Is there anyone but me who finds it difficult to make sense out of the paradoxes that are on display around the world?
For most of the last two centuries, America was assumed to be the country most aligned with the Christian faith. Today vestiges of that era are being dismantled. Operating under the banner of “Wall of Separation between church and state,” Bible quotes and Scripture references are under removal or revision orders across the country.
How refreshing it would be to hear a president quote the Scriptures as a source of national policy. Be careful: it was just 10 days ago – at a rally in Moscow – when a President paraphrased Jesus’ words from John 15:13 to justify his war on Ukraine: “You know, I remember the words from the Bible. ‘There is no other love rather than if someone gives soul for their friends,’” a remark that drew huge applause from his crowd. No one stood up to call for the separation of church and state. He continued, “These words from the holy scripture of Christianity, it’s something that is very dear to those who profess this religion.”
So, God has been brought into the conversation about Russia’s devastating attack on Ukraine, as if He is “for it.” Whose side is He on?
About 1400 BC, Joshua – successor to Moses as the leader of the mission to return the Jews to the land given by God to Abraham and his descendants – led the Israelites across the Jordan to begin the task of retaking the land they had left 400 years before. Their first obstacle was the walled city of Jericho; the transition of the Jews under his leadership from wanderers to warriors was his next challenge.
Joshua was on a reconnaissance mission when his reality was reset: “Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ ‘Neither,’ he replied, ‘but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.’ Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, ‘What message does my Lord have for his servant?’” (Joshua 5:13-14).
Right now, nations, countries, banks – on a global front – are being challenged with the question: where do they stand regarding Russia’s unprovoked attack on a sovereign neighboring country? Whose side are they on?
When Joshua saw the armed man in front of him, he asked the question: Whose side was he on? The answer was immediate and powerful: he wasn’t just a mercenary who was looking for a fight: he was the Commander of the Army of the Lord (we know Him as the Lord Jesus Christ). He had not come to take sides: He came to take over.
Joshua’s response was the only one possible: when you’re standing in the presence of God, you assume the posture of submission and worship, and ask Him for your orders.
Whether in local politics in America or on a pep-rally stage in Russia, it’s not unusual for self-elevated leaders with their own agendas to invoke the name of God – or the Word of God – in an attempt to validate their positions. Are we to understand that Putin is leading a holy war today that is advancing the purposes of God’s Kingdom?
For Joshua, 3600 years ago – or for us, today – the questions are the same: 1) Who is that man with the sword in His hand? Note: the Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God (Ephesians 5:17). And, 2) What message does He have for us as we step into battle? Note: our enemies are not people; our opponents are the dark spiritual forces under the control of the Evil One (Ephesians 6:12).
Be careful: leaders can quote the Bible while never falling down in reverence and giving God His rightful place, as the Supreme Commander…
