Yesterday was a whirlwind of emotion for our country. We celebrated victory over evil, we mourned those unjustly taken from us, we were grateful to the men who got the job done.
We debated, in our hearts and with each other. Were we happy or were we sad? Did we rejoice over the death of an evil man, or mourn the loss of a life? Did we somehow have a hard-earned right to celebrate or did celebrating reduce us to the level of those who have celebrated the loss of American life?
At one point during the day I remarked to the Wonder Hub that I believed the Israelites had rejoiced when David killed Goliath. Didn't that set a precedent for rejoicing over the death of bin Laden? He sent me to the verses in question, in I Samuel 17, where I found no rejoicing.
What I found was this:
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”
and then, when Goliath was dead, this:
51bWhen the Philistines saw that their hero was dead, they turned and ran. 52 Then the men of Israel and Judah surged forward with a shout and pursued the Philistines to the entrance of Gath and to the gates of Ekron. Their dead were strewn along the Shaaraim road to Gath and Ekron.
David fought under the mighty power of Yahweh (LORD in the Old Testament is translated from the Hebrew word Yahweh, which is the name God gave Moses when he told him "I Am."). David won the battle under the mighty power of Yahweh. David gave credit to no one but Yahweh.
When Goliath was dead, did the Israelites stop to party in the streets? No. With a shout, they surged forward and finished the job at hand.
I think we, as a nation, would do well to learn from David. The battle is, and always has been, the LORD's.
amen sister, such a good reminder and what we need to be focusing on. The battle IS he Lord's.
ReplyDeleteI think much of the celebration we saw yesterday was a celebration of the church of america, not the church of Christ.
ReplyDeleteit was hard for me.
A timely and spot-on reminder. As Christians, we do need an occassional thump on the melon to bring us back to our original design which would not rejoice in the suffering or death of any other. The Bible says, "All fall short...", not "All fall short and still others are not even worth redeeming." It's difficult to put ourselves in the same catagory as this man who was so lost, so deceived, so evil. Yet, before salvation, our spiritual condition was exactly the same.
ReplyDeleteOf course, not being one of those who is able to remain in a constant state of holiness, I must admit that my reaction to his death was one of victory, justice, and yes, even a bit of celebration. I didn't go out in the street and proclaim it - I didn't even communicate these feelings to my wife. Yet, what difference does that make if my heart condition doesn't match my outward expression? I was still guilty of "celebrating with the church of America." But, grant me a bit of grace on this one. I think there's a little more to it than sheer elation at the death of an evil man.
America had a reason to celebrate this past Sunday. Granted, much of the parties and demonstrations were misdirected, ill-conceived, and even down-right wrong. However, just as David brought down the giant, America still has a calling. (Calling? Maybe that's not the best word in this case, but humor me) Lest we forget, this country was attacked - not because we have land desired by another nation, not because we were encroaching upon someone else's sovereignty, not because we possess oil or some other natural resource critical to anyone in the world. We were attacked because we have proclaimed God to be God. Our Constitution claims that the people of this land are here because of the providence of the one true God. It's on our money, our buildings, and in our pledge (so far, anyway). We were attacked purely for spiritual reasons. For these reasons, I do not think "turning the other cheek" is a viable option. America did what was right. America did what was needed. America did what was necessary.
So, yes, Americans did have a reason to celebrate. But, I celebrate because we have men and women willing to sacrifice all so that I can worship where and when I want to. I celebrate because America is exceptional. I celebrate because God's providence continues to be seen through the will and actions of those who honor Him - even though some of our own leaders don't even acknowledge Him.
I don't celebrate the death of any man. Yet, there are still consequences to man's decisions through his own free will.
Let's pray for this country to come back to God again. Let us see God's battle and rise up to meet Him. How awesome would it be that we see beyond videos and news clips into the real battle that is taking place in the hearts and minds of those that are searching for Him! Let that be our battle every day.
Very nicely stated, Mr. 64. Thank you for taking the time to share with us here. It bears repeating:
ReplyDelete"Let's pray for this country to come back to God again. Let us see God's battle and rise up to meet Him. How awesome would it be that we see beyond videos and news clips into the real battle that is taking place in the hearts and minds of those that are searching for Him! Let that be our battle every day."
yes, that was very eloquent, ldelange64....!
ReplyDelete