Ecclesiastes 3:8
There is also a time
for love and hate,
for war and peace.
Scripture taken from the Contemporary English Version © 1991,1992, 1995 by American Bible Society, Used by Permission.
In
1965, a band called The Byrds recorded “Turn, Turn, Turn”, a song
written in the late 1950s by Pete Seeger, and set to music and first
recorded in 1962 by the Limeliters. I would venture to say that anyone
over the age of 40 knows the Byrds version of this song…and probably
some among the younger generations are familiar with it, as well. They
may NOT realize that its lyrics are almost entirely a scripture passage
from Ecclesiastes!
In 1965, this song was relevant,
because of the Vietnam War and public sentiment - both pro and con.
Verse 8 in particular had special significance then – and the same could
be said today, for a variety of reasons. As a country, we seem to be
operating quite heavily in the “time of hate”…and people appear divided
over issues as significant as women’s rights – and as ridiculous as
whether a dress pictured on the Internet is actually blue or white.
What
does this verse mean for us today? I believe that God is calling us to
examine our hearts and minds and determine whether we are on course as
Christ’s disciples…or whether we have veered off track. Have we made
this a “time” of hate and war with others over all sorts of issues –
many of which are rather mundane and insignificant? Or have we listened
to God and found a “season” of peace and love – and lingered there as
we interact with others?
According to the Bible, discourse and
war are appropriate when battling the devil and the evil that he can
bring to bear. I’m talking about “Spiritual warfare” more than physical
fighting…”battling” the enemy with prayer and communion with God - and
efforts to serve Him even when Satan tries to distract us. We must
despise the devil and his antics. But we must not hate other
people…we must do everything in our power to avoid combat – both
physically, mentally, and emotionally.
I do not wish to begin a
debate over whether war is necessary or appropriate. That is not my
point. I want to remind each of us that each day, you and I must “pick
and choose our battles.” God wants us to seek His will and word before deciding which way to turn. How well are you doing these days?
©2016 Debbie Robus
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