Psalm 149:6-7 May the praise of God be in their mouths
    and a double-edged sword in their hands,
to inflict vengeance on the nations
    and punishment on the peoples.

Not exactly a pacifistic picture! We like to think of things like Jesus welcoming the children, (Matthew 19:14) but the Bible has lots of scenes of violence of all sorts, all the way through Revelation. Jesus was clear that we aren’t to seek violence, famously saying in the Sermon on the Mount, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.” (Matthew 5:9) However, we aren’t to shrink back from it when it confronts us. I find the motto, “Peace through strength,” remarkably Biblical! There’s no telling how much destruction was prevented by America’s recent surgical strike against Iran’s nuclear facilities, and it was done at a time of night so as to inflict an absolute minimum of human casualties. Some people complain that the Bible is contradictory, and on some levels it seems that way, but life itself is contradictory, because we never see the whole picture. Only God sees everything, and we have to be at peace with that. Just yesterday I read a story of violence being done against a man – to keep him from conducting an “honor killing” of his own daughter! We are called to be children of God, not doormats. However, we must remember what James said: “Human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.” (James 1:20) We are to be both strong and gentle, acting as God’s agents and not just acting on our own impulses. Jesus indeed made a whip and cleansed the temple, (John 2) but that was hardly a frequent occurrence. God is to be our judge and our guide, on all levels.

My father was a conscientious objector in WWII, to the point that the FBI thought him suspicious, after he was returned to the US on a prisoner exchange ship, but he also agreed to my buying an air rifle as a teenager, and didn’t express objections when I was drafted as an adult. I certainly didn’t enjoy basic training in the Army, and even wrote and performed a poem that almost got me court martialed, because of my reaction to the total focus on killing “the enemy.” I am grateful never to have been in combat, but I know what I am capable of, given the right tools. I am not to be a “knee-jerk” anything, but rather seek and allow the Holy Spirit to guide my words and my actions, so that God’s will may be done for His glory.

Father, this is a rather surprising morning meditation! Help me be continuously focused on You, first and foremost, so that I may be Your agent for Your glory. Thank You. Praise God!