2 Samuel 23:13-17 "Veteran's Day - A Reflection"
No Christian can glorify war as a Christian.
"War is at best barbarism. Its glory is all moonshine. It is only those who have neither fired a shot nor heard the shrieks and groans of the wounded who cry aloud for blood, more vengeance, more desolation. War is hell!" Civil War General William T. Sherman at the Michigan Military Academy in 1879
It is important to distinguish between remembering our veteran’s and glorifying war.
There are many admirable features found among men and women in wartime. There is:
- Spirit of sacrifice for a greater good.
- Charity and self giving.
Soldiers come to know some of the finest sentiments. Emotions range from:
- Fear and anger.
- Resignation and determination.
- Hope and despair.
The chief emotion on the battlefield: Love.
Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13
Americans are free because of the risks of mighty men and women who brought them the cup of freedom at great risk.
"May the world never again live through such a Christmas night. Nothing is more horrible than meeting one's fate, far from mother, wife and children. Is it worthy of man's destiny to bereave a mother of her son, a wife of her husband, or children of their father? Life was bequeathed to us in order that we might love and be considerate to one another. From the ruins, out of blood and death shall come forth a brotherly world. [signed] a German officer." After the Battle of the Bulge in World War II these words were found on a blackboard of a devastated schoolhouse in Belgium.
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 2 Cor 5:19(NIV)
This is the hope and faith we have in Christ when faced with the mournful mutter of the battlefield: that in Christ we can be reconciled with each other and with all people.
God will judge between all the peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. All people will be at peace, and no one will make them afraid, for the Lord Almighty has spoken (Micah 4:3-4).
Today is Veteran’s Day. Take time today to thank a Vet for the sacrifices he made that you have the freedom to live in America and worship freely in your choice of a house of worship.
