Good Sunday morning! Feeling somewhat like a stranger, I did manage to go to the grocery store this morning, only stopping to empty the full mailbox down the street. A little less than a week of being inside my house left me feeling a bit out of place driving around town. The cold/flu bug that is going around here is difficult to shake this year, perhaps at least partly due to the quite cold weather we have experienced this winter.
One devotional last year that I wrote, spoke of the use of Bible verses out of context. Sometimes we get a message within a message and one verse will stand out from those around it. Yesterday, it was Jeremiah 48:10 that stood out from its peers. The first nine verses in the chapter speak about Moab, and the verses from 11 - 47 speak more about Moab. However, in between those verses is this one:
"Cursed be those who refuse to do the work the Lord has given them, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!"
An interesting message, and related to the verses around it, but yet not related. This verse brings some light into past darkness for me, and I would think for many veterans in every time and place. One of the big "things" that we remember from the Vietnam War era, was that of conscientious objectors. These were those persons drafted into the armed services, but that refused to fire a weapon at their fellow man. What this verse says to me, is that if we are called to serve in the armed forces, or even law enforcement, and we then refuse to shed blood in our duty, God will not be pleased. That is interesting and probably raises all manner of conflicting thoughts in all of us. We know that many of the stories in the Old Testament speak of tremendous violence. We also remember that Jesus did not come to bring peace on his first trip. The Second Coming will usher in a period of peace and prosperity, but not before more violence occurs.
All this violence! What does that mean when we look at the Sermon on the Mount? There is no conflict; the Sermon addressed personal ethics. Certainly we are not to grab our sword and go whack our neighbor. However, in a time of war we may be called upon to take up the sword to defend our nation. That may seem like a fine distinction to make at first. However, in the case of murder, the person must decide that on their own. In the case of serving your country, the person does not plan to take life. Police officers do not go on duty hoping to shoot someone, and few yearn for peace more than persons in the military, but each may have to employ a weapon with deadly force in the pursuit of their duty.
Heavy thoughts this morning to be sure, but it seems that the military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan are sometimes forgotten for long periods. We do need to remember that they are over there defending our country and doing a difficult job. Pray for them daily and that peace will come to the Middle East.
God bless you and your families!
Bucky
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