“David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son, and he said it should be taught to the people of Judah; behold, it is written in the Book of Jashar. He said:
“‘Your glory, O Israel, is slain on your high places!
How the mighty have fallen!
Tell it not in Gath,
publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon,
lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
lest the daughters of the uncircumcised exult.
“‘You mountains of Gilboa,
let there be no dew or rain upon you,
nor fields of offerings!
For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,
the shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
“‘From the blood of the slain,
from the fat of the mighty,
the bow of Jonathan turned not back,
and the sword of Saul returned not empty.
“‘Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!
In life and in death they were not divided;
they were swifter than eagles;
they were stronger than lions.
“‘You daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
who clothed you luxuriously in scarlet,
who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.
“‘How the mighty have fallen
in the midst of the battle!
“‘Jonathan lies slain on your high places.
I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;
very pleasant have you been to me;
your love to me was extraordinary,
surpassing the love of women.
“‘How the mighty have fallen,
and the weapons of war perished!’” [1]
“How the mighty have fallen!” This is David’s assessment as he lamented the deaths of Jonathan and Saul. He lamented their courage and their bravery that had secured safety for the nation; their courage and their bravery had come at an awful cost. Thus, David led the nation in remembering the awful cost of national defence.
I watched, with both admiration for the heroism displayed and with deep sadness, a video displayed of the first battle ever recorded for which the first Congressional Medal of Honor was awarded. [2] I knew the outcome of the battle before I began watching, but seeing a video of the battle as it unfolded was deeply moving, nonetheless. In fact, technical sergeant John Chapman was awarded two Medals of Honor that day for saving the lives of an entire seal team and then saving the lives of another eighteen members of a quick-reaction force. For those unfamiliar with American service awards, the Congressional Medal of Honor is the highest award that can be given to United States service personnel. A CIA Predator Drone captured the combat from the time a team landed in an ambush manned by Al-Qaeda rebels. Sergeant Chapman sacrificed his own life to ensure the safety of others. Truly, such courageous action merits identifying him as a hero. The death of heroes always leaves us with deep grief tempered by great admiration.
The great Confederate General Robert E. Lee, viewing the carnage associated with the battle of Fredericksburg on December 13, 1862, is reported to have said to General James Longstreet, “It is well that war is so terrible; otherwise we would grow too fond of it.” We speak of those who sign a blank cheque with a value up to their life as heroes because they don the uniform that marks them as protectors of the nation. To be certain, there is an air of nobility about rugged men who have accepted the call and who have known the camaraderie of the battlefield. They have endured the brutality of the conflict and the deprivation of the trenches. These hardy souls are seldom casual about life after such experiences.
If we applied contemporary concepts of respect for authority to the events leading up to Saul and Jonathan’s deaths, it would be easy to imagine that David would celebrate their deaths. In this day, we have ceased to be respectful toward national leaders with whom we disagree. We speak ill of those with whom we disagree or those who represent a party different from that which we support. We casually dismiss those who fail to meet our expectations. A Prime Minister or a President who represents a party other than our own does not merit our respect, or so we have convinced ourselves. Tragically, because we know so much about our national leaders, we know every foible, ever error that marks their way. If they belong to the right party, or if they happen to align with our political views, we are prepared to overlook their missteps. However, those with whom we disagree are not deserving of the same courtesy.
In contradistinction to contemporary views of those who lead nations and even churches, David held the conviction that one should not treat the leader of the nation with disdain. He held that the leader of the nation was God’s anointed, the leader whom God permitted to lead. On one occasion, when he had opportunity to kill Saul, David refrained, saying, “The LORD forbid that I should do this thing to my lord, the LORD’s anointed, to put out my hand against him, seeing he is the LORD’s anointed” [1 SAMUEL 24:6].
In refraining from killing the man who was pursuing him, David reveals an understanding that is too often missing among the professed people of God. We would have justified David killing Saul in order to deliver his own life; but David saw matters differently.
“I trust in you, O LORD;
I say, ‘You are my God.’
