Israel, America, and Iran: Where have we seen this before?

“For My thoughts [are] not your thoughts, Nor [are] your ways My ways," says the LORD. For [as] the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:8-9

“The whirlwind is in the thorn tree.” – Johnny Cash, The Man Comes Around


The more I’ve come to learn of history – particularly of the political intrigues and backroom deals that have killed so many and enslaved so many more – the more I’ve become convinced that it is largely the story of man sowing to the wind as he goes his way without God, and reaping the whirlwind as God allows him to go. This is a pattern that is repeated over and over again. Even those who name the Name of Jesus Christ are prone to it as they lose sight of God and the commandments of Christ in favor of competing on the “grand chessboard,” ardently playing king-maker, lifting national banners above that of the cross, placing their hopes in men and arms rather than in Christ, and deciding who is worthy of life and death in what they would call a “big picture” sense.

The current crisis with Iran and the looming specter of regional war, if not world war, is yet another example of this unfortunate, entirely unnecessary, and, I believe, manifestly unbiblical, trend. Evangelical Christian leaders in general appear to be stamping their feet in time to the beat of Washington’s war drums once again, even with our debacles in Iraq and Afghanistan still fresh in the collective American memory, and in spite of the fact that Washington and its globalist allies are manifestly pursuing the new world order scheme that Christians have long feared will give rise to the Antichrist. Confident in our military supremacy, inebriated by this country’s relative isolation from serious conflict, and apparently more zealous for Manifest Destiny on a global scale than for the Sermon on the Mount or the Great Commission, they are, once again, prepared to deal out death and destruction en mass. I recently watched a clip of John Hagee and Benny Hinn praying together that God would lead us into war “against the enemies of righteousness,” and these two men alone wield influence over millions of believers.

That said, to be fair I should note that many evangelicals are motivated more by a concern for the nation of Israel than by globalist aims or anything else when it comes to the issue of war in the Middle East. They are frightened by the possibility of Israel’s extinction at the hands of relentless foes, and believe that our failure to lash out aggressively at anyone who might threaten Israel would be considering “cursing” that country in the eyes of God (see Genesis 12:3). The question is: what does God think and want? Scripture is clear that He does not necessarily think about things the way we do, nor desire the things we desire. So what would He have to say about the situation in the Middle East, were He to speak through a prophet today? What advice would He give?

Others have written ably on the subject of Christianity and just warfare doctrine in the past. A simple Google search will turn up their work within the space of just a few mouse clicks, so I don’t think it necessary to add another treatise on the same general topic. Mark Twain’s “the War Prayer” is a classic in this area, and would be a fine place to start. Of course, if our goal is to better understand the mind and will of God, then we should first consult the scriptures, and the Old Testament furnishes us with an account of an ancient war that bears more than a passing resemblance to the current escalating situation with Iran. The story, found in II Kings 19, II Chronicles 32, and Isaiah 36-37 concerns Assyria’s attempt to conquer Jerusalem during the reign of King Hezekiah, and provides us with one of the more miraculous interventions described in the Bible.

At the time that Hezekiah assumed the throne in Judah, Assyria was the dominant power in the Middle East. It had already defeated and deported the Northern Kingdom of Israel and was exacting tribute from Judah. Hezekiah rebelled against Assyrian rule and made a military alliance with Egypt, but this was a short-lived affair. Assyria invaded Judah, besieging Jerusalem, and Hezekiah was forced to relent and pay tribute once again; but the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, not satisfied with the tribute Hezekiah had paid, laid siege to Jerusalem once more with a massive army. The Bible tells us that Hezekiah consulted the prophet Isaiah and prayed for God’s deliverance, and that God acted to protect Jerusalem by sending the Angel of the Lord to kill 185,000 men of Sennacherib’s army in a single night. Sennacherib, understandably downcast by this sudden turn of events, was forced to retreat in disgrace and was later murdered by two of his own sons.

Today, Israel argues that it faces another “existential threat,” the prospect of an Iranian nuclear weapon; and, like Hezekiah of old, their first response is to look around for allies and consider potential military solutions. Their chief ally, of course, is the United States of America, even if we constrain them as much if not more than we aid them, and, in this way, we have essentially become Israel’s modern Egypt. History is repeating itself in another form but according to the same general underlying pattern.

