Zabad his son and Shuthelah his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by the native-born men of Gath, when they went down to seize their livestock. – 1 Chronicles 7:21

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 27, 2016): 1 Chronicles 7

Tension is rising in the Demilitarized Zone on the Korean Peninsula. The problem is complex, but it starts with the fact that the Korean War ended on July 27, 1953 with a cease fire instead of a peace treaty. The result is that the Korean War has now raged for over 65 years, although the bullets stopped flying in 1953. But both armies are ready to resume the fighting at any time. In fact, the motto of the South Korean troops spread out along the DMZ is a simple one – “Be Ready to Fight Tonight.” So while the DMZ often seems to be a tourist trap where people armed only with cameras come to take picture, there is a deeper danger hidden in the troops that man both sides of the DMZ – the 65 year old war could reinitiate at any time.

Of course, the danger along the DMZ follows its own rhythm. At times, it is low and a relatively safe place to be. At other times, when the tension is high, it might be one of the most dangerous places on earth to spend an afternoon. And with the North’s recent nuclear tests and rocket launch and the South’s prediction that, if the North doesn’t change its ways, then it is inevitable that the North’s regime will collapse, this would seem to be one of the more dangerous times. The reality is that the North might be suffering from its own version of the “American Dream.” They truly seem to believe not only that the Korean Peninsula is theirs by right to rule over, but that they can also be the top influencer in the area – that there is no reason why they can’t achieve what China, Russia and the United States have achieved; domination of their own part of the world. And if these countries can possess nuclear weapons, then it is their right to do the same. And if these countries are involved in space exploration, then it is their right to pursue those same goals. And no one has the right to impinge on that freedom – and the North will take whatever it is that the North wants.

In ancient times, countries often followed a very similar path. Among pastoral civilizations, it was a common right to attempt to fill out your own herd by invading and looting among the neighboring country’s herds. This passage gives us a bit of a glimpse into that lifestyle. The incident seems to have happened fairly early on in the life of Israel in Egypt. It is evident that the patriarch Ephraim was aged, but still alive – possibly around 125 years of age. The descendants of Jacob were living in Egypt and raising their farm animals there. We aren’t positive of the direction of the attack. The common understanding is that Ezer and Elead were killed when the men of Gath ventured into Egypt and tried to steal some of the flock of Ephraim, but the way the sentence is phrased it could have easily been the other way around, and it was Ezer and Elead had ventured into Philistine territory to steal from the flocks of the Philistines in the area to bolster their own flocks. But either way, the action was probably a common place occurrence in a world that believed that they had the right to simply take from other nations what would benefit themselves – a world where Ideas like boundaries and personal property seemed a little hazier than they do today.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Chronicles 8