Today's Scripture Reading (July 19, 2026): Jeremiah 47
Rapid Dominance (also known as Shock and Awe) is a military doctrine
developed by Harlan Ullman and James Wade in 1996. The doctrine advocates
spectacular displays of force to paralyze the enemy and destroy their will to
fight. Rapid Dominance was the military strategy used by the United States
during the Iraq War, which might be appropriate because, although the doctrine
was written in 1996, the Americans were not the first to use it in Iraq.
Long before the doctrine had a name, the same strategy was used in Iraq.
When it was first used, Iraq was called Babylon, and instead of being used
against them, the strategy of “Rapid Dominance” was used by them. It was used
in the last years of the 7th century BCE, an era that Jeremiah knew very well.
Jeremiah's warning is directed at the Philistine cities and concerns the “Shock
and Awe” of Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian war machine. Jeremiah says that
the Philistines will not actually need to see the Babylonian army coming. All
that will be needed to strike fear into the hearts of the Philistine people is
the sound of the beat of the horses' hooves and the rattle of the wheels of the
chariots that are carrying the military officers.
On that day, the fear would be debilitating. In fact, it would be so bad
that people's natural behaviors would be disrupted. Rabbinical writings on this
passage stress that the passage indicates that "the fathers shall not look
back to have mercy on their children." In their fright, they will forget
what is natural, and their fear will be so great that they will not be able to
have pity and compassion on them. The only thing that will matter is their own
safety and deliverance.
The Babylonian Empire did not last very long, but at its height, it
struck fear into the known world. And the sound of their war machine was all it
took to paralyze the ones that they rode against.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Daniel 1
No comments:
Post a Comment