Note to the reader; recently I wrote another C.P.E. with hats in the title. Something about that one is incomplete, or is just not saying things the way I believe to be actually the case (or something). If I could put my finger upon just what that something is, the thing would get an edit job.
But since it remains unclear, I thought of an idea for a C.P.E. which is a kind of parallel treatment of things. Our Pastor at Kirk did a sermon on C6, "do no murder". His words I found to be solid, and normal type thoughts on the commandment, but the way my mind works, I "hear best" those things not said. The brainwave here is to speak somewhat to "the other half of C6".
So, let 'er rip.
I recall my old Dad saying particular things over and over. If you were able (ever) to get the guy to sit still, and not just get up and walk off during discussions of the Bible; he kept saying the same things. "I just don't understand all the killing and bloodshed going on in the Old Testament. What is all that murder about anyway?". My usual response was to the effect; "You ain't seen nuthin' yet Pop!", which was (likely) not awfully helpful by way of clarification for him.
C6 "Thou shalt do no murder" is bi-directional. C6 is a multi-hat, compound headgear so to speak. Wearing it, we are to think two ways. Ordinarily, we do not see things this way. For example, I remember briefly "dating" a Roman Catholic girl in Albuquerque way back in the early 80's. That went nowhere. . . fast! But the main driver of what was the "turnoff" for me was her (typically Catholic) bizarre-pants mono-hat worn on C6.
She correctly enough thought babies to be human, and thus that the butchery of them was wrong. Good for pro-life you! But then, she forgot to invert her multi-hat, and thus inexplicably was opposed to capital punishment, upon the reading of C6 as "thou shalt not kill"! Bad for anti-justice you! As soon as I realized that her brain had been wrecked in this fashion, I beat feet.
Have you ever run up against someone who steadily denies the righteousness of lawful killing? Whether it be the kings, governors or judges empowered by the state to make such decisions, some folk just cannot or will not allow for the lawful taking of life. They too are wearing mono-hats.
It is not uncommon, lots of people get pretty squishy right around this neighborhood somewheres. A wordy reading of the thing in modern language might go; "Do not (ever!) take it upon yourself as a private citizen to deal out the ultimate sanction". This then, is clearly one direction of the hat. But in order to "buy" the premise as valid, we allow for the Author maintaining "spheres". The spheres of lawful sovereignty above, we know nearly nothing about, yet clearly for us in this world, authoritative ruling-serving roles are basic.
The lawful institutions are family, church and state, and so we serve as parent, elder and governor. The hat reverses and we are child, parishioner and citizen. Each sphere is separate, and they overlap. Have I lost you?
Instead of reading C6 as purely prohibition, try reading it as "Kill, but only lawfully"! The lawful use of military force, and of civil judicial force unto death, is not only "allowable" but required! This is the hat we spoke of earlier. We in our roles as persons, are both commanded to kill, and not kill, depending upon the sphere position we inhabit. It is sin for John Brown to (as a father, or as an elder in the church) take life. It is also sin for John Brown the judge or soldier to not kill! In the civil realm then, justice is entrusted.
Consider the audience to whom the ten words were originally announced. At very minimum, the Passover, and the wipeout of the local super-power's military at the Red Sea, should have "strongly suggested" that Yahweh has no qualms about killing. He brings blessing and life, and He brings calamity. But, the main catastrophe is He Himself!
Throughout the Bible is the constant theme, it's the Big Idea!, On a great and terrible day; He is coming! On that day, and in that hour a shattering from on high sweeps the wicked away and with violent prejudice. In Uncreated fury, the evil ends; absolutely. In brief, Justice (defined by Him) shall be done. The same God who is Author of life is Bringer of calamity, He is Mr. Calamity in Person! The conquest of Canaan was and is a tiny picture, a hint of the harsh and terrifying reality of the Coming One. He, the original "Holy Terror" sweeps before Him any and all who are not perfect in justice and righteousness.
Uh, so what's the point then, why bother with anything? Who qualifies? If that of itself were the case, we are looking at a total extermination of human-kind. And it is just "here" that the message of Calvary is to be announced.
Our estimate of a total wipeout is off by precisely one. One Man, across the age, One Man born in the world; is not the target of wrath-coming. We, it's actual targets are being re-made, to be like Him. An astounding "transfer", a "mistake" in identity has occurred! The "mistaken identity" of us as "the righteous" is guaranteed by law, and so remains an entirely legal hope!
And it's about here that many folks get whacky. The thinking to the effect that we are under grace and not law, somehow or another supposedly "means" that love has somehow replaced duty. Since we are forgiven, it's okay to drop our rightful duty, and "understand" evil men. And of course nobody would say it that way, but our actions differ from our words.
Charlie Manson, Jack the Ripper, the members of ISIS, and let's not forget those crazies that rape babies in our own communities NEED killing; by the courts or by the military. The failure to do so, is not "compassionate", it's gutless and irresponsible. Upon hearing this week's outrage, our hearts cry out for justice, and there is none. Our Captain said; "Love fails, as lawlessness grows". Therefore, love is part of an environment, wherein rules and boundaries matter. To fail at lawful duty, is to establish the growth of evil, and that ain't loving! It's soft, it's spineless, and by definition heartless.
