Interpreting Lincoln's Second Inaugural Sermon, Part 5

[We continue to analyze Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address.]

Fondly do we hope--fervently do we pray--that this mighty scourge of war may speedily pass away.

Here, Lincoln returns to the underlying theme of the entire address: God's will be done.

Yet, if God wills that it continue, until all the wealth piled by the bond-man's two hundred and fifty years of unrequited toil shall be sunk, and until every drop of blood drawn with the lash, shall be paid by another drawn with the sword, as was said three thousand years ago, so still it must be said "The judgments of the Lord, are true and righteous altogether."

1. Lincoln jarringly re-asserts, in imagery that is both direct and vivid, that God has every right, within the bounds of human history, to exact a terrible price for man's inhumanity to man. The Bible affirms that while God is gracious and patiently endures our rebellion in hopes that His kindness will lead us to repentantly walk with Him, there are nonetheless times when God may choose to exact consequences for repeated, unrepentant sin. In commanding ancient Israel not to engage in idolatry, for example, God said:

I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments. [Exodus 20:5-6]

Lincoln assumes, along with the Bible, that none of us may defend our silent complicity with sin with such excuses as, "I was just following orders," or, "I had nothing to do with it," or, "It was the big shots who did that." Especially in a democracy, we each bear responsibility for what is done and what is countenanced in our names. Lincoln appreciated this. Whether president or pauper, we're called to respond to the undeserved favor and blessings of God in a lifestyle enunciated by the Old Testament prophet, Micah:

He has told you, O mortal, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

2. James Tackach points out that Lincoln's more Biblical idea that both North and South were being subjected to the horrible consequences of the sin of slavery is very different from the triumphalism of Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic. Citing two other scholars, Tackach writes:

...Lincoln, in the Second Inaugural, avoided the self-righteous crusading of Northerners like Julia Ward Howe, whose great anthem...assured the North that God was on its side. Howe's God "hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword" against the South; his face appeared in the watch-fires of the Union military camps. But Lincoln's God,...the living God who monitored the actions of nations and peoples, had unleashed his sword upon the whole nation...

3. Lincoln quotes Psalm 19:7-9, which in its entirety reads:

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the decrees of the Lord are sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is clear,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is pure,
enduring for ever;
the ordinances of the Lord are true
and righteous altogether.

Traditionally ascribed to David, Psalm 19 is composed of three sections, each dealing with ways in which God reveals Himself to us. In 19:1-6, we remember that God reveals Himself in the intricate beauty of creation. In 19:7-11, God reveals Himself through the Scriptures, most specifically His Law. Finally, in 19:12-14, God reveals Himself in daily living as a God of grace and forgiveness.

The verses cited by Lincoln come from this second section, which seems entirely appropriate in light of the cataclysmic circumstances then engulfing the United States.

We'll move onto the fourth paragraph of Lincoln's address in the next installment of the series.

[Thanks to Hugh Hewitt for his generous comments about this series.]