Tying Strings
By: Raymond Harris
Regarding Scripture: II Corinthians 2.5-8
Note to the Reader
Presently, I am conducting in-depth study and research on the influence and use of the Old Testament within the New Testament. This study has been scheduled for, at least, the remainder of 2009. As such, a Special Announcement was given in September.
In particular, this article is a revision of the article “Tying Strings” originally written by me in 2007. Additionally, I encourage you to invest additional time reading the Epistle of Second Corinthians in conjunction with this article.
Tying Strings
In the second letter to the Corinthians, we find Paul providing some autobiographical information and information defending his apostleship. While this information is necessary and valuable, we will be spending this month briefly examining some of the practical lessons contained in this letter. Through theses lessons we want to be able to see how these lessons influenced the Corinthian Christians in their daily walk before Jehovah, and how we can apply those lessons.
Knots
Children make knots in string many times during their childhood. There are some adolescents who continue their knot tying skills, moving beyond the tried and true granny knot. These adolescents learn multiple knot styles and develop the skill of tying those knots in different styles of rope. It seems wise to continue learning knot-tying skills, and learning the skills of the interwoven knot with the practical application and mathematical implications of knot tying.
Many types of strings and ropes can be mended by tying knots. It seems only natural to assume that if a string or a rope were to be broken in two that it could be made a union again. It seems natural to assume that a retied string/rope would be a good repair allowing the line to have the strength as if the line had never broken. Interestingly, knots are temporary repairs, not permanent.
Contrary to what this writer assumed, knots actually weaken rope. Unless there is a flaw elsewhere in the rope, a knotted rope, when it fails again, will fail near the knot. This is because the knot causes uneven stress on rope which results in lessening the rope’s overall strength.1 Knowing this, when it comes to tying things together, like mooring a ship to the dock, which is better: many ropes with a knot, or many unbroken, unknotted ropes?
String
Have you ever noticed that when children use string, they use what seems like unneeded excess? One string simply is not enough. For children, if one string is good, then two, three, four, and more is better. Here is our application: sometimes we as adults forget this simple principle, more strings is best – regardless of what is being tied. Notice a moored ship, she is moored with multiple lines, not one. What would happen if it she were moored with one, and that one line failed? The ship would drift away. When multiple lines moor any ship there is safety, even when one line breaks. Personal Relationships are no different.
The relationship could be parent to child, child to parent, husband to wife, wife to husband, brother to brother, sister to sister, employer to employee, the list could go on because, in essence, the type of relationship does not matter. We see a variation of this principle of tying strings in the second chapter of Second Corinthians. In the first four verses, Paul is tying strings in his relationship with the Corinthians. He is mooring their relationship. Mooring because his first letter to the Corinthians was a harsh letter. Not in an ugly way, but when people come face-to-face with difficult truth, difficult truth is never easy. However, Paul’s admonition of string tying in chapter two verses five through eight are of peculiar interest.
Now if someone has been a cause of pain, it is not I whom he has pained, but, in some measure – I don’t want to overstate it – all of you. For such a person the punishment already imposed on him by the majority is sufficient, so that now you should do the opposite – forgive him, encourage him, comfort him. Otherwise such a person might be swallowed up in overwhelming depression. So I urge you to show that you really do love him.
These verses apply to the situation of a son having an improper relationship with his father’s wife.2 The congregation was to correct this particular problem.3 It appears that by the time Second Corinthians was written, the son had repented and changed, but it seems (based on the above quoted passage) that he was possibly carrying much guilt. The reality is that once the sin has been addressed and the person who received the correction and instruction changes their behavior, it can be difficult for those who did the correction to change their attitude. Paul is stating that it is imperative, absolutely vital (to the strength of the individual and to the strength of the church) that the corrected be reassured and uplifted. This is tying strings. This is relationship building.
Conclusion
Using our earlier analogy of a ship being moored, in this situation at Corinth (the improper relationship), a mooring line had been severed; but Paul is telling the Christians to establish another mooring line. He is not advocating tying a knot. Instead he advocates replacing the old broken line with a new line built in love.
Every relationship experiences strain and stress, broken strings, if one will. Relationships that have multiple strings moored in love can survive a broken string of betrayal, of hurt, or of violation. Let us make sure our relationships have many good strong unknotted strings tying us together that when string failure happens all is not lost. In our various relationships, how many strings have we tied? And are we constantly tying strings in our relationships, even after failure? May the LORD bless us as we endeavor to moor our relationships.
Endnotes
1. “Knot,” Section: Properties, Subsection: Strength, Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knot; December 3, 2009
2. “Improper Relationship.” First Corinthians 5.1-8, NASB.
3. “Correct the Problem.” First Corinthians 5.5, 7, NASB.
