What is Patriotism?
    O Beautiful for heroes proved
                 In liberating strife
       Who more than self-their country loved
             And mercy more than life!

Now David was a patriot when he for water thirsted
        And three mighty men through enemy lines bursted
To bring Him water from Bethlehem’s well
        With awesome courage did he tell
That he, with his men, was one.

What happened when his faithful Uriah turned
        And the blessings of his marriage spurned
Refusing to go home and sleeping on a stone
        He was one with his fellows and not alone
For he, with his men, was one.

How was this Hittite so faithful that night.
        Why, when what he did was so right,
Did not King David blush with shame?
        How could he cruelly sign his name
To Uriah’s order of destruction

It took Nathan, God’s faithful gift to him,
        To awaken in David that which was so dim
He told a story of greedy betrayal and sin.
        Angrily David was suddenly righteous then
How did David receive Nathan’s instruction?

With tears of regret he did confess
        Yet once again God did bless
But when David would God’s Temple build,
        How sadly did he finally yield
To have the temple built by another.

Thus, a patriot can sometimes fall
        When sadly this tale I recall
I pray that a patriot for God I will be
        Until at last we all will see
The true Patriot, our Elder Brother.