Unity in the Days of Mo-Tun
Today we revisit our series on unity from earlier this year with a short lesson from history.
In the days when nomadic hordes ruled the steppes of Mongolia from horseback, ruling and being ruled by brute force, the shan-yu (or king) had much to fear. Building protective relationships was not an option, it was a necessity — and even one’s own family was not guaranteed to be loyal. David Christian relates the story of Mo-tun, son of a shan-yu, in A History of Russia, Central Asia, and Mongolia, Vol. 1:
Mo-tun had some arrows made that whistled in flight and used them to drill his troops in shooting from horseback. ‘Shoot wherever you see my arrow strike!’ he ordered, ‘and anyone who fails to shoot will be cut down!’ Then he went out hunting for birds and animals, and if any of his men failed to shoot at what he himself had shot at, he cut them down on the spot. After this, he shot a whistling arrow at one of his best horses. Some of his men hung back and did not dare shoot at the horse, whereupon Mo-tun at once executed them. A little later he took an arrow and shot at his favorite wife. Again some of his men shrank back in terror and failed to discharge their arrows, and again he executed them on the spot. Finally he went out hunting with his men and shot a whistling arrow at one of his father’s finest horses. All his followers promptly discharged their own arrows in the same direction, and Mo-tun knew that at last they could be trusted. Accompanying his father, the shan-yu T’ou-man, on a hunting expedition, he shot a whistling arrow at his father and every one of his followers aimed their arrows in the same direction and shot the shan-yu dead. Then Mo-tun executed his stepmother, his younger brother, and all the high officials of the nation who refused to take orders from him, and set himself up as the new shan-yu.
Grisly, isn’t it? Such was life in the Mongol expanse: the strong got stronger and the weak got nothing. You and I probably wouldn’t like to hang out with Mo-tun. He was ambitious, vengeful, and ruthless — usually not the qualities of a good friend. However, Mo-tun understood a principle of unity. He understood that shared direction and purpose without hesitation will multiply a person’s effectiveness.
Today we would call his technique “focused fire”, a barrage intended to completely obliterate a single target. The commander will pick the highest priority target on the battlefield and order his units to focus on removing that single threat. It doesn’t matter if a few soldiers miss the mark, because their fellows will not miss. When the number of units involved reaches a certain threshold, success is almost guaranteed.
In some ways our world is not much different from Mo-tun’s. Many forces vie for command of our lives, families, communities, and so on. If you do not have a solid base on which to build your life, it will be swept away by the strong currents of fashion, philosophy, or finances. The enemy of your soul is ruthless and insatiable. We need the power of God to change us daily, and we need the support of our fellows. When we agree together to accomplish His purpose, our efforts are multiplied. Through unity, God gives us the power to overcome.
That is grisly, but the concept is powerful. What if we were all focused on what God is focused on? The enemy wouldn’t have a chance and so many more souls would be set free!
When we agree together to accomplish His purpose, our efforts are multiplied. Through unity, God gives us the power to overcome.
The point is clear ~ I have no wisdom to add, you covered it well.