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This Is the Way... A Heart Beyond the Hurtby Robin WebberOne of the great emotional challenges within the human experience is friction between brothers. Seemingly, the closer the bloodline, the more heated the conflict can be. The most horrific wars are often those that occur between rival factions within a country. It's called a "civil" war. People who share the same ancestors, language, clothing and history can be driven more by their differences than by what they have in common. Such disagreements are often the very hardest to heal. The ability to forgive becomes almost humanly impossible. The antidote for hate lies in looking beyond the hurt inflicted by those close to us. A true leader will move beyond the carnal reward of immediate vengeance, seeking to include the vanquished, as well as the victor. Such a leader was Abraham Lincoln, who presided over the terribly divisive Civil War in the United States. I am writing this article at the end of the Presidents' Day holiday weekend-set aside, in part, to honor Mr. Lincoln. I picked from my library shelf a favorite book titled Light From Many Lamps, written by Lillian Eichler Watson. I would like to share her thoughts regarding Lincoln's second inaugural speech, and then offer an additional perspective to show the potential for good when we choose God's way. A sacred poem Lillian Eichler Watson centers our mind's eye on the inaugural platform on the east front of the Capital building in Washington, D.C. She brings us to the moment when the president is surprised by the swelling roar of approval from the sea of humanity set before him. "No man in American history had been so hated and reviled, so bitterly denounced, as he had been the past four years. He had been misunderstood, condemned, humiliated in public and in private, assailed alike by friend and foe. His life had been threatened. The South was about to fall, and the North was ready to reap the spoils of victory from their wayward brethren who had tried to break the bonds of union. It was a frozen moment in time between defeat and victory, and Lincoln desired not only to seize the moment, but set the tone for tomorrow. This one life which had been filled with so much personal despair would now offer the directional compass of how to have a big heart beyond the very real human hurts. "The words poured from his mouth as he recounted the shock of this great war when he uttered, 'Neither party expected for the war the magnitude or the duration which it has already attained. Each looked for an easier triumph. Both read the same Bible, and pray to the same God; and each invokes His aid against the other.' In speaking of slavery, Lincoln would expound, 'It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces, but let us judge not, that we not be judged.... The Almighty has His purpose.'" As Watson states, "This was not party language or political phraseology. Lincoln was talking out of the fullness of his heart, to a people and nation he loved, appealing for peace and tolerance, for understanding, for an end to sectional bitterness and strife. "Lincoln concluded by stating, 'With malice toward none, with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds, to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow and his orphan, to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations.' Others would comment that Lincoln's speech was like a 'sacred poem' which embodied 'a living principle of action.'" Words that made peace But why Lincoln, and why in America? Is it possible that he was emulating the qualities of an ancestor of long ago? Is there any possible connection between Lincoln of Illinois and Joseph of Egypt? Joseph had been sold into slavery by his own brothers and falsely accused of wrongdoing. His life in slavery led to other serious troubles. If anyone had a reason for vengeance, it was Joseph. What would you do if your very own family had betrayed you like his did? When his brothers came to Egypt, and Joseph had risen to a position of great power, he chose words that made peace. Notice Genesis 45:4-8. "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved nor angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.... And God sent me before you to preserve a [remnant] for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God…." Notice the similarity between Lincoln's call for the post-Civil War generation to set aside their animosities and Joseph's words in verses 10-11. "You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children's children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty…" (emphasis added throughout). This was not a momentary emotional impulse or some diplomatic ploy on Joseph's part. Some time later, after the death of Israel, their father, the brothers expected "the other shoe to drop." Joseph's conciliatory nature is demonstrated in his response to their fears. "'Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.' And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them" (Genesis 50:19-21). What an incredible parallel to the philosophy voiced by Lincoln, "with malice toward none, with charity for all." Joseph the fruitful bough For a moment, let's review some of the prophetic blessings visited upon Joseph and his descendants by his father's God-inspired pronouncements. "Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well; his branches run over the wall. The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him. But his bow remains in strength…" (Genesis 49:22-24). Also significant is the name Joseph chose for his firstborn son, Manasseh, which means, "making forgetful." Joseph explained why he chose the name, "For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house" (Genesis 41:51). Clearly he did not mean he forgot the family, but the pain the family brought on him. The big-mindedness and vision to forgive that pain was not an afterthought, but a first thought. Descendants of the family of Joseph and Manasseh have continued to make that choice throughout the centuries since those days in ancient Egypt. Lincoln was not alone. Consider President Woodrow Wilson's 14-Point Peace Plan for a defeated Europe in World War I. Consider the Berlin air lift of 1948 in which America supplied the capital of its former enemy with food. Joseph and Lincoln shared more than an obstacle. They shared a philosophy and a family characteristic that have come down to this day. Repairers of the breach Regular readers of World News and Prophecy recognize that Bible prophecy depicts an intense time in the future when "brother will betray brother" and "nation will rise against nation" (Mark 13:12,8). This way will be prevalent until the time when Jesus Christ at His second coming rescues the world. There is good news beyond this time of human mismanagement. Christ is going to set up His Kingdom, but He is not going to do it alone. "Those from among you shall build the old waste places; you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; and you shall be called the Repairer of the breach, the Restorer of Streets to Dwell In" (Isaiah 58:12). This can be your future! What Joseph accomplished in Egypt and the way Lincoln advocated in the last few days of his life not only illustrate our future destiny, but also our present responsibility. Jesus stated it with simple power, "love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44). Paul amplified those thoughts, "Repay no one evil for evil.... Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath, for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord. 'Therefore if your enemy hungers, feed him; if he thirsts, give him a drink; for in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head.' Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:17-21). This way of life was used by Joseph to bring peace with his brothers. Lincoln urged brothers to do the same to heal the hurt inflicted by a horrendous Civil War. The same way of life can work for you and me. Thousands of years ago, Joseph made a conscious choice to forget his hurts. A descendant of his-President Lincoln-did the same. There truly was a heart beyond the hurt in both of them. They made the choice that each of us has to make-we either exercise our hurts or we exercise our hearts. Our choice will dramatically affect our present and future lives. President Lincoln's words echo across the decades: "with malice toward none, with charity for all." Those godly words of peace resound with the millennial refrain, "This is the way, walk in it." WNP |
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Keywords: Lincoln, Abraham friction between brothers
Lincoln, Abraham:
