult, we say the words ‘I’m sorry’ though every instinct we have resists. Is this then enough? A phrase that is difficult for us to say, but over in an instant? Or did Christ and his Word intend far more than well-meaning apologies.

I recently found myself listening to a wise pastor talking about this very subject and he painted a complete picture of what repentance is. He said imagine you’re a tree and another person has begun hacking at you with an axe. He is doing you harm and this is sin. Biblical repentance consists of first, stop chopping. Do no more harm. Second, try and patch the hole you’ve created. Do your best to repair the damage. Finally, break your axe. Create tangible steps and processes to help prevent the same sin from ever happening in the future. It was that last piece I think we so often miss.

Regardless, this word picture stuck with me and I began to dwell on what a life of repentance looks like and what true repentance is between two fallen individuals. I stumbled upon a short book, The Doctrine of Repentance, by the Puritan, Thomas Watson. What I was most struck by in reading the book was how concerned Watson was with discerning true repentance from it’s many imitators. And related to that, how many things that look like contrition are actually deceits we perpetrate on ourselves.

To that end, Watson gives three types of counterfeit repentance to be wary of.

1. Legal Terror: In short, this is the horror one feels at realizing the magnitude of sin, and being burdened by the potential consequences of that sin. “Sense of guilt is enough to breed terror in the conscience. Only infusion of divine grace, breeds true repentance.”
2. Resolution Against Sin: Watson’s point here is that white-knuckling effort to ‘just be better’ is no true repentance, but rather a reliance on self. It seems effort on our part is necessary, but only after true repentance. “Trust not to a such passionate resolution; it is raised in a storm — and will die in a calm!”
3. Trading One Sin for Another: Watson warns again the swapping of sins. “He who was profligate in his youth, turns to be a miser in his hold age.”

Watson also outlines six ingredients for true repentance, stating that if any one element is left out, then the repentance loses it’s virtue.

1. Sight of sin (eyes opened to sinful reality)
2. Sorrow for sin
3. Confession of sin (voluntary, with remorse, sincere, names specific sins)
4. Shame for sin
5. Hatred for sin
6. Turning from sin (including restoration/reconciliation)

I would argue that steps 2, 3, and 6 are typically the most observable in others, while for ourselves step 1 is the most memorable.

In others, whether our fellow church members, spouses, kids, et. al, a big sign of true repentance is when the sin is freely confessed of instead of discovered. However, I’d caution us to not offer manipulative confessions. One example I find myself falling into is confessing something quickly, and then trying to move forward in the conversation as soon as possible. We also must guard against confessing in hopes of securing a confession from someone else. Both of those motivations are tainted with self-protective pride. True confession means taking stock of how we’ve hurt others and even soliciting their feedback on how we’ve hurt them and how we can make amends.

Secondly, the sorrow for sin should not be self-focused. I am so encouraged when I hear ‘I’m so deeply saddened by how I’ve hurt you and dishonored God’ rather than ‘I’m so sad this is happening to me.’ If we make our sorrow for sin about us, we’re falling right back into the trap of a self-centered worldview.

Finally, turning from sin is another strong signal that the Lord is doing something in people’s hearts. Now, I find that turning from sin over months and years is much more indicative of the Lord’s work than simple days or weeks.

All of this suggests that repentance truly is a Godly discipline to be pursued as prayer and scripture reading are pursued. We’ve got to work at it over time instead of trying to minimize our vulnerability.

What is Repentance Anyway? was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Once upon a time…

I worked at a conservative magazine. I had the opportunity to write almost every day and as poor as those efforts were at times, I enjoyed it. One item I wrote was a ‘what I’m reading column.’ These things can seem like humble brags and perhaps they are, but they also forced me to reflect on what I’ve read. Thus, I’m continuing the tradition here. With that, here’s what I’ve been reading over the past 6 months.

Dune

by Frank Herbert

Dune is a sci-fi/fantasy novel of some renown. I came across it on Patrick Rothfuss’ list of top fantasy novels. I had heard of Dune and vaguely knew it was about a desert planet, but that was about it. It was an enjoyable read and I got through it quickly. A young prince finds himself the subject of an ancient philosophy and with a doomed father, must grow in cunning and skill in order to survive. In this way, it mirrors so many other of these novels, but what Dune does differently is it’s world building. So often, fantasy authors spend massive amounts of time and effort in acclimating the reader to the fantasy world. Herbert doesn’t do that nearly as much. He gives the reader context clues and allows the reader to piece together the mythos on his own. I appreciated that. However, I found the ending weak. Hundreds of pages are invested in telling the protagonist’s story and when the climax of action occurs, details are scant and resolution comes quickly. Additionally, characters who had no previous development play large roles in the resolution of the story.

The Last Unicorn

by Peter S. Beagle

This was another recommendation by Patrick Rothfuss, an author I really enjoy, he named it the first or second best book he had ever read. I couldn’t follow him in that high of praise. I thought the story was rich and deep and avoided cliches. It also mirrored Dune in that it didn’t spend a lot of time explaining the world or giving intricate details on how things work. The strongest points of the work is it’s mirroring of elements of Joseph Campbell’s monomyth (or the Gospel if you’re a believer)However, in the end, there wasn’t much to it. It was a relatively straight-forward story with little surprises.

