Justice—do you rulers know the meaning of the word? Do you judge the people fairly? No! You plot injustice in your hearts. You spread violence throughout the land. (Psalm 58:1-2)
Read: Numbers 22:21-23:30, Luke 1:57-80, Psalm 58:1-11, Proverbs 11:12-13
Relate: Three days ago…
Donald Trump’s campaign on Friday postponed a rally in Chicago amid fights between supporters and demonstrators, protests in the streets and concerns that the environment at the event was no longer safe. The announcement, which came amid large protests both inside and outside the event at the University of Illinois at Chicago, follows heightened concerns about violence in general at the GOP front-runner’s rallies. (CNN)
Two days ago…
A car bomb has exploded in the Turkish capital Ankara, killing 32 people and wounding more than 100, the health ministry has said. The explosion happened in Guven Park in the Kizilay district, a key transport hub and commercial area. Several vehicles at the scene were reduced to burnt-out wrecks, including at least one bus. Last month, a bomb attack on a military convoy in Ankara killed 28 people and wounded dozens more. (BBC)
Yesterday…
The state-run Anadolu news agency said nine F-16s and two F-4 jets on Monday raided 18 positions of the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK), including the Qandil mountains where the group’s leadership is based. The retaliation was reported as funerals were held in Ankara for the victims of Sunday’s bombing. The air strikes targeted ammunition depots, bunkers and shelters, and a PKK spokesman confirmed the strikes. (AlJazeera)
Violence begets violence. When the default position of our political leaders is one of violent rhetoric and action, is it any wonder that violence is pushed back on them. I am in no way condoning what has happened in Chicago, or the bombing in Ankara. They are heinous acts and I pray justice will be swift and sure and true. Am I surprised? Not on your life. Mr Trump, Mr Erdogan, you get what you ask for… just not always in the manner you ask.
React: It is much easier to speak out against the violence of our leaders than it is to curb the violence and abuse of authority in my own heart. If my kids tend to be extra naggy on a day that catches me in the wrong mood, do they have cause to fear my reaction? Do those at work under my authority have just cause to fear bringing news of failure or delay? Even if I would never physically lash out, do I do violence in what I say and how I say it?
What if I am single, or on the bottom rung of the workforce totem pole, does that let me off the hook? How do I treat my friends, neighbors, and siblings? Do my internet habits promote the violence of sexual slavery or physical exploitation of emotionally scarred women trying to make a buck? Does my need to always buy the cheapest or most convenient helping to maintain a violent economic imbalance that sees kids in third world countries working eighty hours a week in sweat shops or coffee plantations? Is my need for too much meat every single meal doing violence to the socioeconomic niche destroying the cultures in the Brazilian rainforest that in turn is spreading the desertification of northern and central Africa creating famines and social upheaval? Do I have any idea how much the luxurious, blissfully and willfully ignorant lifestyle I lead promotes violence and injustice in my wake?
Respond:
Dear God,
I come before You on behalf of the current and aspiring leaders of our land. I pray that You would stir their hearts to lead well and lead justly. Help them to more fully understand the great and heavy responsibility they have before You on behalf of those You have given them authority over. Change their hearts, and policies, and words that they might more closely reflect Your own heart. I pray also for my neighbors and friends and family. Help me be a bringer of Your peace in what I say and do. beyond that, I come against the systems of oppression that span our globe. Help me to be more alert and aware of how we might be contributing to the problem. Although I might not be able to change the violence and injustice on my own, I can take the responsibility to say I will no longer be a contributor to the problem. Let me make the sacrifice to do what is right… even if I do it alone.
Amen.
THE RIVER WALK 
If prudence preceded words or actions our consequences wouldn’t be so dire.
-Alan
Thought you raised some very good points and could agree with everything said as a Christian. Would you mind checking out my new blog and giving it some support?
