Forced March at Midnight

Forced March at Midnight

For Dr. (Major) Shawn Madden, USMC, Retired,

and all those who said ‘Yes’ to the call to serve and command to go for their country.

This one is personal.

1 Samuel is dear to me in a way that only those who know me can understand.

40 years ago today, I was in my last week of Navy boot camp – Chief Traylor was our company commander.  At one point, I did 2000 jumping jacks to redeem the 20 point deficit in our “inspection being perfection” week…

Jabesh Gilead (1 Samuel 31:11-13) was a small place with a tiny biblical history.  However, it was important to King Saul.  It was the place where he had first experienced military victory as a young king (chapter 11) without the help or interference from Samuel that caused him grief in later life (For you Calvinists who can’t read what the Bible really says but have to come up with your own imaginary version, compare Saul as king with Deuteronomy 17 and dare to accuse him of wrongdoing.  Y’all need to find a new sport and stop reprobate hunting – it’s not a spiritual gift.)  The men of Jabesh Gilead, hearing the news that Saul and his sons had been desecrated, rose up and marched all night to rescue the dignity of their king.

This valiant act of love and kindness was not motivated by pre-determined forces of sovereign power that needed another small story to close out the book of 1 Samuel.  These men were motivated by the fact that, while they were yet outcasts in the land of Israel (Judges 21:8-15), their king loved them and threw aside his pastoral life to become their champion.  Saul – anointed by the Lord of Hosts – led the host of their brothers to rescue the small and weak and worthless (aka, practical forgiveness…).  “Greater Love” was demonstrated by Saul – “greater love” was returned by the warriors from Jabesh Gilead 40 years later.  The redemptive power of Jesus worked through His chosen servant, Saul, to restore honor and dignity to men whose faith followed their love.

Faith follows love.  God so loved the world that He saw a cross from the moment of creation – planned the cross to open a way.  The way of the cross leads home for those of us who are human and will respond to that love.  The Holy Spirit knows how to get the motivating Love of Jesus into our hearts.  It is up to us to allow that love to overflow into action.  Putting feet to our faith, we must 1. enlist with Jesus, our Captain, 2. challenge darkness, and, 3. rescue the perishing.  The ministry of reconciliation is our military unit in spiritual warfare (2 Corinthians 5:17-21).  Our headquarters has a door that is a cross.

Come to the cross.