How does one go about recruiting young men to leave soft and cushy European or American lives to go live in the desert with a gang of psychopathic murdering cultists? What is the motivational prompting to join up with ISIS? Offhand, I'd say, the motive is our hearts! We cry out for justice (lawful killing) and there is none! So too, the recruits know this emptiness.
So, to rope in cannon fodder for the cult, generate the true claim that justice lives where killing lives. Next, add the unlawful violation of sphere authority, and endorse the false claim that "citizen" (terrorist) has "the right"! You endorse proper killing. . . improperly! The three spheres, recall those? Simply said, the Mullahs jerk the duty to kill out of the civil and place it in ecclesiastical, and familial. "Priests of Allah" become the ones passing out the machetes and machine guns.
Clearly then, the lawful C6 mandate to kill, is to establish justice (little "j") in earth, and that devolves lawfully upon the "king", never the "priest", never-ever the "father". Some folks get confounded just here, in that in the O.T. scheme, both disobedience to parents and blasphemy were capital crimes. Be that as it may, the duty to kill unruly sons rightly remained with the "king", not the "father".
This muddle we have over here in the U.S. then is related to C6 and it's outriding issues. There is no justice in the land, the "king" has failed miserably. Instead of a fair trial before his peers, followed by swift and certain punishment upon the finding of guilt, (public execution) we have this nearly infinite series of appeals, which takes years or decades to complete, followed by life in a box.
The inversion which necessarily occurs here is that with justice dead, mercy has no remaining working definition. Mercy amid our U.S.A. is a "niceness, a sensitivity, a political correctness" which oddly enough formats as cruelty!
Listen in sometime on the "progressive, the embracing of tolerance" crowd someday. Them is some mean folks! The bitter ridicule and mocking they have for YAHWEH, His word, and His people, is enlightening to overhear. All options are valid and all lifestyles are welcome. Cannibal tri-sexual witches are welcome here! Every tradition, every viewpoint is worthy of respect, except some! "Those evil Republicans are the source of all our troubles! Those narrow Bible thumpers are the real problem. If we could just get rid of (kill?) those nasty conservatives, things would be so much better"; appears to be the brainwave. So, aside from the murderous Muslims, the criminal Communists, those lying Narco-lords, and the gaggle of gangsters. . . the source of "evil" in Earth is the G.O.P.? Heck, maybe the Muslims and all those other murdering pukes are actually stealth members of the RNC? And thereby mercy then has been twisted. "Do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God"; ends up in modern America; "kill babies, think only of "race" and congratulate yourself on your own cleverness in so doing".
The swift and sure hand of justice in the land is no more, and in it's place comes not true mercy, but rather; arbitrary injustice mixed with hatred! America itself then, is lost in whimsical cruelty and so must be lawfully under Judgement. Meanwhile, that works righteousness cult in the Mideast is promising "paradise" to it's slaves for following the pattern of murder, rape and torture which Mohammed established.
A kind of cross between a first rate con-man like P.T. Barnum (a sucker is born every minute!) and a murderous thug like Al Capone; this is their source of "justice"! Our "progressives" among us utter not a peep.
Yet, far worse yet than the high heresy of "the left" is the miserable failure of "the right"! The failure to wear the bi-directional hat, and to do justice signals from afar cowardice of leadership. This only feeds the Mideastern monster!
I vaguely recall the results of a survey of Palestinian mothers several years ago. I'll likely botch the numbers, but something like 60% of mothers (!) chief ambition for their sons was for the little guys to grow up to become suicide bombers. You know, you walk into a market, pull the cord and shred to pieces old ladies who are out shopping for groceries. And in so doing you are doing God some big hairy favor? These "priests" of injustice thereby promise paradise, and send their slaves directly to hell. This misery is abetted by both sides of the political idealogical aisle. The left winks, and the right runs and hides.
The Charlie Mansons of the Mideast have gone too far by human standards. Human justice done in their case would end their wretched lives, and with prejudice. But there is no justice, humanly speaking.
The good news of C6 then is that even we know injustice cannot endure forever. At some point, as in Noah's day, as in Lot's time, He above says; "I've had enough of you". The rightful killing shall commence.
He who was wrongly murdered, shall rightly war and judge. Indeed, the insanity shall halt. The beauty here is that He whose life was taken away, in actuality; He gave! It was given to provide the only fallout shelter strong enough, to survive the blow of that great and terrible day coming.
C6 is about the image. The Image is Him! We then "in" image become like He. . . unkillable! Unkillable, because Justice has no claim against us, we the righteous!
And that my friend is the clearest evidence available, that grace and mercy have been applied to our sad stupid lives. We, the righteous?
In Him Justice lives, Mercy thrives, and Humility is enjoyed. So, perhaps it's a tri-cornered hat we would look best in eh?
That's the part of the sermon I did not hear.
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