A US Army article previously described an effort to help the Afghans by “turning swords into plowshares,” a potentially inadvertent reference to Isaiah 2:4.  While the text of the Bible is not as well-known as it may have once been, it is interesting to see where the American culture makes (even unknowing) Biblical references.

The US Air Force leadership did it recently, too, in their annual Memorial Day message.  Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Norton Schwartz wrote: 

As we remember our fallen, captured, or missing service men and women, we also express our deep gratitude to those who are currently defending our Nation…The men and women who answered the call by saying, “Send me,” truly exemplify Service before Self.

That appears to be an allusion to Isaiah 6:8:

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

The President’s proclamation for Memorial Day had a similar, though more subtle, reference.

The Word of God contains truth and light — and also some good ideas for motivational messages, even if the authors sometimes don’t remember where they heard that story…