Introduction…

Idioms – are expressions that take on specific meanings (and that are often culturally dependent).  It is frequently hard to understand an idiom in another language. Some examples of idioms that we are going to examine today involve “making choices.”  Accordingly, the title to this message is “Making Right Choices.”      

Between the devil and the deep blue sea 

The phrase was originally 'Between the Devil and the deep sea'. The sea turned blue much later and the phrase became well-known via the title of a popular song. Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea was written by Ted Koehler and Harold Arlen, and recorded by Cab Calloway in 1931 

"Devil - the seam which margins the waterways on a ship's hull".

This definition is from Henry Smyth's Sailor's Word-Book: An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, 1867. 

'an engineer and vessel constructor', clarified it this way:

"Devil - the seam between the deck planking and the topmost plank of the ship's side". 

This seam would need to be watertight and would need filling (caulking) from time to time. On a ship at sea this would presumably require a sailor to be suspended over the side, or at least stand at the very edge of the deck. Either way it is easy to see how that might be described as 'between the devil and the deep sea'. 

Incidentally, another term for filling a seam is paying. Those that like nautical origins also give this as the source for the Devil to pay, although the evidence is against them on that one. 

The first recorded citation of 'the Devil and the deep sea' in print is in Robert Monro's His expedition with the worthy Scots regiment called Mac-keyes, 1637:

On the horns of a dilemma.  Years ago on a Labor Day weekend I took my wife to the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, Minnesota.  In the cattle barn was a Scotch Highlander bull with very long, curved horns – much like a Texas Longhorn.  As we approached the bull’s pen, the bull quickly stuck his horn tips between the metal pipe bars that formed the side of his pen and rattled his horns back and forth between the pipes – making a startling noise.  Linda and I jumped back – pleased that the bull only scared us.  If the bull would have manipulated his horn or horns through the pipes on the edge of his pen, he could have skewered us.  

What if you were in a bull ring -- If you pictured a bull with long pointed horns coming straight at you, your self-preservation instinct would likely kick in and you would decide that you should probably move or the bull will ram into you with his head.  However, if you run to the right, then the bull could simply throw his head to one side in your direction and skewer you with his left horn.  Similarly, if you run to the left, the bull could swing his head to that direction and skewer you with his other horn.  Surely standing still is not a reasonable option, so you must chose to run in one direction or another.  This decision puts you on the horns of a dilemma.  No matter which way you turn, the consequences are not likely to be good.    

HORNS OF A DILEMMA -- "A dilemma, in logic, is a form of argument in which a participant finds himself in the embarrassing predicament of having to make a choice of either of two premises, both of which are obnoxious; it is a trap set by an astute person to catch an unwary one, like answering yes or no to the question, ''Have you stopped beating your wife?'' Because one may be caught and impaled upon either of the alternatives, each of them has been called a 'horn.' Medieval scholars, writing in Latin, used the expression, argumentum cornutum, horned argument. Nicolas Udall, in his translations of the adages collected (in Latin) by Erasmus explains the saying the language of 1548: 'Thys forked questyon; which the sophisters call a horned question, because that to whether of both partyes a bodye shall make a direct aunsweere, he shall renne on the sharpe poyncte of the horne.'" From "A Hog on Ice" by Charles Earle Funk. 

Hobson’s Choice= the choice of taking either that which is offered or nothing; the absence of a real alternative.

1640–50; after Thomas Hobson (1544–1631), of Cambridge, England, who rented horses and gave his customer only one choice, that of the horse nearest the stable door. 

(accessed 24 October 2011)

Catch 22“is a satirical, historical novel by the American author Joseph Heller. He began writing it in 1953, and the novel was first published in 1961. It is set during World War II in 1943[2] and is frequently cited as one of the great literary works of the twentieth century.[3]”

“Among other things, Catch-22 is a general critique of bureaucratic operation and reasoning. Resulting from its specific use in the book, the phrase "Catch-22" is common idiomatic usage meaning "a no-win situation" or "a double bind" of any type.”