The Doctrine of Repentance

by Thomas Watson

I’m working on a separate post detailing what I pulled from this short work of the Puritan Thomas Watson. In short, it brings clarity to a surprisingly under-discussed element of the Christian life, repentance.

The Last Lion: Visions of Glory, Alone, Defender of the Realm

by William Manchester and Paul Reid

It is hard to capture the sheer breadth of effort and historical research that Manchester (with a post-mortem assist from Reid) completed in these works. Churchill is a fascinating figure and any attempt on my part to capture him in a paragraph is doomed to failure. In short, here was a man who fought in colonial wars, escaped from a prison camp, found himself in His Majesty’s cabinet in World War 1, toiled in obscurity after that conflict, all the while shouting that Hitler was a menace years before anyone else. This was all before his turn as the greatest statesman of World War II. And oh yeah, FDR is super overrated. Read these books.

The Imperfect Pastor

by Zack Eswine

Zack Eswine has a pastor’s heart. From the opening chapter, it bleeds through the pages. He cares deeply for people and desperately wants to care for them. He also carries the scars that come from years in pastoral ministry. He’s preached funerals, he’s seen what sin can do to individuals, to church leaders, to marriages (including his own). For this reason, Eswine’s book is bittersweet, but as he rightly points out, with Christ, the sweet is always so much greater than the bitter. And this is where his hope for pastors lays. He recognizes how the desire to be a hero for Christ, a grand visionary, a thought leader, and all the other lies we tell ourselves to feed our pride only serves to remove our reliance on Christ. And thus, we remove the power from our ministries. Eswine’s call is a return to simple life in simple places that is supernaturally powered by the Holy Spirit and our love for Jesus. Amen.

What I’ve been Reading: Spring Edition was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Muhammad Ali passed away this past Friday after being treated for respiratory complications. Ali was one of the most iconic figures of the 20th century in American history, not just in sport, but in culture as a whole. There will be others who do a much better job of assessing the impact Ali had for African-Americans, for those that opposed the Vietnam War, the concept of the conscientious objector and a myriad of other socio-political-cultural issues that are too vast for me to consider here. I’d like to talk about his sublime fighting.

The Anchor Punch

Ali’s anchor punch has found renewed love in recent years, particularly amongst fans of Anderson Silva. To be honest, what Anderson does with boxing simply isn’t near Ali’s level, but I’ll leave that aside. The concept is beautifully simple. One induces an opponent to lead, perhaps with a jab, perhaps with a jab-cross, you lean back, weight on your back foot, pull your head out of the way of the strike, and then return a looping (from a lowered hand position) cross while transferring some of your weight from your back foot the the front. Due to your opponent leaning forward, the impact of the punch is felt exponentially more because his own weight and forward momentum is adding to the momentum. When Forrest Griffin had his lights put out by Anderson Silva, it looked like a nothing punch put him out, but it was his own body movement. Beautiful.

Footwork and Speed

Ali’s movement, particularly for a heavyweight, was incredible. “Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee” is a phrase Ali popularized, but was also one he took seriously.

His speed was excellent, but the technical mastery of footwork is more impressive to me. He was bouncy, light on his feet and circling away from his opponents strikes. In the clip above, you’ll notice that he at times will move straight back (technically a no-no) but when he runs out of real estate or feels the need, he ducks and moves out at an angle.

One example of Ali’s footwork is his use of the crouching position. BJJ Scout broke this down looking at Dominick Cruz, but he stole it from the master, Ali (and maybe a little Willie Pep). You’ll have to see BJJ Scout’s analysis on his Facebook page in Breaking Down Cruz Part 1. I do love love this exit strategy from an exchange one doesn’t want to engage in. Essentially, a fighter can crouch and spring backwards, exit to the side or return a strike. This multifunctional approach to the position keeps opponents guessing and gives a fighter multiple options. As Ali crouches, he positions his feet with his weight mostly on his back foot, this allows him those multiple options. The weight on the rear foot allows him to transfer it quickly and keeps his lead foot free to position it anywhere he’d like to go.

The Mental Game

Before there was Mayweather, before there was Chael, before any of the great talkers in combat sports today, there was Ali. He was merciless. He was winsome. He was charismatic. He took it too far at times, as with Joe Frazier, but undeniably his mic skills frustrated and infuriated opponents. An angry fighter is not a clear-headed fighter. Ali would talk to opponents in the ring, which opponents named as extraordinarily discouraging. The most famous example is of course the Rope-a-Dope with George Foreman.

Here, Ali talked so much smack to Foreman, that Foreman punched himself out trying to make the man pay. This led to one of the most historic knockouts in boxing history.

Rest in Peace Champ, you did it the best.

Requiem for a Champ was originally published in Benjamin Brophy on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.