VOLUME 19 NUMBER 4

RefLeCTIonS In A SwAMP TooAnd His mercy is upon generation after generation toward those who fear Him.

Luke 1:50

Swamp Journal of Hans Seismo1DAY 8: Those who read these humblenotes — oh, how I wish you couldjoin me here and experience the marvelsthat our Lord Jesus has embroideredinto this incredible ecosystem. I wantto encourage you to better understandthe unbounded wisdom of God revealedby all ecosystems, and be led by godlyfear into a deeper awe and worship ofHim. I have experienced the fear of Godwhile exploring a flower-filled meadow,but much more now it seems in thissometimes dark and threatening swamp.As I continue to encounter thedangers my Creator has sewn into theswamp, along with all of its otherwonders, I’m getting a firmer grasp onthe priceless treasure of what it meansto truly tremble before our living Lord.This fear I am experiencing now is notthe fear of punishment, but the fear ofthe one who is by nature terrifying!And strangely, it is driving me into adeeper love for Him.

DAY 9: I feel a little like David who hada feast spread before him by God, whiledanger surrounded him on all sides(Psalm 23). My Lord Jesus has filledthe air this evening with the strange andbeautiful music of countless frogs.The “dinner” He sets before me (Luke12:37) includes a beautiful “tablecloth”of duckweed covering much of theswamp’s surface, the “window dressing”of Spanish moss everywhere adorningbranches, the “centerpiece” of thecypress tree, the “garnish” of shrubsand flowers, and the “beverage” of tea-colored water. But the main course —the “meat” of my swamp banquet — isthe increasing joy I experience as Igrow in the fear of the Lord and thepeace it brings me (Psalm 2:11; Isaiah 33:6).

Cache River Swamp at sunset

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beautiful array of alien music throughthese creatures. He is so wonderful!

Reptiles are also well represented through-out the throb of life within the swamp.numerous species of snakes and turtlesreside year round in this wetland. And itseems to be a great place for them to live!I was stunned to read that the alligatorsnapping turtle can reach 500 pounds(225 kg). There must be plenty for it toeat in the swamp. But, without question,the king of the reptiles in southern deep-water swamps is the alligator, anotherkeystone species. As little as one hundredyears ago, alligators 19 feet (six meters)in length were found here. I can’timagine anyone coming into this swampwithout feeling some sense of uneasiness.

If treated with a measure of reverence,alligators rarely attack folks in swamps.food is abundant and they don’t need toeat people. (I’ve heard, however, thatit’s best to stay clear of an alligatorwhen it’s guarding its babies!) Theirmain source of energy is fish, turtles,and small mammals. And in many ways,the health of deepwater swamps isdependent upon alligators. Christ revealsto us His awesome power and tendercare as Creator through these reptiles.Apparently, raccoons and bobcats are

DAY 10: Swamps are so hauntinglybeautiful in the evening, and in the earlymorning when everything is shrouded inmist. As I discovered last week — thefear of God and the beauty of ourLord go hand in hand. The swamp alsoradiates the “love and life and activity”of the Trinity.2 Along with countlessinvertebrates, many species of fish,amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammalscall the swamp their home, at least forpart of the year.

Some of the fish I’ve identified can befound in many other ecosystems —catfish, sunfish, and minnows to namea few. other fish seem more properlydesigned by God for this swampenvironment — gar, paddlefish, bowfin,

and the mosquitofish. The alien-lookingsturgeon also thrives here.

of all the vertebrates I have encountered,however, the most abundant certainlyare the amphibians — especially frogsand salamanders. Although salamandersare mute, the frogs are anything butquiet. They are the “temple worshipers”of the swamp — singing strange, sweet“hymns,” especially late in the evening.Sometimes I have great difficultydistinguishing the songs of each speciesbecause their choruses are so deafening.Ah, but Jesus has composed such a

Paddlefish

Green treefrog

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much less likely to raid bird nestswhen alligators are around. More thanonce over the past few days, I havebeen startled by the unnerving sound ofan alligator’s loud bellowing as itreverberates throughout the trees andbushes — a clear warning to any would-be thieves. These reptile vocalizationsreally add to the terrifying feeling of theswamp, especially if they’re heard lateat night.

DAY 11: The more I explore, the more Irealize that our Lord Jesus has“written laws” into the fabric of thisswamp ecosystem, laws which I darenot ignore. These “commands” are notfound on tablets of stone, but revealedin the behavior of His creatures. If Ineglect (disobey) such cardinal rulesas, “Do not handle the snakes,” “Do notswim with the alligators,” or “Do noteat plants with which you are unfamiliar,”I risk my own health and safety, and Icould pay with my life. out ofcuriosity, I counted the number oftimes God warned His people in thebook of Deuteronomy to be “careful” —no less than 26 times. In a similar way,I must exercise great care when Icome in contact with the plants andanimals of this environment.

