How to Ride a Horse | Lesson 24

Growing in the fear of the LORD God 

[PDF available here .. print and add to your study binder]

When Curt and I first met, I was spending quite a bit of time out at the stables learning how to ride horses.  The photo above is my friend's horse, Strawberry.  Strawberry was an older Quarter-horse/Appaloosa mare.  She was small, stocky, and quite opinionated.  Yet, she was a great horse for me to learn on.  She was patient with my learning but watch out if you got her out in an open field!  She loved to gallop .. full throttle!  Oh, how that used to terrify me.  But I did learn how to sit into the saddle with my heels down.  

I really, really enjoy horses and Curt grew up on a ranch and is an excellent horseman.  All the time we were dating and after we were married, Curt and I dreamed of owning our own horses.  We haven't got to own any yet; but we have had many opportunities to ride together. 

Up until Henry Ford brought the automobile to the masses, every man knew about horses.  Horses were transportation.  They were an integral part of daily life around the world. From the carriage horse, to the plow horse, families grew up around horses and understood their value.  There were war horses, plantation horses, hunting horses, pleasure horses, race horses, buggy-pulling horses, and family ponies.

Unless you live in the country, most folks don't have the opportunity to be around horses on a daily basis.  And as a result, we miss out on some of the beauty, parallels, and truths found in the Scriptures.  

In  this lesson, we are going to learn how to ride a horse and see the parallels to growing in the fear of God.  

 And righteousness shall be the girdle of his loins, and faithfulness the girdle of his reins. -Isaiah 11:5

As we learn about the fear of God, we are growing in that knowledge.  We are moving from just the knowledge of the matter to the appropriate action that moves us to walk with the Lord more closely.

We have learned and should continue to practice how to distinguish between godly fear and ungodly fear.  [If you missed that, look here at Lesson 6]

And now we are walking one step at a time as we make conscience effort to entertain and cherish the things of God.

When learning to ride a horse, as with any new adventure, we must first learn some basics. So, you know what a horse is and that he is valuable and useful for many things.  Back in the day, the horse wasn't limited to transportation, he was also used for his strength.  He could haul a great load.  He was also trained as a 'cutting' horse.  Watch this video and be amazed. Cutting horses are used to 'cut' or 'separate' cattle from their calves.  

And so the basics of the fear of God is distinguishing between ungodly and godly fear.  Shall we say that we 'cut' out the ungodly from the godly. :) 

But growing in the fear of the LORD requires a moving on to the next lesson.  We can't stay in first grade.  

Basic steps to riding a horse: 

1. have a horse :) and  retrieve horse from the pasture or the stable

2. brush the horse

3. check the hooves for pebbles or thorns

4. put on the bridle

5. put on the blanket and saddle

6. secure the saddle

7. mount your horse

 Notice how many things we are to do BEFORE  we even mount the horse.  If you fail to do any of these steps, you would limit your riding experience, and even cause great danger.  And there is a certain way to get on and off a horse.  So to, there are clear orderly instructions in the Word of God as to walking in the way of God.  God actually wrote that manual for us.  We should pick it up and follow the instructions.   There will be less opportunity for getting bucked off or just falling over in ignorance. 

Let's define some words:

• Conscience
• Cherish
• Girdle
• Cinch
• Gird
• Reins
• (horse) Bit
• Bridle

Now look up and write out these Scripture verses:

• Luke 12:35-38
• I Peter 1:13
• Psalm 7:9
• Psalm 39:1
• James 3:2
• Psalm 32:9
• Revelation 2:23
• Jeremiah 17:9-10

Explain the use of the bridle for the horse

How does the Holy Spirit use the bridle in Scripture?

DIG DEEPER: 

Job 6:24

I Peter 3:10

I John 3:18

Job 39:19

Psalm 147:10-11