Lot is rescued, Let’s party

I will accept nothing but what my men have eaten and the share that belongs to the men who went with me – to Aner, Eshcol and Mamre.  Let them have their share.  – Genesis 14: 24

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Abram and Lot had come to the agreement that separation was necessary for mutual success, so Lot ended up in Sodom.  Sometime later, war ensued between the kings of the five (including Sodom and Gomorrah) and the kings of the four.  After battle lines had been drawn, the Kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, leaving their men to perish.  The four kings then took all they wanted from Sodom and Gomorrah; including goods, food, and Lot.  A soldier who had escaped, came and told Abram all that had occurred.  Abram gathered together a rescue team and recovered his nephew and the seized goods.  The King of Salem thought this a time for celebration, bringing out bread and wine, prompting Abram to the verse above.

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Genesis Chapter 14 is one that could almost be skipped.  There is a war.  Lot is captured, then rescued.  The end, right?

Not so fast.  Being that Memorial Day is upon us, I would like to take a moment to discuss the 24th verse, especially the last sentence.

Let them have their share.

 

It appears that man has always found a way to turn horror into celebration.  In Abram’s day, there was bread and wine.  In ours, hot dogs and beer.  Even in the Bible, the deaths of men sent off to war earn only an honorable mention.  Oh, the war is discussed.  This chapter is about kingdoms and rebellion and battle and victory.  Abram gathers 318 trained men, devises an appropriate strategy, and is victorious in his battle plan.  Then, the party.

Sound familiar?  Do you see where I am going with this?

In Abram’s time, men were expected to fight the good fight.  They were expected to be willing to give up their very lives, in battle, for the good of the kingdom.  At the end of the conflict, it was customary to break out the bread and wine.  In our time, men and women are expected to fight the good fight.  They are expected to give up their very lives, in battle, for the good of their country.  At the end of the conflict, it is customary to break out the hot dogs and beer.

Tomorrow is the day when we are supposed to honor all the brave men and women who have fought the good fight and who have given their very lives in battle.  These men and women have done an admirable job.  They, General Colin Powell has said, have lost their lives, and have asked for nothing except enough ground to bury their dead.  The least we can do is…

Let them have their share.

I have no problem with barbeques, hot dogs, and beer; but…

Let them have their share.

I have no problem with mattress sales, but…

Let them have their share.

Sure, buy a new car if you can find a good deal, but…

Let them have their share.

While we enjoy the commercialization that this day has become, let us remember the sacrifices, the tears, the mourning.  Let us remember the lives lost.  Let us remember the families devastated.  Let us remember what Memorial Day is all about.

Your silent tent of green

We deck with fragrant flowers;

Yours has the suffering been,

The memory shall be ours.

– Henry W. Longfellow

 

The memory is ours.  We remember, and we are grateful.