Follow The Signs

The Silver Chair by C.S. Lewis has always been one of my favorite books, partly because it so beautifully mirrors the daily Christian life. There are so many analogies and parallels to draw from this simple but profound story. The basic plot is that Jill and Eustace are called to Narnia to rescue the King’s lost son. Aslan gives them particular “signs” to follow in order to find him and we see the consequences they meet when they don’t. I encourage you to read or listen to it if you haven’t!

The basis of this story is that Jill and Eustace are given particular signs by which Aslan would guide them to find the lost prince. When Aslan gives them to Jill, he impresses the importance of remembering them in the correct order (obviously necessary for “road map” or chronological directions). The specific signs he gives aren’t as important to us as what he says about them because the signs are similar to the Bible which leads us through life so that we can avoid the pitfalls we encounter.

Remember

He repeatedly tells Jill to remember the signs. That is the first, and possibly most important, point. If she didn’t remember what the signs were she wouldn’t know when she came to them. In the same way, we need to remember God’s Word. We need to know it and have it in our memory.

Psalm 119:11 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Your word I have treasured in my heart,
That I may not sin against You.

Other translations say hidden instead of treasured. We won’t always have our Bible with us to look up what it says about something. We need to know and remember it. Otherwise we will fall for false teaching or fall into sin because we weren’t aware. Aslan told Jill to repeat the signs to herself when she woke up, when she went to bed and when she woke in the middle of the night. The Bible needs to be forefront in our thoughts, the first and last thoughts of the day, and our default when we awaken at night.

Psalm 119:148 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

My eyes anticipate the night watches,
That I may meditate on Your word.

It is something we should look forward to, not as candy or games, but as nourishment, fulfillment, something which is for our best good. The way we do this is by repeating them over and over.

Know Them by Heart

Aslan also said that Jill had to know them by heart. It wasn’t enough to just “know” them, she had to know them by heart. In the same way, we need to know God’s word by heart, not just in our minds.

Deuteronomy 11:18 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul; and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead

Part of this is understanding what the verses are talking about. My kids have many verses memorized, but I know they do not understand some of them. It does little good to know the Bible if you don’t understand it.

The other part is application. Knowing and understanding the Bible does little good if it is not used or applied. Even if Jill had the signs perfectly memorized and understood them, she would not find the prince unless she used and followed the signs. That is what it means to know something by heart, to be directed by it. God’s word should direct every part of our lives.

Don’t Get Distracted

Aslan cautioned Jill to “let nothing turn [her] mind from following the signs.” This goes along with knowing them by heart. We cannot let ourselves get distracted from God’s word because that is when we fall. I heard a pastor say once that if we prayed every second of the day we would never sin. It is those times when we turn our thoughts away from God, or allow them to be distracted, that we fall into sin.

Colossians 3:1-3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

We are not the same as we were before we gave our lives to Christ, so we cannot live and think the same as we used to. Jill allowed herself to be distracted from following the signs by thoughts of getting to a house where they could sleep out of the weather. As a result, they missed the second and third signs. They were able to go back and make up for it, but it was more difficult than it would have been otherwise.

Avoid Confusion

Aslan gave Jill a warning: they were on a mountain top with nothing around them to distract, the words he spoke to her were clear because their atmosphere was clear. Once she was down in Narnia, she would lose that clarity, and she would not have Aslan next to her. He warned her to not let the “thickness” of the lower air confuse her. The same happens with us, things seem so clear when we read the Bible, but in real life it is not so black and white. It is easy to be confused about something.

Matthew 6:22 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

The eye is the lamp of the body; so then if your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light.

Our spiritual eyes have to be clear, made clear by God, so that we can see clearly. That is why it is so important to repeat God’s word to ourselves, to know them by heart, to understand and use them and to not let ourselves be distracted. That will help us to think clearly and avoid confusion.

Deceiving Appearances

Aslan also cautioned Jill to “pay no attention to appearances.” During their voyage, Jill and her companions met with a kind, beautiful woman whom they asked about a ruined city mentioned in the signs. She claimed to know nothing about it but encouraged them to go to a certain “house” for lodging some days journey ahead. They were deceived by her appearance of kindness and beauty and followed her advice. It turned out that she was a witch and was intentionally distracting them from their purpose.

Jeremiah 23:32 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

“Behold, I am against those who have prophesied false dreams,” declares the Lord, “and related them and led My people astray by their falsehoods and reckless boasting; yet I did not send them or command them, nor do they furnish this people the slightest benefit,” declares the Lord.

2 Corinthians 11:3 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

We need to be careful that we are not led astray by appearances. It is so easy to see prominent speakers and clergy with successful ministries, fancy suits, and tantalizing words, and hang on their every word. We need to remember that they are just humans, like us, and no one is ever right 100% of the time (not even me.) We need to compare everything with the Bible, and see everything in light of what God says. I know people who committed horrendous sin because they were told that God wanted them to. Yet the Bible clearly said what they did was wrong.

Believe the Signs

Aslan’s final instruction was to believe the signs. If Jill had not believed that those signs would lead her to the prince she would not have followed them. In the same way, we need to believe that the Bible is God’s infallible word.

2 Timothy 3:16 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.

2 Peter 1:20-21 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.

If we don’t believe that the Bible is God’s direct word, we will not follow it because it will not be divine. It will just be a book of good ideas and not God’s commands. It is so important to believe in the Bible as God’s word. Our whole faith depends on it. Otherwise we will be led astray. His “instructions always work.”

Are you following the signs?