Complete Support
This is an e-mail I received - thought I would share it with you guys/gals...
...I'm told that there is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight. I thought the flag was draped over the rock, but it's not. It's actually painted on the rock too.
...Side note from this blogger - Support the troops, the war and our leaders (I can't stand when I hear "love and support our troops but hate the war and bash our leaders" - that makes ZERO sense to me)!
...I'm told that there is a huge rock near a gravel pit on Hwy.25 in rural Iowa. For generations, kids have painted slogans, names, and obscenities on this rock, changing its character many times. A few months back, the rock received its latest paint job, and since then it has been left completely undisturbed. It's quite an impressive sight. I thought the flag was draped over the rock, but it's not. It's actually painted on the rock too.
...Side note from this blogger - Support the troops, the war and our leaders (I can't stand when I hear "love and support our troops but hate the war and bash our leaders" - that makes ZERO sense to me)!
posted by R Pietsch at 9:40 PM
4 Comments:
Pietsch, I'm going to pick on you.
That painting is a lovely picture of the sacrifices that have been made so that I may enjoy my freedom to "do what I want."
But you know what makes zero sense to me, that the war is supported by folks who hold commandments dear to their heart, like "do not murder" "turn the other cheek." Is not the second greatest commandment "love your neighbor as yourself?"
It would do us all good to remember the Sermon on the Mount. Let me refresh all our memories.
Matthew 5:43-48 This is Matthew's recollection of what Jesus taught that day.
"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
Perhaps I should've began with verse 38. Let us do ourselves a favor and read it tonight. We all must ask ourselves some serious questions on the subject. Matthew reports, "Dudes, Jesus just said we can't be sons of the Father unless we live this way."
Brent -
I must respond to your response - there is a difference between loving your enemy(and neighbor) and your enemy flying planes into buildings killing innocent life...it is called defending yourself and your country from those trying to kill you - not the person who lives down the street from you who hates you and wrongs you by spray painting your house or stealing from you...not the same thing...
And since we are going to the Bible - here are a few verses to ponder on also...
Deuteronomy 2:30 - But Sihon king of Heshbon refused to let us pass through. For the LORD your God had made his spirit stubborn and his heart obstinate in order to give him into your hands, as he has now done.
2:33-36 - 33 the LORD our God delivered him over to us and we struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army. 34 At that time we took all his towns and completely destroyed [a] them—men, women and children. We left no survivors. 35 But the livestock and the plunder from the towns we had captured we carried off for ourselves. 36 From Aroer on the rim of the Arnon Gorge, and from the town in the gorge, even as far as Gilead, not one town was too strong for us. The LORD our God gave us all of them.
7:2 - 2 and when the LORD your God has delivered them over to you and you have defeated them, then you must destroy them totally. [a] Make no treaty with them, and show them no mercy.
Joshua 10:28-30 - 28 That day Joshua took Makkedah. He put the city and its king to the sword and totally destroyed everyone in it. He left no survivors. And he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Jericho.
29 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Makkedah to Libnah and attacked it. 30 The LORD also gave that city and its king into Israel's hand. The city and everyone in it Joshua put to the sword. He left no survivors there. And he did to its king as he had done to the king of Jericho.
31 Then Joshua and all Israel with him moved on from Libnah to Lachish; he took up positions against it and attacked it. 32 The LORD handed Lachish over to Israel, and Joshua took it on the second day. The city and everyone in it he put to the sword, just as he had done to Libnah.
...I can post about 50 more if needed...
Readers have heard Pietsch proclaim that it is okay to kill someone if that person has killed your friend or loved one, but I say to you the Bible teaches that you must not kill in revenge.
I open my argument in that manner to illustrate the point I am making. In Matthew 5:38-39 Jesus is quoted in reminding the listeners the OT said 'an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth,' and if one goes back and reads those passages he realizes that also life for a life is required. This isn't merely childhood pranks as Pietsch would want you to believe. A life for a life is required. BUT, Jesus said, I am telling you a different way...turn the other cheek. Either the first law was wrong all along, or Jesus changed the law. Those are the only two possibilities.
In addition, I would like to add another point. Jesus himself is the best example of how to respond to those you hate you and want to kill you. Was Easter the celebration of Jesus cleaning his home from spray paint? Or was it the resurrection from an unjust death, in which he was murdered, though did nothing wrong, in which he was mocked and did nothing to draw the fiery darts. Obviously, the Bible teaches, whether you believe the Book as truth or not, Jesus was lead to slaughter without any defense. He never called for the head of Pontious Pilate. He simply loved those you hated him, and plotted no revenge.
I am not suggesting that I am able to live as Jesus would have taught me to live. I am only attempting to teach what I believe the Bible has taught me, and suggesting that just because you read something in the Bible doesn't make it right ie Pietsch's Old Testament arguments.
One last thing. Everyone expects a country to attack when they have been attacked. Why do they expect such behavior? Because that is natural human behavior. I think Jesus would have taken the opportunity to be the light of the world. Not only would he have turned the other cheek, but would have reached out his hand in aid to those who killed so many. At church last Sunday, the preacher told a story of a woman in Springfield, IL whose husband was killed by a man breaking into the home to steal. The widow visited the prison, insisted she be let in to visit the murderer, and there shared the love of Jesus. After the man got out of prison, which became his mission field, he lived with the woman until he was able to get his post prison life together.
Final comments (3 things)...
1. there is a difference between defending yourself and revenge - I do not believe in revenge...no where did I say that revenge is acceptable...
2. ...The purpose of pointing out the verses that I did was to show that God allows and wills the act of wars and the taking out of those who are evil (not to say Americans do not have our own issues - because we do)...
3. ...finally, this is the best example I can come up with...(it may be a little extreme, but you will see the point I hope)...If I am in my yard playing with my two year old son and a man approaches and tries to kill my son, I will do whatever it takes to protect him - even if that means I have to kill the man trying to hurt him(that would be my last resort of course)...I am not going to just sit back and allow the man to do whatever he wants...I am not going to try and show love to this man and sit down and try to talk him out of it (the enemies #1 goal is to kill - this example and our global situation is exactly the same)...again, my job is to protect my son from any harm - same goes for our leaders - their job is to protect us!
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