As a soldier of Christ 2 Tim 2:3 you are to do what the Lord says. A soldier undergoes many experiences. Most common are victory and defeat. God is the commander Joshua 5:14 and the Lord does and directs his army as he wishes. When you become a slave...to righteousness (Rom 6:18)…or a soldier...it means undergo every experience you are required to. Whether you like it or not. We all like great experiences. The great highs. But we don't like the experiences that leave us weeping. We don't like painful humiliating experiences. A king died. David wanted to show his sympathy to the kings’ family 2 Sam 10: 1-2. David as king sent his soldiers who represented him, to show love and compassion to the family of the deceased. But due to the wickedness of the other leader they treated with contempt David's messengers; hence David. Instead of David's soldiers being shown great respect they were treated with disrespect. With vileness. They had half beards shaved and clothes ripped to expose their buttocks 2 Sam 10: 4. The point of humiliating David's soldiers was to humiliate David. And David was. Later he destroyed the ammonites, they ran like dogs 2 Sam 10:14. There were 2 major effects of what happened. Secondly the Ammonites were slaughtered. But firstly David was concerned for his men. They would have been totally humiliated. Have you ever been so humiliated that the very modesty you own, the private parts of your body are forcefully exposed? This is tantamount to rape. Emotionally a traumatic experiences. You are exposed. Not as per your choice but against your very humanity and decency. David felt for his men. Grow your beards back, which in their culture, freeman grew beards. Slaves were clean shaven. David was concerned. Grow your beards back. That is your freedom. Get clothed that your modesty protected. Some people strip people to humiliate them. And this is a great human injustice when your dignity is stripped from you. But God cares. Many people do not understand 1 Tim 5 20 were the sins are waiting for you at death. You do not humiliate the person….you humiliate the servant. You humiliate the master Lk 10: 16. They hate the master so they hate by nature the servant John 15: 18. Nothing will go unpunished as with David's soldiers. And nothing will go unpunished by God. This we must believe in. Faith. Yet the soldiers must undergo the humiliation for the gospel of Christ. How humiliating to have your bum and your genitalia exposed for the gospel. That is the very essence of Mth 5: 10-11. Blessed are you when you are persecuted for my name. But look at the great compassion David had for his soldiers. There are some things that are so wrong. So invasive. So evil. Yet God understands. Many times as soldiers we must undergo what we must. But for the offending party, there is no escape. Undergo what you must. And in all things, God is to be praised.
MCC Admin
16 Nisan 5782