by Doy Moyer<\/p>\n
If we believe that God rules in the kingdoms of men, we cannot stop believing it when things don\u2019t go the way we think they should. We often assume God is on \u201cour\u201d side in a particular cultural, political, or even military conflict. If we believe in God, seek to follow His word, and have relative confidence that we are trying to do what is right, then it is hard for us to conceive that God would not be on \u201cour\u201d side in these struggles. If we are engaged in a conflict, then God will surely know the merits of our side and fight for us.<\/p>\n
This is not altogether unreasonable. After all, we are used to thinking this when it comes to spiritual battles. We know God is on our side spiritually because He has told us so. When we put on His armor, we can be strong and confident that He will fight for us and come to our aid (Ephesians 6:10-18; Philippians 4:11-13; etc.). What I am saying here should in no way change our confidence that God is with us as His children.<\/p>\n
However, that same confidence sometimes gets transferred into the physical, cultural, and military situations of an earthly kingdom in which we temporarily dwell. This is where it gets dangerous. We need to distinguish between spiritual and earthly kingdoms. If we just assume that God is on \u201cour\u201d side in earthly battles of a physical kingdom, we may well find ourselves on the wrong side of the fence. There is a difference between recognizing the biblical truth that God fights for His people \u2014 His kingdom, which incorporates all of His people from every nation, and assuming that physical nations are going to have God fighting for them when it may, in fact, be the opposite of what we think.<\/p>\n
This is what Scripture shows us. God sometimes uses one nation more wicked than another to bring judgment. Sometimes he uses a wicked king (like Cyrus) to bring about a favorable outcomes (like bringing the people back from captivity). We never know exactly how God is going to work in this world.<\/p>\n
Recall when Habakkuk asked God when He would do something about the wickedness in Judah. God already judged Israel by using wicked Assyria, and God responds to Habakkuk by telling him that He would use Babylon to bring judgment upon Judah. Habakkuk asks how God can use a nation more wicked than themselves to bring this judgment. What Habakkuk had to learn was difficult \u2014 rather than presuming upon the way that God must do something, he needed to learn to trust God for the best outcome. Read the book.<\/p>\n
We will often say that God can use evil people to accomplish something good. This is true. Our problem is when, from our limited, finite perspective, we assume which of the evil people or nations God is going to use to accomplish His purposes. God is not bound by our fallible understanding or expectations. God rules in the kingdoms of men, no matter who or what nation He uses. He could use Babylon just as much as He used Israel, then turn around and judge them for their wickedness.<\/p>\n
Many of us live in a nation that has materially prospered. We ought to be thankful for the freedoms we enjoy and the opportunities we have been given. We ought to honor and submit to the governing authorities (Romans 13). We ought to use our freedom to glorify God (I Peter 2:16). Christians are not insurrectionists who seek to disrupt society or bring harm to others. Yet, like all nations, this kingdom of the earth will come under God\u2019s judgment just as every other kingdom has. We might be tempted to think that God must surely be on \u201cour\u201d side in whatever conflict we enter, and God must surely want \u201cour\u201d candidate to win because we somehow know this is the \u201clesser of two evils.\u201d Just remember, God judged the \u201clesser of two evils\u201d with a nation more wicked than they. Be careful about assuming what God is going to do in ruling over the kingdoms of men. We do not have insider information on His particular plans.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not saying don\u2019t get involved. I am saying that as Christians living in a nation that gives us opportunities to participate, we need to do so with care, with love, with prayer, with a good conscience, and with an overarching faithfulness to God\u2019s power and authority. We do the best we can with what information we have, but as with all things involving life, we must say, \u201cif the Lord wills <\/em>\u2026\u201d (cf. James 4:15). We don\u2019t know exactly how God is going to bring things about. No matter what, we can pray that His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. We surely don\u2019t want to be found fighting against God. Let us make sure we trust Him and know that no matter what happens next here, God\u2019s kingdom will always stand firm (Daniel 2:44).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by Doy Moyer If we believe that God rules in the kingdoms of men, we cannot stop believing it when things don\u2019t go the way we think they should. We often assume God is on \u201cour\u201d side in a particular cultural, political, or even military conflict. If we believe in God, seek to follow His…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[310],"class_list":["post-26381","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-government"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":67370,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-winning-side\/","url_meta":{"origin":26381,"position":0},"title":"The Winning Side","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 8, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer \"And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death\" (Revelation 12:11). Revelation employs the imagery of the red dragon (Satan) who underlies the opposition to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":40697,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/let-god-be-true\/","url_meta":{"origin":26381,"position":1},"title":"Let God Be True","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 16, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton Romans 3:4 gives us this principle: \"Let God be true but every man a liar.\" What does this mean? It means that God is always far more dependable than man. God cannot lie (Hebrews 6:12). 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This is of course a physical confrontation in which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/12\/soldiers.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":70949,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/legalism\/","url_meta":{"origin":26381,"position":3},"title":"Legalism","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"November 7, 2024","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton What is it? Why do people fear it? It seems that the only opposite is \"illegalism.\" However, a better definition would probably be an attitude of self-deception, which is thinking we stand right with God with no need for mercy and forgiveness. We can stand on\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":32241,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-modern-war-still-determined-by-god-how-can-a-person-determine-which-is-the-right-side\/","url_meta":{"origin":26381,"position":4},"title":"Is modern war still determined by God? How can a person determine which is the right side?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 21, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I've been reading and examining the book of Kings lately. I am currently in II Kings, and it's been quite worth the read so far, to say the least. I find there's a lot of lessons throughout the two books. It's interesting the amount of detail that can be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":35144,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/god-is-at-work-in-you\/","url_meta":{"origin":26381,"position":5},"title":"God Is at Work in You!","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 7, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford A few months ago, my co-worker, Clay, examined Philippians 2:12-13 in a sermon, dwelling especially on v. 13. 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