You are resplendent with light, more majestic than mountains rich with game. Valiant men lie plundered, they sleep their last sleep; not one of the warriors can lift his hands. At Your rebuke, O God of Jacob, both horse and rider lie still. You alone are to be feared. Who can stand before You when you are angry? (Verses 4-7)
William Wallace faced down the English after they killed his new wife. Slit her throat and left her body as a spectacle. He'd married her in secret to keep her from being raped by an English nobleman who was to steal her virginity on her wedding night before she could be with Wallace. Enraged by her death and wanting to avenge it, Wallace becomes Braveheart, commands an army of rebels and attacks the soldiers of the English army. With spear uplifted he shouts, "Freedom!" as he rides into the bloody battles that ensue. And.....we cheer him on! We who watch are appalled at the death of the young bride. At the outrageous evil of the crown's intentions. A clear line of right and wrong is drawn for us. And Braveheart is our hero.
General Maximus has won the heart of the Roman Emperor who has chosen Maximus over his own son, Commodus. Angered by this, Commodus kills his father and takes the throne for himself. As revenge, Commodus orders the deaths of Maximus, his wife and child. The general escapes, but his wife and son are slaughtered. After having buried his family, Maximus is found unconscious by slave traders from North Africa and bought by Proximus. Because of the general's massive size and battle prowess, Proximus makes him fight in the arenas. The great anger over the murders of his wife and child leaves Maximus with nothing to lose. His fighting is fierce. His name becomes so famous that he finally goes to the Roman arena where he disguises himself before the fight in order to reveal his true identity to Commodus who attends the gladiator fights in the Colosseum. Maximus and his band of gladiators defeat their foes to the delight of the crowd. When he shows himself to Commodus, the crowd spares his life because Maximus was such a great fighter. Ultimately, in a final duel, the emperor stabs Maximus before the fight so he will have the advantage. But, Maximus is able to kill the emperor, name the throne's successor and then die, walking into the arms of his family in the afterlife. "What we do in life echoes in eternity." And the gladiator is our hero.
Jesus Christ came into the world born of God, the Spirit, and a young Jewish virgin. He came a warrior wrapped in carpenter's clothing. King Herod killed all the children in Bethlehem in order to purge the earth of its Savior and the Jews of their King. But Jesus was safe in Egypt until the old king died. A wedding in Cana when Jesus was barely thirty began the formal work of His warfare. To defeat the prince of this world. To bruise the head of the serpent, rendering him useless in his fight against us. The fight? Healing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving the sinner and teaching the teachers. For this Christ was hung on a cross after having been beaten almost to death. Taken down from the bloody post and buried in a borrowed tomb. A tomb that was empty three days later because a risen Christ stepped out, on His own power, and unleashed the Spirit of God in us. Jesus Christ, our hero.
So why is it then that the world can applaud Braveheart and Maximus, see how finely drawn the lines of right and wrong are, but be angry with God for judging the acts of man as deserving of His wrath? On what large scale does the God of heaven and earth see evil! Is it those who would deserve His judgment and justice in their lives who rail against a wrathful God? There is right and wrong. We know it. So the question, "Who can stand before You when You are angry?" is a good one. And a right one. For those who judge God for His silencing of the horse and rider who have wounded the weak and slaughtered the innocent, I would question their right to shake a fist at Him. It is Braveheart and Maximus who are pictures of the hero we have found in Christ. It is His life given in place of ours that makes us stand and cheer in the arena of our lives where heroes are so rare.
William Wallace faced down the English after they killed his new wife. Slit her throat and left her body as a spectacle. He'd married her in secret to keep her from being raped by an English nobleman who was to steal her virginity on her wedding night before she could be with Wallace. Enraged by her death and wanting to avenge it, Wallace becomes Braveheart, commands an army of rebels and attacks the soldiers of the English army. With spear uplifted he shouts, "Freedom!" as he rides into the bloody battles that ensue. And.....we cheer him on! We who watch are appalled at the death of the young bride. At the outrageous evil of the crown's intentions. A clear line of right and wrong is drawn for us. And Braveheart is our hero.
General Maximus has won the heart of the Roman Emperor who has chosen Maximus over his own son, Commodus. Angered by this, Commodus kills his father and takes the throne for himself. As revenge, Commodus orders the deaths of Maximus, his wife and child. The general escapes, but his wife and son are slaughtered. After having buried his family, Maximus is found unconscious by slave traders from North Africa and bought by Proximus. Because of the general's massive size and battle prowess, Proximus makes him fight in the arenas. The great anger over the murders of his wife and child leaves Maximus with nothing to lose. His fighting is fierce. His name becomes so famous that he finally goes to the Roman arena where he disguises himself before the fight in order to reveal his true identity to Commodus who attends the gladiator fights in the Colosseum. Maximus and his band of gladiators defeat their foes to the delight of the crowd. When he shows himself to Commodus, the crowd spares his life because Maximus was such a great fighter. Ultimately, in a final duel, the emperor stabs Maximus before the fight so he will have the advantage. But, Maximus is able to kill the emperor, name the throne's successor and then die, walking into the arms of his family in the afterlife. "What we do in life echoes in eternity." And the gladiator is our hero.
Jesus Christ came into the world born of God, the Spirit, and a young Jewish virgin. He came a warrior wrapped in carpenter's clothing. King Herod killed all the children in Bethlehem in order to purge the earth of its Savior and the Jews of their King. But Jesus was safe in Egypt until the old king died. A wedding in Cana when Jesus was barely thirty began the formal work of His warfare. To defeat the prince of this world. To bruise the head of the serpent, rendering him useless in his fight against us. The fight? Healing the sick, raising the dead, forgiving the sinner and teaching the teachers. For this Christ was hung on a cross after having been beaten almost to death. Taken down from the bloody post and buried in a borrowed tomb. A tomb that was empty three days later because a risen Christ stepped out, on His own power, and unleashed the Spirit of God in us. Jesus Christ, our hero.
So why is it then that the world can applaud Braveheart and Maximus, see how finely drawn the lines of right and wrong are, but be angry with God for judging the acts of man as deserving of His wrath? On what large scale does the God of heaven and earth see evil! Is it those who would deserve His judgment and justice in their lives who rail against a wrathful God? There is right and wrong. We know it. So the question, "Who can stand before You when You are angry?" is a good one. And a right one. For those who judge God for His silencing of the horse and rider who have wounded the weak and slaughtered the innocent, I would question their right to shake a fist at Him. It is Braveheart and Maximus who are pictures of the hero we have found in Christ. It is His life given in place of ours that makes us stand and cheer in the arena of our lives where heroes are so rare.
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