“The Gauls are coming!” But the warning was ignored.
I wonder how many more indictments will be hurled at President Trump today. Meanwhile, the early history of Rome cries out a lesson to us.
Rome was embroiled in a long and indecisive war with her neighbors. Not until they gave the command to Camillus were those wars won. But instead of gratitude, Camillus was subjected to a host of indictments by his political rivals, and forced to leave the city as an exile.
So caught up were they in partisan politics that the Romans ignored dire warnings that hordes of Gauls had invaded Italy and were marching on Rome. Resistance proved futile; the Romans were disorganized. The Gauls took the city and burned down most of it. Only a small force of Romans still held the city’s Citadel.
The situation was hopeless–until, in desperation, they recalled Camillus. Rallying the Roman troops who’d fled to every corner on the map, he annihilated the hitherto victorious Gauls: the city of Rome was restored to the Roman people.
America is in a very bad way: we all know it. Maybe not quite so desperate as Rome’s peril was, but more than bad enough.
Rome survived, and came back to win the war, because of only two reasons: Romans put their trust in their gods, their religion; and put Camillus back in charge. Nothing else would have rescued the city from extinction.
We must learn from their example.
What is happening to Trump is why Americans dislike politics so much, and pastors want no part of it in their sanctuary. But politics determines the laws we have to live by, what could be more relevant than that? Jesus preached the gospel of the Kingdom of God, a realm that includes everything in the universe. “Jesus is Lord” is our mantra, and He upholds all things by the power of His word.
It happened to Camillus first–history never fails to find examples.