Introduction
A Table in the Presence is an account of divine protection during Operation Iraqi Freedom given from the eyes of Navy Chaplain Lieutenant Carey Cash who was attached to the First Battalion, Fifth Marine Regiment in 2003.[1]He describes the major offensive from Kuwait to Fallujah and Baghdad in Iraq, but not before giving a brief context of military life and customs, describing individual accounts from the soldiers, and helping the reader gain a better understanding of the culture of war. Ultimately, Cash describes how God’s presence and protection were shared, felt, and experienced even in the most severe of conditions, from battlefronts to searing deserts. He mentions how soldiers expressed their faith and sought God, and how God sought and protected the battalion as they carried out their orders. Cash conveys the humanity and unexpected divinity of war with fluency and empathy, allowing the reader to understand and better relate to God, faith, war, and justice.
Main Ideas and Significant Themes
For those who, past or present, are unfamiliar with the details of the Second Iraq War (which many are) Cash is obliged to provide a narrative of events of the staging and major offensive carried out by his battalion with references to sporadic interactions with other military units. His narrative provides the backdrop for the stories and vignettes of his experiences with the approximately 1,200 Marines under his ministry, as well as their experiences with God.[2]The stage is set to transmit the message that 1) faith and spirituality in the context of war is not a typical Sunday morning service at a local American church, 2) extreme pressure brings out serious soul-searching and spirituality within the ranks of the soldiers, 3) divine and unexplainable protection keeps his unit from harm. Cash is brilliantly descriptive in setting these tones for the reader.
A Table in the Presence is comprised of eleven chapters. Chapter one, “An Unexpected Feast,” describes a period of preparation before the offensive began in March.[3]Cash recounts Marine culture in Kuwait, from long distance phone calls with 4-second line delays to officer impersonations and activities performed to boost morale. He mentions serving as a Baptist and ministering with chaplains of three other denominations: Methodist, Nazarene, and Lutheran.[4]He offers glimpses into being estranged from home and family, eating military rations and MREs: Meals Ready to Eat.[5]He mentions the equipment and vehicles used for the offensive, terms that the reader needs to relate to the story later.[6]He describes the anticipation of suddenly preparing for war and moving out at very short notice. Finally, he expresses the sense of fulfillment he experiences in being able to perform religious services for troops who are about to engage the enemy. He preaches a sermon from Joshua 1:9, exhorting the Marines to “be strong and of a good courage” for God was with them.[7]Of the moments before battle, Cash quotes his father-in-law, stating, “‘every crisis is a combination of danger and opportunity.’ Here was a profound opportunity to look to God and to commit our lives to Him.”[8]
Chapter three, “Fiery Furnace,” speaks of the extremely challenging conditions the Marines faced navigating the Iraqi desert. Cash describes horrendous sand storms that would completely block visibility and shut down their convoy for hours. He recalls praying for God’s presence to be made real for his fellow soldiers in the midst of danger, fear, and the seeming isolation of a dark, desert blast.[9]Chapter four, “KIA,” describes the Marines’ first casualty experience, a platoon leader, Second Lieutenant Shane Childers.[10]Cash tells the soldiers’ reaction to death as well as and the bond forged between the soldiers and God as a result.[11]
Chapter five, “A Sign in the Storm,” recounts a miraculous story of a Bible lost and found by one of the unit’s Humvee drivers.[12]It had been a source of study as well as a symbol of God’s protection. The Bible was lost in the midst of mud, sand and hail, but was later miraculously retrieved in clean and unblemished condition. This is Cash’s first story of surprising and unexplainable protection for his men. Chapter six, “Filthy Hands, Pure Hearts” describes the attitude with the soldiers approached God and connected with communion. In Cash’s own words:
First, communion reminded these warriors that Christ Himself knew something about battle, heroism, and sacrifice.[13]Second, communion was a way to partake of something spiritually concrete before rushing off onto a field of battle full of intangibles and uncertainties. [14]Third, communion fulfilled the deep longings that we all had, indeed that every human heart knows, for mystery.[15]
Chapter seven, “Assa-lamu-alay-Kum,” (Peace be upon you.) offers Cash’s perspectives on brining divinely inspired peace to the people of Iraq through war and conflict with a foreign army.[16]Cash describes delivering aide and comfort to the families and victims of the war. He describes the tenets of Saddam Hussein’s cruel regime. He also describes the oppression of shari’ah law, its effects, and its detriment to women and minorities.[17]He justifies Operation Iraqi Freedom on the basis of its proliferation of human rights.
