So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. Some will be generals and captains in his army,[a] some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle[b] and donkeys for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.” But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” -1 Samuel 8:10-19The death of our sons and daughters...is nothing to use to manipulate a political position...it's a cold, hard, brutal reality of choosing man's way instead of God's.
Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 1 Samuel 8:6-7
Imagine what world would of been possible if Israel would have rejected the desire to be like the nations of this world?
Our soldiers and their families deserve alternatives to death....the nations won't bring about this kind of peace...only the gospel can turn a terrorist or murderer into a man or woman of peace. The gospel is the hope of the world. Jesus, Prince of Peace is the only way of peace. The church is the light that is supposed to be set on a hill, shinning a way in the darkness.
It is in the bosom of the church that swords are beaten into farming tools and spears into fishing equipment...may she rise up in this hour and proclaim the gospel to the ends of the earth.
8 comments:
Thanks for the reminder of the costs borne by soldiers and their families to do our country's bidding.
You are right on that that our soldiers and their families deserve alternatives to death. And there is a lot of poetic truth in the story of how the Israelites demanded a king, but is Jesus really the only way to peace? When has this ever been the case historically? Are we to assume we can never have peace with non Christians? Do we have to convert the Jews and Palestinians to Christianity before we can start negotiations on a 2 state solution? Dude, do you really think that is the only way?
I think it depends on what you are defining as 'peace' and who you mean by 'we'. Is it peace between nations as in not killing each other or is it peace with God? Doesn't Jesus teach that if you look like Him the world will hate you? So, perhaps there is no peace between the Christian 'we' and the world, I don't know. The American 'we' has no requirement other than expediency and increasing her power and influence to guide it's relationships with other states and groups. The American 'we' certainly doesn't have to worry about conversion of the Palestinians and Jews to work out a situation to our advantage. Whereas, I believe that the Christian 'we' have to believe we're absolutely going to have to convert the entire world to have either peace from armed conflict or peace with God.
As a Christian and a pastor who takes the Bible as the Word of God, which means I believe it is to be taken more than "poetic truth". I believe within it is found the way of true, full peace. A peace that starts God-ward and extends man-ward.
Ephesians 2:11-22
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men)—
12remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world.
13But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.
14For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.
His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. 17He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.
18For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.
21In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
This is God's ultimate unfolding work. Which in my mind should propel the church into the centers of conflict resolution and into the ministry of reconciliation among men...wherever the kingdom's of the world are in conflict with the present and coming kingdom of God.
As "ambassadors" of God's kingdom...we have been given the work of being "peace makers". It's a work that encompasses reconciliation to God through Christ and the hard work of forgiveness and reconciliation as well as mercy AND justice towards men.
The principles of justice, mercy and love can be outworked by anyone, Christian or not...truth is truth. God's Spirit is at work in the World...He sheds His wisdom and grace on all men who are groping for light. He loves righteousness and peace and those who long to do His will...sometimes they know it not...that they are doing His will.
If the farmer provides food for the hungry but doesn't know God whom all food comes from...still glorifies God in providing substances to the poor.
God loves the World...even those who reject Him.
For me Christ is THE Light...and all other lights, if true...ultimately draw their illumination from the true source of light.
I want men to walk in light...I give my life to live and proclaim that light.
I think the above passage is the hope of the world. I pray that His kingdom will come and His will will be done on Earth.
What are the future implications of that coming, day by day, act by act, treaty by treaty, peace plan by peace plan...? Who knows...I can only dream, pray and act based on that vision.
Most men of peace...end up murdered...often with bullets...Abraham Lincoln, Kennedy, MLK...killed by the very tools they came to destroy.
Irony, indeed.
The cross becomes the instrument of peace.
Holy Mystery.
A sincere and profound faith indeed! I got to ask you though man, if it would not be too much of a boor to answer, how does a Christian with such a deep concern for peace deal with the bulk of the old testament which is pretty much a history of genocide demanded by a jealous God?
One more comment. What your doing is excellent man, I hope 10,000 plus Christians read your blog and think deeply about what your saying. The world and the USA would be so blessed if most pastors raised them same questions you are asking. Keep it up. I always appreciate your thoughts.
I think this post articulates how I am navigating and explaining and dealing with the very real challenges you bring up.
Jesus vs. Jehovah
http://thedreamofeden.blogspot.com/2010/01/jesus-vs-jehovah.html
I am curious how you have come to deal with such issues? Not sure if you still hold to your previous "highschool" religious positions... :) but since you asked me...I ask you too.
It might take a little while but I will get back to you on this.
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