2 Samuel 2:14 “Then Abner said to Joab, ‘Let the young men now arise and compete before us.’ And Joab said, ‘Let them arise.’”
I confess, this story makes me angry. The Jewish nation was divided over a difference of opinion of who should be the king. There were some who insisted the king be a descendant of Saul, while others preferred David. Leaders of the respective camps met and decided to have a couple of dozen young men fight it out to the death. Several young men needlessly lost their lives because the leaders wanted to prove which side was superior. I suspect the families and friends of the young men who died could not have cared less which leader was “right” but they did care that their loved ones were struck down. It would be eight long years of fighting before the Jewish people would set aside their differences and unite under the leadership of one man, David.
Today our nation is divided by divergent philosophies embodied in political rhetoric. Decency and kindness have been replaced by incivility and malice. Unfortunately, I do not believe this will change because the midterm elections are over. In fact, I suspect the vitriol will only increase. That is unfortunate and unnecessary, and I propose Christians do something about it.
I am a big fan of the pledge of allegiance to the American flag and have little or no respect for those who dishonor it. There is one phrase in the pledge I want to cite here: “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.” It doesn’t say one nation under a particular political ideology; it says, “One nation, under God.”
As Christians, we should present a message of love of county and love of God. Don’t allow your message to be tainted by the political nonsense. Present a message of hope through Jesus Christ and let the evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit give credibility to your message.
The Jewish nation thrived under David’s leadership. The secret was due, in part, to the fact that he helped lead the people back to the basic principles of God’s laws. If it worked for David, it will work of us.
Let’s sing: “God bless America, land that I love…”