Good morning, Zane.
I’ve decided to toggle back to the Old Testament for today’s episode in the Scriptures. I’d like to hear your thoughts.
I have stuff to do, places to go, people to see—and the list seems to get longer than shorter with time—paying no attention to my waning levels of energy. I am committed to checking out some big logs up in Lyons—then report to my doctor in Silverton in the early afternoon—besides facing the need to get some work done with the sawmill. At least it’s looking like a beautiful day so far.
Blessings. Love—Tua/Ray.
The last sentence of this reading offers a most welcome relief—“Then the land had rest from war.” The massacre of human life recorded in these three chapters is not read with pleasure. The whole spectacle flies against our common notion that human life is sacred. War seems to make it extremely cheap. But one thing is for sure—modern liberals who support the practice of widespread abortion don’t have a legitimate supportive leg to stand on when they condemn this facet of Biblical history. The abortion death toll is in the millions. After all, we can reason that Israel was simply performing a bunch of post-partum abortions.
My little head staggers. It seems like I’ve been here before. I can’t seem to get it all figured out in a way that clearly justifies all this bloodshed. The positive advice I gave just yesterday seems so long ago. (Quote: “Please don’t choke on these divine orders for the complete destruction of the people of Jericho and Ai, as though it were incompatible with our New Testament orientation. Let’s be reminded that this is really not out of step with a sound Biblical overview. Remember the flood? Remember Sodom and Gomorrah? Remember Jesus’ words announcing future judgment and destruction? Remember the last book of the Bible? Remember the themes of heaven and hell?—eternal life and eternal death? To be sure, heaven is a picture of incredible blessing. And hell is a picture of…well, how else can we say it?—incredible HELL! I don’t know how to avoid accepting these as bedrock facts that cannot be altered by human opinion or democratic process.) But my mind wants to argue again. Now a song comes to mind—“My faith has found a resting place—Not in device nor creed: I trust the Ever-living One—His wounds for me shall plead. I need no other argument, I need no other plea; It is enough that Jesus died, And that He died for me.” Whew! More relief! But what’s the point? Simply this: While history (along with globalists) would render human temporal life on a plain of lesser value, the cross of Christ underscores human eternal life with supreme value. Just quote John 3:16 again! I guess I’ve returned once again to the refuge of the Deuteronomy 29:29 anchor point.
Perhaps it would be stabilizing to review something that is about as mind-boggling as it gets—that is, Jesus’ words in John 11:25-26—“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” Of course the best answer to that question is, “YES!”
Something else is for sure—since questions and difficulties abound, I don’t ever want to stop inquiring “of the LORD.” I have to believe that the One Who knows all also knows best (Proverbs 3:5-6). What security do any of us really have left to work with if we argue against that absolute?