"We got him!" read the sign held high over the man's head. It was dark and late, but that did not deter the crowd. The tumult and noise and energy soon melded into the chant, "U-S-A...U-S-A....". This scene was replicated in cities and public places across the nation and in front of the White House on Sunday evening after the President announced that Osama Ben Laden had been killed.
Where were you Sunday night when the news broke? What did you do upon hearing the news? To be honest with you, I didn't hear until early Monday morning. I didn't pump my fist in the air, didn't hug my wife in celebration, didn't yell, "Now who's number #1, Osama!" Actually, after the news sunk in, I felt a little sick to my stomach.
My response has kind of surprised me. After 9-11, I would have joined anything, had I been called, in order to protect us from further harm and to fight back. Now, with the shock and the adrenaline rush gone, it all seems a little different to me. I'm not turning into a 60's peacenik or anything; it all just seems so complex. Loathing the military or the action taken doesn't seem right; I don't. Somehow, though, dancing in the streets doesn't seem appropriate either. Here's what is on my heart. Although you might not agree with me, in part or in full, would you please consider these things.
The Scripture is clear that authorities and governments are ordained by God. This does not mean that God endorses any one particular type of governing system or any one particular set of officials. God has granted governments provisional power to make this world more livable. One aspect of government's purpose is to project power and to use that power, even lethal force, to maintain order and to promote justice (see Romans 13:4 and 1 Peter 2:13-14). This entails policemen, border guards, air line security and armies. "Bearing the sword" gives leaders incredible power, but it also lays an immense burden of responsibility upon them to their people and, more importantly, to God.
One of the things about America is that we have a really big "sword", the biggest the world has ever known. We can project devastating, lethal, rock-splitting power to any point on the globe at virtually a moments notice. I suppose that is good in one way. America's vast power is obviously a deterrant (except for 9-11, the first World Trade Center bombing, the USS Cole, etc. Hmm?). However, we often forget that a bigger sword means bigger responsibility, and having the biggest sword means having the most responsibility. Projecting our power is very different from others, with smaller capabilities, projecting their power. The difference is like having your foot stepped on by a friend or by a cow: the one will annoy you, but the other will break bones, sever ligaments and give you a limp for the rest of your life. We're the cow; we're so powerful, we never do just a little damage. Our foot print is massive and always devastaing. And remember, crushed under foot are cultures, cities and fellow human beings!
That brings me to another point: "bearing the sword" is for the purpose of extending and preserving justice. The Bible talks endlessly about justice. Often quoted in discussions about justice is the principle, lex talionis. This principle is derived from the famous passage in Exodus 21 which reads, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." In its context, this passage does two things. First, it demands justice for everyone, and especially, those who were forgotten, overlooked or unsee, folks like slaves, women and the unborn. All deserve justice, period. Second, because justice is just a hair's breadth away from revenge, lex talionis put a cap on the amount of justice meted out. In short, if an eye was damaged, then an eye was required of the offender, no more and no less, regardless of who was the victim.
Given government's mandate to "bear the sword" for the sake of justice and given the principle of lex talionis, it seems Ben Laden's fate was a fair one. However, the path to Ben Laden was long and brutal. We left a wide swath of destruction and death in our wake. With our power and our overwhelming force, it couldn't have been otherwise. I think the technical term for this situation is "collateral damage." However, our massive and devastating power always produces a lot of collateral damage, that is, crushed cultures, cities and innocent fellow human beings. In justifiably claiming our right to extract lex talionis, it is entirely possible for us to far exceed the upper limit of lex talionis due to the unavoidable collateral damage caused by our massive and devastating power. We got Ben Laden: justice! The collateral damage far exceeds any damage done to us: justice?
I also can't seem to shake Jesus' words, "all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword." Extending lethal force to settle justifiable claims seems to only invite similar lethal responses with their own versions of justifiable claims. It seems like history is full of these tit for tat, back and forth, endless cycles of destruction. In these cycles, justice is one of the first victims, yet each side feels totally justified in their retaliations. The only way to end the cycle is to completely wipe-out the other side, or for one side to forgive. Jesus invites us to follow Him and to do the later in our personal lives (see Matthew 5:38-42). I'm not sure how this works at an international level. I know there are groups of people in this world who desire to destroy the West and who will show no mercy while working to that end. I just hope we would be a people whose first instinct is to forgive even if we ultimately must fight.
Well, all of this is way above my pay grade. I don't have all the information or the intelligence reports or the suffocating responsibilities of the President, generals, intelligence personel or solidiers. I will keep praying for all of them.
I guess, in a way, justice was done. Perhaps this was the only way. In any case, I'm torn between the ways of this world and the world I long for where "there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning or crying, or pain...." (Revelations 21:4). I'm doing my best to "get in shape" for that world; I'm trying to live toward that world. So.....please, forgive me if I'm not dancing in the streets.
