“Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.” Psalm 19:11
Russia has just now started what appears to be an all-out invasion of their neighbor, Ukraine. A few pertinent things to note for Christians.
First, our King and His Kingdom are not shaken, nor under assault. Neither rulers, nor danger, nor sword, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. This doesn’t mean, however, that we won’t have troubles and suffering. It means that we’re eternally secure so we don’t need to give in to fear.
Second, Russia is, according to the principles of self-defense outlined in the Bible, in the wrong. They are the aggressive actor violating the rights of their neighbor.
As it goes, Vladimir Putin is a highly intelligent and crafty leader who is, judging from his speeches throughout the years, an ardent Russian nationalist. The downfall of the Soviet Union and Russia’s ensuing humiliation, economic troubles, etc., stung him deeply. His desire is for a strong Russian fatherland and he considers Ukraine as part of Russia, much like China considers Taiwan as their own. Coupled with the encroachments of NATO, which had been, after the Cold War, growing closer to Putin’s borders, Russia has been itching to assert its power.
Third, President Biden’s ridiculous and shameful debacle in Afghanistan very likely emboldened America’s enemies. The current administration is living on the inherited power of an America that won the peace in the Second World War at great expense to itself in blood and treasure. After that, through “skirmishes” with Korea and Vietnam, America avoided a full-scale war with the Soviet Union, which likely would have ended with a nuclear holocaust. Those skirmishes cost America about 150,000 lives! And make no mistake: Vietnam and Korea were fought to stop the Soviet Union without directly fighting them. If we would give up that much blood to fight communism there, what would we do to defend Western Europe and even our own homeland? That was the point of Korea and Vietnam.
And now, it would seem, that our little vacation from history is over. Politicians like President Biden who have mistakenly convinced voters that Donald Trump was the greatest threat to humanity America has ever seen, must now govern with wisdom. The world is an exceedingly dangerous place because of sin. Presidents like Ronald Reagan understood that and they fought evil with the good of America’s founding principles. In 1979 America was faced with raging inflation, vacillating leadership in Jimmy Carter, an aggressive Soviet Union that invaded a neighbor (Afghanistan), and then the Iranian hostage situation (foreign policy humiliation). You see, ungodly rule proceeds from ungodly people and produces chaos. So, don’t be shocked at what you’re seeing. The American people have chosen a career politician, enriched by his lifetime in “public service”, aged and possibly senile, to lead them because they were convinced that God’s moral law could be ignored. Our country was spared a collapse in 79-80 by turning to moral leadership. What will we do now?
High inflation has come because we demanded something for nothing. War has come because we have convinced ourselves that sin doesn’t exist and good men of power don’t need to check and intimidate evil men of power. So, now we see again that God isn’t mocked. Will we turn to a Reagan in the next election to correct the scales? We have no idea. But no matter what happens, we know that it’s God who saves and this is our Father’s world. What we see are the consequences of sin and for that, though we weep with those who weep, we rejoice in Christ that His holy Word is true. We rejoice that His principles are always correct.
We also note the rank hypocrisy of world leaders, atheistic in their worldview, calling an invasion immoral. What is their standard of morality? An atheist who espouses the metaphysic of Darwinism believes, ostensibly, in the survival of the fittest. To be true to their principles, therefore, atheists should cheer for the strong to prevail over the weak. You see, only the Christian worldview makes sense of the concepts on display. We are all right to bemoan Russia’s aggression because God’s law has been written on our hearts. This is God’s world and His moral law is known to all, so we’re without excuse. Aggression against neighbor is forbidden only if Jesus Christ is Lord. If we exist in anything other than a world created by the personal and morally perfect God, our protestations are contradictory. We should understand this and love our neighbor by pointing this out…bringing them to the cross of Christ.
Furthermore, we note the tyranny to our north. Canada’s descent into corporate-fascism is a greater danger to America than the Ukrainian invasion for the simple reason that many American democrats applaud it. Let that sink in. That Canada’s tyrant leader, Justin Trudeau, declared protesters terrorists, seizing their bank accounts and suspending their civil rights, is in action what many are calling Vladimir Putin today. Without God’s law/word as our guide we are without hope of living rationally in a sin-sick world (“who can discern his errors…? Psalm 19:12). Without God’s word/law as our guide we applaud openly socialist politicians in our land while decrying the actions of socialism in another land. Sin makes us stupid.
Lastly, we pray that President Biden and our government officials are given wisdom in these perilous times. Let’s pray that men and women everywhere repent of their foolishness and pride as the storm clouds of judgment gather upon America’s horizon. Let’s pray that America returns to the Lord with weeping over its sin. She has picked a fight with the Almighty One. These are the headwinds of a dreadful storm of judgment gathering off our shore because we’ve shaken our fist in His face. He has warned us and we warn America again. Repent. Like an Old Testament prophet, let me say: hear, ye, the word of the Lord:
“How long, O simple ones, will you love being simple? How long will scoffers delight in their scoffing and fools hate knowledge? If you turn at my reproof, behold, I will pour out my spirit to you; I will make my words known to you. Because I called and you refused to listen, have stretched out my hand and no one has heeded, because you have ignored all my counsel and would have none of my reproof, I will also laugh at your calamity; I will mock when terror strikes you, when terror strikes you like a storm and your calamity comes like a whirlwind, when distress and anguish come upon you.
“They will call upon me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently but will not find me. Because they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord, would have none of my counsel and despised all my reproof, therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way, and have their fill of their own devices. For the simple are killed by their turning away and the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster.” Proverbs 1:22-33
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