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Ain't War No More
Harold J. Sala
"It's a true story," says James Hewett. A certain couple grew increasingly
alarmed by the threat of nuclear war and so decided that they would move
to the safest place on earth. But where was that? They studied, they inquired,
they looked at the map, and they considered a variety of options and possibilities.
They wanted ultimate security in a small out-of-the-way
place where the super-powers were least likely to disturb their tranquility.
They found it too (so they thought) and moved there. Christmas cards that
year were post-marked the Falkland Islands. Most of the folks who got the
cards said, "Where?" but within weeks, they were no longer asking the question
because the Falkland Islands were on the front page of every major paper
in the world as the peaceful islands were turned into a battle ground between
Great Britain and Argentina.
In your Old Testament you will find 12 short books, often referred to
as minor prophets - not because they are unimportant - but because they
are not as long as, say, Isaiah's or Jeremiah's writings. One of them was
penned by a man by the name of Micah, who lived about 70 years starting
in 740 B.C. A contemporary of Isaiah, Micah knew that the world was
shaky. Assyria in the north was ruthless, domineering, and vicious. History
reminds us that Lenin, Hitler, and Stalin were all disciples of Assyrian
military policy. It was the Assyrians who first used crucifixion as a method
of execution, terrifying their enemies into submission.
Micah lived in Judah, the southern kingdom, when Sennacherib, the Assyrian
king, laid siege to Israel, the ten northern tribes. His world was in chaos.
Armies were on the march, and homes and families were being torn apart
by conflict. Understanding the times in which he wrote reminds us of
the perils of living in a nuclear age when madmen have the capability of
creating catastrophes of global proportions.
During this time, however, Micah gave to us a great promise of lasting
peace. Here's how he put it: And he shall judge among many people,
and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into
plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift
up a sword again nation, neither shall they learn war any more (Mica
4:3). Micah never lived to see this, and frankly when you look back in
history, that time has never come - which means Micah's promise is yet
in the future. God's timetable is different from ours, and though centuries
may span the gap between the promise and the fulfillment, when God says
something, you can count on it as a sure reality.
There will come a time when God says, "Enough!" and He will again
send His Son to rule and reign in our world, and that's when He will judge
the nations, and men will beat their swords into plowshares, their spears
into pruning hooks.
The words of an old spiritual go, "I ain't gonna study war no more,/
Ain't gonna study war no more,/ Ain't gonna study war no more." For
centuries men and women have talked about laying down the sword and shield
by the riverside and putting on a robe of white before you cross the river
to peace.
No, that's not a pipe-dream, an empty, meaningless hope. It is the certainty
that God is in control, no matter what has happened or will happen, and
that sometime the King of kings and Lord of lords will rule and reign with
justice and equality. Until then, may His peace fill your heart and may
you walk with the assurance that someday Micah's prophecy will become a
reality. May God hasten the day. Resource reading: Micah 4
Copyright 2003 by Guidelines Inc. Reprinted by permission
Dr. Harold Sala is heard weekday afternoons at 5 on WCIF
with Guidelines.
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