“But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”
Confederate Earthworks at Port Hudson, Louisiana
One of the definitions of “bulwark” in my dictionary of choice, the Webster’s 1828, is “a mound of earth round a place, capable of resisting cannon shot.” That word reminds me of what I saw while walking with my Cross along the Mississippi earlier this year, near Port Hudson, Louisiana. While traipsing through the woods, we came upon earthen bulwarks erected by Confederate forces to protect against the 1863 Yankee siege. They are still there and easily discerned. When Port Hudson fell on July 9, 1863, it wasn’t because these bulwarks failed. The defense at Port Hudson was remarkably stubborn, and those earthworks had repelled an unending barrage of cannon shot. Yankee troops never entered the fort, nor were they ever able to overrun it despite their great numbers. Despite holding out for 48 days against a vastly superior Union force, the fall of Vicksburg just upriver on July 4, 1863, vaporized the strategic objective of holding the Mississippi River. It was now effectively controlled by the Yankee gunboats, and the Confederacy had been split in two. With supplies exhausted and Old Man River lost, General Franklin Gardner surrendered on July 9, 1863, handing over the fort rather than facing starvation and the complete destruction of his army, many of whom had already been reduced to eating mules and rats. And yet, more than 160 years later, those earthen bulwarks remain, still standing strong.
Here in America, we live in dark and evil days much like those of 1863. As Port Hudson was enveloped by a great army, so are we enveloped by propaganda, lies, discord, division, conspiracy, betrayal, corruption, and empty promises. Good is called evil, evil is called good (Isaiah 5:20); and truth is fallen into the street (Isaiah 59:14). So much wickedness and sin parades itself as virtuous and good. How can we discern good from evil? How can we resist being deceived and overrun?
Relax, beloved brethren, like Port Hudson, we have a bulwark against the lies and the father of them … not just one but two, a DOUBLE BULWARK capable of resisting and repelling all sorts of prevaricating cannon fire. It’s the MEAT OF THE WORD (Hebrews 5:12-14) and FELLOWSHIP IN THE WORD (Malachi 3:16-18). Stop sucking on the teat, Christian, and start eating meat. The meat of God’s Word—what all politicians, fake preachers, and false teachers fear—is what exercises your senses to discern good from evil. It’s a bulwark against vastly superior forces. Don’t just eat that meat alone. Sit at the table with other believers and fellowship in the meat of the Word. Fellowship one with another in the fear of the Lord, while thinking and meditating upon His Word together, is a great bulwark against vastly superior forces. It opens our eyes to discern righteous people from wicked people, to discern between those that serve God and those that serve themselves.
That DOUBLE BULWARK will stand if we’ll use it; and our forts will only fall if we hand them over. Unlike the food supply at Port Hudson that had been exhausted, the sustenance from God’s Word and the fellowship of the saints never runs out. It’s an infinite storehouse. And unlike the Mississippi River that came under the complete control of the Yankee gunboats in 1863, God is in the midst of the river that belongs to us, and that river will not be moved:
“There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most High. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved: God shall help her, and that right early. The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved: he uttered his voice, the earth melted” (Psalm 46:4-6).