DAY 12: eighty percent of the 30 or sosnake species living in deepwater swampsare harmless, but the twenty percentthat possess venom can be quitedangerous. The deadliest is the easterndiamondback rattlesnake, although thecottonmouth (water moccasin) comesin a close second. earlier today, I wasnearly bitten by a large cottonmouth. Atthat moment, I was certainly gripped

with a holy dread of my Creator! Howmuch more terrifying is the one whomade the cottonmouth?

Above is a photo I took of a cotton-mouth while exploring a swamp insouthern Illinois with my preciouswife. we gave it a wide berth! The othervenomous reptiles include the coralsnake, pigmy rattler, and canebrake (ortimber) rattlesnake. Many folks haveexaggerated the ominous nature ofthese snakes through their “tall swamptales,” nevertheless the potential thesesnakes have for harm certainlyreenforces the clear message of theswamp — “our Creator is to be feared!”It seems that even the non-venomous

snakes add to the menacing feel of thisecosystem because I’ve frequently seenthem hanging from tree branches.

Many swamps around the world are waystations for hundreds of species ofmigrating birds. while most birds live

Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon piscivorus)

Black rat snake (elaphe obsolete)

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only part of the year in the swamp, it isan essential resting and refueling stopin their travels. (So important are swampsto the natural economy of God’s creation,that careless destruction of someswamps in the U.S. has sadly led tothe extinction of a few bird species.)Birds display the shared beauty of ourtriune God and the swamp is a wide-spreading stage for these specialcreatures. Some of the most spectacularof large birds — the great blue heron,great egret, white ibis, wood stork, andanhinga — live here. Despite their size,these huge birds possess amazing agilitywhile flying, and many perform elaboratecourtship dances. I guess they couldbe considered the “ballerinas” in thistheater of God’s glory.

I recall an encounter that my wife andI had a few years back with a greatblue heron at the Cache River Swamp insouthern Illinois. Late one summerevening, we observed with astonishment

a large heron flying through the crowdedtrees. That such an enormous bird couldmaneuver so skillfully among the baldcypresses left us speechless. In keepingwith the swamp’s common theme of“fearing God,” we also experienced the

deep, haunting cries of the great blueherons echoing throughout the swamp,which, not unlike the sound of analligator’s bellowing, sent chills downour spines.

My research has also revealed that morethan 30 species of mammals roam deep-water swamps: these include cougar, bob-cat, black bear, red and gray fox, beaver,opossum, raccoon, white-tailed deer,squirrel, skunk, and shrew. The spookiestswamp mammals have to be the bats. Yetthey are relatively harmless — sleepingduring the day and emerging from theirhiding places in the evening to feast uponthe plentiful supply of flying insectsthat populate the atmosphere just abovethe water. And a good thing too . . .

I’ve read stories of early explorersdying from shock after being over-whelmed by clouds of innumerablemosquitoes, though I think this hasbeen a rare event. Throughout history,the biggest problem with mosquitoes is their ability to transmit malaria. Theterm malaria comes from the Italianwords mala aria — meaning “bad air.” Itwas once thought that harmful vaporsemanating from swamp water was whatcaused this disease or “swamp fever”as it is sometimes called. we nowknow that malaria is caused by a tinyparasite transmitted by mosquitoes.3This debilitating and sometimes deadlymalady is a very real hazard in manyswamps around the world, especiallythose located in tropical regions. Upuntil 1950, malaria was present in thesouthern U.S. Before this time, it hadspread across most of the nation(1880s). So serious was the problem,

Great blue heron

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I’m so fascinated by all this! I findmyself evermore drawn to examine theplants and animals of the swamp whilemaintaining a respectful attitude towardthem and especially their Creator.

DAY 13: Some folks want to convinceus that we need not fear God. But theBible teaches quite the opposite. Godinvites us into His care and comfortonly after we have come to truly fearHim with a holy dread (exodus 20:20;Judges 6:22-23; Isaiah 8:13-14; Luke 2:8-11; 5:8-11; Revelation 1:17). In effect, Hebids us to “fear not!” only after wehave come to “fear Him!” (Matthew10:28-31; Luke 12:5,7,32). Though theterror of personal punishment cannotbe found in Heaven, the fear of Godnever dies. Let me give you an analogy: Itis well known that baby alligators findsafety in the mouth of their parents,but that mouth remains potentiallyquite dangerous. The bite that an

examples of ins ects & the plan ts on wh ich they lay their eggs :

• cypress sphinx moth cypress trees

• Promethea moth sweet gum or spicebush

• zebra swallowtail the pawpaw plant

• great purple hairstreak mistletoe

• Hessel’s hairstreak Atlantic white cedar

• red admiral false nettle

that several U.S. Presidents contractedmalaria during their lifetime — Abraham Lincoln, George washington,James Monroe, Andrew Jackson, James Garfield and Ulysses S. Grant.Theodore Roosevelt and John f. Kennedyalso contracted malaria while servingout of country.

