Gandalf's version of 'Get behind me Satan'
...Therefore be silent, and keep our forked tongue behind your teeth. I have not passed through fire and death to bandy crooked words with a serving-man till the lightning falls"
Till the lightning falls- - - got any ideas?
Then, Theoden's deliverance: "From the king's hand the black staff fell clattering on the stones. He drew himself up, slowly, as a man that is stiff from long bending over some dull toil. Now tall and straight he stood,and his eyes were blue as he looked into the opening sky."
He heard Gandalf, Stood up, and his eyes were opening.
The he had to resist falling back under the spell. Biblically we are told to, "Resist Satan and he WILL flee."
"Slowly Theoden sat down again, as if weariness still struggled to master him against the will of Gandalf.".......
Gandalf to Theoden, "Your fingers would remember their old strength better, is they grasped a sword-hilt"
So, Theoden rose and put his hand to his siade; but no sword hung at his belt,"....Eomer, straight from prison now offers his sword, and Theoden is on the road to recovery.
This is certainly along the lines of deliverance that I've experienced, and it is interesting that it involves a 'sword', which bibically IS the representation of The Word of God, a weapon that all believers are to rely on.
Ummm.....hmmmm....lightning falls. Could he mean until the War of the Ring is upon them, or could he mean the end of time? Wonder if there is anything written about the eschatology of Middle Earth some place.
I think there's a lot of good spiritual stuff about the healing of Theoden. For example:
He heard Gandalf, Stood up, and his eyes were opening.
Well I'm not about to put Gandalf in God's place, but this shows that Theoden couldn't come out of his dark night by his own efforts.
That's just one thing. I'm at work now and I'll have more time to write further when I get home. :)
Okay...back to work!