A deep sense of sadness settled over me when I heard the Oklahoma Supreme Court ordered removal of a 6-foot tall granite monument of the Ten Commandments from their state Capitol grounds this summer. If the Ten Commandments are not welcome in the Bible Belt, where will they be welcome?

Having grown up near a similar monument, whose location I hesitate to reveal, I feel doubly sad, wondering when someone will try to remove that one, too. It feels so much like what Eastern European students told me happened when communists tried to purge the Christian faith from their nations.

When I was young, that monument was prominently displayed as a cornerstone of the community, and we were all taught those commands. Now, it is concealed by overgrown trees, as though it is something to be ashamed of and hidden from sight. Although, someone I know has a different take on it. She sees the trees as protective, sheltering the Ten Commandments from those who might seek their removal.

Within days of the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision, another headline grabbed attention. “Murder rates are surging in major cities nationwide.” Newscasters used words like lawlessness and chaos to describe the destruction and disorder rampant in cities throughout the nation.

And, I wonder. Do those battling so bellicosely to force removal of the Ten Commandments not get the connection? What is so offensive about Do Not Murder, Do Not Steal? Those basic commands are the bedrock of a peaceful, orderly society. And some of us prefer peaceful.

Ours is not the first society to make such a tragic mistake. As another nation descended into lawlessness and chaos over 2,500 years ago, it was God who expressed a deep sense of sadness. “If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your righteousness like the waves of the sea,” God lamented. (Isaiah 48:18). And, who does not want peace?

In Hebrew, peace (shalom) means far more than the absence of violent crime and social unrest, though it includes that. A peaceful society would be blessing enough. Yet, there is more. The peace that comes from God includes a sense of wholeness and completeness. Shalom includes a “sense of well-being and fulfillment that comes from God and is dependent on His gracious presence,” wrote R.F. Youngblood, professor of Old Testament and Hebrew, in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia (1986).

Some of us treasure that peace. Others are seeking that peace. So, those intent on ridding our society of the God who is the source of peace are most unkind. Those who despise God and His commands may succeed, to their own chagrin, in stripping our nation of the social and national dimensions of peace we have enjoyed from God for many years.

They cannot, however, succeed in stripping away other dimensions of peace enjoyed by those who love God and His commands. Hymn writer Johann Franck lived through the destructive Thirty Years’ War (1618 to 1648) in Europe. He wrote from his experience in the beloved hymn, “Jesus, Priceless Treasure”:  “Those who love the Father, though the storms may gather, still have peace within.” Centuries before, the Psalmist wrote: “Great peace have those who love your law and nothing can make them stumble,” (Psalm 119:165, NIV). So, take heart. They can take our monuments, but they cannot take our peace.

 

Nancy Overgaard is a member of the Freeborn County Ministerial Association.