My times are in your hand;
rescue me from the hand of my enemies and from my persecutors!”
[PSALM 31:14-15]
David was convinced that the LORD was sovereign, even in matters that would have an impact on his own life. Later, he would write that a nation received the leadership they deserved. In a similar manner, we can say that a congregation receives the leadership it deserves. Don’t pass over that statement so quickly that you fail to see that it applies to us! When I say that a nation receives the leadership it deserves, it should be obvious that godless societies surrender freedom, receiving despots who will tyrannise them. Righteous nations receive godly leaders to guide them through the vicissitudes of life. The character of the governed determines in great measure who governs. In either instance, however, it is the Lord who oversees the affairs of nations.
There would be other deaths in Israel, but these deaths precipitated the new King’s grief. The death of good people in defence of the nation ensures that many will grieve. I still recall the sense of loss I felt when I learned that a close friend was killed during the Viet Nam war. Charlie had been a school chum. We had ridden the bus from Fredonia, Kansas to Cherryvale, where we caught a passenger train to Kansas City. There, we were each inducted into the armed forces—Charlie into the Army and me into the Marines. We were just young men, eighteen and nineteen. We thought we were immortal, that we would never die. About two years later, Charlie was killed. I vividly remember my sense of devastation as I attended his funeral.
I hadn’t thought about Charlie in years when Viet Nam Veterans in Canada sponsored “The Moving Wall” in a display in Stanley Park. The Moving Wall, also know as the Travelling Wall, is a one-half size replica of the Viet Nam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. It is a memorial dedicated to the memory of United States service personnel who were killed during the Viet Nam war. I took my family to the park, sought out the display, searched for and found Charlie’s name on the wall. Then, standing before the wall, I was overwhelmed with sadness, and I broke down in tears.
While attending Rochelle’s graduation from Liberty University in Virginia, we could not pass visiting Washington, D.C. I was compelled to visit the Wall. Again, I was rooted to the spot before Panel 17E, staring at Line 4 where Charlie’s name was engraved in stone. Even to this day, when I visit his memorial page on the Viet Nam memorial page, I experience a sense of loss, I am surprised as my eyes fill with tears. Visiting his grave in Neodesha on one occasion, I broke down in tears as grief overwhelmed me. Lynda placed flowers on his grave before we left; but I discovered during that visit that the memory of his sacrifice has left a raw wound on my soul. Perhaps that wound will never heal. Perhaps I don’t want it to ever fully go away.
I’m still moved, my eyes growing misty, when attending Remembrance Day ceremonies as I recall the sacrifice of young men who gave their lives for our freedom. I’m deeply moved at the memory of RCMP constables Anthony Gordon, Leo Johnston, Brock Myrol, and Peter Schiemann who were murdered in Mayerthorpe, Alberta on March 3, 2005. Heroes who sacrificed so much still touch the heart of those who value freedom.
DEATH OF THE MIGHTY — “The Philistines were fighting against Israel, and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. And the Philistines overtook Saul and his sons, and the Philistines struck down Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchi-shua, the sons of Saul. The battle pressed hard against Saul, and the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by the archers. Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and mistreat me.” But his armor-bearer would not, for he feared greatly. Therefore Saul took his own sword and fell upon it. And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. Thus Saul died, and his three sons, and his armor-bearer, and all his men, on the same day together” [1 SAMUEL 31:1-6].
The LORD God had warned Saul that he would soon be dead. The Philistines, perennial enemies of Israel, were again waging war against the people of God. Saul gathered the armies of Israel to resist them. However, as revealed repeatedly throughout his troubled reign, Saul’s courage failed him at the most critical time. Thus, we read in the Word of God, “When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly” [1 SAMUEL 28:5].
It is normal to feel fear when facing danger. That sense of fear, if controlled, enables us to respond with courage and valour. However, when we permit our fear to control us, rather than controlling our fear, we will find it almost impossible to face the danger. Fear is nothing less than recognising the danger faced and marshalling our resources to respond. If we have no resources, or if we have failed to prepare for the conflict, then that fear will impel us to flee.
