I've been thinking a lot recently about identity, authenticity and roots. This is partly after being on holiday in Sutherland and partly after reading Tim Keller's The Prodigal Prophet which I highly recommend. I had never really noticed before but there is a lot in Jonah about identity and roots. When the sailors ask Jonah in chapter 1 v 8: Then they said to him, "Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you? And he said to them I am a Hebrew and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and dry land." The sailors were asking Jonah's purpose (or mission), his place (or homeland) and his race (or people). Their primary reason was to identify his God so they could appease him and be delivered from the storm.
Of course Jonah is caught up with religious and racial superiority, which is why he is running from his mission of mercy towards the heathen Ninevites. He wasn't the first or the last disciple who saw himself as superior to others because of his identity and theology. Jesus spent much of his ministry challenging the scribes and pharisees for their pride and superiority. This pride is invariably fuelled by anger which we see so clearly in Jonah chapter 4. He answers the sailors that he is a Hebrew first before saying that he is part of the covenant people of God. This highlights his problem which is unfolded in the book of Jonah. He was a Hebrew first and a Yahweh follower second. Jonah's overwhelming identity was racial and this coloured everything else. Our identity is so critical to how we live. As Keller says: The sailors knew that identity is always rooted in the things we look toward to save us, the things to which we give allegiance. To ask, "Who are you" is to ask, "Whose are you?" To know who you are is to know what you have given yourself to, what controls you, what you most fundamentally trust (The Prodigal Prophet, Tim Keller, p 49). I'm always amazed how few people seem to genuinely ask the question 'who am I?' until it is too late
Reading The Prodigal Prophet challenged me about my own identity, purpose and people. We all have a 'homeland' that we identify with and mine is definitely the Highlands. I love Argyll, the Hebrides but I always feel the west of Sutherland is something like a spiritual homeland for me. Where we come from shapes us and moulds us in ways we are hardly aware of. My Dad has been ill recently and every time I visit him we start to talk about his own upbringing and journey through life. So many of these discussions revolve around my fathers family home outside Dornoch called Lonemore. I love Dornoch but there is something about the west of Sutherland that keeps drawing me back. It refreshes me in ways that I can't really put in to words.
It is only relatively recently that I've discovered that my Great, Great Grandparents came from a farm called Dalchork just outside Lairg which may explain my emotional connection with the area. Of course my father's great hero, Prof John Murray comes from Badbea near Bonar Bridge and every time I am in Lairg I re-read the Life of Prof John Murray by Iain H Murray which is one of my favourite books. You can order it here. I always find it incredible that one of the greatest theologians of the 20th century comes from a tiny wee place called Badbea on the shores of the beautiful Loch Migdale. Many of the roads in the area were originally built by Prof John Murray's father Alexander or 'Sandy Level' as he was known in the area. He worked for Andrew Carnegie when he returned to Scotland in 1898 and began a huge rebuilding programme on Skibo Caste and the surrounding area. My own Grandfather would go on to work on the Skibo estate some years after Alexander Murray.
The family home at Lonemore, Dornoch, which was at the eastern side of the Skibo estate, is looking a bit sad after being a busy croft for most of its life. Large hunks of farm machinery lie rusting as monuments to more productive times. My uncle continues to live there despite his ongoing frailty. He has never married and eschews most of the comforts everyone else takes for granted. There are few 83 year olds still cycling and fewer purchasing 'bowman saws' at the local ironmongers so he can continue to cut wood! But my uncle has never found happiness in the comforts of this world.
I have a tremendous respect for my uncle and for his adherence to the reformed faith which has remained unchanged for his whole life. He has seen young (and not so young) ministers come and go, changes, fads and fashions introduced but he has remained fixed in his convictions. He is reluctant to criticise and only gives his view reluctantly when asked. Whenever I bring up the subject of the latest innovation in theology or worship he always shakes his head and says 'will they never learn from history?' He is steeped in the rich history of the Free Church particularly in Sutherland and has spent his life helping others appreciate the past.
Often when I have felt my uncle was lonely over the years I was reminded that he has surrounded himself with godly writers and preachers of a bygone era. They are stacked high on every table, chair and ledge as well as being surrounded by every conceivable reformed periodical from around the world. Nobody leaves Lonemore without a good book, a booklet or a magazine. It took me a wee while to really appreciate these books but now that I do I love going to my uncles and looking through his incredible selection of books. I truly believe the faith that my Dad and uncle have fought for over the last 50-60 years will stand the test of time because it has been the fight for Biblical Christianity embodied in the reformed creeds and confessions. But they would be the first to admit that they stand on the shoulders of giants who have gone before them and made Sutherland famous for godliness and a love for solid Biblical truth and doctrine.
