Kill it dead

[TRIGGER WARNING: Brief descriptions of gore and violence.)

I love movies.

I don’t like scary movies (which unfortunately Brad and Beau LOVE), but I’d go for pretty much anything else. Love Disney movies, most animated kids movies, actually. War movies can be pretty rough, but I love the bravery and heroism. Sports movies are among my favorites. I’m not an athlete by any stretch, but for some reason, sports movies just suck me in from the first minute. Rom coms, yes. Comedies, yes. Dramas, yes. Musicals, yes.

But there’s this phenomenon that happens in SO many movies I’ve seen. The first person who wrote it was brilliant and he should have trademarked it. Because I swear, it just keeps happening. It’s almost like it’s an archetype now, part of the movie formula. And it makes me crazy.

Here’s the scenario:

We’re at the climax of the movie. The hero and villain are fighting each other. It’s intense, we’re all on the edge of our seats. Someone has to live and someone has to die. We all want the good guy and we’re just minutes from the resolution.

They’re pretty evenly matched for a while and it looks like it could go either way. Finally the hero gets the advantage. The villain is pinned to the ground, against a wall, whatever, and after everything he’s done to the hero, we’re all hoping for his death. And we almost get it.

Here’s where it could vary into one of two options:

1) The hero has a sudden attack of conscience and decides to show mercy. The villain has been sufficiently wounded or has promised to walk away forever, if the hero lets him live.

2) The hero makes his final attack and THINKS he killed the villain and walks off toward happily ever after without checking his pulse.

And THEN, in a not-so-surprising turn of events, the villain makes one last stand and rushes the hero. The hero is shocked, caught off guard, maybe drops his weapon or something. But somehow he manages to overcome his enemy and REALLY kill him, like he should have the first time.

(Or occasionally, the not-quite-dead-yet-sir villain escapes and sets the whole thing up for a sequel. Sigh.)

Brad and I were watching a movie on Tuesday and that same thing happened: one of the bad guys whom the hero already “killed” once flies back into the scene to continue the attack.

Brad immediately started laughing because he knew what was coming: “It’s like these characters in movies have never seen a movie!” OF COURSE the bad guy makes one last stand and the good guy has to kill him again. For REAL this time. And then at long last, we get our resolution. Bad guy dies. Good guy lives and gets the girl.

But SHEESH. That extra step drives me NUTS. If you’re gonna kill him, if you want to be rid of him forever and not live in fear that he might come back, KILL HIM DEAD.

(Now, I’ve never been in that situation and God knows I’ve struggled with the idea of being able to take a human life to save myself or others. I’d like to think I’d do the right thing, whatever that happens to be, in that specific case.)

I recently re-read the story of David and Goliath in the Bible. (Cue the felt board!) And you know what? David doesn’t screw around. And if there were ever an underdog story, this is it. Pre-pubescent David facing off with the champion of the Philistines, the 9-foot-tall walking muscle laden with weapons Goliath.

King Saul offered the crazy kid his own armor, but it was too big and too heavy. So David went out in his shepherd work clothes with only a slingshot and five stones.

Oh, he did have one other thing that may have helped some: THE GOD OF ISRAEL. David knew this blasphemous monster didn’t stand a chance. First Samuel 17:40-51:

Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

As the Philistine moved closer to attack him, David ran quickly toward the battle line to meet him. Reaching into his bag and taking out a stone, he slung it and struck the Philistine on the forehead. The stone sank into his forehead, and he fell facedown on the ground.

So David triumphed over the Philistine with a sling and a stone; without a sword in his hand he struck down the Philistine and killed him.

David ran and stood over him. He took hold of the Philistine’s sword and drew it from the sheath. After he killed him, he cut off his head with the sword.

Now I don’t believe this was a fable or a parable. I believe this literally happened. (Part of me believing the Bible is the true word of God thing.)

David obviously didn’t understand the rules of story. He was supposed to not quite kill Goliath, think it’s over, Goliath comes back and catches David off guard, nearly destroys him, and at the last second, David prevails.

Nope, homey don’t play dat.

David killed him with one stone. It says so in the passage. I don’t know if David didn’t know how to take a pulse, but he left nothing to chance. After the giant keeled over David ran to him, grabbed his sword (which he could probably barely lift) and cut off Goliath’s head.

Yep. No coming back from that.

And why did he take five stones? Was it in case he missed? Some scholars believe that Goliath had four sons. One stone for Goliath, the rest for his sons, so he wouldn’t have any ongoing trouble with anybody trying to avenge anybody.

I know this sounds like overkill (bad pun) to us in present times. In that era and culture, I believe this was being a good soldier. I would never condone superfluous violence, but let’s not miss the lesson here.

David was on a mission to eliminate his enemy. His mission would not be complete until he did so. COMPLETELY.

Maybe the reason those movies bug me so much because I see myself in them.

If I’m trying to fight an addiction, temptation or anything that threatens my soul, I rarely completely kill it the first time. I mean, come on. Let’s not overreact here. Take a shot at it and walk away. If I leave it alone, it won’t bother me anymore.

WRONG.

If you’re married and if you are being tempted by someone at work, don’t try to strengthen your resolve. Quit and cut off all contact. Kill it dead.

If you’ve beat an addiction and your still-using buddies want you to just come hang out, don’t tell yourself you’ll only have one. Don’t go. Kill it dead.

If spending is a problem for you, don’t just ‘try to do better.’ Get rid of your credit cards and only use cash. Kill it dead.

We must leave no opportunity for that enemy to come back and wreck our lives. It may look like drama to your friends. It may look like an overreaction to your coworkers. And that’s fine. When your life is on the line, when you’re marriage is on the line, when your health is on the line, there are no extreme measures.

Next time you see that happen in a movie, make a mental note that you won’t be passive or gracious in regard to the enemy’s plans. When you catch the scent of one of Satan’s plots, kill it dead. You have more battles in front of you. Don’t need to let any old junk come back to bite you.

Jesus knew this principle must be followed out to His last breath. He took our sin upon His perfect self. And He killed it. Dead. Cold dead. Three days dead. The debt was paid in full, no interest still running.

And just in case there were any remaining doubt to those who were watching, He announced, “It is finished,” with His last breath. He eliminated our wages of sin for all time. He completed His mission.

May we never waste compassion or mercy on the monsters that threaten our souls. Let’s kill ‘em dead.