Introduction: Probably like many military service members through the ages, I was fascinated by larger-than-life military figures as a child. When I was a high school boy in Atlanta, my A.P. sophomore English teacher introduced me to a love affair with reading–especially narratives about soldiers and Marines in the Vietnam War. When I read Going After Cacciato as a sixteen-year-old boy, that launched me into all things soldierish. I read the novels and memoirs of Philip Caputo and Tim O’Brien and other writers.

I devoured the movies, too, typical of boys fascinated by war and military things. I viewed Apocalypse Now, The Bridge On the River Kwai, Full Metal Jacket, The Deer Hunter, Deliverance, Platoon, etc. more times than I should have. Then I of course watched all the Rambo films, too; I loved the stories of what war can do to certain men, what the men’s larger contexts were regarding why they served, where they came from, what their childhoods were like, etc. I was consumed by it all. I served in our high school’s R.O.T.C. program and the rifle team, etc. I have always been a good shot, so I excelled in marksmanship. (Now that I’m a chaplain, it’s difficult not to be envious of the other guys when they’re shooting on the ranges, and I am officially a non-combatant, and not allowed to bear arms as clergy. But that’s a discussion for another time.)

My point so far is straightforward: I have been drawn to soldiers’ stories for as long as I can remember. And one of the characteristics that often came through all (or at least most) of the novels, memoirs, and movies was that soldiers must deal with fear. They are to be brave. We call it intestinal fortitude, courage, resolve, grit, and any number of other titles. But we all understand what the message is: soldiering hinges upon courage and bravery.

Connection: This morning I was meditating upon Proverbs 10:27. It reads as follows: “The fear of the LORD prolongs life, but the years of the wicked will be short.” I was wrestling Jacob-like in my mind over the issues involved in the relationship of courage and what I call wise fear. There is, in my view, a type of fear that is wise to inculcate.

We are, according to Scripture, to fear the Lord. The Bible teaches the “fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom” (Pr 9:10a). The beginning of wisdom. The genesis. The starting point. In other words, we must put first things, well, first. We must get our theology (our doctrine of God) correct. We must know God accurately and in accordance with how He’s revealed Himself.

Encouragement/takeaway: So what does wise fear of God have to do with soldiering, bravery, and courage? Everything. When I look at the shelves of books I have read over these many years, rows upon rows of those volumes are stories of men who encountered staggering obstacles. Sometimes those men were crushed by them. Sometimes they adopted postures of bravado and other innocent men died due to fools being in charge. Sometimes the men pressed on step-by-step and overcame formidable odds. And sometimes God quickened soldiers and showed them Himself in ways that taught them that He was their rock and redeemer. The wise soldier–whether in the jungles of Vietnam or on the mission fields of today–is to fear the Lord.