The Pilgrim’s Progress – Chapter 10 (Prisoners of Despair)

The pilgrims did not venture far when their path parted away from the river, which made them a little sad, but they dared not go out of the way.  The path became rough and their feet became sore from their travels; they wished for a smoother path.  Soon they saw a pleasant-looking field called By-Path Meadow, on the left side of the road, with a stile marking an entrance into it.

Christian: If this meadow is right next to the way, let us step aside into it and walk there. This is an easier way to go. Come, good Hopeful, and let us take this smooth path that follows right next to our difficult one.

Hopeful: But what if this path should lead us out of the way?

Christian: That is not likely. Look, doesn’t it go right next to our present path?

Christian, who showed good judgment in his encounter with By-ends, now shows some careless behavior in choosing By-Path Meadow to avoid the rocky path leading to the Celestial City.  And Hopeful, persuaded by Christian, follows him. What starts as a way to accommodate sore feet and to give in to the desire to avoid small difficulties leads to near tragedy.

The new path was easy on their feet and they saw a stranger ahead of them named Vain-Confidence. They called to him and asked where the path was leading. “Celestial City”, the stranger responded.

“See? Didn’t I tell you?” Christian said. They followed Vain-Confidence down the path but soon the night came, darkness fell, and they lost sight of him.  As for Vain-Confidence, who could not see the way ahead of him, he fell into a deep pit and was mortally injured.

Christian and Hopeful heard him fall and called ahead to see if he was all right, but there was no answer except the sound of groaning. “Now what should we do?” asked Hopeful, but Christian was silent, regretting that he had led him out of the way.  Then began a torrential rain with fierce thunder and lightning and the water rose.

Hopeful: O that I had kept on the true way.

Christian: Who could have thought that this path would lead us astray?

Hopeful: I was afraid it might from the very first, and that is why I gave you that gentle caution. I would’ve spoken more firmly, but you are older than I.

Christian: Good brother, don’t be offended. I am sorry I have urged you out of the way and that I have put you into such imminent danger. Pray, my brother, forgive me. I did not do it with any evil intent.

The two friends, with honest and penitent hearts, forgive and encourage each other as they are determined to get back to where they left the true path.  They heard an encouraging voice, “Set your heart toward the highway, even the way that you went; turn again.” 

But by this time the waters had risen, making it very dangerous to go back the way they’d come.  Despite the risk, they began tracing their steps back to where they had first entered the wrong path. After nearly a dozen near-drownings and because the darkness made it impossible to see anything, they decide to find a place of shelter where they could wait out the storm until daybreak.

Unfortunately for the pilgrims, the grounds they’d chosen were part of the property where the castle, Doubting Castle, stood. The owner of this castle was Giant Despair.  And it was he who found the pilgrims the next morning while inspecting his grounds.  He asked who they were and what they were doing, but despite their honest answers, he took them to the castle dungeon for trespassing.  He left them there without any food, water, light, or anyone to inquire about them.

Giant Despair had a wife whose name was Distrust.  He had told his wife about the prisoners and asked her what should be done about them.  She advised him to beat them without mercy.  And he did.  The prisoners did not say a word in their defense.

When Distrust discovered the prisoners were still alive, she advised the giant to counsel them to take their own lives.  The next morning, Giant Despair, seeing that they were still very sore from the previous day’s beating, told them that since they were never likely to come out of that dungeon, their only way of escape would be to make an end of themselves, either with knife, rope, or poison… “For why should you choose life, seeing it is attended with so much bitterness?”

Instead, they asked him to let them go.  Hearing their humble request, he scowled and rushed to make an end of them himself. However, before he could lay hands upon them, he fell into one of his fits. It happened occasionally that in sunshiny weather Giant Despair lost for a time the use of his hand. Being thus affected at this time, the giant withdrew and left them to consider their predicament. [Oh, what luck?  Fate smiling? Good Karma? As Chance would have it?  NO, dear Christian, recognize the hand of Providence!]

The two prisoners considered whether it was best to take his counsel or not.

Christian: Brother, what shall we do? The life that we now live is miserable. For my part I do not know which is best: to live like this, or to die and escape this misery. ‘My soul chooseth strangling rather than life’ and the grave seems more desirable than this dungeon.

Hopeful: Indeed, our present condition is dreadful, and death would be a relief. But still let us consider that the Lord of the country to which we are going has said, ‘You shall do no murder.’ Besides, my brother, you talk about the ease of the grave. But have you forgotten the Hell to which Murderers go? For ‘no murderer has eternal life.’  And let us consider again that the outcome of this is not in the hands of Giant Despair… let us be patient and endure for a while longer. The time may come when we have an opportunity to escape.

Hopeful: My brother, don’t you remember how valiant you have been in the past?  Apollyon could not crush you, nor were you defeated by all the things you heard, saw, or felt in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. Consider all the hardship, terror, and bewilderment you have already gone through! And now you are full of fear!  Don’t you see that though I am a far weaker man than you by nature, I inhabit this dungeon with you?  I am wounded like you. My bread and water have been cut off as well as yours and I too, mourn without the lights.  But let us exercise a little more patience.  Remember how you conducted yourself in front of the men in Vanity Fair and were afraid neither of the chain, nor the cage, nor even of a bloody death. So, let us (at least to avoid this shame that is unbecoming of a Christian) bear this with patience as well as we can.