False followers never want to admit that Assassins ALWAYS give birth to Martyrs…that is why they are ALWAYS doomed to fail
Always? You don’t read much history do you. Even just looking at the original assassins that very quickly very clearly becomes not the case. Assassins CAN give to martyrs but always? Not even often.
wow..you live in your own world dude..and is why we have the world today…good luck with that..and please unfollow me cause I am unfollowing you..for you to deny that we will be soon entering an age of peace due to 2000 straight years of war is truly IGNORANT..and sucks the very life from THIS very beautiful planet
If you were a REAL Christian, you’d martyr your life instead of writing senseless blogs that only confuse..and that’s THE REAL DIFFERENCE between you and I..I am honest enough to admit that I am not a REAL Christian whereas you actually BELIEVE you are..
You do know the violence was NOT TRump’s fault.
I generally don’t comment on these types of issues however I have been compelled to do so lately. For you to say that the violence at Trump’s rallies isn’t his fault is actually very scary to me and leaves me wondering what it is that you are seeing or not seeing. This man has not only promoted said acts but encouraged them. When he talks about people being carried out on stretchers or that some protesters deserved to get rough it is clear that he is part of the problem. He is in a “leadership” position and these are the types of things people to do or say under his “leadership”… well the proof is in the pudding.. and the pudding is laced!
Amen! There is no limit to how distorted we can become when we are filled to the brim with pride in ourselves and the rightness of our views. Equally there is no length we won’t go to defend this pride much to God and everyone elses consternation (and suffering).
Here is the Merriam Dictionary definition of martyr
1: a person who voluntarily suffers death as the penalty of witnessing to and refusing to renounce a religion.
2: a person who sacrifices something of great value and especially life itself for the sake of principle
So, you are telling me that Jesus sought to pick up a weapon and defend himself before he gave his life for all mankind? No, of course he didn’t
Which means you must be telling me that the 100s of millions (maybe billions) of innocent people (of all faiths) who went out of their way NOT to pick up a weapons and chose not to defend themselves in times of war during the past 2,000 years were NOT martyrs? That these innocent people who consciously and purposefully (due to their faith and belief that non-violence is God’s path to Heaven) did not defend themselves..nor did they flee…and accepted their faith in the Eyes of God..are/were not martyrs like Jesus..
Of course they are..
Please never forget, History is written by those who have murdered heroes and saints….and, even the Son Of God
P.s. Please do not respond back..You scare me 😦
Dude, calm down. You really blow up any time someone disagrees with you. Its OK. You said Assassins always lead to martyrs. I was just saying that is not. Always true. I am not taking anything away from true martyrdom. If anything I am holding true to it. Think about it, plenty of people who have been assassinated 1)did not voluntarily choose to die and 2) were not sacrificed for any principles.
By the very dedinition you provided, what you said cannot be true.
dude..i am very calm..YOU CALM DOWN..it’s not my fault that you were RUDE first wit your comment..and please STOP being defensive..if you cannot read or only what to read what you want…then what do you want from me..I am just stating the facts…because I said NOTHING about people who have been ASSASSINATED..what I said is very simple..Assassins are people who start wars..and people who start wars always create far more MARTYRS ..and is why there is less and less war today COMPARED to the LAST 2,000 YEARS of WARS..and WHY one day, there will be PEACE ON EARTH for all..So, your examples of TERRORISM are pointless….regardless of who commits them – AMERICA (a false christian nation) being the #1 TERRORISTS of them all..That being said, just be a GOOD CHRISTIAN and admit that YOU were the FIRST ONE TO BE RUDE WITH YOUR COMMENT…everything said between you and I can be seen as MISINTERPRETING each others words..LOL..It’s really that simple..So, long story short, if you want to be friends again..YOU FIRST APOLOGIZE for your comments..and I will do THE SAME…sounds like a deal..If not, that’s just as cool for me… 🙂
WEll…..to your prayer, I say another AMen!! Let the Lord do His work!
Glad you included other forms of violence, such as economic violence. So easy to think if we aren’t hitting we aren’t hurting.
Pingback: Turkish warplanes hit Kurdish militant targets in Iraq - RiyadhVision