Of Builders and Bombers

I love to read the sermons of old preachers, especially those whose words have outlived them. A favorite of mine is J. Wallace Hamilton, who once preached a sermon titled “Blunders, Bombers, and Builders.” His general point was that whereas the soldier is engaged in times of war, it is diplomacy that is needed in times of political conflict. King David would not be the one to build the temple because the art of war does not lend itself to the development of worship or political stability (1 Chronicles 17:1-5; 22:5-11).