(accessed 25 October 2011)

Between a rock and a hard place

http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/between-a-rock-and-a-hard-place.html

The earliest known printed citation of 'between a rock and a hard place' is in the American Dialect Society's publication Dialect Notes V, 1921:

"To be between a rock and a hard place, ...to be bankrupt. Common in Arizona in recent panics; sporadic in California."

The 'recent panics' referred to in that citation are undoubtedly the events surrounding the so-called US Bankers' Panic of 1907. This financial crisis was especially damaging to the mining and railroad industries of the western states.

In 1917, the lack of funding precipitated by the earlier banking crisis led to a dispute between copper mining companies and mineworkers in Bisbee, Arizona. The workers, some of whom had organized in labor unions, approached the company management with a list of demands for better pay and conditions. These were refused and subsequently many workers at the Bisbee mines were forcibly deported to New Mexico.

It's tempting to surmise, given that the mineworkers were faced with a choice between harsh and underpaid work at the rock-face on the one hand and unemployment and poverty on the other, that this is the source of the phrase. The phrase began to be used frequently in US newspapers in the late 1930s, often with the alternative wording 'between a rock and a hard spot'. 

God did not have a problem choosing us to be in His family.  He sees something in each of us that we likely do not see ourselves – the capacity to honorably serve Him. 

John 15:16   You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. 

Notice the term “you should go and bear fruit…”  In order to bear fruit – to be the followers of the true God, we are required to make right choices.  We read the example of Joshua: 

Joshua 24:14-16  New King James Version (NKJV)

14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord! 15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

16 So the people answered and said: “Far be it from us that we should forsake the Lord to serve other gods 

Sometimes it seems hard to follow God’s ways.  However, we must bear in mind that God first chose us – and now it is up to us to choose to follow God’s instructions.  

Making right choices is our life’s task.  And we face this task daily.  

Ultimately, God rewards those who follow Him, knowing that we are imperfect. Because we have made a conscious choice to follow God, God will provide the ultimate in prosperity – life eternal – as we become part of God’s family and inherit the earth. 

Psalm 25:11-13  New King James Version (NKJV)

11 For Your name’s sake, O Lord,
Pardon my iniquity, for it is great.

12 Who is the man that fears the Lord?
Him shall He[a]teach in the way He[b]chooses.
13 He himself shall dwell in prosperity,
And his descendants shall inherit the earth. 

Five points on how to make decisions when facing difficult choices: 

1.  Take a breath – pause.  Avoid panic. 

Proverbs 19:2 

Also it is not good for a soul to be without knowledge,

And he sins who hastens with his feet.

Some people make decisions too quickly.  Others linger and don’t make direct decisions at all – and then suffer for it.  We need to act deliberately after reasonable consideration. 

My father recommended that I get a good night’s sleep before making a big decision. 

2. Read the scriptures   (recall Proverbs 19:2 – not good to be without knowledge)

Psalm 119:103-105

v103 How sweet are Your words to my taste,

Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

v104 Through Your precepts I get understanding;

Therefore I hate every false way.

v105 Your word is a lamp to my feet

And a light to my path. 

Anecdote:  Farm boy getting milk for supper – in the dark. 

3.  Ask for insight and help.  

         Proverbs 15:22 

         Without counsel, plans go awry,

But in the multitude of counselors they are established.

What people need most and what they accept the least is advice.  

Where do you get your advice?   Some people have a history of advice from those who make worse decisions than they do. 

4.  Recognize that we are to follow God’s will

         Luke 22:42 

…saying, “Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.”

We must recognize that there is a greater purpose being worked out – We don’t always see the big picture.  Country song – Thank God for Unanswered Prayer

5.  Pray 

         I Thessalonians 5:17 NKJV

         pray without ceasing,

         I Thessalonians 5:17  Common English Bible 

         Pray continually. 

When we are faced with difficult choices such as expressed in these common idioms:   

Between the devil and the deep blue sea

On the horns of a dilemma

Hobson’s Choice

Catch 22

Between a rock and a hard place  

One last bit of advice: 

         John 15:16          

You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

It is important to remember that God first chose us, and now we are to follow Him.  When we are presented opportunities every day to make right choices – to follow the precepts of God.  And God will honor His commitment – His choice of US – as we stand to become inheritors of God’s kingdom.