He will judge between many peoples and will settle disputes for strong nations far and wide. They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. – Micah 4:3

Today's Scripture Reading (March 16, 2023): Micah 4

Two-hundred-and-eighty-six. The number is actually an important one. Since the beginning of recorded history, which we can set at somewhere around 1600 B.C.E., there have been 286 years that the world has been at peace. That's it, 286 years out of over 3600 years. In fact, while death due to international conflicts have gone down since the end of World War II, people have died in state-sponsored conflict every year since the end of that war. Peace on earth is actually a very rare event. Over the past 3600 years, more than 8000 peace treaties have been made and have been broken. The truth is that our reality more readily compares to the words of the Prophet Joel.

Proclaim this among the nations:
   Prepare for war!
Rouse the warriors!
    Let all the fighting men draw near and attack.
Beat your plowshares into swords
    and your pruning hooks into spears.
Let the weakling say,
    "I am strong!"
Come quickly, all you nations from every side,
    and assemble there (Joel 3:10).

Joel reminds me of interviews I watched at the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In those early days, when weapons were rare, the citizens of Ukraine were trying to make weapons and bombs out of whatever it was they had at hand. Boxes were filled with "Molotov Cocktails" ready to be thrown at the next passing Russian soldier. One man commented that his hunting rifle might not look like much, but he was good with it, and it would kill as many Russians as he could find bullets for it.

Micah has a different message. While war might be the natural state for those of us who make our lives on this planet, the day is coming when that will not be true. A time is coming when God will settle the disputes between the nations, and we will live in peace. There will no longer be a use for weapons, so we will change them into things that might be useful in our daily lives. What was once rare will become the natural state of our world. And I can't think of anything that could be more welcome to those who believe in peace and pray for its presence in our shared world.

Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Micah 5