During my fifth deployment in the Global War on Terror, I was blessed to be a member of the 2nd Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment. We operated south of Baghdad in Salman Pak. My unit was commanded by then-LTC Michael Shrout, a man devoted to developing masters of the profession of arms.
LTC Shrout took an interest in my development and used the book Infantry in Battle, initially published in 1934, as our lesson plan for one-on-one mentorship sessions.
Infantry in Battle captivated me from the Introduction written by then-COL and Chief of the Infantry Omar Bradley. You see, there was a classic “rope-a-dope” used by Bradley that I found fascinating. The book began by instructing young officers that the classic training was not effective for World War I and that leaders must use their initiative.
And then….27 chapters dedicated to examples of leaders making unwise decisions based on their lack of adherence to and/or application of sound military doctrine. Boom.
During our second counseling session, I told now-COL Ret. Shrout, “This is awesome. GEN Bradley knew his audience, gained their attention, and then hit them with a punchline without saying ‘we told you so’ – don’t try something new until you know how to do it our way.”
My battalion commander smiled.
During my bible reading with The Bible Recap this week, we covered Psalm 22, a song of David, then King of Israel. Stay with me here – this is fascinating.
For followers of Jesus Christ, one of the big questions we ask routinely is, “Why did Jesus cry out on the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?‘”
A fair question if you ask me, and over the years, I have heard numerous explanations. Here are the two most common in short:
1. Jesus was in pain, taking on the sins of the world. His human form needed relief.
2. Jesus cried out, and that act showed his human separation from God.
BUT, take a look at Psalm 22. Did Jesus cry out on the cross in anguish – or – did Jesus continue to teach in the style he used throughout his ministry?
Jesus was a scholar of Jewish teaching and often began his instruction or answers to questions by showing that he was rooted in the doctrine of the God that set Israel apart as His chosen people. Quoting from what we call the Old Testament, Jesus began his teachings by giving importance to all God had done leading up to the point of his teaching.
So in suffering, Jesus once again did what he always did. He started with a song of King David that spoke of the dominion of God over the world and the coming salvation for those who believe.
Psalm 22:27-28:
All the ends of the earth
will remember and turn to the Lord,
and all the families of the nations
will bow down before him,
for dominion belongs to the Lord
and he rules over the nations.
I hope you are smiling, Gator 6. I think I found the answer right where it was hidden – in the book.
Build your house on the Rock.
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