“If Your Enemy Is Hungry” [Reflections on Sun Tsu's Art Of War #12-1A-B] (Ephesians 5:1ff; John 3:16ff; Matthew 6:19; 5:43-48; 10:25-37; Proverbs 25:21; 1 Corinthians 12; Genesis 2-3; 6:1ff; John 3:16ff; 13:34-35)

“Play God”, one said, “as in His image you are made;
Do what He does when others wreck the plans you’ve made
He gives to all, both friend and foe, the food one needs;
Pours sun and rain on earth to water apple seeds.”

It’s not of God to hate the ones who do you wrong,
But rather, help the weak and poor to make them strong;
Then let them have their freedom, laugh, and turn their backs,
Or once they’re strong enough, to turn and mount attacks.

His love and care are infinite, beyond our reach;
He raises up, and does His best to lessons teach;
He laughs with us, not at us, when we go beyond
The boundaries he has set for us, where we belong.

He does not wish for us to go through life alone;
He gives us others – family, friends, and sacred homes;
It’s we who’ve left His Eden-garden hot to trot,
Despite the mess we’ve made, we cling to what we’ve got.

With deep suspicion we have pushed the rest away
Refusing to acknowledge debt we owe, and cannot pay;
But rather, vainly boasting of the tasks we’ve done
And battles ’gainst some enemy we’ve fought and won.

Sun Tsu says burning crops, and foodstuffs of the foe
Is second way to boost attacks when off we go;
Reduce the inventories they will need to feed
Their troops, and others on their team, with human needs.

He gives directions how to carry out such tasks,
Like – keep your matches ready when you’re leader asks
You to perform the burning of supplies as you were trained;
To help the battle’s prospects – as they’d do the same.

For matches must be handy when the time is right,
And kindling for the fire to scorch, both day and night;
For happenstance is such a vital part of what we do,
When off to war we go to beat the other’s crew.

For “other” we don’t think is satan – think it’s Kings
On earth, like us – for all, the garden view no longer brings
A way of dealing with the others on the globe,
Who “Are not like us – they should die”, so we are told.

Lord, You’ve provided us with food, and sparrow’s wings
To pick it up, and live, and yet no barns they bring;
It’s human beings who store up, have a food destroyed,
Yet we persist, defended by our girls and boys.

You’ve been quite clear how we should treat the “Other” ones,
Despite their antics, seizing food and leaving crumbs
For poor and destitute who live in foreign lands;
Lord, thanks for Kingdom-layer above all this, on which to stand –

And catch our breath, gain new perspectives, and try again
To enter into life around so filled with pain;
We thank You for the others who have gone before,
Who’ve left examples for us as we try some more.

Thanks Lord for this.

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