Chapter eight, “Arms Lifted Up” offers the reader a sampling of the outpouring of letters, prayer, and support received from friends and family in the US.[18]Chapter nine, “April 10th” describes the battalion’s entrance into Fallujah and Baghdad and sets the stage for the miraculous account in the following chapter.[19]
Author’s Purpose
Chapter ten, “A Mighty Fortress” tells of how the Marines of Cash’s regiment were unexplainably protected from impending injury and almost certain death while invading the presidential palace of Saddam Hussein.[20]Cash relates how Private First Class Timothy Pawloski was pulled out of the path of an incoming RPG by what felt to him like “an unseen rope.”[21]Enemy RPGs skipped below their company’s vehicles, detonating only after being pushed out of their way by an invisible force.[22]Cash quotes Captain Blair Sokol watching in disbelief as his men were protected from ambush even though exposed from the waist up while firing from their unit’s Humvees. Cash quotes Staff Sergeant Bradley Nerad as saying, “There is no way they should have gotten through that ambush like they did. Someone must have been there with us, providing air-watch.”[23] Several members of the unit believed that God’s angels had actively protected them. Cash reaches the ultimate objective of his book in this chapter, describing many accounts of divine protection of his battalion from harm.
Author’s Thesis and Arguments
Cash’s assertions in chapter eleven of A Table in the Presence are threefold: First, God empowered his Marine battalion for battle and gave them strength far beyond their own natural talents and abilities.[24] Second, God strengthened their spirits in the loss of their fellow Marines.[25]Third, God shielded them from the danger that constantly surrounded them.[26]Cash concludes his story with a powerful definition of divine comfort: “When God offers us His comfort, it does not necessarily mean He removes our pain and sorrow. Instead, He grants us His companionship through the pain and sorrow by providing a fellow soul to bear our burden with us.”[27]The book is thematically and scripturally founded in Psalm 23, providing a modern-day account of the Lord providing a table for his children in the presence of his enemies.
Strengths and Weaknesses
While little can be said against Lt. Cash’s bravery, service, commitment, and valor, some readers might wonder how apparently God protects some and seemingly does not protect others. To this concern, Cash responds.
“I am well aware that a book like this raises a difficult and painful question in the hearts and minds of all those who care about our troops: ‘What about those who are dying almost daily? Where was God’s supernatural protection for them?’”[28]
Cash cites the stories of Daniel and Stephen in the Old and New Testaments respectively. Daniel was protected from the lions. Stephen was stoned to death. Cash concludes, “Daniel and Stephen both remained true to their calling; both walked faithfully no matter the cost.”[29]The moral of the story of A Table, as well as the story of the readers’ lives, is that come what may, all must be faithful to God’s calling. If one is divinely protected from harm, one must continue working on earth. If one is allowed to pass through death, one can enter into the joy of a faithful servant in Heaven.
Conclusion and Recommendation
This author opines that Cash provides a very real account of war, including the atrocities and struggles, as well as the spectacular protection that his specific battalion experienced. While no life story is entirely similar, Cash’s story of God’s presence and protection is worth relating, as it is both grounded in human realism and divine inspiration for the reader. This author wholeheartedly recommends A Table in the Presence.
[1]Carey H. Cash, A Table In The Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God’s Presence Amidst the Chaos of The War In Iraq, Kindle Edition. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004),. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 2.
[2]Ibid., 12.
[3]Carey H. Cash, A Table In The Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God’s Presence Amidst the Chaos of The War In Iraq, Kindle Edition. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 5.
[4]Ibid., 5.
[5]Ibid., 10.
[6]Ibid., 13-14.
[7]Ibid, 15.
[8]Ibid., 17.
[9]Carey H. Cash, A Table In The Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God’s Presence Amidst the Chaos of The War In Iraq, Kindle Edition. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 53.
[10]Ibid., 87.
[11]Ibid., 76.
[12]Ibid., 107.
[13]Ibid,. 129.
[14]Ibid., 129.
[15]Ibid., 130.
[16]Ibid., 139.
[17]Carey H. Cash, A Table In The Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God’s Presence Amidst the Chaos of The War In Iraq, Kindle Edition. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004),148.
[18]Ibid., 156.
[19]Ibid., 173.
[20]Ibid., 200.
[21]Ibid., 202.
[22]Ibid., 203.
[23]Ibid.
[24]Carey H. Cash, A Table In The Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God’s Presence Amidst the Chaos of The War In Iraq, Kindle Edition. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 219.
[25]Ibid., 223.
[26]Ibid., 227.
[27]Ibid., 226-227.
[28]Ibid., 239.
[29]Carey H. Cash, A Table In The Presence: The Dramatic Account of How a U.S. Marine Battalion Experienced God’s Presence Amidst the Chaos of The War In Iraq, Kindle Edition. (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2004), 241.
David Lockwood 