While Hopeful was reminding Christian of his previous victories on his pilgrimage, Giant Despair was telling Distrust that, ‘They are sturdy rogues, and they would rather endure tremendous hardship than to do away with themselves.’  Distrust offered that he should take them into the castle-yard and show them the bones and skulls of those he has already killed.

The next morning, he did, warning them that within ten days he would do the same to them. Then he beat them all the way down to the dungeon where they lay all day in their misery.

That night, Distrust and her husband, resumed their conversation about the prisoners. The old giant wondered why he could not by his blows or his counsel bring Christian and Hopeful to an end. His wife replied, ‘I fear that they live in hope that someone will come to rescue them, or perhaps they have picklocks hidden, by which they hope to escape.’  The giant vowed to search them in the morning.

Around midnight, Christian and Hopeful began to pray and continued till almost the break of day.

Shortly before the sun came up, good Christian, as one half-amazed, broke out in this passionate speech: ‘What a fool I am to lie in a stinking dungeon when I might instead walk at liberty!  I have a key in my bosom called Promise that I believe will open any lock in Doubting Castle!”

Hopeful: That is good news, good brother. Take it out, and let’s try it.

Then Christian pulled it out and began trying to unlock the dungeon door.  The bolts came loose and the door flew open with ease… the outer door that led to the castle yard opened with the key as well.  The lock on the iron gate was stubborn, but it too opened, very loudly.  Giant Despair rose hastily to pursue his prisoners, but just then suffered another of his fits which made his limbs fail and the pursuit ended.

Christian and Hopeful eagerly made their escape back to the King’s Highway where they were safe . When they had gone back over the stile, they erected a pillar, as a warning for other pilgrims, engraving it with this sentence: ‘Over this stile is the way to Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair, who despises the King of the Celestial Country and seeks to destroy His holy pilgrims.’

Scripture: Numbers 21:4   Isaiah 9:16   Psalm 88   Job 7:15   1 John 3:15

Thoughts to Consider: Despair, depression, hopelessness, suicidal thoughts… these conditions and a thousand more are symptoms that can overtake us when we ignore or neglect the mighty promises of God and His great goodness while seeking ease from the many challenges of the Christian life.  God is to be worshipped, not our doubts and fears.  Our doubts and fears are to be overcome by the good and sure Word of God.

When we make mistakes such as Christian’s choice of walking in By-Path Meadow instead of the King’s Highway, simply for our own ease and comfort, we are saying we trust ourselves over God’s good plan for us. Even though we repent and are forgiven, we are not always immune to the consequences. That is God’s sovereign choice. And His ways are higher than ours.

What I love in this section is how ‘guilt and regret’ are portrayed as Giant Despair! This is that type of spiritual warfare with which the enemy will attack a Christian, especially after confessing and repenting of a committed sin! And God can allow this, but He will provide a way out. (1 Corinthians 10:13) Are you prepared? In this chapter we see the efforts of a fellow Christian, reminding him of past victories… reminding him of the hope they have in Eternity… encouraging him to persevere… and that glimmer of hope is all that Christian needs to grab hold of God’s PROMISES that can free him.

I’m sure Christians in every age of history say the same thing… ‘This world is nuts, right now!’ There is NO HOPE to be found in this world apart from the promises of God as given to us in Scripture, and fulfilled for us on the cross! ✝

But remember… This world does not want you to know the promises of God… you must take them for yourself. Are you not amazed, astounded, awed, by the fact that the Bible has never been out of print? [Oh, what luck?  Fate smiling? Good Karma? As Chance would have it?  NO, dear Christian, recognize the hand of Providence!]

Even when philosophy… sociology… science… medicine… education… psychology… technology… all man-made systems raise their hand to promote some new ‘solution to what ails us’, we all easily step off into By-Path Meadow.  (Ecclesiastes 1:9) We laugh at those previous generations that bought some snake-oil or ‘miracle elixir’, but we’ll go through cycles of swearing our allegiance to ACV… CBD… crystals… copper… jade eggs… stem cell injections… detox… Keto… Atkins… extreme fasting… yoga… spinning… Pilates… Fluoride… no-fluoride… charcoal toothpaste… vaccinate… anti-vaccinate… eggs… no-eggs… egg white only… sugar… stevia… monk fruit sweetener… white bread… wheat bread… Ezekiel bread… gluten-free… vegan… pescatarian… ovo-vegetarian… lacto-vegetarian… We have an answer for everything today, just Google it… look up Wikipedia… there’s probably a YouTube video or a Facebook group.  If you have a need… you need only ask the internet and you’ll have an instant answer.

But what happens when the answer fails you… when you feel betrayed and lied to?

Christians have the privilege of confession and repentance when we realize we put our trust in something other than God. Non-believers don’t have that luxury. Other religions that sell salvation as something that must be earned, don’t hold out any hope for those who feel they keep failing and falling for the wrong things.

I don’t understand how any other framework for life, apart from Christianity, can handle/treat despair without the assurance of hope from God’s promises.