By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps, for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? …O Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us—he who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks. –Psalm 137
A voice was heard in Ramah, weeping and loud lamentation, Rachel weeping for her children; she refused to be comforted, because they are no more. –Matthew 2:18
It is the season of joy and anticipation. The Christmas “spirit” fills the air. Joy to the world, the Lord has come! All so very true, and so very important. We know the angel’s words by heart, and they should fill us with awe and thanksgiving: Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased! But the good news, we now know, was followed by some sad news. Those in positions of power in the first-century world would not allow a savior to enter into our world easily. Some would have to die. In the midst of great joy…sorrow and anguish. It is the story of our lives, even at Christmas. Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing! (2 Cor. 6:10)
We know the names of some of the children dying daily in America by tragic causes. We do not know, however, the names of the ten little girls killed in Afghanistan this week by a land mine while gathering fruit, or the dozens of children killed or missing when a rouge African warlord and his henchmen overran a village in Darfur, or the hundreds of children snuffed out this week by abortion right here in Indiana. Children are dying all around us.
The saddest news is simply this: it has been happening not for years, not for hundreds of years, but for thousands of years. We humans have a habit of killing children, the most innocent of our race, much to the delight of our enemy. I quoted above part of Psalm 137 to demonstrate that the art of butchering children has been around for a very long time. This is known as one of the "imprecatory Psalms." These are Psalms in which the author calls down curses upon the enemies of Israel and her God, sometimes in incredibly violent and graphic ways. The Babylonians had overrun Israel as God's tool of punishment against his disobedient people, but they had relished the task, and had taken glee in destroying the next generation of Israelites by killing their children and cutting open their pregnant women. Horrible…disgusting…despicable—and yet so very real. The verse from Matthew 2 we know. King Herod, in order to secure hold on his own little part of the world, ordered the deaths of every male child two years old and under in and around Bethlehem when he learned of Jesus’ birth. One more graphic example of human depravity, and Satan’s despotic attempt to destroy the Messiah before his life-saving work could begin.
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God" (Matthew 5:9). Christians are called to be different, to be distinct, to be a light on a hill. Jesus loved the little children, and we are called to do the same. As we rejoice in this season, and rightfully so, don’t forget those who are suffering. Pray for the grieving mothers and fathers of Afghanistan and Darfur, and care for those who need to be cared for the most: widows, orphans, children, and those with special needs. Let’s show that we love Jesus by loving those whom God calls us to protect.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Jym