As to how God views all of this, scripture offers us many examples of what He thinks of trusting in military solutions, and particularly what He thought of Israel seeking an alliance with Egypt:

“Woe to the rebellious children,” says the LORD, “Who take counsel, but not of Me, And who devise plans, but not of My Spirit, That they may add sin to sin; Who walk to go down to Egypt, And have not asked My advice, To strengthen themselves in the strength of Pharaoh, And to trust in the shadow of Egypt! Therefore the strength of Pharaoh Shall be your shame, And trust in the shadow of Egypt Shall be your humiliation.” – Isaiah 30:1-3

“Woe to those who go down to Egypt for help, And rely on horses, Who trust in chariots because they are many, And in horsemen because they are very strong, But who do not look to the Holy One of Israel, Nor seek the LORD! Yet He also is wise and will bring disaster, And will not call back His words, But will arise against the house of evildoers, And against the help of those who work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; And their horses are flesh, and not spirit. When the LORD stretches out His hand, Both he who helps will fall, And he who is helped will fall down; They all will perish together.” – Isaiah 31:1-3

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Cursed is the man who trusts in man And makes flesh his strength, Whose heart departs from the LORD. For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, And shall not see when good comes, But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness, In a salt land which is not inhabited. Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, And whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river, And will not fear when heat comes; But its leaf will be green, And will not be anxious in the year of drought, Nor will cease from yielding fruit.’” – Jeremiah 17:5-8

“Some [trust] in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.” – Psalm 20:7

"No king [is] saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse [is] a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver [any] by its great strength. Behold, the eye of the LORD [is] on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy, To deliver their soul from death, And to keep them alive in famine." - Psalm 33:16-19

“When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the Lord your God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you… But he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, for the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall not return that way again.’” – Deuteronomy 17:14-16

There were times when God commanded Israel to go to war, but even on such occasions, it was always evident that He was the power behind their victory and that He alone deserved their trust, as well as the glory for the outcome. His commandments that they should not trust in chariots and horses, nor in their own strength, nor in the strength of others, were meant to keep their focus on Him, lest they become arrogant. Another reason I believe He issued these commandments was to restrain them so that they did not go out and engage in warfare for the purposes of acquiring power and wealth, as other nations habitually did.

Warfare is fallen man at his very worst, even when he engages in it for what seem to him to be noble reasons. War breeds hatred, cruelty, unforgiveness, and base ambition. It inevitably inflicts widespread death and suffering, and it generates lingering hostilities that, more often than not, lead to future conflicts. As General Robert E. Lee, who could testify on this topic with some authority, once expressed it:

“What a cruel thing is war: to separate and destroy families and friends, and mar the purest joys and happiness God has granted us in this world; to fill our hearts with hatred instead of love for our neighbors, and to devastate the fair face of this beautiful world.”

Far too often we look at war in the “big picture” sense, thinking that, while loss of life is unfortunate, it is ultimately acceptable in order to accomplish some “greater good”. Yet, we as Christians, of all people, should remember that God is attentive to every individual and is reluctant to see even wicked men die:

“Surely for your lifeblood I will demand [a reckoning]; from the hand of every beast I will require it, and from the hand of man. From the hand of every man’s brother I will require the life of man.” – Genesis 9:5

“Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’” – Ezekiel 33:11

"Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins? And not one of them is forgotten before God. "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” – Luke 12:6-7

“The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” – II Peter 3:9 (English Standard Version)

The above scriptures, among others that could be cited, paint a clear picture: God takes issues of life and death seriously. If He marks every sparrow that falls we can be certain that He sees every individual who suffers and/or dies in man’s wars, and we can believe that He will call all involved parties to account for the lives they took and the suffering they caused. We dare not consider these things lightly, lest we find the wrath of God upon our own heads, for He has made it clear that He will repay men for their deeds (Ecclesiastes 12:14). I point this out here because American Christians often seem eager for war, and I find this very difficult to reconcile with scripture.

The coming war with Iran will be a bloody affair. Hundreds of thousands of people, if not more, could be impacted, their lives either cut short or otherwise changed forever. And in light of all of this, the first question to ask ourselves is: have we sought the Lord in this matter? Have we asked for His guidance? Are we resorting to force of arms to alleviate our fears rather than trusting in Him? Have we considered the potential loss of life and human suffering that may result in terms of what God would think of it? Will it be "worth it" in His eyes? Have we learned anything from the past?

The evidence that I've seen to date indicates that many have already made up their minds that war is inevitable, even desirable, and that all we should be asking God for is blessing and protection as we prosecute it in whatever manner seems feasible to us. But the question I would ask in return is this: is not the God we serve today the same God who delivered Jerusalem from the army of Sennacherib without the Jews having to fire a shot? Is He any less aware of the geo-political situation today than He was then? Has He somehow grown old and feeble and unable to save in the intervening years? If we humble ourselves and seek His face, will He not answer as He always has?

Fallen men cannot prosecute a war in righteousness, no matter the cause. We will always end up hating our enemy to some degree. We will always, even if unintentionally, cause the innocent to suffer with the guilty. We will always return evil for evil in the form of reprisals. We will never know for certain how well the path we take will play out in the future, and how what seems like a good goal today may somehow lead to a worse end further down the road in time. God, on the other hand, has no such weaknesses and no such constraints. He sees the end from the beginning. When He acts, He does so in perfect righteousness. He is capable of zeroing His wrath in on truly guilty targets with far greater accuracy than we could hope to achieve with any 'smart bomb' in our collective arsenals, and without harming a hair on the heads of the innocent.

