Tao Te Ching Chapter 31: Weapons of the World - Taoism of Lao Tzu translated into Biblical Scripture

Michelangelo's Pietà in St. Peter's Basilica

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The need for more power using military weapons results in misfortunes and tragedy no matter which side is the victor. Violence and aggression are associated with military forces and is not the way of the wise. The ancient Chinese associated the right hand that wielded military weapons to be violence and the left hand with peace. Though, this is quite the opposite from the Bible and Western understanding, which associates the right side as the good and left side as the bad, it has the same literal meaning. Matthew 26:64 “Yes, it is as you say,” Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 6:2-4 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

If we lived by the standards of God, there would never be Kings and Presidents leading military forces. Wasn’t it the Israelites in the book of Samuel who asked for a King to rule over the land? It was never God’s plan to have war among each other, but our lack of faith and selfishness. Now God has to intercede and fight our battles against evil doers. We learn in the book of Revelation God already won the war between good and evil and is the sovereign power forever and forever. Thus, we must learn to trust God in all his workings and be still against our enemies so we don’t act aggressively or violently. People of God do not wage war as the world does. The weapons they fight with are not weapons of the world, but weapons that have divine power to demolish strongholds. If we are confident that we belong to Christ, then all arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God will be demolished. Anyone who possesses the wisdom of God knows it is better than the strength of an army with military weapons. They hear the Word of God and from the fruit of their lips will enjoy good things. On the contrary, the unfaithful crave violence and speak rashly against their enemies and gloat at their death. They may think they conquer their enemies, but history shows they invariably fail to achieve their ambitions. They only dominate by force temporarily, but will never win the hearts of people. The unfaithful will only breed quarrels and come to ruin.

The wise recognized the Word of God as the fountain of life, turning a man from the snares of death. The quiet words of the wise are more to be heeded than the shouts of a ruler or weapons of war. When the wise must fight, they know it is better to be still before God and wait patiently for him. They don’t make irrational and emotional decisions and surrender their need to fight. And when they achieve victory, they do not consider it glorious.

It is our understanding that ancient Chinese view joyful occasions on the left symbolizing harmony and sad occasions on the right symbolizing force. The lieutenant general, responsible for peacetime training of the military is situated to the left of the emperor. The major general who is responsible for leading the attack is stationed to the right. Because they both represent the military, we can regard them as fixtures in a funeral. In this context, a funeral conveys a place of mourning for many lives that are lost in battle. We grieve for these lives no matter which side is victories or which side the rival fought on. The victory parade is the aftermath of war as a funeral march.

Jeremiah 9

¹ Oh, that my head were a spring of water
and my eyes a fountain of tears!
I would weep day and night
for the slain of my people.

² Oh, that I had in the desert
a lodging place for travelers,
so that I might leave my people
and go away from them;
for they are all adulterers,
a crowd of unfaithful people.

³ “They make ready their tongue
like a bow, to shoot lies;
it is not by truth
that they triumph in the land.
They go from one sin to another;
they do not acknowledge me,”
declares the LORD.

⁴ “Beware of your friends;
do not trust your brothers.
For every brother is a deceiver,
and every friend a slanderer.

⁵ Friend deceives friend,
and no one speaks the truth.
They have taught their tongues to lie;
they weary themselves with sinning.

⁶ You live in the midst of deception;
in their deceit they refuse to acknowledge me,”
declares the LORD.

⁷ Therefore this is what the LORD Almighty says:
“See, I will refine and test them,
for what else can I do
because of the sin of my people?

⁸ Their tongue is a deadly arrow;
it speaks with deceit.
With his mouth each speaks cordially to his neighbor,
but in his heart he sets a trap for him.

⁹ Should I not punish them for this?”
declares the LORD.
“Should I not avenge myself
on such a nation as this?”

¹⁰ I will weep and wail for the mountains
and take up a lament concerning the desert pastures.
They are desolate and untraveled,
and the lowing of cattle is not heard.
The birds of the air have fled
and the animals are gone.

¹¹ “I will make Jerusalem a heap of ruins,
a haunt of jackals;
and I will lay waste the towns of Judah
so no one can live there.”

¹² What man is wise enough to understand this? Who has been instructed by the LORD and can explain it? Why has the land been ruined and laid waste like a desert that no one can cross?