The king appears to have done all the right things in preparing for the conflict, but it was mere formality. He inquired of the LORD; but the LORD did not answer him this time. He had squandered his resources; he no longer had the spiritual reserve necessary to overcome the foe. In desperation, he turned to a medium. He traded righteousness for a faux spirituality. Finding a medium was not as easy as it sounds. Saul had earlier ordered that all the mediums and every necromancer was to be killed. Thus, when he ordered his servants to find a medium so he could make inquiry through her, they knew just where to look.
Does that seem strange to you? All the mediums, all the necromancers, all the occultists had been driven from the land at the king’s command; and yet, when Saul asked that a medium be found for him, his servants didn’t hesitate to answer him. Immediately, they responded, “Behold, there is a medium at En-dor” [1 SAMUEL 28:7].
What we witness here speaks to the spiritual climate that existed at that time. These servants were more fearful of disappointing the king than they were fearful of dishonouring the LORD God! The king wasn’t particularly godly, and he set the spiritual climate for the nation. The spiritual condition of the elders permeates the life of the assembly. The spiritual condition of the deacons touches the lives of each person within the congregation. What is presented among the leaders of the church is what will be observed throughout the life of the Body.
Things haven’t changed much in the millennia since Saul’s day. Many of the professed saints of the Lord fear government bureaucrats more than they fear the Living God. It appears that they are prepared to compromise honour and integrity for momentary peace, peace that represents no more than a temporary respite from intrusion into liberty. How well I remember a man who identified himself as “Chairman of the Church,” asserting brazenly that if there was a conflict between the Word of God and the constitution of the church, that he would obey the constitution. “I’m Canadian,” he asserted, “and I obey the law.” I was aghast at such a brash assertion. My response was to declare, “I am Christian, and I obey God.”
I learned to respond in such a pointed fashion from the Apostles after they had been haled before the Sanhedrin. You will recall how the Jewish Council attempted to intimidate the Apostles. We read, “They called [the Apostles] and charged them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus” [ACTS 4:18b]. When they were thus charged, Peter and John boldly answered, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard” [ACTS 4:19-20]. If there is a conflict—real or imagined—between the will of God and society, followers of the Master must not imagine that the decision can be debated. Faithful Christians, followers of the Risen Saviour, will have already made their decision. When we first called Him “Master,” we asserted that we no longer held a claim over our own lives. If Jesus is Master, then let us live as though He is Master.
I cannot help but be impressed by the attitude of the early followers of the Master. When they prayed, they came with a humility that is breathtaking. Listen to the disciples after they had been threatened by the religious leaders. “They lifted their voices together to God and said, ‘Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit,
‘“Why did the Gentiles rage,
and the peoples plot in vain?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers were gathered together,
against the Lord and against his Anointed”—
‘for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. And now, Lord, look upon their threats and grant to your servants to continue to speak your word with all boldness, while you stretch out your hand to heal, and signs and wonders are performed through the name of your holy servant Jesus.’ And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness” [ACTS 4:24-31].
Listen to the opening words of that prayer: “Sovereign Lord!” Listen to the opening address in that Greek tongue: Déspota. We get our word “despot” from this word. They weren’t saying the God is a despot, but they were acknowledging that He is sovereign. The Living God had the right to rule over their lives, and they confessed this truth even as they made their request of Him. Moreover they were united in this request—this was not merely the plea of a leader; it was the request that weighed on each heart gathered at that time. These spiritual forebears did not ask for relief—they asked for boldness! Their concern was not for the way in which governmental bureaucrats would see them; their concern was that they would do the will of God. That must be our concern. Do we fear God more than we fear mere mortals?
We do grieve the death of brave souls who put themselves in harm’s way, people who hazard their lives for the benefit of others. These disciples could have remained safe—and subservient, but they chose to risk their lives for a greater cause. The words that are written of those martyred during the days of the Great Tribulation could be applied to them: “They loved not their lives even unto death” [REVELATION 12:11b]. Saul and Jonathan, despite trepidation, despite awareness that the king was spiritually unprepared, stood firm for the sake of the nation.
