Mawu the Righteous Judge

In the days past, Mawu sent his messenger each day to travel the earth.  The messenger traveled from the far east to the far west every day for many years.

One evening, the messenger came across the town of Adjala, where the sun had already set.  Because it was night, he stopped his errands and went to a house.  A man, who had been traveling on the road, also happened to stop at this same house on this same night. 

The messenger asked the man, "Where are you headed?"

He replied, "I am heading to where the sun sets."

Mawu's messenger responded, "Then perhaps we are to be companions, for I, too, am headed to that place."

In the house next door, as the day dawned, two parents were crying over their sick child.

Mawu's messenger asked them, "Why have you not slept?"

They replied, "Our child is very sick, and we were worried."

The messenger carried with him a sack, in which he carried some powder.  He gave some of this powder to the father, who gave it to the child.  The messenger went back to the house in which he spent the night and woke up his new companion, telling him that they were to leave immediately.

As they left, the people of the town followed them, shouting, "Where is the stranger?  Where is the stranger?"  The child had died, you see.

But the messenger and his companion escaped, and came to the town of Savalou, where they spent the night.  In the morning, Mawu's messenger set fire to the house, and he and his companion left.  The people followed them, asking "Where is the stranger?"  But the two men had escaped.

The companion was astonished, but did not know who the messenger was.  So the two continued on their journey, and reached Badahwedji, near where the sun sets.

The two travelers stood on the banks of the river, which separated them from the town.  An old man was there, gathering leaves by the bank, and ferrying them across to the other side.  Mawu's messenger followed the man to the bank, and pushed him into the water.  The messenger's companion ran away when he saw this, but the messenger called to him, "Please, you are going the wrong way!  This is the way we must go."

The man answered, "What I have seen is too much.  I am leaving you."

The messenger said, "You do not know who I am.  I am not a man, but a messenger of Mawu.  Mawu sent me to kill the child, for if she had lived, the parents would have become poor and died.  The family whose house I burned has wealthy relatives who have hidden all of their money, and allowed that family to become poor.  The poor family will discover all of that money when they dig to rebuild the walls.  I pushed the old man into the river because the king of Badahwedji has died, and a young man should replace him.  If the old man lives, he would have replaced the king, and a young man should be king instead.  With a young king, they will have goats, pigs, and children."

Then he said, "I can see into the depths of men, and Mawu sent me here to look at such.  Do not be afraid, for if I do not do this, I will become a headache and kill men.  Or I will become a serpent and burn houses down.  If, in your life, you see these things happen, you will know that it is Mawu who does these."

-From the Dahomey tribe of Africa



I think there is a great deal that we can learn from this story.  It seems to me, as an example, that we often blame God for bad things, making us just as near-sighted as the man in the story.  You see, we honestly have no idea how God will work things out - even the tragic and bad things.  One of the most important things we can remember when going through difficult times is that God is always in control, even when it doesn't feel like it, and that it is often for our good that difficult things transpire.


That's why I love Psalm 4 so much.  David is absolutely out of his mind with anger and grief, so much so that he begins the Psalm with a command to God:  "Answer me, when I call to You!"  David's life has gotten so tumultuous, that he feels it necessary to give orders to God.  What's awesome, though, is that in this situation, David discovers that peace and joy come, not from our circumstances, but from God and God alone.  Tell you what, do yourselves a favor and read Psalm 4 today and, if you're able, read it again tomorrow.  And the next day.  And the next.  In fact, spend the next week reading this psalm every day, and see if it doesn't change your perspective on the "bad" events in your life.