Uncertainty of War and the Protection of God
As we enter this time of uncertainty and war seems eminent, I question our position as a nation in God’s divine plan. Just over a decade ago we prepared for war in the Middle East. I was in the military at that time and was sent away from my family to face an uncertain future. During this time of war, I had a feeling of confidence that I don’t feel today. I remember the last war very clearly. People were concerned and there was a national call to prayer. I saw churches praying and even the President of the United States addressed the nation and acknowledged the God of the Bible as our source of strength and as war loomed closer, people became repentant and submitted themselves to God.
America’s attitude during this war appears to be different. There is just as much uncertainty (if not more), yet there seems to be a complacency that was not present during the last conflict. The protesters are making noise just as before, but the church and the spiritual movement are missing. This should be a cause for concern. Though technology is valuable in our military, it is not our strength. Our might is based solely on our position in God’s will. I believe that the cause for our involvement in war is valid and it is something that must be done. We have seen in the past that when the world ignores the schemes of the wicked, a monster will arise that threatens the world. Evil has never and will never remain content inside of its boundaries. If left unchecked, it will always find its way into your territory. Unfortunately, most evil is left unchecked until it is climbing the walls of our own backyard.
We have already seen that this Middle East wickedness is expanding its boundaries. September 11, 2001 was a painfully clear signal and the actions of Sadam have made it clear that he is not content with his boundaries. Out of fear of war, people are willing to be blinded to the evidence; however, a greater fear will come if we ignore this wickedness. The question is not, ‘What should we do as a nation?’, but ‘Is our nation – and church – within the will of God’. In this two-part message, we will examine how the Bible addresses a nation’s spiritual responsibility and our individual response to the uncertainty of war.
The Nation that forgets God
When we examine the scriptures we see that God uses nations to judge nations. When the nations that inhabited the Promised Land became morally bankrupt, God drove them out by the hand of His people Israel. When Israel became corrupt, God judged His own people by raising up wicked nations against them. The nations that plagued Israel were not righteous, but God used them to test, attack and plague His people. Eventually God used Babylon to destroy Israel and remove them from their homeland because they refused to repent. Look at Amos 4:
6 " Also I gave you cleanness of teeth in all your cities. And lack of bread in all your places; Yet you have not returned to Me," Says the LORD.
7 "I also withheld rain from you, When there were still three months to the harvest. I made it rain on one city, I withheld rain from another city. One part was rained upon, And where it did not rain the part withered.
8 So two or three cities wandered to another city to drink water, But they were not satisfied; Yet you have not returned to Me," Says the LORD.
9 "I blasted you with blight and mildew. When your gardens increased, Your vineyards, Your fig trees, And your olive trees, The locust devoured them; Yet you have not returned to Me," Says the LORD.
10 "I sent among you a plague after the manner of Egypt; Your young men I killed with a sword, Along with your captive horses; I made the stench of your camps come up into your nostrils; Yet you have not returned to Me," Says the LORD.
11 "I overthrew some of you, As God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah, And you were like a firebrand plucked from the burning; Yet you have not returned to Me," Says the LORD.
12 " Therefore thus will I do to you, O Israel; Because I will do this to you, Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!"
13 For behold, He who forms mountains, And creates the wind, Who declares to man what his thought is, And makes the morning darkness, Who treads the high places of the earth -- The LORD God of hosts is His name.
When a nation whose God is the Lord begins to go in a direction that will destroy them, God makes it as difficult as possible for them to choose destruction. Some look at the actions of God and think that it is unjust for God to these things, but in reality it is truly unjust to allow a nation to become morally bankrupt without intervening. The purpose of God’s chastisement is to reveal the hopelessness of our own ways and to draw us back to Himself. When a nation or an individual is determined to rebel, all the chastising in the world will not deter them. Some people would rather choose misery than fellowship with God.