Of course Jonah is caught up with religious and racial superiority, which is why he is running from his mission of mercy towards the heathen Ninevites. He wasn't the first or the last disciple who saw himself as superior to others because of his identity and theology. Jesus spent much of his ministry challenging the scribes and pharisees for their pride and superiority. This pride is invariably fuelled by anger which we see so clearly in Jonah chapter 4. He answers the sailors that he is a Hebrew first before saying that he is part of the covenant people of God. This highlights his problem which is unfolded in the book of Jonah. He was a Hebrew first and a Yahweh follower second. Jonah's overwhelming identity was racial and this coloured everything else. Our identity is so critical to how we live. As Keller says: The sailors knew that identity is always rooted in the things we look toward to save us, the things to which we give allegiance. To ask, "Who are you" is to ask, "Whose are you?" To know who you are is to know what you have given yourself to, what controls you, what you most fundamentally trust (The Prodigal Prophet, Tim Keller, p 49). I'm always amazed how few people seem to genuinely ask the question 'who am I?' until it is too late
Reading The Prodigal Prophet challenged me about my own identity, purpose and people. We all have a 'homeland' that we identify with and mine is definitely the Highlands. I love Argyll, the Hebrides but I always feel the west of Sutherland is something like a spiritual homeland for me. Where we come from shapes us and moulds us in ways we are hardly aware of. My Dad has been ill recently and every time I visit him we start to talk about his own upbringing and journey through life. So many of these discussions revolve around my fathers family home outside Dornoch called Lonemore. I love Dornoch but there is something about the west of Sutherland that keeps drawing me back. It refreshes me in ways that I can't really put in to words.
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| Loch Shin, Lairg with my lovely wife. |
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| My third oldest son David at the second hole of the Ardgay and Bonar Bridge Golf Course with Badbea in the background where Prof John Murray was born and raised. |
I have a tremendous respect for my uncle and for his adherence to the reformed faith which has remained unchanged for his whole life. He has seen young (and not so young) ministers come and go, changes, fads and fashions introduced but he has remained fixed in his convictions. He is reluctant to criticise and only gives his view reluctantly when asked. Whenever I bring up the subject of the latest innovation in theology or worship he always shakes his head and says 'will they never learn from history?' He is steeped in the rich history of the Free Church particularly in Sutherland and has spent his life helping others appreciate the past.
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| My uncle Willie and I outside his cottage in April 2019. |
Sutherland, and particularly the west of Sutherland, has been greatly blessed over the years with the power of the gospel. My uncle has re-published 'Men of Sutherland' (which has completely sold out) about some of the Godly ministers and elders of Sutherland. Another book which is still in print is 'Records of Grace in Sutherland' by Donald Munro and is available from the Scottish Reformation Society. When I was up in Lairg recently I read the life of Gustavus Aird who was the minister in Creich Free Church from 1843 - 1898 (yes, he was minister that long). It was wonderful to read of so much spiritual life in Highland glens and villages which now seem so spiritually dead. While we must be careful about reading history with rose tinted spectacles one of the things that strikes me about the Christian history of Sutherland is that the people feared God and this led to deep respect for His word and particularly the Lord's day.
In his 1955 Peyton Lectures Prof John Murray spoke about the eclipse of the fear of God. He said we have become reluctant to distinguish the earnest and consistent believer as God fearing. Prof John Murray radiated this deep reverence and respect for God both as a preacher and lecturer. Students recalled his memorable lectures at Westminster Theological Seminary from 1930-1966 as being punctuated by deep reverence and respect for God and His word. As Walt Chantry recounts: Fear of God dominated Prof Murray's classroom. Each period began with prayer from the Professors lips which brought all into the presence of an awesome God. Each subject was handled in a dignified and solemn manner that conveyed a deep reverence for the Almighty. Professor Murray breathed the attitude that all things in his lectures were holy and majestic. Not a study of the fear of God, but the professors visible and audible manifestation of that fear, became a main lesson for his young disciples (Life of Prof John Murray, 2007 edition, p 121). Prof Murray did not encourage questions during his lectures such was his flow of thought and earnestness of delivery.
As I get older I think more and more about legacy. So much of the rich history of Sutherland leaves us with a fragrant and rich Christian heritage. When Prof John Murray's father died in January 1943 he wrote a most moving letter to David Freeman about his father which moves me every time I read it:
The news of his [Prof John Murray's father] passing brings a peculiar feeling of sorrow, but I am also filled with a deep sense of gratitude and joy. He was a dear and eminently worthy father, so faithful, so loving. It is an inexpressible privilege to know that he is now with the Lord and Saviour whom he loved and served for so long. Every indication points in the direction that the work of saving grace was wrought in him at a very early age, and with impeachable integrity and perseverance he witnessed to the Lord to the ripe age of 90. His interest was lively and his faculties unimpaired, until, just a few weeks ago, his interest in the things of this world seemed largely to disappear. \in the last letter I had from my sister she told me that, for the two days preceding, he was in the 51st Psalm and repeated it again and again from the beginning to the end in Gaelic, his mother tongue, of course. Though he was my father I may say that there were few men in the Highlands of Scotland whose life and memory were surrounded by such fragrance, and whose life of consistent godliness claimed such veneration and respect. To be his son is a great privilege but also a tremendous responsibility. I wish I could have been home to pay the last rites of respect and love.