As a general rule, the less a swamp isdisturbed by foresting activities and roadconstruction, the fewer the mosquitoes.our Lord Jesus demonstrates His sweetkindness by providing swamps withabundant dragonflies, birds, and bats tokeep mosquito populations in check.In addition, He created a tiny fish — the

mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) — thatloves to gorge itself on mosquito larvaefound near the surface of the water.

Insects teach us to fear our Creator,but that is not all. God also usesinsects to proclaim the beautifulcomplexity of order He has built intothe swamp, something I’ve already seenin the incredible chemistry of swampwater. for example, our Lord Jesus haspaired many species of moths andbutterflies with a very limited numberof plant species. These butterflies andmoths lay their eggs on these plantsand no others, and gather nectar fromtheir blossoms. In the process, theyhelp pollinate the flowers.

Mosquitofish

Zebra swallowtail laying eggs on pawpaw

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alligator can produce is upwards of2,000 pounds, or one ton, per squareinch (140 kg per square centimeter),which is almost four times that of alion. In a much greater way, theChristian is perfectly and eternally safein Christ, yet the wrath of the Lambwill continue to punish the wicked inHell forever (Revelation 6:15-17). It is atthe Cross, and nowhere else, that afear of eternal punishment is relieved.

Princeton theologian J. Gresham Machensaid it best: “[Jesus] died not to abolishbut to satisfy divine justice. . . . even theChristian must fear God. . . . It is a fearrather of what might have been than whatis; it is a fear of what would comewere we not in Christ. without suchfear there can be no true love; for loveof the Saviour is proportioned to one’shorror of that from which man has beensaved. And how strong are the lives thatare suffused with such a love!” 4 Amen.

other people try to boil down the fearof God to a high level of respect andnothing else. fearing God does involvethis, yet is much more. Hebrews 12:29reminds us that God is also the Godof Mt. Sinai — “a Consuming fire!” Iso appreciate how one well-known pastorputs it: “Certainly the fear of Godincludes awe and reverence, but it doesnot exclude literal holy terror.” 5 And Irecall what Pastor Albert Martin oncesaid, in a slightly different way: “Thereis a legitimate sense in which the fear ofGod involves being afraid of God, beinggripped with terror and with dread” 6The early Church certainly experiencedsuch holy terror when she watchedtwo of her own — Ananias and Sapphira— perish after lying to God (Acts 5:1-11).

DAY 14: There are times when people arecalled to fear God because of theirsins and impending judgment (Proverbs3:7; Amos 3:8; Malachi 3:5; Matthew10:28), but in eternity, the perfect loveof God (1 John 4:18), and the perfectedfear of God this love will create, willdrive out all fear of judgment in God’speople. Yet, they, like the holy angels,will continue to fear the Lord in Heavenforever: “A God greatly feared in thecouncil of the holy ones, and awesomeabove all those who are around Him”(Psalm 89:7). And this fear will bejoined by great joy (Psalm 2:11). I amconvinced that we will grow in a fear ofGod forever because He will be seen —in ever-increasing measure — as the holyand majestic I AM (exodus 3:14). Simplyput: He is fearful because He is. I amalso convinced that we cannot fear Godtoo much if we continue to grow inour love for Him through Jesus Christ!

Indeed, tranquility and terror touch inthe swamp. In a way, the alligatorprovides us with a picture of our God,albeit a very imperfect one (Psalm103:11,17; Luke 1:50). The Almighty is holyand, as such, incompatible with thesins of mankind. we are like a person —marred by sin — floating in the slow-moving river of life, and there’s a verylarge mother alligator downstreamaggressively protecting her nest. we cantry to swim upstream and away fromher, but eventually we tire and are drawninexorably by the current ever closer toa confrontation. The alligator is in-escapable. Likewise, sooner or later wemust face a terrifying God; it is inevitable(please read 2 Corinthians 5:10-11 in theKJV).

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A thought just now came to me: “Howcould anyone avoid being eaten if theywere in the water with an alligator? weare no match for the speed and strengthof this reptile, and we certainly can’tkill it with our bare hands. Is thereany possibility of making peace with it?”Then it dawned on me: we would besafe if we could somehow transformourselves into one of the alligator’soffspring. That sounds crazy, I know,but what if it were possible? Thatcertainly would be the one way wecould be secure in the presence of afiercely-protective mother.

