In my last blog, we looked at what’s taking place politically and biblically between America and North Korea. The rhetoric from Pyongyang intensified again this week because of annual South Korean—U.S. military exercises, but how likely is war? And is God on our side?
Despite the media hype, in response to a question about how concerned we should be about war with North Korea, CIA director Mike Pompeo recently stated, “There’s nothing imminent today.” Likewise, national security advisor Herbert McMaster has said, “We’re not closer to war than a week ago, but we are closer to war than we were a decade ago.”
Last time we noted that, until now, China has had little reason to interfere with North Korea’s weapon’s program. Now, with President Trump having placed war on the table, and with China having the most to lose in a military conflict, China appears to be motived to get involved in order to keep the Korean peninsula stable.
If, then, things are calming down, are we free to hit the snooze button? Can we rest assured that God has taken America’s side and everything will be okay?
As we look at our nation’s trajectory both morally and spiritually, we should not flippantly dismiss international conflict, nor should we glibly assume that God is on our side. America does not have special nation status with God. We are not protected by virtue of having been founded as a Christian country, by the good we have done, or by the ways in which America has been used to spread the gospel.
Instead, God always reserves the right to both bless and curse any nation according to the degree to which that nation chooses to follow Him (Deut. 11:26–28). After blessing a nation, God may choose to curse that same nation if it becomes rebellious to His will and ways (Jer. 18:7-10). Israel, who was God’s covenant people, experienced both blessings and curses from God (Lev. 26:1–46; Deut. 28:1–68).
Put another way, if God became Israel’s enemy, willing to fight against His own people due to their rebellion, then He can become the enemy of any nation—including our own (Isa. 63:7–10). No nation can assume that God is on its side. Rather, we must be on God’s side.
If ever there was a time for God to be on Israel’s side, it was in the days of Joshua. The Lord had personally led the Israelites to the land which He had promised to their forefathers; He had supernaturally dried up the Jordan River so that they could cross over, and He was about to miraculously collapse the walls of Jericho. Nevertheless, the angel of the Lord told Joshua that He was not on Israel’s side; neither was He on the side of their enemies. Instead, he declared that he commanded the armies of heaven, so Joshua had best be sure to be on His side (Josh. 5:13-14)!
In summary, God doesn’t choose sides between nations. Instead, there is God’s side and everyone else’s side—and God expects us to join His side. When asked whether God was on his side, Abraham Lincoln said, “I do not care whether God is on my side; the important question is whether I am on God’s side, for God is always right.”
Our question then, should be, “Are we as a nation faithfully seeking after God as we seek a resolution to the question of North Korea?” Or are we making the same mistake that Israel made in assuming that because God had clearly been with them in the past, and because they were far less wicked than their neighboring nations, God would support and protect them in any military conflict?
In the first two chapters of Habakkuk, we read of a conversation between the prophet and God as Habakkuk struggled to understand how God could use the Babylonians to judge His own people. How could a holy and just God watch His people fall to the most wicked, depraved, and ruthless nation on Earth? What we discover is that God has a plan. He chose to use the Babylonians to judge His own people so that they would repent and once again be a nation that could be used by God. As for the Babylonians, the day was coming when they too would be judged. God was merely moving the nations like pawns to accomplish His greater purposes.
As Americans, we should not ask which nation is more wicked. Instead, we should ask which nation is following God. The fact that both North Korea and America are in a rebellious posture toward God should give us great concern. Perhaps God may choose to signal to the entire world the consequences of disobedience by using one of the most incapable nations to bring one of the most capable nations to its knees. He has done this before.
Whether or not escalation between North Korea and the U.S. continues, what should be our response?
I think you will be surprised.
To be continued…
For a detailed look at the premise of this blog, with accompanying sources, click here to read Evaluating the North Korean Crisis by Timothy Zebell.
