| The Joy of Service |
Chapter 9 |
Page 2 |
There is an old time curse that has a suggestive lesson for all time. There had been a great battle. A country’s very life was in the issue. When the call for men went forth, and patriots from all over the land heeded the call, one hamlet did not respond. Then in the song of victory that was sung after the battle, when the valiant deeds of this and that clan had been recounted, there came this fierce strain, “Curse ye Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty.”
What was the reason for this curse? What had the inhabitants of Meroz done? They had not joined with the enemies of the country. They had not taken up arms against their brethren. They had not harboured the foe within the gates. They had only not come to the battle when the call rang in their ears.
Men search now in vain for the site of Meroz. It is not marked on any map. The very memory of the place has perished. This single bitter strain in the old song of victory is the one mention of it in any book. The word stands only as the symbol of a curse for not doing one’s duty. It represents the man who, when other men are loyal, remains neutral; when others are in the midst of battle, braving danger, receiving wounds, is found hiding at home, taking no part in the struggle. Meroz stands for the man who shirks his duty, who saves his own life when the call is for sacrifice, who abides at ease when he ought to be at the forefront of the field.
Page 2