We have witnessed fanatical Muslims demonstrate that they are willing to kill innocent people and even to die for a cruel and false hope. They do this in the false belief that their violence is required by their god. One woman recently convicted in the United States of attempting to be a Jihadist was quoted as saying, “A suicide bomber does not take her life, she gives her life in the name of Allah.” What a distorted view of evil such people have imbibed from the vile stream spewed from the tortured imagination of violent imams. Brave people look at life and determine that it is better to live one day in boldness and in freedom than to squander a lifetime living in fear and subservience. We who follow the Master have already surrendered our lives to the One we call “Master.”
We who follow the Saviour, Jesus our Master, are not suicidal; we do not glorify death. However, we do not fear death. Death is but a servant of the Living God. Death is appointed to usher the servant of the Lord into His presence. Our view of life mirrors that recorded by the Apostle. “We are always of good courage. We know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yes, we are of good courage, and we would rather be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him” [2 CORINTHIANS 5:6-9].
We are convinced that some things are more dreadful than death. We would not want to be guilty of dishonouring the Saviour. We must not permit ourselves to seek to please the denizens of this dying world at the expense of honouring Christ our Master. We must always keep the Lord before us and seek His honour in all that we do. We are assured on the authority of the Word of God,
“I have set the LORD always before me;
because he is at my right hand, I shall not be shaken.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my whole being rejoices;
my flesh also dwells secure.
For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol,
or let your holy one see corruption.
You make known to me the path of life;
in your presence there is fullness of joy;
at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.”
[PSALM 16:8-11]
As followers of the Master, we adopt the attitude of the Apostle Paul, who has written, “To me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. If I am to live in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I cannot tell. I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better. But to remain in the flesh is more necessary on your account. Convinced of this, I know that I will remain and continue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, so that in me you may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus” [PHILIPPIANS 1:21-26a].
RECITING THE DEEDS OF VALOUR — David identified the warriors, Saul and Jonathan, as the glory of Israel. Saul was the first king of the united kingdom. He led the nation to a position of power against the Philistine hegemony that had taken root along the coast. He had been appointed by the LORD, and thus the king whom God appointed was the glory of Israel. He was the glory of Israel because He was appointed by God.
In a very real sense, you, whenever you receive an appointment from the Master, are a manifestation of the glory of God. The pastor should be seen as the glory of God, not because He is great but because he was appointed by God who is great. The deacons should be seen as the glory of the Lord, not because they are great, but because the Lord who appointed them is great. There are no menial responsibilities in the congregation because the great God has appointed each one to the responsibility she or he oversees.
Listen again to the familiar passage in Paul’s Letter to the saints in Corinth. I’m speaking of that portion that addresses the work of the Spirit in apportioning gifts as He chooses. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11].
In his lament, David recited the valorous deeds of Saul and Jonathan. There is a value in reciting the deeds that reveal the valour of those who are truly heroes. Future generations need the example of courage, of honour, of integrity that mark people as heroes. Without realisation of what makes an individual heroic, we raise a generation that has no mooring, no association with greatness. Without heroes, future generations soon look to people who are influential as their models. This movement will lead inevitably to youth seeking to emulate these “influencers” as those who teach societal values. Society begins to seek the values espoused by women known for possessing a big booty, begin to seek out men and women with brazen moral standards as models for life, begin to value the acquisition of wealth over the cultivation of character.
Perhaps you have read the news report stating that Millennials have lost the sense of patriotism that marked older generations. A recent survey by the Wall Street Journal and NBC News found that millennials in the United States place significantly less value on patriotism, religion and having children than the generations that preceded them. [4] That same attitude may also prevail here in Canada, though I would hope such is not the case. It wouldn’t be particularly surprising if that is the case since the issue is generational and not necessarily national.