Considering this, how much better would it be for us to seek Him, even to ask for His direct intervention, rather than rushing pell-mell off to war ourselves with our limited vision, our fallen natures, and our imperfect means? Doesn't it really come down to a matter of letting fear rule us, and of trusting in ourselves more than in Him? Or is it that we've already made up our minds and we're just looking to Him to rubber-stamp our plans?

Furthermore, with regard to Israel and this matter of blessing and cursing, given how God repeatedly instructed Israel to not trust in their own strength or go running to Egypt for help – how, in fact, He pronounced a curse against those who trust in man – are we really doing Israel any favors by encouraging them to seek a military solution to their fears and to depend on America? In this sense, have we not become a modern Egypt to them? Do we really expect God to bless us for this when it runs contrary to so much that we see in His Word?

The solution to Israel’s problem was spelled out long ago by Moses, even as the nation stood ready to enter the Promised Land:

“Now it shall come to pass, when all these things come upon you, the blessing and the curse which I have set before you, and you call them to mind among all the nations where the LORD your God drives you, 2 and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, according to all that I command you today, you and your children, with all your heart and with all your soul, 3 that the LORD your God will bring you back from captivity, and have compassion on you, and gather you again from all the nations where the LORD your God has scattered you. 4 If any of you are driven out to the farthest parts under heaven, from there the LORD your God will gather you, and from there He will bring you. 5 Then the LORD your God will bring you to the land which your fathers possessed, and you shall possess it. He will prosper you and multiply you more than your fathers. 6 And the LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, that you may live.” – Deuteronomy 30:1-6

Israel’s salvation does not lie in force of arms or in trusting in any other nation. It lies with returning to Yahweh, to the God of their fathers, and submitting to Him. Only then will their perpetual blessing and safety be assured. As long as they place their trust in any other thing, including in the United States, they will face continual harassment. God’s purpose in all of this is ultimately to draw them back to Himself and to pure worship, and this will not happen as long as Israel believes that it can take care of itself or that the United States will shield it. Those who think that God will not allow His people to fall should read through the Old Testament again, as the scriptures are clear that God allowed Israel to be oppressed and overrun numerous times in order to draw them back to Him after they had strayed. He allowed dreadful things to befall His people, and even drove them out of the land twice (first during the Assyrian and Babylonian captivities, and again when the Romans destroyed the Jewish state). The record is clear: God can and will use hardship to drive His people to repentance. He is far more concerned with the spiritual condition of His people than with their geo-political situation.

No matter how long it may be before Israel is finally reconciled to God, we do them no favors in the meantime by thinking that we can rescue them. Nor do we do ourselves any favors in this area; the Bible is clear on these matters. God has not fallen asleep in the heavens, nor has He forgotten His promises, nor has He become weak. He is not going to allow the Jews to be destroyed by the Iranians or anyone else; however, He may allow considerable suffering to come to both Israel and America if we continue to trust in our own strength to save us, ignoring the more fundamental spiritual issues that underlie the problems of this world. He will deliberately allow that which we depend upon, or glory in, to fail us, just as He has done before:

11 “And of whom have you been afraid, or feared,
That you have lied
And not remembered Me,
Nor taken it to your heart?
Is it not because I have held My peace from of old
That you do not fear Me?
12 I will declare your righteousness
And your works,
For they will not profit you.
13 When you cry out,
Let your collection of idols deliver you.
But the wind will carry them all away,
A breath will take them.
But he who puts his trust in Me shall possess the land,
And shall inherit My holy mountain.” - Isaiah 57:11-13

The choice is clear: we can trust in ourselves, sow to the wind as we go our own way, and then reap the whirlwind as God allows us to fight our own battles, or we can humble ourselves before Him and call upon Him to aid us as He aided Hezekiah. He has not changed. He stands ready to hear us and help us, but, unfortunately, men have not changed either. For the most part, we’re still intent on pursuing our own goals and forging ahead in our own wisdom, according to our limited vision, subject to our fallen nature, and by our own rather feeble abilities. The Bible contains numerous examples of how God can deliver those who trust in Him, and it reminds us that we will be called to account for our actions, including what we visit upon others.

The time has come to ask ourselves what we really believe, what we’re prepared to take responsibility for, and whether we’re seeking God in order to submit to His will and follow His guidance, or else trying to recruit Him to our cause and wield Him as a weapon against our fellow men. If it’s the latter, then we’re in for a serious reality check. God is not a tool to be used by men. He is not the genie of the lamp, ready to hand out whatever we wish. He does not play by man’s rules. He operates among us by the principles He has outlined in His Word, and if we operate counter to those principles and ignore the examples He has provided us in scripture, we will have no one to blame but ourselves when we inevitably suffer the consequences.

“Unless the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it; Unless the LORD guards the city, The watchman stays awake in vain.” – Psalm 127:1

-unless otherwise noted, all scripture quotations in this article are taken from the New King James Version