Bob Adelsperger
Where were you Sunday night when the news broke? What did you do upon hearing the news? To be honest with you, I didn't hear until early Monday morning. I didn't pump my fist in the air, didn't hug my wife in celebration, didn't yell, "Now who's number #1, Osama!" Actually, after the news sunk in, I felt a little sick to my stomach.
My response has kind of surprised me. After 9-11, I would have joined anything, had I been called, in order to protect us from further harm and to fight back. Now, with the shock and the adrenaline rush gone, it all seems a little different to me. I'm not turning into a 60's peacenik or anything; it all just seems so complex. Loathing the military or the action taken doesn't seem right; I don't. Somehow, though, dancing in the streets doesn't seem appropriate either. Here's what is on my heart. Although you might not agree with me, in part or in full, would you please consider these things.
The Scripture is clear that authorities and governments are ordained by God. This does not mean that God endorses any one particular type of governing system or any one particular set of officials. God has granted governments provisional power to make this world more livable. One aspect of government's purpose is to project power and to use that power, even lethal force, to maintain order and to promote justice (see Romans 13:4 and 1 Peter 2:13-14). This entails policemen, border guards, air line security and armies. "Bearing the sword" gives leaders incredible power, but it also lays an immense burden of responsibility upon them to their people and, more importantly, to God.
One of the things about America is that we have a really big "sword", the biggest the world has ever known. We can project devastating, lethal, rock-splitting power to any point on the globe at virtually a moments notice. I suppose that is good in one way. America's vast power is obviously a deterrant (except for 9-11, the first World Trade Center bombing, the USS Cole, etc. Hmm?). However, we often forget that a bigger sword means bigger responsibility, and having the biggest sword means having the most responsibility. Projecting our power is very different from others, with smaller capabilities, projecting their power. The difference is like having your foot stepped on by a friend or by a cow: the one will annoy you, but the other will break bones, sever ligaments and give you a limp for the rest of your life. We're the cow; we're so powerful, we never do just a little damage. Our foot print is massive and always devastaing. And remember, crushed under foot are cultures, cities and fellow human beings!
That brings me to another point: "bearing the sword" is for the purpose of extending and preserving justice. The Bible talks endlessly about justice. Often quoted in discussions about justice is the principle, lex talionis. This principle is derived from the famous passage in Exodus 21 which reads, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth." In its context, this passage does two things. First, it demands justice for everyone, and especially, those who were forgotten, overlooked or unsee, folks like slaves, women and the unborn. All deserve justice, period. Second, because justice is just a hair's breadth away from revenge, lex talionis put a cap on the amount of justice meted out. In short, if an eye was damaged, then an eye was required of the offender, no more and no less, regardless of who was the victim.
Given government's mandate to "bear the sword" for the sake of justice and given the principle of lex talionis, it seems Ben Laden's fate was a fair one. However, the path to Ben Laden was long and brutal. We left a wide swath of destruction and death in our wake. With our power and our overwhelming force, it couldn't have been otherwise. I think the technical term for this situation is "collateral damage." However, our massive and devastating power always produces a lot of collateral damage, that is, crushed cultures, cities and innocent fellow human beings. In justifiably claiming our right to extract lex talionis, it is entirely possible for us to far exceed the upper limit of lex talionis due to the unavoidable collateral damage caused by our massive and devastating power. We got Ben Laden: justice! The collateral damage far exceeds any damage done to us: justice?
I also can't seem to shake Jesus' words, "all those who take up the sword will perish by the sword." Extending lethal force to settle justifiable claims seems to only invite similar lethal responses with their own versions of justifiable claims. It seems like history is full of these tit for tat, back and forth, endless cycles of destruction. In these cycles, justice is one of the first victims, yet each side feels totally justified in their retaliations. The only way to end the cycle is to completely wipe-out the other side, or for one side to forgive. Jesus invites us to follow Him and to do the later in our personal lives (see Matthew 5:38-42). I'm not sure how this works at an international level. I know there are groups of people in this world who desire to destroy the West and who will show no mercy while working to that end. I just hope we would be a people whose first instinct is to forgive even if we ultimately must fight.
Well, all of this is way above my pay grade. I don't have all the information or the intelligence reports or the suffocating responsibilities of the President, generals, intelligence personel or solidiers. I will keep praying for all of them.
I guess, in a way, justice was done. Perhaps this was the only way. In any case, I'm torn between the ways of this world and the world I long for where "there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning or crying, or pain...." (Revelations 21:4). I'm doing my best to "get in shape" for that world; I'm trying to live toward that world. So.....please, forgive me if I'm not dancing in the streets.
Bob Adelsperger
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