I am well aware that not everyone within a group can be defined by the statistics generated through a survey. I am, however, conscious of the fact that the pattern of a given segment of society does reflect the training they have received. The general attitude of people within that given category is a reflection of the training their elders failed to impart. Their parents ignored God and forgot the reason they had the freedoms we enjoy.
One major reason for this lack of appreciation for the cost of freedom surely results from a distorted view of heroism. We pay lip service to those who sacrifice for us as a people, but we don’t really appreciate the cost of freedom. Until one has actually sacrificed, it is impossible to actually understand the cost of freedom. Our grandparents sacrificed to defeat the evil of Fascism. On the home front, families did without butter, without sugar, without gasoline, and without rubber so that the troops could be supplied with those commodities. Families had scrap metal drives and grew vegetables in home gardens for the home. Rationing was the standard practise so that critical supplies could be redirected to the war. Today, we live in such luxury that we believe we can have all the luxuries even as our troops risk their lives for us.
Few of us today actually struggle to attain a goal, so we simply can’t appreciate the cost. We send our children to school to study subjects that will never actually have any significant value to society. When they have finished their studies, they are unable to find employment that supplies a living wage, so they come home to live in the basement of their parents’ homes, hoping to find a way to earn what they have been told they are worth.
While in school, our children are sheltered from any unpleasantness, and they are graded in such a way to ensure that their self-esteem is not bruised. Throughout their years of education they are told in word and through example that they are the centre of their universe. Chances are very good that while enrolled in studies, they don’t even need to pass any exams in order to be promoted to the next grade level. Teachers move them to the next grade level, though they are woefully unprepared, to avoid warping their fragile egos. Competition is a thing of the past.
During the school years, our children entered sports days in which every participant received a ribbon just for being present, and parents of those children celebrated as if they had accomplished something significant. Thus, we have ensured that they are taught that freedom is no longer about achieving a standing that permits the individual to benefit society, but it is construed as the ability to do whatever one wishes untrammeled by societal constraints.
We elect politicians who promise us that if only we will surrender more of our earnings, government largess will provide all we could ever want. We are discouraged from becoming self-sufficient because we are assured that government will take care of us. I still remember the shock I felt when a fellow pastor informed me that he was not setting anything aside for his eventual retirement because the government would take care of him. I can’t help but wonder how that is working out for him in these latter years. Somehow, we have failed to figure out that government is us. Somehow, we haven’t figured out that government doesn’t create wealth, government can only redistribute wealth. Nevertheless, we are eager to let someone else do the worrying. Then, resting on our laurels we will accept whatever largess government doles out.
There has been no struggle, no exertion to reach for the goal of providing for ourselves. Never having struggled, never having faced deprivation, we have adopted an attitude that depreciates freedom. For this generation and for those following, wealth and personal comfort has too often become more essential than liberty, more highly valued than freedom. How the words of one American patriot censures this particular attitude. “If ye love wealth better than liberty,” Samuel Adams wrote, “the tranquility of servitude than the animating contest of freedom, go from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen!” [5]
GRIEF AS AN EXPRESSION OF LOVE — We do not grieve over those whom we do not know. The high cost of love is grief. Every stumble experienced by those we love causes us pain. Every sorrow they experience means that we share in their sorrow. When those we love deeply have passed from this life; we grieve deeply because they are no longer present. Unrealised dreams rise to haunt us, unfulfilled hopes and lost opportunities haunt our memory. Love mingled with sorrow sweeps over our soul, and we grieve. Yet, their courage inspires us.
I am going to wax somewhat political, addressing contemporary currents for the remainder of the message this day. Remembrance Day ceremonies are scheduled for tomorrow. We will recall the sacrifice of brave Canadians who were willing to sacrifice everything for our freedom. That is a political celebration as well as a sombre biblical remembrance. Therefore, it is appropriate that we do focus on the currents that now threaten the health of the nation.
