COMANCHES

The Comanches were the fiercest and most feared of the Indian tribes. Even the Apaches asked for protection from them. No one, no tribe, no band of settlers could stop them. (So much for the crazy concept of "The Noble Savage" invented by Rousseau in the mid-eighteenth century in order to glorify the "natural" life.)

But the Comanches were admired for one thing--their horsemanship. The Spanish who came to America introduced horses into North America and the Comanches developed equestrian skills without peer.

They trained their children to be horsemen at an early age. They learned to ride and ride fast and well, even being able to pick up objects from the ground as they rode by. This ability made them even more fearsome as they rode, plundered, and massacred their way over the American Plains in search of buffalo.

There's a credible source about what the Comanches trained their horses to do and it had to do with the animals' ears. Somehow, in some way, by some method, they trained horses to be able to twitch their ears alternately, back and forth. But they didn't teach them to do this for a dog and pony show; they taught them to do it to save their lives, Comanche lives. Here's how it worked:

When they would kill a buffalo, the Comanches would begin the work of butchering it right there on the field. They used every part of the buffalo, even its bones. It was at that time, that they were most vulnerable to a wild animal or an enemy who came upon them. So, what they'd trained the horses to do was to begin to twitch their ears when any perceived enemy was coming their way. One historian has written that this twitch saved many a Comanche life. We might say that the Comanches didn't invent the watchdog, but the watchhorse.

In the same way, God has given elders to the local churches, not only to teach and to be examples to the flock, but to be watchhorses to warn the believers when an enemy, a false teacher or a false doctrine comes near.

The false teacher may come as an author whose latest book disseminates a false gospel which tells people that to be saved they must "turn from their sin(s)," and the watchhorses of the local churches  label that idea, "Mission Impossible;" no one can turn from their sins. The watchhorses are like Paul in the sense that the called out the false teachers, even to the point of naming names.

The elders' ears begin to twitch when they sense a false teacher has arisen within the group or is a visiting speaker whose ideas, upon entering their ears, cause their ears to begin to twitch because the doctrine rings false, not squaring with the Word. Titus 1 describes the function of the watchhorses:

[They are to be] holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he [an elder] will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain. One of themselves, a prophet of their own, said, “Cretans are always liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons.” This testimony is true. For this reason reprove them severely so that they may be sound in the faith . . .

Every local church needs watchhorses, for as the New Testament says, "They watch over your souls." Be grateful for them.