When Israel began to turn from God, He allowed them to lack so they were in want. When they began to lack prosperity and then began to need, they continued to resist. Each step became more severe until complete judgment was the final alternative. God deals with us like a parent. I don’t like to punish my children and I enjoy blessing them. There is a balance involved in raising kids. I don’t shower them with blessings to the point where their only view of me is a means to get what they want. Even though I would love to get them everything within my power, I love them enough to set boundaries. Appreciating relationships is more valuable than appreciating things.
When my kids disobey, I issue a warning. If they stop pursuing what I know will harm them, then I see that there is no need to punish them further. If they continue, I am forced to use more severe discipline. What level of discipline I am forced to take solely depends on their response. My desire is not to discipline; however, I also realize that it is a far worse consequence to allow them to act out destructive behaviors. In the end, a child must choose the path he or she will take. As a parent, my responsibility is to guide them toward the right way and to make the wrong was as difficult as possible. This is pattern of discipline that God has given us and it is revealed clearly in how God dealt with Israel.
The nations God used to judge Israel with were never righteous nations. God uses righteous nations to judge wicked nations and wicked nations to judge righteous nations that turn form God. Pagan cultures and godless nations would plague Israel when they were bent on pursuing idols. God would first begin to take away Israel’s blessings, and then they would suffer loss, then plagues and pestilence and finally destruction from the nations around them. They would first suffer from within, and finally they would suffer from without. When external enemies would come against Israel, they would first become a nuisance. Slowly the intensity of the problem would increase until fear, hardship and eventually destruction would occur. In spite of the hardships, Israel often refused to submit themselves to God.
The foundation of our nation
If we take the history of how God has dealt with His people and apply it to us today, we see a similar pattern. If we belong to God, then He has the right to chastise us for departing from His statutes. If God built America and we exist according to His will, then how can we stand if the people of our nation attempts to strip Him from being an authority over us? If God raised up our nation, can we stand if we remove the godly foundation on which we are built? Look at some of these interesting quotes from the founders of this country:
[W]e have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. . . . Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.
(Source: John Adams, The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States, Charles Francis Adams, editor (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co. 1854), Vol. IX, p. 229, October 11, 1798.)
There are three points of doctrine the belief of which forms the foundation of all morality. The first is the existence of God; the second is the immortality of the human soul; and the third is a future state of rewards and punishments. Suppose it possible for a man to disbelieve either of these three articles of faith and that man will have no conscience, he will have no other law than that of the tiger or the shark. The laws of man may bind him in chains or may put him to death, but they never can make him wise, virtuous, or happy.
(Source: John Quincy Adams, Letters of John Quincy Adams to His Son on the Bible and Its Teachings (Auburn: James M. Alden, 1850), pp. 22-23.)
I have lived, Sir, a long time, and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without His notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid? We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that "except the Lord build the House, they labor in vain that build it." I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political building no better, than the Builders of Babel: We shall be divided by our partial local interests; our projects will be confounded, and we ourselves shall become a reproach and bye word down to future ages. And what is worse, mankind may hereafter from tis unfortunate instance, despair of establishing governments by human wisdom and leave it to chance, war and conquest.
I therefore beg leave to move that henceforth prayers imploring the assistance of Heaven, and its blessings on our deliberations be held in this Assembly every morning before we proceed to business, and that one of more of the clergy of this city be requested to officiate in that service.
(Source: James Madison, The Records of the Federal Convention of 1787, Max Farrand, editor (New Haven: Yale University Press, 1911), Vol. I, pp. 450-452, June 28, 1787.)
No free government now exists in the world, unless where Christianity is acknowledged, and is the religion of the country.
(Source: Pennsylvania Supreme Court, 1824. Updegraph v. Cmmonwealth; 11 Serg. & R. 393, 406 (Sup.Ct. Penn. 1824).)
This quote from Ben Franklin is especially fitting in our political culture today:
[O]nly a virtuous people are capable of freedom. As nations become corrupt and vicious, they have more need of masters.
Source: Benjamin Franklin, The Writings of Benjamin Franklin, Jared Sparks, editor (Boston: Tappan, Whittemore and Mason, 1840), Vol. X, p. 297, April 17, 1787.
