Maybe you’ve had the fun of training your dog to not jump up on people and come when called. It may have seemed like a lot of work, but once your dog caught on, anybody could tell your little friend to “stay down” or “come,” and he would do it. That is, assuming you were able to train your dog the right way.
It might even seem that training an elephant would be just as simple. After all, they can’t bounce around like your little puppy. Then again, your little dog doesn’t weigh five tons, have 100,000 muscles in his nose, and have two long tusks that grow as long as eleven feet. So maybe it’s not too surprising that it takes a good six months for most elephants to master about three dozen simple commands. Actually, when you think about it, that’s pretty good compared to how hard your mom and dad may have to work on training you.
A mahout, which is another name for an elephant trainer, first meets his new friend after it’s been brought in from the jungle trap when it is still frightened and scared. The wild elephant is straining at the ropes that are holding it and swinging out with its big, strong trunk. It first has to learn to kneel before it can go on to the big training school. It really reminds me of those words in Philippians 2:1010That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; (Philippians 2:10): “At the name of Jesus every knee should bow.” How wonderful when that moment comes in a person’s life when he or she accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour.
It’s rather interesting to think of the basic rule of all elephant training - the elephant must follow one and only one mahout. It’s not like a horse that will take orders from any knowledgeable, friendly person. No way! There is one, and only one, master trainer for that elephant. And that really is a good example for any child of God. The Lord Jesus told His disciples that He was their “Lord and Master” (John 13:1414If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet. (John 13:14)). In fact, He is the only one worthy of being followed.
Elephants start their training by imitating tame elephants. They lift a foot, raise their trunks, kneel or march by watching another elephant, but only when told what to do by their mahout. It almost makes you think of following the faith of other believers while listening to God’s voice in His Word, the Bible.
Once it learns the basics, it’s time for the elephant to head out for its specialized training. Imagine heading out into a raging river to clear a logjam without having full trust in the mahout giving the orders. You would see a mass of big logs, tumbling along in the roaring current and feel the push of the powerful waters. You would be banged and jostled by the logs while being crowded in by the overhanging jungle darkness. An untrained elephant would panic and thrash about, looking to escape. But an elephant that has learned to kneel, listen to and obey his one and only mahout is ready to be of service to him.
Think about it. The Lord Jesus is training each of us, sometimes even using pain if He has to, so that we will learn to obey Him completely. He wants us to listen carefully to what He has to say and then trust only in Him when He gives us work to do, even if it seems scary. The Lord Jesus tells us to “take My yoke upon you, and learn of Me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls” (Matthew 11:2929Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (Matthew 11:29)).
Do you have a “Master Mahout”?
ML-08/13/2006