As I write this, it is December 21, 2014. In four days it will be Christmas, the time of “peace on earth, good will to all men” ushered in by the supposed birth of Jesus Christ. Christmas is to be a transformative experience for the world but is it?
In contrast to what Christmas is to symbolize, I note the headlines from the Drudge Report this morning: “Gunman Executes 2 NYPD Cops As Revenge” “They take 1 of ours, let’s take two of theirs” “Protest Flashback: “What do we want? Dead cops!” “Ferguson: “Pigs in a blanket”
What we are seeing is the unraveling of civil order in the United States as protests turn into riots featuring the looting and the burning of businesses in supposed honor of the death of two men, one in Ferguson, Missouri and the other in New York City. In both cases, grand juries reviewed the facts of each case and concluded there were no grounds to indict the police officers involved.
Sadly, an atmosphere has been created in certain areas of our nation where there is no confidence in the police force nor in the judicial system to enforce the law. If police officers and the law courts are suspect, what does the future hold? Can courts and police officers carry out their duties without being second guessed?
Additionally, if a police officer is attacked in the line of duty, follows department training and procedure in the matter, and then is condemned, it does not reinforce being a policeman as a career.
I received a glimpse into a potential result of the Ferguson and New York City matters in a short discussion with a veteran police officer. He looked at the outcome of what took place with the accused police officers in the aforementioned cases and said that if he were not personally three years from retirement he would find another job. He also mentioned that he would not recommend his son serve as a police officer.
If those considering a career in law enforcement, see that job as one in which they are disrespected, threatened, and attacked by the citizenry why take on that role? Might such a negative atmosphere make it hard to recruit the best men and women to serve the community on the “thin blue line”?
God addresses the police and other civil authorities in Romans 13:1-5, “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil. Do you want to be unafraid of the authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same. For he is God's minister to you for good. But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God's minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience' sake.”
God appointed authorities to enforce the laws of nations because men apart from law being enforced have a tendency toward lawlessness and anarchy. Our world is far from perfect, but if we undermine the governing authorities then it is a certainty that evil will prevail.
As the Sabbath begins, it is a weekly reminder that the rest will come and there will be a time when every soul be will subject to the governing authorities.
Have a pleasant Sabbath,
Gary Smith
