Proverbs 19:19 A
hot-tempered person must pay the penalty; rescue them, and you will have to do
it again. (NIV)
When I read this morning’s
highlighted verse from the Book of Proverbs, I recognized the godly wisdom
behind it. The words were written long ago, but could easily be applied in our
present circumstances. Less than a week ago, all of our lives were turned upside
down by the hot-tempered rage that was clearly evident in the riot that took
place at the Capitol Building. Angry people lost control and tried to tear apart
the heart of our democratic republic. It was a horrible scene of hostility and
violence that appeared fearfully apocalyptic. It wounded us deeply as a free
people and we are now living in the after-shock of that calamitous moment.
There are consequences for
what took place and we need to be resolute in our efforts to ensure that we
make the proper response. The Bible seriously cautions us that if we rescue
those who have done this, then it will only happen again. Already, the FBI is
telling us that armed protests may take place in every State Capital. If we
excuse those who have caused this unrest and ignore their actions, we will be
dealing with it for a long time and living under the fear that it may happen once
more. One thing I learned the hard way as a child in elementary school – if you
don’t stand up to bullies, they will continue to threaten you and make your
life miserable.
As I wrote yesterday. I
want us to reach a point where we can unify and find some middle ground.
However, that does not mean we have to appease those who resort to violence and
use strong-arm tactics to coerce us. In fact, we need to be brave enough to
call them out and state the truth. If we make excuses for what happened and spread
false ideas, we will never heal, or as the Bible put it, we will have to go
through the same situation once again. In other words, if we do not learn from
history, we will be doomed to repeat it.
Prayer: Lord God, You
have given us solid wisdom from the Bible and in times like these, Your counsel
shows us what we must do. Help us to apply Your words and grant us the courage
to be resolute. In Your Holy Name. we humbly pray. Amen.
John Stuart is the pastor
of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee.
www.erinpres.org
No comments:
Post a Comment