Moses, John Brown and You

By Michael K. Farrar, O.D.

© God’s Breath Publications

 

            Moses was a true man of God, but he had his imperfections as we all do. Even though God communicated clearly that He had chosen him to lead Israel out from the bondage of Egypt, Moses questioned God’s intentions, intelligence and interpretation of events when he argued that he was not a capable spokesman for God’s plans to the chosen people. In Exodus chapter four we find the account of Moses arguing with God over his qualifications. I wonder how often we “argue” with God over His choice of us to speak for Him in our own lives. Do we hesitate to share the gospel with a friend or relative? Do we shrink from ministry opportunities that God obviously lays before us because we feel we aren’t qualified? Do we question God’s judgment when He places us in situations that require us to stretch our faith in service to Him?

 

            Another man of faith you probably have never heard about is John Brown. John Brown was a man who lived in the 17th century in Scotland. He was a humble man who worked a farm, owned ten sheep and a cow. He had desired to go into the preaching ministry but, similar to Moses, felt he was incapable due to his speech impediment. He felt his stuttering speech would hinder his inclination to preach so he instead chose to be a farmer. God still had plans for John Brown, as you shall soon see.

 

            John Brown married a lady by the name of Isabelle. At their wedding the minister who married them, Alexander Peden, made a most interesting prophecy over the couple. He told Isabelle the following, “Love this man of yours because you won’t have him for long. Keep his burial shroud close by, because you will need to use it. And when you use it, it will be stained with blood.” Now I don’t know about you, but this is a rather morbid comment to make at a wedding reception. Here on the brightest and happiest day of a newly wed couple, the minister drops this bombshell on them. John and Isabelle Brown accepted with courage the prophecy of Pastor Peden and went about their life on their isolated farm in the green hills of Scotland.

 

            Even though John was a hard working farmer, he could not keep himself away from ministering for his Lord. Despite his speech problem he began a weekly Bible study for young people in the area. Because of his shrewd ability to understand and teach the Bible and the character he had to live the Word of the Lord, young people came to him in droves to learn about the scriptures and the call of Christ. They met in John and Isabelle’s small home, warmed by a fire of burning peat on the kitchen floor. Here in the middle of nowhere, amidst the heather, moss and peat bogs, this stammering man of God developed a training school for heroes and theologians teaching the foundations of faith.

 

            There was a problem though. This was a time of power struggles and turmoil in Scotland. King Charles II had declared that he was head of the church and all those who professed faith in Christ must look to him as head of religious matters. Alexander Peden and John Brown rejected such claims. They belonged to the group of Christians called the Covenanters. Covenanters looked upon Christ as the only one who should be called head of the church. During the 17th century, this group of believers in Scotland were persecuted and killed for their dedication to Christ. It is said that the degree and extent of the persecution was worse than that which the Christians received during the rule of Rome and even more horrible than during the Inquisition of the Middle Ages. It was a time that you were risking your life if you professed Christ as the head of the church.

 

            A man by the name of Clabberhouse who enforced these pernicious rules came looking for Alexander Peden. He had orders to shoot on sight any Covenanter who was identified. Clabberhouse was unable to locate Pastor Peden, but fell upon John Brown’s farm. Checking his list of reported Covenanters, Clabberhouse noticed that John Brown was on his list. He found John Brown digging peat from a peat bog and announced to him, “Go to your prayers for you will die immediately.” Now John Brown was a very smart man. He knew this was his time to be with the Lord and knew that this was the last prayer he would ever pray, so he used the moment to pray for everything. He got down on his knees in the soggy peat, bowed his head and began to pray for all concerns that came to mind. He prayed not only for the other Covenanters in the area, he prayed that others will take over his ministry when he was gone, he prayed for the soldiers that Clabberhouse had brought with him, he even prayed for Clabberhouse. This all‑inclusive and Spirit‑filled prayer of John Brown’s really ticked Clabberhouse off. He felt he was being taken advantage of and didn’t like it one bit.

 

            John’s prayer was so filled with the spirit that a nearby accuser stated, “I thought you said this guy couldn’t preach.” What all of them had observed was that during John’s prayer, he had not stammered or stuttered one bit. Clabberhouse said, “Well if he couldn’t preach before, he has sure prayed with zeal now.” John ended his prayer in his Lord’s name, stood up and said to Clabberhouse, “You don’t know the real nature of preaching and you certainly don’t know anything about praying.”

 

            Clabberhouse replied, “Say good night to your wife and children for you are about to die.” John walked over to his wife Isabelle who was holding their young baby in her arms and said poignantly and gently, “Now Isabelle the day has come that I told you would come.” Isabelle replied, “I know, and my faith in the Lord is assured that I can truly say, I can let you go.”

 

            With these words spoken, Clabberhouse ordered the six soldiers he had brought with him to shoot John Brown. The soldiers aimed their guns at the ground, bowed their heads and refused to obey. Clabberhouse in red‑faced anger drew his pistol from his belt and shot John Brown in the head.

 

            If you don’t believe that Christ is head of the church, you will not understand the purposes of God in such a story. You will view it as a cruel ending for a good man who only wanted to serve his Lord. But if you believe that Christ is head of the church, that God can use common people like Moses, John Brown, and even you, your view will be a different one. You will understand that God uses common people, with ordinary and even restricted abilities to do amazing things for His glory. You will understand John Brown’s death as a calling that was on his life from the beginning. You will understand that this humble Scottish farmer’s life reflected a life of submission as a servant of God, that he was committed to standing for the truth contained in God’s word and was willing to die for it.

 

            God used Moses, despite his limitations, to lead a nation out of bondage to a promised land according to God’s will. God used John Brown, despite his limitations, to teach young people the gospel of Christ and grow in the knowledge that Christ is the Lord, the head of the church. God will use you, despite your limitations, in numerous and varieties of ways to minister the gospel, led others into the Kingdom and bring glory to the King of Kings we serve.

 

            Never, ever question that God can work mighty deeds of faith in and through you. God fights the battles. He supplies the skills. He provides the strength. He gives the direction that leads to living holy and blameless lives for His glory. Seek to hear the Spirit’s voice as He tells you how God can use you. You will be amazed at the extent that you can impact the world if you only trust in the Lord we serve and not in your own perceptions of what you are capable of.

 

1 Corinthians 1:26‑31

“Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things‑and the things that are not‑to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before Him. It is because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God‑that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. Therefore, as it is written:

‘Let him who boasts boast in the Lord.’”