Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called,
and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses.
1 Timothy 6:12
| Soldiers Who Keep Rank |
Preface
The history of fallen men is strewn with wars and bloodshed on the face of the earth. Countless soldiers perished on the battlefields and their blood stained the earth from one corner to the other. These soldiers expired in pitiless waste not knowing whether they had won the war. Soldiering is not for the fainted hearted and ill-disciplined. The fate of winning or loosing during battle skirmishes lies much with the qualities of the soldiers. Untrained and ill-disciplined soldiers panic and flee during battles. They are a liability instead of an asset to the army. Only those well-trained soldiers who could keep rank in times of battle, will make a significant difference to the outcome of the battle. These soldiers who could keep ranks are rare breed and are much sought after. In today’s world, the Gurkhas are regarded as fierce and fearless soldiers from Nepal who could keep rank and would not retreat during battles. They are much feared by many and the British in modern times deployed them against the Argentineans during the Falkland war in the eighties. Quite a number of countries employed contingents of such soldiers to guard critical installations and protect important national leaders. It is not easy to find well-trained soldiers who can keep rank.
In the Holy Bible, there are some soldiers who are recorded to be capable of keeping rank. In particular, this reference of keeping rank is awarded to the tribes of Zebulun of Israel. They are a remarkable people and are singled out in the chronological records for such commendation. Fighting during times of war is no small matter. One either has to kill or gets killed. One either gets out in a body bag or on a stretcher. There is no discharge from the war. The children of Israel are a nation called to engage in battles with the enemies of Jehovah God. Soldiers of such qualities no doubt deserve high esteem and are greatly valued. Their contribution towards victory for their people cannot be underestimated. Since the Christian warfare is also a constant battle in the spiritual realm, the intensity and consequence of such battles are no less severe than that of the children of Israel, it therefore behooves Christians to study the nature and character of these soldiers who can keep rank to help learn the ropes of securing victory over the enemies of our soul.