1 Samuel 6:13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were gathering in their wheat harvest in the valley, and they raised their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced at seeing it. 14 And the cart came into the field of Joshua the Beth-shemite and stopped there where there was a large stone; and they split the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. 15 And the Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the saddlebag that was with it, in which were the articles of gold, and put them on the large stone; and the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices that day to the Lord. 16 When the five governors of the Philistines saw it, they returned to Ekron that day.
These verses are a conclusion to a much larger story. When the prophet Samuel was a boy, the Israelites fought the Philistines. Thinking that bringing the Ark of the Covenant to the battle would bring victory, the Israelites insisted on removing it from the tabernacle. Thus, treating a holy object as if it were a fetish. The Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and defeated the Israelites. But the Philistines rapidly learned that the God of the Israelites was furious, for when the Philistines brought the Ark into the temple of Dagon, the statue of Dagon fell before the Ark, breaking off its head and the palms of its hands. Then bubonic plague broke out wherever the Ark was lodged.
In an attempt to rid themselves of curses from the Israelite God, the Philistines fabricated gold copies of the rats and the buboes from the plague, placing them in a bag, and putting the Ark on a cart along with the gold images. Because the Philistines weren’t completely sure if these problems were from God, they hitched two milk cows to the cart. The cows didn’t want to leave their calves; however, under the urging of God, the cows immediately began pulling the cart back towards the Israelite community of Beth-shemesh. As the cows pulled the cart, they lowed for their calves, but they continued to move toward Beth-shemesh.
When the Israelites saw the Ark approaching, they were thrilled! The Israelites immediately called the Levite priests who removed the Ark from the cart, placing it on a large rock. But what happened next? Did the Israelites make pets of the cows? Did they try to reunite the cows with their calves? No. The Israelites broke up the cart, placing the wood on a large stone, and then slaughtered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The cows had done nothing wrong, but they were sacrificed anyway.
“OUCH!” you might say. “This is Christmastime and you are trying to depress us!” No. I am describing this scene of sacrifice because it’s Christmastime, and in many parts of the world, Christians are dying for their faith or are being thrown into prison and tortured. Persecution of Christians worldwide is increasing. In Africa, particularly northern Nigeria and Mozambique, Christians are being slaughtered in their churches as they worship. Some towns in northern Burkina Faso are turning into ghost towns because of Islamic terrorists.
Worldwide, more than 380 million Christians are facing persecution for their faith. Not only are believers being slaughtered in their churches, but others are being imprisoned and tortured, forced to watch as family members are tortured and killed. This link brings up a video: https://vimeo.com/1047127684?fl=pl&fe=cm
This link brings up the main page for Open Doors: https://www.opendoors.org/en-US/persecution/countries/
Many Americans are familiar with Hallmark Christmas movies. The general plot is that some man/woman with a high-powered job in the city is stranded in a small town over Christmas and winds up finding faith/love/family/true meaning of Christmas. What makes these movies so satisfying is that they have happy endings in which people are joyful and at peace. I know people who will binge-watch Hallmark movies for hours, and I say, “God bless ‘em!” There are also Christian novelists who write whole series of books with similar stories, and I am addicted to those stories. (I’m more a book person than a movie person.) Why do we find these movies and books so fulfilling? Much of the time, our lives do not resemble Hallmark movies. We love these stories because they give us hope, and hope is precious.
We work in a deprived area where many families depend on farming land with decreasing fertility and a worsening rainfall pattern. Children can come in with cerebral malaria and anemia and die as we are trying to treat them. Malnutrition is increasing. So far, things are peaceful in our area. But we are conscious that innocent believers are dying for their faith in neighboring countries.
In an earlier age, Tertullian wrote, “The blood of martyrs is the seed of the church.” “The second-century church father Tertullian lived in Carthage, North Africa, when persecution of Christians was at its apex. In those days, the blood of martyrs soaked the earth as believers were fed to the lions, beaten, whipped, sawed in half, put to death by sword, burned in the fire, and chained in prisons. Tertullian maintained that the more Christians were persecuted and “mown down,” the more they would multiply because “the blood of Christians is seed” (“The Apology,” Latin Christianity: Its Founder, Tertullian, Roberts, A., Donaldson, J., and Coxe, A. C., ed., Thelwall, S., trans., vol. 3, The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Christian Literature Company, 1885, p. 55).” https://www.gotquestions.org/blood-martyrs-seed-church.html
Writing to Timothy, Paul says, “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near.” (2 Timothy 4:6) Paul knew he was going to die at the hands of the Romans; it was only a question of the means by which he would die.
While there are charitable groups trying to minister to those under persecution, there are many faceless millions with no access to such groups. What can we do? We can PRAY!!! Pray to the God who keeps all His children in His heart! Pray for the safety of other believers! Pray for their health and well-being! Pray for God to keep and protect them! And pray that if martyrdom comes, they will stand firm.
There are all kinds of prayer guides for persecuted Christians available on the internet. Let us pray right now.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and caring for us. Lord, we lift up believers throughout the world who are undergoing persecution. Please strengthen them, keep them safe, help them to remain faithful, and give them holy boldness so that they will be able to speak Your Word, even when facing death. Help those of us living in safer areas to pray fervently and faithfully, not fitfully. And guide us so that we will pray the prayers You want us to pray. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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