Brave and Courageous yet Meek and Lowly

By
Wu Siu Yan
19 July 2002

To the Native Americans,

No doubt that your forefathers killed all Mayans.

But have all the Mayans ceased to exist on Earth ? No. The descendants of Mayans are the native Hawaiians, Polynesians, Maoris, native Australians, .... [Click to see my webpage on evidences pointing to this fact.]

Native Americans and Mayans are (were) brothers, sons of one man, Lehi, who was an Israelite of the tribe of Joseph.

If you compare the personalities of the Native Americans and the Hawaiians or Polynesians, you will find great differences. One is more fierce and the other is gentle.

LORD GOD set up Jesus as a plummet, as a model man, that all people on Earth should model after to be saved. Jesus was meek and lowly, and did only that was right in the sight of LORD even in face of torture and death. Do "fierceness" measure up to Jesus' meekness ?

Because of this "fierceness" of the Native Americans, LORD GOD allowed them to be massacred by the Western Migrants. Love begets love, hatred begets hatred, fierceness begets fierce response.

Taken from A LADY'S LIFE IN THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS By Isabella L. Bird, which she wrote in the 1800s. (This book may be downloaded from Project Gutenberg.) A horseman shortly joined me and rode with me, got me a fresh horse, and accompanied me for ten miles. He was a picturesque figure and rode a very good horse. He wore a big slouch hat, from under which a number of fair curls hung nearly to his waist. His beard was fair, his eyes blue, and his complexion ruddy. There was nothing sinister in his expression, and his manner was respectful and frank. He was dressed in a hunter's buckskin suit ornamented with beads, and wore a pair of exceptionally big brass spurs. His saddle was very highly ornamented. What was unusual was the number of weapons he carried. Besides a rifle laid across his saddle and a pair of pistols in the holsters, he carried two revolvers and a knife in his belt, and a carbine slung behind him. I found him what is termed "good company." He told me a great deal about the country and its wild animals, with some hunting adventures, and a great deal about Indians and their cruelty and treachery. All this time, having crossed South Park, we were ascending the Continental Divide by what I think is termed the Breckenridge Pass, on a fairly good wagon road. We stopped at a cabin, where the woman seemed to know my companion, and, in addition to bread and milk, produced some venison steaks. We rode on again, and reached the crest of the Divide, and saw snow-born streams starting within a quarter of a mile from each other, one for the Colorado and the Pacific, the other for the Platte and the Atlantic. Here I wished the hunter good-bye, and reluctantly turned north-east. It was not wise to go up the Divide at all, and it was necessary to do it in haste. On my way down I spoke to the woman at whose cabin I had dined, and she said, "I am sure you found Comanche Bill a real gentleman"; and I then knew that, if she gave me correct information, my intelligent, courteous companion was one of the most notorious desperadoes of the Rocky Mountains, and the greatest Indian exterminator on the frontier -- a man whose father and family fell in a massacre at Spirit Lake by the hands of Indians, who carried away his sister, then a child of eleven. His life has since been mainly devoted to a search for this child, and to killing Indians wherever he can find them.

Can one be brave, courageous, and yet meek and gentle and lowly and kind ?

Yes.

From the Bible, we know David to be a very brave man. He fought many battles, and he even killed Goliath, a giant [1 Samuel 17]. He became king after the death of Saul, and he led the Israelites to battles against the Syrians, Moabites, Ammonites, Philistines, .... He had many brave and courageous commanders under him,

[2 Samuel 23:8-39] These are the names of the mighty men whom David had : Josheb-basshebeth, a Tahchemonite; he was chief of the three; he wielded his spear against eight hundred whom he slew at one time. And next to him among the three mighty men was Eleazar the son of Dodo, son of Ahohi. He was with David when they defied the Philistines who were gathered there for battle, and the men of Israel withdrew. He rose and struck down the Philistines until his hand was weary, and his hand clove to the sword; and the LORD wrought a great victory that day; and the men returned after him only to strip the slain. And next to him was Shammah, the son of Agee the Hararite. The Philistines gathered together at Lehi, where there was a plot of ground full of lentils; and the men fled from the Philistines. But he took his stand in the midst of the plot, and defended it, and slew the Philistines; and the LORD wrought a great victory. And three of the thirty chief men went down, and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. David was then in the stronghold; and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. And David said longingly, "O that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!" Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it; he poured it out to the LORD, and said, "Far be it from me, O LORD, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?" Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men. Now Abishai, the brother of Joab, the son of Zeruiah, was chief of the thirty. And he wielded his spear against three hundred men and slew them, and won a name beside the three. He was the most renowned of the thirty, and became their commander; but he did not attain to the three. And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was a valiant man of Kabzeel, a doer of great deeds; he smote two ariels of Moab. He also went down and slew a lion in a pit on a day when snow had fallen. And he slew an Egyptian, a handsome man. The Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but Benaiah went down to him with a staff, and snatched the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and won a name beside the three mighty men. He was renowned among the thirty, but he did not attain to the three. And David set him over his bodyguard. Asasel the brother of Joab was one of the thirty; Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, Shammah of Harod, Elika of Harod, Helez the Paltite, Ira the son of Ikkesh of Tekoa, Abiezer, of Anathoh, Mebunnai the Hushathite, Zalmon the Ahohite, Maharai of Netophah, Heleb the son of Baanah of Netophah, Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the Benjaminites, Benaiah of Pirathon, Hiddai of the brooks of Gaash, Abialbon the Arbathite, Azmaveth of Bahurim, Eliahba of Shaalbon, the sons of Jashen, Jonathan, Shammah the Hararite, Ahiam the son of Sharar the Hararite, Eliphelet the son of Ahasbai of Maacah, Eliam the son of Ahithophel of Gilo, Hezro of Carmel, Paarai the Arbite, Igal the son of Nathan of Zobah, Bani the Gadite, Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai of Beeroth, the armour-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, Uriah the Hittie : thirty-seven in all.

David was of the tribe of Judah, and Judah was renowned for his righteousness and steadfast love, (see The First Book of Moses : Genesis for the deeds of Judah.) David also put the name of LORD before him (Note : name of LORD = the qualities of LORD, or the values cherished by LORD) : "Merciful, gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love, abounding in faithfulness, forgiving, jealous against iniquity." The commanders of David were all mighty men, yet meek and gentle and lowly and kind.

In fact, true courage does not come from "fierce or violent" behaviour towards the weak and helpless, but from a resolute determination to abide by the Laws and Commandments of LORD,

LORD to Joshua : Only be strong and very courageous, being careful to do according to all the law which Moses my servant commanded you; turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may have good success wherever you go. This book of the law shall not depart out of your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you shall make your way prosperous, and then you shall have good success. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; be not frightened, neither be dismayed; for the LORD your GOD is with you wherever you go. [Joshua 1:2-9]