This is something I just jotted down the other day as some thoughts came to me. I'm hoping to expound upon it at some point in the future, but this is kind of what I have for now.
Psalm 24:7-10 "Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Life up your heads, O you gates; lift them up, you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty - he is the King of glory."
So often in our culture, we try to lessen violence - and rightly so. But we teach our children and teenagers and congregations that there is never a time to fight - all must be solved with patience, time, and words (and only words that do not offend). And we shouldn't offend. However, is there0 never ever a time to fight? The LORD mighty in battle doesn't really match the color scheme of nonviolence-at-all-costs. When we teach extreme passivity (I'm not talking about military/war issues) in our daily lives, are we deceiving ourselves? There are many battles in our lives and we are told to fight. In 2 Cor. 10:5 "We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ." sounds like there is force involved. Are we willing to be counter-cultural in order to have a victorious (battle-type word) life? Or are we sacrificing victory and becoming soft, non-dangerous slugs because we abhor terms of war? Our God is a God who is Mighty in battle, God Almighty - God of the Angel Armies. I'm not saying to punch your neighbor. I am asking why we have allowed this part of our culture to affect us so strongly. And I am saying that we need to be careful about what we teach kids, teens, and adults of all ages. It DOES matter what and how you teach. Even if it doesn't seem profound in an instant, over time we can become (and are becoming) a people who are unable to fight and stand and fight and stand - the very things we have been called to do (Eph 6).
We may need to reword things. We may need to purposely address concepts (real life applications) of warfare in the Bible. And I don't mean trying to beat sin on our own. And I don't mean claiming a parking place closer to the entrance. As we strive to become like Jesus, may we not only choose what we deem palatable, but rather choose all that He is - including "The LORD strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle".