How this statement has been proven to be true. As our culture drifts farther away from our past Christian culture, greater laws are needed and freedom is lost. No longer do people have a sense of responsibility and self-restraint; instead they need dictates to say what must be done and what must not be done. Why do we need ‘hate crimes’ legislation? All murders and acts of violence are the result of hate. However, as internal restraint is lost, our culture tries to fill in the gap with more laws and greater restrictions. Why do so many people desire gun control laws? Powerful weapons in the hands of unrestrained people are a danger to society, yet the oppression required to suppress those who have no control is just as harmful. Can there be freedom without godliness to guide us? Human nature seeks self-fulfillment even at the cost of violating others, but the fruit of the Holy Spirit within a man is peace, love, joy, goodness, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness and self-control. These are not products of human achievement, but these are what the Holy Spirit within us produces through us. Once Jesus Christ is removed from the culture, so is the Holy Spirit. Without God’s guidance, freedom becomes anarchy and then it has to be restrained by tyrannical laws and masters to enforce those laws. Tyranny to restrain anarchy can never equal freedom.
We then end up the result God said He will use to chastisement His people – inner turmoil. As a nation continues to stray, plagues increase. Do we see this today? HIV, West Nile Virus, drug resistant bacteria and new diseases are reported constantly. Other internal struggles are terrorism, malicious groups, racial tension, government restrictions, the economy and I could go on and on. Just watch the 6:00 news and count the symptoms God warned would come.
In spite of it all, complacency grows. Is our country better or worse than it was 10 years ago? Are we going the same direction or do we see people trying to turn back to God? If our ways are producing harmful results, why do we continue to do the same thing? Recent headlines indicate what direction we are clearly going:
• ’Faithful’ gay relationships OK: new church head
• Honolulu PD drops God from officers’ oath
• Half of Catholic clergy sees a gay presence in priesthood
• Religion in Public Schools: "under God" Pledge Out; Prayer to Allah In?
• Saying Grace at Naval Academy ruled Unconstitutional
• ABC bleeps out the name ’Jesus’
• ACLU Threatens Legal Action to End Team Prayer at University Colorado
• ACLU Files Suit to Remove 10 Commandments from AL Judge’s Office
• General Mills Apologizes for including Bible in CD Givaway
• Lawsuit Could End Mealtime Prayers at Naval Academy
• School Bans 2nd Grader from bringing book "The First Christmas" because of Jesus
• FCC Rules Religious broadcasting license unconstitutional
• Court Rules Private Property Statue Of Jesus Near City Park Is Unlawful
• Cypress invokes eminent domain to seize church land
• Evangelism in Chicago is called Hate Speech
• Banned in Kentucky: 10 Commandments, Mayflower Compact, Declaration of Independence, U.S. motto because they speak of God
• ACLU Sues Hawii School to allow Church of Satan T-Shirt
• Students Not Allowed to Wear Pro-Life T-Shirts
• Indiana Board Drops "God" From Moral Precepts
• GA Library Bans the Bible
• NY Kindergartner Told Snack-time Prayer is Unconstitutional
• Teacher Throws Student’s Bibles in the Trash
• School Bans Christian Afterschool Club
• School Allows Satanic Club
• School Bans ’See You At The Pole’ Poster
• Christian Groups Forbidden to Pray on Campus
• Ohio’s 50 year motto ruled unconstitutional because of reference to God
• State Revokes Scholarship Because of Theology
I could include dozens of articles I’ve saved where Christianity is actively being stamped out of the public view, churches are turning from biblical positions and openly embracing godless practices of the culture, historic documents are being altered or removed because of references to God, etc. Our nation demands that God’s influence be excluded, but then expects God to protect us from terrorism and give us victory in war. The Bible gives us a clear command with a promise:
2 Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
We have all heard this quoted, but where is it being applied? Where is the church’s call to the people of God? Who is humbling themselves? Are we turning from our ways, seeking God’s face and petitioning for God’s forgiveness for our sins and the sins of our culture? America is the largest consumer and exporter of pornography in the world. More than eight out of ten Christian men surveyed at a yearly event admitted that they have viewed pornography within the last two weeks. The U.S. performs more abortions than any other nation in the world. Our nation suffers from complacency, apathy, Christians actively engaging in sinful lifestyles and neglect for the truth of God. Can we expect God to fight for us in a time of war when our nation is actively at war against God? War does not scare me, but seeing our nation turn from God and seeing the church apathetically ignoring the problem is very unnerving.
