Are We On His Side?

There is a rather interesting encounter found in the 5th chapter of Joshua:
13 And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted his eyes and looked, andbehold, a Man stood opposite him with His sword drawn in His hand. And Joshua went to Him and said to Him, "Are You for us or for our adversaries?" 14 So He said, "No, but as Commander of the army of the Lord I have now come." And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshiped, and said to Him, "What does my Lord say to His servant?" 15 Then the Commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Take your sandal off your foot, for the place where you stand is holy." And Joshua did so.   The point here is that the supernatural soldier did not align himself with the people - but that he essentially was calling Joshua and the people to align with the Lord.   We cannot expect God's blessings on our land or on our individual lives if we are collectively or individually walking in disobedience.   That is why I have underscored the importance of aligning our beliefs, our values, with Scripture, and then to make choices based on those principles.   If we walk out of the purview of God's protection, then we make ourselves vulnerable to the consequences of our errant choices.   So, we consciously evaluate whether or not we are on the Lord's side!

After Moses came down from his face-to-face meeting with God on the mountain, he saw that Aaron had led the people into crafting a golden calf, an icon to a false god.   He made this bold declaration, which we find in Exodus 32:
25 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), 26 then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, "Whoever is on the Lord's side--come to me." And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

The National Religious Broadcasters met in Washington, DC in 1984, and one of the main speakers that year spoke these words:  "God's most blessed gift to His family is the gift of life. He sent us the Prince of Peace as a babe in a manger. I've said that we must be cautious in claiming God is on our side. I think the real question we must answer is, are we on His side?"

I've talked a bit about alignment during this election season - the importance of our beliefs, our values being lined up with Biblical principles, and then casting our ballot for candidates, or ballot initiatives that most closely resemble those concepts.

The speaker at that NRB in 1984 was not a pastor or a religious broadcaster - it was President Reagan, and that speech really was a template for a Biblical view of political leadership, reflected in statesmanship.

By and large, statesmanship has departed from our land.   But, it doesn't have to be that way.   If Christians show up and elect leaders that reflect Biblical principles, then it can be a step in turning things around in our country.   But, when half of evangelicals aren't registered to vote, as was the case in 2008, and when half of those who are registered don't bother to cast a ballot, then we receive the leadership we deserve by virtue of our non-participation in the process.   

As I stood in line this morning to vote - 20 minutes before the polls opened, with a couple of hundred people gathered before 7:00 - and then after waiting 20 additional minutes, I couldn't help but think of an event over 3 months ago, when I stood in line for about the same period of time to get a chicken sandwich.   But, that day, it was more than just going to eat - I, and my family, were making a statement - that Biblical values, that the Biblical definition of marriage, counts.   It was pointed out on Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day that perhaps those who flooded restaurants across America would return on November 6th to vote their values - I hope they're right.    Perhaps God's people are making a statement today that we want to reverse course in our nation.

After all, throughout history, we have seen leaders who have made bold proclamations about our dependence on God.   Take, for instance, our 2nd President, John Adams...he said:

"Suppose a nation in some distant Region should take the Bible for their only law Book, and every member should regulate his conduct by the precepts there exhibited! Every member would be obliged in conscience, to temperance, frugality, and industry; to justice, kindness, and charity towards his fellow men; and to piety, love, and reverence toward Almighty God ... What a Eutopia, what a Paradise would this region be." 

That was a quote from the Diary and Autobiography of John Adams, Vol. III*.   


Thomas Jefferson, our 3rd President, said this:

"God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God?”

That is taken from "Notes on the State of Virginia, Query XVIII".  And, who can forget this moving declaration from Abraham Lincoln, as he called for a day of prayer and fasting in 1863:

“...we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.”   

With a rich fabric of faith that has been woven into our nation's history, we have to recognize that God has blessed our country.  But, as we have seen a departure from those time-honored principles - life, marriage, and religious freedom - we find ourselves on a precipice.   We cannot expect God to bless America if we do not bless Him.   In our act of worship today, by casting a ballot, exercising our right and making our voice heard, we can make a powerful statement about the direction of our country.