Paul the Poke

There are well over 100 verses in the Bible that support self defense. Let’s look at some quotes from Jesus Himself.

Luke 11:21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are safe…

In today’s vernacular, the man in the verse above is physically mighty and powerful. He is well trained and hits the gym regularly. He is loaded for bear and has an array of weapons. The man protects his mansion with the latest security equipment and video cameras. He has a fancy a house in a posh neighborhood. The fruits of his prosperity are well protected.

Luke 22:36 He said to them, “But now let the one who has a moneybag take it, and likewise a knapsack. And let the one who has no sword sell his cloak and buy one.

Jesus was explaining to the apostles a time would come when they would need to defend themselves.

Granted, we are not to instigate or initiate violence with another human being. We are not to rely on our own strength or weaponry. That is not the source of our security.

There is a difference between self defense and murder. Discernment is required.

Exodus 22:2-3 If a thief is found breaking in and is struck so that he dies, there shall be no bloodguilt for him, but if it happens in daylight, the one who killed the thief is guilty of murder.

The Mosaic Law has provision for a crime committed at night in the dark. One cannot see what is clearly happening. One awakes from a deep sleep and he has to defend his family and home. A life is taken. He is not guilty if the intruder is killed.

But if the crime takes place during the day… the light of the day allows one to see what is taking place. More facts are able to be determined. If the perpetrator is killed, the home owner is then guilty of murder.

Job 34:4 Let us choose what is right; let us know among ourselves what is good.

There is a difference between someone who wants to pick a fight and one who wants to kill or take property.

Matthew 5:39 But I say to you, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

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1 Samuel 13:19 Now there was no blacksmith to be found throughout all the land of Israel, for the Philistines said, “Lest the Hebrews make themselves swords or spears.”

As a first order of business, the Taliban began taking weapons from the citizens of Afghanistan.

“We understand people kept weapons for personal safety. They can now feel safe. We are not here to harm innocent civilians,” Taliban Spokesperson.

https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/taliban-afghan-capital-kabul-start-collecting-weapons-civilians-2021-08-16/

1 Samuel 13:22 So on the day of the battle there was neither sword nor spear found in the hand of any of the people with Saul and Jonathan, but Saul and Jonathan his son had them.

The Taliban is now running the country. As part of the “spoils of war” or “qhanimat”, the following headline was presented by the Daily Mail out of the United Kingdom.

The rape of Afghanistan: Advancing Taliban go door-to-door and forcibly take girls as young as TWELVE to be sex slave ‘wives’ for their fighters as they sweep across country following NATO withdrawal

Other sources indicate widows and divorced women under the age of 45 are suffering the same fate at the hands of the Taliban. Women leaving the home without a male are subject to flogging. Private businesses and homes are being lost.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9899151/Taliban-maraud-streets-Kabul-hunting-girls-young-12.html

In a tweet, Taliban spokesperson Suhail Shaheen, “All those claims that the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan forces people to marry their young girls to Mujahideen are totally wrong. It is a poisonous propaganda.”

History is filled with brutal regimes and authoritarian dictators who disarm their populations. The outcome is tragic with millions of dead souls. We know how the story ends.

1. 1911 Ottoman Empire slaughter of Armenians
2. 1929 Soviet Union under Stalin
3. 1938 Nazi Germany under Hitler
4. 1935 China under Mao (largest with 65 million dead)
5. 1956 Cambodia under Pol Pot
6. Global deaths in the hundreds of millions

England’s King George attempted to disarm some colonists in North America in the 1700’s…

As a reminder to the peoples of other cultures and countries, it is okay to defend yourself, your family, and others. Jesus said.

Psalm 82:4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.