We live in a strange day when society depreciates courage, the essential component of those who willingly hazarded their lives for the sake of others. Perhaps we imagine that danger no longer lurks nearby. Perhaps we have become complacent concerning the intent of vicious societies that despise the freedoms we enjoy. Perhaps so few of us have ever been called to sacrifice for the benefit of others that we cannot think to honour courage.
Contemporary society seeks to neuter our men, feminising our boys so they will be just like the little girls. Contemporary society ridicules manliness, condemning such male traits as “toxic masculinity.” However, when there is danger, or when there is a threat to our safety, we are grateful for men who reveal their manliness. The last thing we would hope to see in the face of danger is a soy boy who feels faint and thinks only of running away from the danger.
When a knife wielding killer went on a bloody rampage through the streets of Sydney, Australia, he was stopped in his tracks by a group of courageous men using just a milk crate and a chair. Brandishing a butcher’s knife and yelling “Allahu Akbar,” the 21-year-old Islamist already had allegedly murdered one woman and stabbed another in the back when six men armed themselves with weapons, ranging from a café chair to a firefighter’s ax, and chased him down. With the killer pinned to the ground, one of the men yelled at him in outrage over his violence against women: “You’re a piece of… You stabbed a chick, mate.”
In every story of bloodshed and mayhem, it’s the same story. Tales of selfless male heroism and chivalry emerge in the face of mortal danger. Those who rush toward danger, risking their lives and even dying in the noble cause of protecting women and children are men. We saw it in Aurora, Colorado when a deranged shooter killed theatre goers even as heroic men laid on top of their girl friends, protecting them. In Sutherland Springs, Texas, a neighbour of the First Baptist Church confronted the shooter forcing him to flee.
We saw it in the El Paso and Dayton massacres. There was David Johnson, 63, who pushed his wife and 9-year-old granddaughter to safety under a counter at the El Paso Walmart before he was fatally shot. There was bar bouncer Jeremy Ganger, who stood his ground at the front door of the Dayton bar Ned Peppers, reportedly pulling people inside as they fled from the shooter who was firing an AR-15 and wearing body armor. Ganger suffered a shrapnel leg wound. And, of course, there was the extraordinary bravery and competence of the Dayton cops. We saw them in footage released soon after the shooting, running toward the shooter when the logical response was to race in the opposite direction. Guns drawn, they shot the killer dead in all of thirty-two seconds.
In the rampage through Midland and Odessa, it was Texas Rangers, Texas State Troopers and city policemen who put their lives on the line to protect the public and remove the threat presented by the mentally unbalanced killer.
Another example is 21-year-old Riley Howell, who charged at a gunman shooting up his classroom at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte, in April and managed to knock him to the ground. Howell was killed, but his heroic act saved the lives of as many as thirty classmates.
Yet another example of manly courage in the face of extreme danger is witnessed in twenty-year-old Matt Wennerstrom who was present at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, California during a deadly shooting this past year. When the crazed gunman began shooting after throwing smoke grenades onto the dance floor, Matt ushered people behind a pool table so they would be sheltered from the gunfire. Several men then shielded the women until they had opportunity to usher people out of the danger. Matt broke out a window and helped between thirty and thirty-five people get out of the danger zone by crawling through a window. [6] Wennerstrom is said, “This is our family… I know where I’m going when I die, so to give my friends and my family the chance to live another day, I want nothing more than that.” [7]
One woman reported to Good Morning America that during the shooting, “There were multiple men who got on their knees and pretty much blocked all of us with their backs to the shooter, ready to take a bullet for every one of us.” [8]
In this modern era, we appear to be always quick to point to the dark side of masculinity when violence is committed, but too often we overlook the feats of bravery by men who combat evil. Call it the chivalry instinct, it is what inspires men to run toward danger to protect the weak. This is the noble side of masculinity that we once would perpetuate in folklore and stories passed down from father to son about what it means to be a real man. But in the new era of “toxic masculinity,” young men are taught to ignore their heroic instincts and learn to be weak. They are instructed always to be on guard against the monster within. [9]
Modern feminists have determined that maleness, manliness, is the enemy. The message has even infiltrated our churches, to the shame of the people of God. Boys and young men are bombarded with messages that they are pathetic losers. Should they notice a woman, they’re accused of leering. If they open a door for a woman, they’re sexist. Even the way they sit on the subway has been criminalised as “manspreading.”
