In quietness and rest, but ye would not
This has been on my mind for a while, but with recent events, I decided to not wait until we reached that verse in Isaiah. And I doubt any of us need to hear this, but I thought I would write this regardless.
When Assyria was approaching Judah and Jerusalem, the Jews were counseled to take a defensive approach and retreat to Jerusalem. But many refused. They wanted to fight. It was their right and they wanted to defend their rights to their families and property. They were slaughtered. Isaiah warned them, “For thus saith the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel; In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength: and ye would not.” Isa. 30:15
Idleness? Hardly. But certainly not fighting, either offensive or defensive.
Remember the Assassination of the Archduke, that led to WWI and WWII. It was Just for the Archduke to be avenged. But if the nations of Europe could have known what they were setting in motion, wouldn’t it have been better to do nothing, than what they did, even if they were justified?
The Powers that Be would love nothing more than to make an example of us. Not only will we be wronged, we will probably be sucker punched in the expectation that we will react. They will want us to react.
While I am strongly pro Second Amendment, guns are not going to save us. Our salvation will not be by firepower.
The Lord will save his people. And I feel the Lord has some tremendous blessings ready for us. But this will require a degree of restraint and forgiveness that may stretch the best of us.
Rozy
March 30, 2023
I shared this with my adult son who seems determined to stock up on more guns and ammo. I keep telling him that his spiritual preparation is more important, that the priesthood is more powerful than any armaments. Thanks for this well put post.
G.
March 30, 2023
Excellent. Gunning up can be useful but it is not the end all be all
E.C.
March 30, 2023
I just finished reading about Lachoneus’ defensive war against the Gadianton robbers. He literally packed his people up and moved them all together, then left their lands empty in preparation for a possible years-long siege.
And then they waited. They didn’t strike first, they didn’t do anything to antagonize their enemies – they just waited for them to come in. And eventually they won. Restraint by their leaders and trust in God’s promises was what won the day, not strength of arms.
All this to say, you’re totally correct. Turn the other cheek. Wait. Be patient and don’t retaliate in anger or haste. It’s harder, but when was following Christ’s way ever easy?
JRL in AZ
April 1, 2023
I have been thinking this too. I have been studying the war chapters in Alma, and I am impressed that the thing that defined Moroni as a military leader was not his battlefield maneuvers. It was his preparedness. If I were a soldier for Moroni, I would have spent my life digging trenches and building fortifications. The word prepare is used over and over and over in those chapters, and the first and most important preparation he did was tending to the spiritual state of his people. Then they built fortifications. And built more. And dug more ditches. And kept digging. I think that Captain Moroni should be depicted with the Title of Liberty and a shovel.
JRL in AZ
April 1, 2023
Here’s another thought… Do you suppose that the prophet’s vaccine counsel was a dry run for future counsel to submit to other things that many of us strongly oppose, such as new gun laws, etc.?
Zen
April 1, 2023
More likely, it was a dry run for truly devistating plagues, Black Death level pandemics. If we can not be obedient now, how will we be obedient then?
G.
April 1, 2023
I’m not sure that makes sense. I would think it less challenging, not more, to conform in the event of a truly devastating plague, Black Death pandemic levels.
A lot of disgruntled people are disgruntled because our society treated it like it was that bad when it wasn’t remotely that bad, creating a Boy Who Cried Wolf problem.