“Therefore I stationed some of the people behind the lowest points of the wall at the exposed places, posting them by families, with their swords, spears and bows. After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials and the rest of the people, ‘Don’t be afraid of them. Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome, and fight for your families, your sons and your daughters, your wives and your homes.'” Nehemiah 4:13-14
Throughout the sinful history of the world, wars and rumors of wars have threatened human life and national security [Matthew 24:6]. War is not God’s desire. But it is a natural consequence of sin in the world.
Certainly, God’s people defended themselves against foreign nations. And God Himself intervened in miraculous ways during many of the major battles.
God calls us to defend the cause of the widows and the fatherless [Deuteronomy 10:18], the oppressed and the afflicted [Psalm 10:18 & 72:4] and the rights of the poor and needy [Proverbs 31:9]. Through Nehemiah, God called the nation of Israel to defend their families–not just their physical lives, but the spiritual, emotional and mental wholeness of their families. Their soundness built on the Word of God.
And He called them not to be afraid. The awesome, Almighty God was with them.
America was built on these same biblical principals. Godly men and women founded our nation with the intention to preserve sound Bible teaching and strong family relationships. They desired to see families empowered by the Word of God and defending the nation from the poor, the oppressed, the afflicted and right on up to the top.
Each Memorial Day, we remember the brave men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces who have given their lives to protect and defend the freedoms that we often take for granted. Without their sacrifice, we would not be free. Rather, we ourselves would be the oppressed and afflicted, possibly the widows and the fatherless in need of a righteous defender.
Just like the soldiers who died to help make and keep America a free nation, Jesus died to eternally free us from sin and the fear of death. So today, honor those who have selflessly served our nation and recognize that image of God in yourself to live as a righteous defender of His truth in all your ways [Proverbs 3:6].
How is God calling you to defend others? What can you do to honor His righteous image in you?
KCS
Generation Heroes 