Today’s Scripture Reading (October
17, 2019): Proverbs 28
We only know him by his
codename; Caesar. He was a member of the Syrian army. But then the Assad regime
in Syria began its policy of extermination. The bodies were brought into the
hospitals where Caesar was assigned with the rest of his company. And Caesar started
to take pictures. Early on, Caesar says that he realized what it was that he
was documenting; torture committed by the supreme political power of the
nation. The victims appeared before Caesar with deep stab wounds, eyes that
were gouged out, and broken teeth and jaws. Often they were emaciated, looking
as if they had not eaten for weeks. Caesar was horrified. But he was also being
watched. And so he did his job, and he took his pictures. And as he created his
photographic journal of what the Assad regime was doing to its own people, he
could only pray that a tear would not escape his eyes. Compassion for the dead
was strictly prohibited and watching eyes were always near. A tear might mean
that Caesar would join the unfortunates he was photographing. But it would also
mean that his family would become the targets of an out of control political system.
When all of this started,
Caesar could have left Syria; he could have taken his family and gotten out of
the country. But he didn’t. Caesar stayed so that he could collect his precious
photos. But in 2013, Caesar decided that it was time to leave. He escaped from
Syria with his pictures. Caesar expected that his photographs would force the
world to confront Assad for his crimes. Experts have looked at Caesar’s collection
of photos and have admitted that he has presented us with stronger evidence of
the crimes committed by Assad and his Syrian government, then exists concerning
the genocide in Rwanda or Hitler’s atrocities against the Jews during World War
II. And yet the world seems to wait for something else to happen in Syria; a
situation that is complicated by the presence of ISIS and support for the Assad
regime that comes from Russia and China.
And so Caesar continues to
campaign for action. He takes his pictures to anyone who will listen. Caesar
appears before governments clad in a blue jacket and with his face covered to
hide his identity. He will not let anyone record his voice. He knows, for his
safety and the safety of this family, that he cannot allow his identity to be
known. It would be safer for him to give up. After all, he is safe. Right now
it is his campaign that endangers him. But that would not be what is right.
Solomon says that the wicked
flee, and no one even bothers to follow them. But it is the righteous that are
bold and stand firm. If so, then Caesar must stand among the righteous. He is
doing what is right, even though what is right is dangerous. Solomon hopes that
his sons would follow the path that Caesar follows; that they, and we, would be
bold in the declaration of what is right; knowing that we are the righteous and
that God stands with us.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: Proverbs 29
No comments:
Post a Comment