Warning Signs
Each time there is a warning sign, people grow more calloused. When Iraq invaded Kuwait and declared itself the rightful owner of all the Middle East oil, the whole world felt vulnerable. As we prepared for war, the anxiety of this nation caused the church to seek God’s face and get on their knees to seek help from above. President George Bush Sr. expressed his faith in God and called for the nation to pray as we prepared to engage an enemy that appeared to be mighty and well armed. As the nation prayed, our troops invaded. The army that seemed so strong disintegrated before our eyes. The ranks broke and the million man army surrendered as fast as we could reach them. Those who fought were so ineffective that it was hardly a battle. Was it a false alarm, or did God deliver them into our hand?
When we were concerned about Y2K, the churches began to fill up as the day grew closer. People prayed and there seemed to be a genuine searching for God among many Christians. The day we anxiously awaited passed by uneventful. Was it a false alarm, or the mercy of God? When we saw the destruction of the World Trade Centers, there was a very brief semblance of turning to God, but it was short lived. Our national day of prayer was a call for everyone to pray to his or her own god instead of a call to turn to the Living God. Can we call this a revival? Many ‘post-9/11’ polls were taken and across the board they revealed that there was a spiritual interest, but no increased interest in biblical Christianity. Americans were becoming more spiritual, but less Christianized. Our culture has little differences than the spiritual interest of the pagan cultures God rejected in the Old Testament.
Today, we see even more apathy toward God than ever before. We stand at the threshold of turmoil and many people are concerned, but very little moves people toward God. We have no friends in the Middle East who are truly allies. Syria has been proven to have funneled the most money into the very terrorist organizations we are at war against (including al-Qa’ida). Our troops have set up their home base for this war in the country that is the largest supporter of our enemy. This past week the US barred Saudi Arabian Airline pilots from flying in the US because they are a security risk. Yet we are depending on Saudi Arabia to be trustworthy for our military. The region we are marching into is a powder keg like never before. If anything, we should be seeking God’s mercies and praying now more than ever. Why then are we so complacent? The true question was echoed by Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War. A young soldier asked Lincoln if he thought God was on our side. He said, “The question is not whether God is on our side, but whether we are on God’s side”. If we are in God’s will and He is leading this country, the armies of the entire world cannot stand against us. However, if we are in rebellion against God and He draws us out to be judged, all the weapons, training, troops and technology the finest army in the world could ever hold will not give us the victory. Has God raised us up to judge the terrorist countries, or has God raised these wicked leaders to judge the U.S.?
Psalm 9: 17 The wicked shall be turned into hell, And all the nations that forget God.
The U.S. is not exempted. The Bible also states, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord”. Who are our gods? Do we honor money, possession or pleasures more than God? Do we spend more time in front of the TV than in our relationship with God? Is God ever honored in our homes at all? Almost all pagan religions center around sexuality and lust and we clearly see the desire for worshipping sex in this culture as well. Deuteronomy 8:
19 "Then it shall be, if you by any means forget the LORD your God, and follow other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you this day that you shall surely perish.
20 "As the nations which the LORD destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be obedient to the voice of the LORD your God.
God has given us the good news and the bad news; the blessing and the curse. God has placed the responsibility for the direction of our nation in the hands of the church. If the church is obedient and faithful, God has promised that He will restore the culture, raise up people among us to rebuild what has become a wasted place and heal our nation. If the church rebels against scripture or rejects God, the culture and the church will fail; the nation will forget God and fall. Every church should take God’s word very seriously and humble, repent, seek God’s face and pray. War is not to be feared; being outside of God’s will should be. By God’s design, the hinge of our culture turns on the church.
Next, we will look at the protection of God.
