The Hammer of God: Practical Church Discipline

I was able to finish The Hammer of God by Bo Giertz the other night. My first impression was that I need to read it again, it was that good.

There are several stories within Hammer, and within those, multiple ideas worth further analysis. Pr. Alex Klages posted a review at the Luther Library blog a couple of years ago, but there some specific things I find fascinating.

One situation involves two Christians who cheated each other. Karl-August had a cow that needed some hay. Daniel had the hay but wouldn’t sell it to him, knowing that Karl-August would have to sell the cow. Daniel bought the cow, but a few days later, the cow died, poisoned by Karl-August right before the cow changed hands. The two Christians threaten to sue each other. They stop going to church, in order to avoid seeing each other.

Two pastors try to alleviate the situation. The first pastor, Fierfeldt, is originally of the opinion that a “converted” heart stops people from sinning. He meets with difficulty as he threatens Daniel Jonsson with the accusation that he is actually “unconverted” because of this sin:

“Jonsson, Jonsson!” shouted the pastor. “Do not throw stones! Niether of you is without guilt in this affair.”

“What are you saying, Pastor? Have I any blame in the matter? Have I not paid honestly for the cow? Didn’t we settle on a price?”

Now the pastor was ready to despair.

“But Jonsson, you know it is a sin to refuse to sell a little hay to your neighbor, saying you couldn’t do without it yourself, and then nevertheless buy the cow and put it in your board. You know what is written, ‘Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrwo of thee turn not thow away.’”

“Sin? Is that sin? One can see that our pastor is pretty young and doesn’t understand business matters,” said Daniel, quite undisturbed.

“But man,” he said, “don’t you understand that this will end in hell? Can’t you see, Jonsson, that your heart is just as unconverted as any drunkard’s or adulterer’s can be? Don’t you realize that you are the equal of harlots and thieves when you shut up your heart against a brother in need?”

This was the end of Daniel’s patience, too. He tore himself loose from the pastor’s grip.

“Did you say unconverted, Pastor? That a minister should say that to me! I’ll tell you one thing, Pastor, before you had outgrown your baby shoes, I was saved and born again, and I’ll not let a state church preacher call me a whoremonger, drunkard and thief. I could sue you for that, too. But now let’s settle this business. Karl-August, do I or don’t I get my money back?”

Well, that went well, didn’t it. The rector, an older pastor, approaches both men. He makes Karl-August read Rev. 21:8, extracting a confession that he lied about the sick cow, not by judging a Christian’s heart but on clear law from word of God.

Karl-August agrees to give the money back, but now he is out both cow and money. The rector forces Daniel to question the morality of his business decision:

(The rector says to Daniel:) “Well then, that matter is cleared up, and you have been vindicated. And that is good and well. But now there is another person by whom you have been shamelessly cheated, and this has to do with greater sums.

Daniel had a perplexed look.

“You see, Daniel, last Monday there was a great council in heaven, much like the one mentioned in the book of Job. The good Lord said, ‘The Adversary has had much to say of late against one of my servants down in Ödesjö, and I shall have to put him to test in order to discover is there is any truth in all this talk about his love of money and his greed for a think wallet and many fat cows.’ And then God sent along a poor little crofter who begged to buy a bundle of hay. And God said to His angels, ‘Now you will see that my servant is honest and faithful and will let the man get his bit of hay cheaply.’ But the Adversary also stole away and reached Vänneberga and sat down by the window and whispered, ‘Don’t be a fool now, Daniel. If there is no fodder to buy, the cow must be sold, and you can’t buy a cow as good as this one every day and at such a price.’ Then there was a tenseness in heaven, and all the angels wondered if Daniel at Vänneberga would allow himself to be deceived by his worst enemy. Well, Daniel, how did it go? Did you allow yourself to be deceived?”

Daniel was silent.

“Daniel, Daniel,” said the rector, now the heavenly Father is looking at you again. Last Monday he was pretty much discouraged about you. Will he be so again? It’s hard to speak sometimes, Daniel, but it can be much worse if one keeps silent. Answer me now: Did you let the devil deceive you last Monday?”

“Yes, Pastor, I did.”

Fierfeldt heard himself draw a sigh of relief. The innermost knot, the most difficult one, had been cut.

The pastor instructs Daniel to sell half the meat of the dead cow for proceeds toward the debt, then he has the congregation take up a collection for the balance of the debt. Both the men were members of the congregation. Being members of one another is frequently found in Paul’s writings.

Both men are treated as Christians, not immediately threatened with excommunication, but directly taught the right thing to do with compassion and given opportunity to admit their guilt. Their sins are forgiven, and nobody is lost. A good story from a great book.

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