Lynn McAdam once told a great story about a miraculous moment of grace
once displayed towards an American soldier on a WWII battlefield.
“The year was 1944, and Bert Frizen was an infantryman on the front lines
in Europe. American forces had advanced in
the face of intermittent shelling and small-arms fire throughout the morning
hours, but now all was quiet. Frizen’s patrol
reached the edge of a wooded area with an open field before them. Unknown to the Americans, a battery of
Germans waited in a hedgerow about two hundred yards across the field. Bert was one of two scouts who moved out into
the clearing. Once he was halfway across
the field, the remainder of his battalion followed. Suddenly the Germans opened fire, and machine
gun fire ripped into both of Bert's legs.
The American battalion quickly withdrew into the woods for protection,
while a rapid exchange of fire continued.
Bert lay helplessly in a small stream as shots volleyed overhead. There seemed to be no way out. To make matters worse, he now noticed that a
German soldier crawling toward him.
Death appeared imminent; he closed his eyes and waited. To his surprise, a considerable period passed
without the expected attack, so he ventured opening his eyes again. He was startled to see the German kneeling at
his side, smiling. He then also noticed
that the shooting had stopped. Troops
from both sides of the battlefield watched anxiously. Without any verbal exchange, this mysterious
German soldier reached down to lift Bert in his arms and proceeded to carry him
to the safety of Bert's comrades. Having
accomplished his self-appointed mission, and still without speaking a word, the
German soldier turned and walked back across the field to his own troops. No one dared break the silence of this sacred
moment. Moments later the cease-fire
ended, but not before all those present had witnessed one man graciously
risking everything for his enemy.”
Isn’t that an absolutely lovely
picture of grace? Frankly, don’t you
wonder how any gunfight, battle or war could continue after that when both
sides witnessed such a profound display of grace? And what sort of risks are we taking to offer
grace and mercy to others?
We’ve been looking at some of the little books of the Old Testament,
asking ourselves why God preserved these obscure, little texts for us to read,
study and apply. Today we come to the
smallest book in the Old Testament – the book of Obadiah and a great lesson in
grace.
