Reading Psalm 82 started me musing on, ‘Attack is the best form of defence’:
I was amused and mildly irritated by the apparent Americanisation of the phrase… for example – ‘the best defense is a good offense.’ Not only is the (correct!) English spelling of ‘defence’ changed but ‘attack’ is abandoned for the more American-favoured (which probably should be ‘American-favored’) ‘offense’…
…Then I discovered that the phrase has American origins… so I guess my American friends have the right to do with it as they will!
We hear ‘Attack is the best form of defence’ – in games and sport… chess, snooker, basketball, rugby… We may hear it in the tennis at Wimbledon next week; our current English national cricket team defend by attacking; I do hope that the England football team beat Slovakia tomorrow by an attacking defence…
This proverbial phrase has its origins in a military context. Individual Roman soldiers had swords and shields – attack and defence. Military strategy through the centuries – different weapons of war but the same principle. Defence alone can be passive, negative. Sometimes it’s better to take the initiative, make a pre-emptive strike.
The text that started me musing was a prayer, asking God to, ‘Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy…’
It’s the picture of the courts. God the judge, the defence lawyer, is defending the disadvantaged and defenceless, not in a negative, passive way, but by proactively standing with them and standing up for them… Attack is the best form of defence.
I pause, thinking of friends dealing with significant health issues, family trauma, mental unravelling, life-changing situations. They haven’t got the physical or mental energy for defence let alone attack. It’s as much as they can do to keep going.
I remember Jesus words: ’Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.’ Sometimes defence and attack lose importance – and all that’s needed is rest.
malcolmsmusings.org 
Thank you, Malcolm. I don’t have the energy to attack or fight. “Come to me.” At my best, I stand beside the oppressed and love without war. Not that I won’t defend the truth—I’m just not the attacking kind of soldier.
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Thanks, Karla. The ending that got lost in the edit included God’s words to Moses in Exodus: ‘The Lord will fight for you. You need only to be still…’ Sometimes we progress by being still.
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You’re welcome. Thank YOU, Malcolm! Yes, being still. Love that! It’s true!
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Amen Malcolm! God’s ‘proactive defense’ of Love is the ultimate ‘attack tactic’ to conquer all of life’s battles.
Be blessed brother and . . .
Keep Looking Up . . . His Best is Yet to Come!
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I think what I’m learning Fred is that I don’t always have to be so proactive; sometimes a gentle love is both attack and defense.
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I love your take on pre-emptively defending those who need it, Malcolm. My daughter has learned at school to be an “up-stander!”
May we all learn how to stand up for those who need it!
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Good for Miss O, Wynne. You’re right – it’s a lesson we all need to continue to learn.
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What about the Eddie Murphy movie, ‘Best Defense’?
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Sounds like a good title, Jason. Can you explain to me what’s Eddie’s ‘best defense’ is, please?
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Whoever did the work of art for Matthew 11:28 created a simple, but fabulous, drawing exemplifying the verse. Thanks for sharing it along with your reflections, Malcolm. 🙂
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It’s a good verse to be reminded of, Nancy.
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It was an early Eddie Murphy movie be
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Early Eddie Murphy movie before he was famous. It’s a military movie – I think it was a comedy.
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As your friend across the sea, I fervently hope that my country will keep learning and growing in these humbling years of excessive division, greed, arrogance, and self-serving perspectives. I am embarrassed and frustrated. May we all grow in gentle love. Thank you for your good thoughts today.
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I fear that politics on both sides of the Atlantic is so offensively minded, that it becomes offensive! Because there is so much emphasis in destroying others we seem to lose sight of what is best for our nations.
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