Earlier this year, the American Psychological Association formalised the new feminist pathology by declaring “traditional masculinity is psychologically harmful.” This report stated that the most worrisome attributes of males were stoicism, competitiveness, dominance, aggression, anti-femininity, achievement, “eschewal of the appearance of weakness,” adventure, risk and violence. Even major suppliers of commodities traditionally used by men for grooming has entered into the realm of censuring what is labelled as “toxic masculinity.” As an aside, they are paying a hefty price as men cease using their products for personal grooming. Let me speak quite pointedly—without those characteristics that are deemed worrisome by the American Psychological Association, all that is left is the Obama pajama boy with whom no self-respecting woman would want to mate.
Women instinctively desire a mate who can protect her and their offspring. A 2017 study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society stated, “Modern women … [look for] ancestral cues of a man’s fighting ability.” [10] When looking for a life partner, women want a man. May I say that among the most manly of men is one who recognises God as his Father and has been born from above and into the Family of God. Courage and derring-do are the essence of maleness and is what has allowed western civilization to prosper.
So what has all this to do with Remembrance Day and with grieving over the sacrificed lives of our warriors and those who serve protecting us. Just this, so long as evil reigns on earth, and evil does reign at this present time, we will need warriors and protectors. Whenever brave men place themselves in harm’s way, some will give their lives and we will continue to grieve. What must not be permitted to occur is to forget the sacrifice or to fail to raise up our boys to be men of character, marked by courage and acting bravely in the face of evil. What must never be permitted is to become complacent with the idea that men should be anything other than manly. Hear the Apostle, “Act like men, be strong” [1 CORINTHIANS 16:13b]. Amen.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers, 2001. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
[2]The First Medal of Honor Ever Recorded,” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oKMjTqdTYo&feature=youtu.be, accessed 11 July 2019
[3] Alex Parker, “Two Women in New York Plead Guilty to Planning Major Terrorists Attacks. The Details Are Frightening.” August 24, 2019, https://www.redstate.com/alexparker/2019/08/24/two-women-in-new-york-were-planning-major-terrorist-attacks-the-details-are-frightening/, accessed 25 August 2019
[4] Chad Day, “Americans Have Shifted Dramatically on What Values Matter Most,” The Wall Street Journal, Aug. 25, 2019, https://www.wsj.com/articles/americans-have-shifted-dramatically-on-what-values-matter-most-11566738001, accessed 26 August 2019
[5] Samuel Adams, quoted in Robert D. Gingrich, Faith and Freedom: The Founding Fathers in Their Own Words (Barbour Books, Uhrichsville, OH 2012)
[6] Allison Klein, “‘Bar stools go through windows. It works’” Social media hails bar customer who helped rescue dozens in Calif. shooting,” The Washington Post, November 8, 2018, https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2018/11/08/bar-stools-go-through-windows-it-works-social-media-thanks-man-who-helped-rescue-dozens-people-california-shooting/, accessed 10 November 2019
[7] CBS This Morning, 8 Nov 2018, https://twitter.com/CBSThisMorning/status/1060510873138159616, accessed 10 November 2019
[8] “The Borderline Bar and Grill: A Tale of Men and Masculinity,” Prager U, 4 Nov 2019, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CYeE7vREtHk, accessed 9 November 2019
[9] Adapted from Miranda Devine, “Its Masculinity to the Rescue,” NY Post, August 14, 2019, https://nypost.com/2019/08/14/its-masculinity-to-the-rescue/, accessed 15 August 2019
[10] Aaron Sell, Aaron W. Lukazsweski, and Michael Townsley, “Cues of upper body strength account for most of the variance in men’s bodily attractiveness,” Proc. B. Sci. B 284: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rspb.2017.1819, accessed 10 Nov