If someone could become a babyalligator, then they could hide in theadult’s mouth because that is howalligators guard their young. It is theone safe place in the river. Isn’t this —and I write this with the greatestreverence for my holy Lord — much likeit is for a child of God to be protectedfrom His inescapable wrath? Pastor JohnGill writes, “They that fear the Lordare in the utmost safety . . . they haveno reason to be afraid of anything.” 7

The only way for esther to save herselfand her people was to boldly approach

the very one who was the mostdangerous person in the kingdom(esther 4:16-5:2). This is exactlyopposite of what Jonah did when hefeared God’s command (Jonah 1:1-9).Jonah’s fear was slavish — it made himflee; esther’s terror was godly — itmoved her in love to draw close withfear and trembling. And she was savedby the mouth/commands of herhusband, who was her king (esther 8:8).God also used the mouth of a greatsea creature to teach Jonah to fearHim rightly. Should it seem strange,then, that God might use an alligator toillustrate what it means to fear Himthrough a baby alligator’s need to seeksafety in the mouth of this mostterrifying creature (Proverbs 14:26)? It isby its mouth that an alligator destroysits enemies, and it is also by its mouththat it provides a sanctuary for itshelpless young. So too, it is by themouth of our Lord Jesus that God willdestroy His enemies (Revelation 19:15),and by the word of His mouth that weshall be saved and live forevermore(John 5:24)! Godly fear causes us to“swim” to Christ, not away from Him(Psalm 5:7; 73:25), and to be confidentthat we are safe in Him alone.

And it’s no more possible for us tobecome a child of God then it is forus to become a baby alligator. . . . Godalone must do the miraculous andtransform us into one of His own. Yet,if we become one of His children, weare then perfectly safe in His care, notunlike the safety a baby alligator findsin the mouth of its parent. If anyonewants to escape Christ’s wrath againstsinful mankind (Revelation 6:15-17), then

Alligator guarding its eggs

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they must become a child of God andseek shelter in the very one who is themost dangerous (nahum 1:2-8)! Andthis is exactly what Isaiah 8 teaches.If we humbly fear God and seekshelter in Him, then He becomes ourSafe Haven: “It is the Lord of hostswhom you should regard as holy. AndHe shall be your fear, and He shall beyour dread. Then He shall become aSanctuary” (Isaiah 8:13,14). John Calvin,commenting on this passage, remarks,“every person who . . . undertakes tofear Him alone . . . will find that nohaven is more safe than His protection. . . [and he] will enjoy tranquility ofmind.” It is in Christ that terror andpeace kiss!

on DAY 2 of my journal, I wrote, “I’mtempted to conclude that the greatestpeace we can experience here on earth isfound where the greatest fear of Godis on display.” I have since consideredthis statement in greater depth and haveasked myself: “when in history hasmankind seen the greatest display of theterror of God? During the destructionof Jerusalem in 70 A.D.? In the years1348 - 1350 when 40 million people ineurope died of the bubonic plague?During world war II?” Though allthese events were horrifying, thegreatest display of the terror of Godoccurred upon the Cross of Christ!And it is here that the greatest offerof the peace of God is made.

In the end, my two weeks in the swamphave taught me that our Creator isterrifying. And that this terror isinseparable from the peace thatsurrounds Him, and the beauty and joyHe possesses in infinite amount — allleading us into true love and worship.

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It is fascinating to me that all four of these elements — fear, peace, beauty(glory), and joy — were encountered bythe shepherds in Luke 2 as they heardfrom the angel the glorious news thatChrist had come to earth. we will never experience anyone more frighteningand comforting, more glorious or more joy-evoking than Jesus!

o taste and see that the LoRD is good;How blessed is the man who takes

refuge in Him! o fear the LoRD, you His saints; for to those who

fear Him there is no want (Ps. 34:8-9).

1 Professor Seismo is a fictitious character.2 Read more about the “mutual love and life and activity”of the Trinity in CReAToR Volume 19 number 2.

3 The parasite is Plasmodium falciparum and the mosquito that transmits it is Anopheles sp.

4 J. Gresham Machen, “The fear of God”5 John MacArthur, “Harry emerson fosdick and the emerging Theology of early Liberalism”

6 Albert Martin, “The fear of God Part II”7 John Gill, “of the fear of God”

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1 Cache River—© Colleen Destree2 Tree frog—© Lorraine Hudgins

/Shutterstock3 Cottonmouth—© R.J. Destree3 Rat snake—© Steven Russell

Smith Photos/Shutterstock4 Heron—© eBfoto/Shutterstock5 Mosquitofish—© gualtiero boffi

/Shutterstock5 Swallowtail—Megan McCarty

CC Attribution 3.0 Unported7 Alligator & eggs—© Mikephotos

/Dreamstime.com

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