“There was another burst of son, and then suddenly, hopping and dancing along the path, there appeared above the reads an old battered hat with a tall crown and a long blue feather stuck in the band. With another hop and a bound there came into view a man, or so it seemed. At any rate he was too large and heavy for a hobbit, if not quite tall enough for one of the Big People, though he made noise enough for one, stumping along with great yellow boots on his thick legs, and charging through the grass and rushes like a cow going down to drink. He had a blue coat and a long brown bard; his eyes were blue and bright, and his face was red as a ripe apple, but creased into a hundred wrinkles of laughter.” (The Lord of the Rings)

Tom Bombadil: Help Unlooked for

Following the chronological journey of Frodo to Rivendell, we began with Bilbo, the one who is responsible for this journey. Yet in Frodo’s travels, and we have to remember he’s traveling with Sam, Merry and Pippin, that they run into some problems trying to stay off the main road because of the Black Riders. It is at this point, when they are in great need that Tom Bombadil appears on the scene.

Have you ever met someone who is always so uplifting it almost makes you mad? If I were Frodo, I think that’s how I would have felt about Tom. Sure I would have been thankful for his help, but his joy that transcended the surrounding events would have annoyed me no end. This is something I believe that God understands, but even so, God calls us to rejoice regardless of our circumstances.

In Scripture we have the apostle Paul telling us time and again to rejoice, to be thankful, to offer up praise to God, and here was someone who suffered shipwreck, stoning, beatings and being tossed into jail. He was able to separate the feelings he had in the flesh from those he knew to be true in his heart. David wrote numerous songs, called Psalms, in which many times he begins by whining or crying out over his circumstances, but in the end rejoices in God’s deliverance. There are many more examples of this.

Tom Bombadil is, to me, that place where we find ourselves in great turmoil, but at the same time are surrounded with great rejoicing. Tom sings all the time. He’s humble. His capacity to love is great. Now isn’t this something that we should strive for?

As we walk through life, if we are being obedient to the Lord, don’t be surprised if, while in the depths of despair, you find yourself in the house of Tom Bombadil. Don’t be surprised if God comes to you and lifts you up and you find yourself singing and rejoicing. Are the threats and dangers all removed? No! They have, however, been overcome, and God is simply asking us to rejoice in that fact before it is actually realized in our lives. There is great power in this. It is a great truth of Christianity that goes overlooked all too often.

     “He that hideth in the secret place of the Most High shall dwell in the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)