Lord of the Rings

Yesterday I took advantage of having Labor Day Monday off to spend the day with some dear friends of mine. We rose to the challenge of a pretty lofty task: watching all three Lord of the Rings movies in one sitting (extended versions for the first two films).

Now I'm sure there are countless books and articles and websites describing the Biblical allegories within the LOTR trilogy, and I haven't really looked into it too much. But I entered into this movie marathon with the anticipation that God would use images/dialogue from these movies to impact me for Him in some way. I wanted to jot down a couple things that really touched me from watching these films as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Gandolf ROCKS. I can't help but get teary-eyed every time I see the scene in The Two Towers in which, just when all hope seems to be lost for those defending Helm's Deep--for all humanity--Gandolf shows up at sunrise, gleaming bright on a white horse, followed by a mighty army of thousands that pours down the mountain behind him into the massive swarming army of orks. The enemies draw back as they are blinded by the glorious light from Gandolf and the sunrise, and what follows is total victory for the army of men, thanks to the hope they are given by Gandolf. The thing that impacts me here is that Ganfold had promised that he would come with an army, and he kept his promise. The analogy I see here with Christ is that He promised us that He will come back one day in victory, in great glory...and He'll be riding on a white horse. He will defeat the enemy's forces. He will be victorious! He exists as the only hope for mankind. With the images during the scene described above, I see Revelation 19:11-19 come to life.

Samwise also ROCKS. Everyone needs a friend like him, but few actually find one. Where can you find a friend who would stick with you no matter what, even when you're overflowing with bitterness and jealousy to the point of poisoning your friendship? A friend who maintains hope and never stops encouraging you, even when you yourself have lost all hope? A friend who would give you the last crumbs of food in the pouch and the last drops of water in the canteen, knowing that he probably will never eat or drink again? A friend who, when seeing that you are too weak to complete the task you have been assigned, would not try to do it himself but rather would carry you on his back so you can complete it and thus receive the honor due your name? This is the kind of friendship that young David and Jonathan, son of Saul, had. A selfless friendship. Oh that we would all find and be this sort of friend.

What speaks to you in LOTR?