Security
is a big issue these days. Drive-by shootings on our city streets, muggings in
broad daylight, murders in the midst of busy restaurants – all these and more have
left people understandably jittery. A survey taken in a major metropolitan area
found that 53 percent of the more than 13,000 people who returned the
questionnaire said they did not feel safe on that city’s streets. Twenty-seven
percent of the respondents said they did not feel safe from crime while at
home. Owen Hanson rightly observed, “Western civilization has advanced to where
we bolt our doors and windows at night while jungle natives sleep in open
huts.”
How
have people reacted to the curse of crime on our streets and in our homes? They
purchased extra locks for their doors, installed elaborate security systems and
bought guard dogs. Those with sufficient resources have even hired personal
bodyguards. Obviously, these people hope they can buy their safety. God knew
all about this. In Proverbs 18:11 it says, “The rich man’s wealth is his strong
city, and like a high wall in his own esteem.”
Such
a hope, however, is fruitless. Political assassinations are common despite armed
soldiers present for protection. Well-known personalities have been killed despite
their wealth: John Lennon, of the Beatles, was gunned down on a public street; Selena,
a young and rising music star, was killed by the woman who had been hired to manage
her boutiques; Maurizio Gucci, grandson of the founder of Gucci was shot to death
in the foyer of a downtown Milan building. Money can give the illusion of security
but not the reality.
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