Perhaps Another View of Patriotism

There isn't an American who's thought about it very long, who isn't deeply thankful for being born, or have become an American citizen. We live in an incredible country, with exceptional freedoms and opportunities. Yet this freedom did not come without expense; as a disabled vet once reminded me, there is no freedom without the shedding of blood. And I reminded him, “this freedom starts with the shed blood of Jesus”.

All freedom begins with God through his love and mercy- but additionally through his sovereign will. That is, there is purpose in God allowing freedom to any people. This implies that freedom requires from it's recipients a response agreeable to God's purpose.

Freedom is not meant solely for one's personal benefit and comfort, but to benefit God's purpose for the world. I believe America has been given this freedom primarily for the spread of the Gospel. Because America enjoys almost total religious freedom, we can worship, preach, write, and engage in every activity the scripture affords us to reach the world.

Many wrongly assume that our country's God given freedoms are to be enjoyed without consequence of the actions of the Church, and our nation as a whole. Yet God has the prerogative to revoke our freedoms whenever he sees fit; just as he did with the nation of Israel in the time of king Zedekiah and Jeremiah the prophet.

Jeremiah 9.11 And I will make Jerusalem heaps, and a den of dragons; and I will make the cities of Judah desolate, without an inhabitant. 12 Who is the wise man, that may understand this? and who is he to whom the mouth of the LORD hath spoken, that he may declare it, for what the land perisheth and is burned up like a wilderness, that none passeth through? 13 And the LORD saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein;

We as Christians are in a difficult position; On one hand we are to be good citizens of the nations where we reside, on the other we are to be faithful to a our heavenly King, to whom we have pledged absolute obedience. Our conflicts arise when we find ourselves within competing interests. On the one hand we have the demands of God's principles. Jesus said, 'in the world you will have tribulation'. And his Apostle said, 'all who live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution'. (John 16:33, 2Timothy3:12) With us it is almost certain to be, as it was with the New Testament Church, a consequence of different thinking, resulting in making choices which are unpopular, and out of sync with those who can't comprehend the invisible King we serve.

Though we do our best to be honorable earthly citizens, the ways of worldly governments demand we make moral choices. Consider Jeremiah, he loved his country of Israel, but God told him Israel should surrender to Babylon. This is tantamount to God telling the Israel of today, through a Prophet, to surrender to Saddam Hussein! Or how would it be if a proud nation such as the United States were told, 'Iraq (Babylon) is going to be used of God to judge America's sins, and we are to sit back and submit to it. Imagine how contrary this would be to our senses, just as it was in ancient Israel. As it was also in Israel, those who are too patriotic may never hear the voice of God above the noise of it's nations blasting anthems, and find themselves on the wrong side.

For his beliefs, that Israel should surrender to the king of Babylon, Jeremiah was accused of treason. No one could make sense of Jeremiah's words, simply because the focus of their lives were on nationhood, temporal politics, and the idolatry that caused their downfall in the first place.

As ambassadors of the Kingdom of God, we must be careful of unconditional allegiances to our temporal earthly relationships. When a Christian makes his vow to follow The Lamb 'whithersoever he goest' (Rev.14.4) they are bound to run into trouble, for as Isaiah 55:8 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. Likewise God's way of handling earthly issues are different than mans.

The following is a contemporary issue, a sample of a circumstance a Christian may find is contrary to God's principles.

Imagine your an Airman; a Christian, and you've been ordered to bomb the front lines of Saddam Hussein's army. One problem though, by conservative estimates, 5 percent of Hussein's army have been threatened that if they don't fight, they and their family will be killed or imprisoned. These soldiers don't want to fight, but they don't have a choice.

Now you have a choice, to kill innocent people, or to defy those you have pledged to obey. If you have chosen to kill the innocent people with the guilty, then how have you made your choice? What if the innocent people were American, or English, would you still bomb them? Or, what if there were children among them, would you still bomb them? At what point would you decide not to kill innocent people? Consider this scripture as you think of this:

Proverbs 6:16 “These six things doth the LORD hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: (17) A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood,......”

By this time you've figured out, this places the Christian in an impossible situation. What is termed 'collateral damage' is commonly accepted as a necessary reality in the armed services. Keep in mind, the above was meant as a 'sample' of circumstances the Christian may find himself/herself. There are many more areas of society where the Christian finds themselves contrary. Area's of law, sales, police, liquor and cigarette sales, and many more that also require hard choices.

When there is a highly charged political environment, and when soldiers are dying in a war, it is unpopular to question the policies of the government that sent them there. When the policies, and actions of this government are questioned then this provokes accusations that 'you are not supporting the troops'.

To suggest we must accept our governments decisions regardless, for fear of 'not supporting our troops', is too simplistic. This is precisely the criticism leveled against Jeremiah when he prophesied against Israel.

Jeremiah 38.1 Then Shephatiah the son of Mattan, and Gedaliah the son of Pashur, and Jucal the son of Shelemiah, and Pashur the son of Malchiah, heard the words that Jeremiah had spoken unto all the people, saying, 2 Thus saith the LORD, He that remaineth in this city shall die by the sword, by the famine, and by the pestilence: but he that goeth forth to the Chaldeans shall live; for he shall have his life for a prey, and shall live. 3 Thus saith the LORD, This city shall surely be given into the hand of the king of Babylon’s army, which shall take it. 4 Therefore the princes said unto the king, We beseech thee, let this man be put to death: for thus he weakeneth the hands of the men of war that remain in this city, and the hands of all the people, in speaking such words unto them: for this man seeketh not the welfare of this people, but the hurt.

Jeremiah, as an ambassador of God's will, though a good citizen of Israel, he holds two things of more importance than his nation. First, the will of God, second the truth: We must give the leaders of Israel some credit (Jeremiah 38.1), anyone can say God told us something. Prophets are seldom attractive, like John the Baptist, they don't blend in with your common religious society, but fit better among the poor and the outcast. For every 'real' prophet, there may be a thousand false one's. So it is understandable that the religious leaders of Jeremiah's Israel would look on him with doubt.

But, we can be certain, regardless of what Jeremiah looked like; regardless of that nations temporal politics, Jeremiah's pronouncements were true. It was only 'after' Jeremiah described in detail Israel's sins, did he start making these supposedly outlandish commands to surrender to the enemy.

Only those who could see the truth of Israel's sins, and consequently comprehend God's anger over them, might believe Jeremiah about surrender. And only these might have been saved when Israel's enemies swarmed over them.

Jeremiah 25:9 “Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations.”

Note, the best argument for those who would have us blindly follow our nations leaders into war is found in Romans 13: 

1  Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God.
2 Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same:
4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.
5 Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake.
6 For for this cause pay ye tribute also: for they are God’s ministers, attending continually upon this very thing.
7  Render therefore to all their dues: tribute to whom tribute is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honour to whom honour.

Answer: The problem with 'proof texts' like the one above, is it only gives a partial view of the issue. To discover God's whole counsel on any subject one must attempt the view the entire scripture body. We in our humanity loose peripheral vision in spiritual things quickly.

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