Suddenly, what the man had felt lurking, looming, as if behind a door—it exploded open. Cursed. A thousand powers of dark magic wrapped around him like suffocating smoke. Every voodoo spell and every demon that makes poor souls tremble at night—they all gathered to suffocate him. The serpent slithered round him and tightened around his lifeblood connection until his soul somehow lost consciousness. The shaft of light from heaven closed. The abyss opened its mouth beneath him, salivating in hunger.
Despair.
Despair.
He was frightened. For once he was defenseless. “It is futile,” whispered the flicking tongue with delight. The man wailed, for unlike their former encounter, this time he knew it was true. He was like Samson, bereft of his only source of strength. His pillar, gone. His last strand of connection to the paradise. The derision and dishonor were too much to bear.
Cursed.
Cursed.
He looked at the dark clouds, silently brooding, but no dove came down. “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased” – no more. What he would have given even for rain! Even rain was sent down from his father as a sign of mercy. But the sky did not move.
The abyss rose around him.
The abyss rose around him.
Falling.
Falling.
Still pinned to the tree, he felt himself sucked down into a grotto. He was in some tombish wasteland, with not even a wind to whisper to him. The last pinprick of light shrank away above him. The man was alone in darkness, with no one but himself, if even that. He began to feel it. Not pain, for he was numb to it. Stripes were superfluous now. No, this was worse.
Alone.
Outside.
Apart.
Distant.
Isolated.
Excommunicated.
Avoided.
Forgotten.
Abandoned.
Left.
Rejected.
Neglected.
The splinters of the tree were bitter poison as they dug into his back, reminding him of the prophecy. Christ became a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13)
Alone.
Outside.
Apart.
Distant.
Isolated.
Excommunicated.
Avoided.
Forgotten.
Abandoned.
Left.
Rejected.
Neglected.
The splinters of the tree were bitter poison as they dug into his back, reminding him of the prophecy. Christ became a curse for us. (Galatians 3:13)
Ben Taylor 