Wisdom from Gunsmoke

It has been a long time since I did a devotional based on “this day in history” trivia. However, I still periodically roam through the trivia sites scanning some of the events of the day. One caught my eye today. It was June 18, 1961 that the last official episode of Gunsmoke aired on CBS. Gunsmoke still holds the title as the longest-running dramatic series in network television history, logging a whopping 635 episodes over the span of 20 years. The TV show was based on a radio drama that began in 1952, and reunion movies were made all the way up until 1994. With nearly half a century of Gunsmoke in pop culture, obviously, there are going to be loads of facts and anecdotes about the iconic Western. The series spurred a stampede of small screen Westerns in the 1950s, and gave dozens of future stars an early spotlight as it aired in some form from 1955 to 1975. Everyone from Harrison Ford to Jodie Foster appeared on the show. One TV critic memorialized its Western mythology as “the Iliad and the Odyssey” of America. In its first years a top-rated show, it kept a solid loyal following. John Wayne, who had once long before been anointed by the real Wyatt Earp, gave his blessing to its opening. Its star, James Arness, was a decorated World War II hero. I remember listening on the radio in the early days and with the advent of television, Monday nights were reserved for viewing the classic. It was one of the programs my dad would simply not miss. And, I must confess, I have stolen some time watching the reruns throughout the years since. However, the question is, “What does this have to do with the Scripture and a devotional thought?” Well, it is true that Gunsmoke was written to be intentionally vague in dealing with any moral declaration. Of course, the good guy always won, and Miss Kitty’s business was sufficiently ambiguous to be acceptable. However, we return to the question, “So what?” Perhaps the answer can be found in an understanding of King Solomon’s writing. The entire book of Ecclesiastes is written asking the same question of all activities in life “under the sun.” After naming every experience and pleasure of life he comes to the conclusion that it is all “vanity”; it is empty, without fulfillment of any kind. His conclusion is simply that none of these things are more than a vapor to be carried away with the wind. It is only the things done for the glory of God that will give real pleasure and lasting effect. At the end he writes: The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man. For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil. (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 ESV). Festus may have gotten it right though… talking to Marshall Dillon about the dangers of indecision, he says, “The onliest thing you get from stradlin' the fence is a sore backside.” Perhaps we ought to stop trying all the world’s ways to happiness and adopt “the end of the matter”! Fear God and keep his commandments… good words for a great life!