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Our Masada Option

by Amanda Stiver

Source: Amanda Stiver

They stood at the top of the fortress and looked down at the encampment below. There was no way down, no trail unguarded, and the enemy was rapidly building a ramp on which to deploy siege engines and all the might of their forces.
All options of escape were gone and the final decision had to be made.
If this story sounds like the attack on Masada, the 1 ^st century fortress near the Dead Sea which was built by King Herod and used by a small band of Jewish rebels after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., you’d be right. Masada it is.
Now a historical site with a tram, trails and tourism, it still makes you stop and ponder the serious decisions made by the men and women who were under attack. When the wind hits the outcropping and swirls dust around your feet you can imagine the sounds of Roman soldiers below, their taunts and grunts as they added foot after foot of rubble to the siege ramp, ever closer to overwhelming the defenders.
The tragic end of the tale was not in the slaughter by the Roman aggressors, but in the decision the rebels made to end their lives on their own terms. After drawing lots, each man cut the throats of his wife and children, and then they turned the knives on themselves. When the Romans finally breached the ramparts they found the bodies of the dead. A victory stolen.

Ours not to die… just yet

The Jewish rebels who made the decision to commit suicide felt that option was the only way to prevent their families from a potentially more horrific fate at the hands of the Roman soldiers, who were known for extreme cruelty to conquered peoples. The Romans had been itching for a political statement like this and after many weeks of waiting to attack they were undoubtedly well motivated.
We can ask the question, “What would we have done?” But a better one to ask is, “Haven’t we been here before?”
If we’ve ever felt up against the wall and our human skills, abilities and cleverness have failed us, then we have faced our own Masada. Maybe not as dire, but certainly there are times when all our options seem to be gone.
The difference is something we have, that we probably take for granted. The strength of God.
Through God’s Holy Spirit (His power, not a person), which he gives to baptized members upon the ceremony of baptism, laying on of hands, and commitment to God’s way of life, we have access to that superior strength of mind. Through prayer we can also call upon His superior force for protection.
God is our Masada option. When all else fails, He’s got our back.

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