Gun Control – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl
Good morning. If you’ve listened to talk radio at all, you know the main topic lately has been gun control. Law-biding citizens have been buying guns for fear that their right to bear arms will be taken away. Can you blame them? It’s for protection. There’s nothing wrong with that is there? Wanting to be safe? Do you really need an automatic weapon? If I was only able to get off one shot at an intruder and missed, what would happen? I’m more likely to obliterate the intruder, and the furniture, and the wall behind him, with an automatic. And I know he would not survive to take me to civil court and sue me because he broke into my house and I shot him.
Gun control will probably come. There is an example in the Bible. The Philistines saw to it that Israel could not rise up and take back control as a nation: as a free people.
“And the spoilers came out of the camp of the Philistines in three companies: one company turned unto the way that leadeth to Ophrah, unto the land of Shual: And another company turned the way to Bethhoron: and another company turned to the way of the border that looketh to the valley of Zeboim toward the wilderness. Now there was no smith found throughout all the land of Israel: for the Philistines said, Lest the Hebrews make them swords or spears: But all the Israelites went down to the Philistines, to sharpen every man his share, and his coulter, and his axe, and his mattock. Yet they had a file for the mattocks, and for the coulters, and for the forks, and for the axes, and to sharpen the goads. So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul and Jonathan: but with Saul and with Jonathan his son was there found.” (1Samuel 13:17-22)
Two swords and some sharpened farming instruments are no match for the army of the Philistines. The Philistines would eventually catch up with Saul and Jonathan, and kill them in battle. But today, Israel is a nation. Where are the Philistines? Here are a few basic thoughts from the events of the past week.
1) Gun control could not have prevented the tragedy in Connecticut. If a person wants to kill, he can use anything from a knife, a club, or even his bare hands. If you take away the guns from the people, only the criminals will have guns. (And that includes a godless Socialistic government that will STEAL your rights, right out from under your nose.)
2) Life is eternal: it does not stop at death. Everyone has an appointed time at which he enters into an eternity with God in Heaven, or in a Hell that was prepared for the devil and his angels. (Hebrews 9:27, Matthew 25:41).
3) I’d rather be correct than politically correct. Do you know why our country is the way it is? Romans 1:28-32 says, “And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.”
Homosexuality runs rampant. Children kill children, and innocent bystanders on the streets of our cities. God is removed from our schools, our government. Since 1973, 30 million abortions have been performed. When the first murder occurred: when Cain murdered his brother Abel, God said to Cain, “What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.” (Genesis 4:10).
Can you imagine all the cries going up to Heaven from spilled blood these days?
4) Despite all this, there is hope. This hope starts with us. “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (2Chronicles 7:14).
It’s time we got the file out to sharpen our pitch forks, our goads, and our mattocks. We dropped the ball in getting the gospel out to the lost. But if my people, which are called by my name: Christian. Called by my name: Christian. If you call yourself a Christian, then you, me, and the others, need to humble ourselves, pray, seek God’s face, and turn from our our wicked ways of which complacency is number one on the list. Then God will hear from Heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land. Our only hope should be in the Lord. In God we trust.
Peace. (2Chronicles 7:14).
Posted in Devotions by Phil Erickson with 1 comment.
Amen.