I feel my 'homeland' has handed down to me a rich legacy of God fearing men and women for which I have a deep and lasting respect. Many people possibly look at my uncle, as they did of Prof John Murray's father, as a 'simple crofter', but his life testifies to a deep love and fear of the Lord. There were (and still are) many Highland crofters that know more theology than many divinity students. They fear God which the Bible tells us is the beginning of wisdom. I could listen to my uncle praying all day. He always approaches God with the same phrase We approach thee O God in the all prevailing name of the Lord Jesus Christ. His deep humility and unworthiness are not fake but flow out of a lifetime of scripture reading and memorisation. He quotes the metrical Psalms with ease and 'claims the promises.' He loves being amongst the people of God on the Lord's Day. He is a man who knows his mission, people and homeland and has prioritised principle over pragmatism despite how much it has cost him. Like Prof John Murray it has been a great privilege to be brought up by my father and to have been influenced by my uncle and with it comes great responsibility. In a day when truth is despised and the fear of God is seen as old fashioned I am thankful that my Sutherland heritage has helped me to see a big God, a beautiful Saviour and glorious heritage.
In his 1955 Peyton Lectures Prof John Murray spoke about the eclipse of the fear of God. He said we have become reluctant to distinguish the earnest and consistent believer as God fearing. Prof John Murray radiated this deep reverence and respect for God both as a preacher and lecturer. Students recalled his memorable lectures at Westminster Theological Seminary from 1930-1966 as being punctuated by deep reverence and respect for God and His word. As Walt Chantry recounts: Fear of God dominated Prof Murray's classroom. Each period began with prayer from the Professors lips which brought all into the presence of an awesome God. Each subject was handled in a dignified and solemn manner that conveyed a deep reverence for the Almighty. Professor Murray breathed the attitude that all things in his lectures were holy and majestic. Not a study of the fear of God, but the professors visible and audible manifestation of that fear, became a main lesson for his young disciples (Life of Prof John Murray, 2007 edition, p 121). Prof Murray did not encourage questions during his lectures such was his flow of thought and earnestness of delivery.
As I get older I think more and more about legacy. So much of the rich history of Sutherland leaves us with a fragrant and rich Christian heritage. When Prof John Murray's father died in January 1943 he wrote a most moving letter to David Freeman about his father which moves me every time I read it:
The news of his [Prof John Murray's father] passing brings a peculiar feeling of sorrow, but I am also filled with a deep sense of gratitude and joy. He was a dear and eminently worthy father, so faithful, so loving. It is an inexpressible privilege to know that he is now with the Lord and Saviour whom he loved and served for so long. Every indication points in the direction that the work of saving grace was wrought in him at a very early age, and with impeachable integrity and perseverance he witnessed to the Lord to the ripe age of 90. His interest was lively and his faculties unimpaired, until, just a few weeks ago, his interest in the things of this world seemed largely to disappear. \in the last letter I had from my sister she told me that, for the two days preceding, he was in the 51st Psalm and repeated it again and again from the beginning to the end in Gaelic, his mother tongue, of course. Though he was my father I may say that there were few men in the Highlands of Scotland whose life and memory were surrounded by such fragrance, and whose life of consistent godliness claimed such veneration and respect. To be his son is a great privilege but also a tremendous responsibility. I wish I could have been home to pay the last rites of respect and love.
I feel my 'homeland' has handed down to me a rich legacy of God fearing men and women for which I have a deep and lasting respect. Many people possibly look at my uncle, as they did of Prof John Murray's father, as a 'simple crofter', but his life testifies to a deep love and fear of the Lord. There were (and still are) many Highland crofters that know more theology than many divinity students. They fear God which the Bible tells us is the beginning of wisdom. I could listen to my uncle praying all day. He always approaches God with the same phrase We approach thee O God in the all prevailing name of the Lord Jesus Christ. His deep humility and unworthiness are not fake but flow out of a lifetime of scripture reading and memorisation. He quotes the metrical Psalms with ease and 'claims the promises.' He loves being amongst the people of God on the Lord's Day. He is a man who knows his mission, people and homeland and has prioritised principle over pragmatism despite how much it has cost him. Like Prof John Murray it has been a great privilege to be brought up by my father and to have been influenced by my uncle and with it comes great responsibility. In a day when truth is despised and the fear of God is seen as old fashioned I am thankful that my Sutherland heritage has helped me to see a big God, a beautiful Saviour and glorious heritage.
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