first 6.19.14

We have prophesied in this spot in various ways for many years (see Topics/Upper Room) that God has been correcting and humbling the U.S. for our military overreach and waste abroad while here at home it's neglect and lower wages for most of us.

While the cries of "do something, anything" rise again in some quarters of Washington, amidst the deteriorating situation of sectarian and Al Quaeda politics in Iraq, it's time again to take a bible perspective.

It's also time to take our correction and realize that we have been and are a great, and even faithful nation, but we no longer can assume God's military, cultural favor or economic favor.   

We're suffering a prolonged military overreach hangover, whereby our prestige in the world is sinking, and will likely do so for the forseeable future, no matter what we presently do about Iraq.

We as a people have had enough of bankrolling war around the world. We have to deal with this correction and humbling by God. It's not pretty politics. But it's time to get over it.

If it's any solace, we can take heart remebering how many times Israel has been humbled after she repeatedly bucked God, but God never gave up on her.

Back in February of 2010 the Lord brought me to Isaiah 16 about Moab (oldest son of Lot, Abraham's nephew, ill begotten by incest with his own daughters).

Sometimes Moab seeks the protection and refuge of Israel as her kinfolk (v.1-4).

Sometimes she rebels.

Like difficult kinfolk, Moab and Ammon (to the east) have been at times subject to Israel and at times independent.  After Solomon's death they became independent. During the reign of Omri of Israel (876-869 BC), an expansionist ruler, they were subject.  

2Kings1,1 says after the reign of King Ahab (874-853, Jezebel's husband) they rebelled. This back and forth is sort of like an extended family soap opera, where the weaker relations are sometimes welcomed and protected, sometimes rejected, lorded over, kept at a happy distance, and sometimes in rebellion. 

Back and forth it goes, all in the extended family.

2Kings3,9ff tells us that all Israel was mustered against Moab during the reign of King Jehoram (852-841) and the kingdoms Judah and Edom too. They hastily invaded, suffered a little drought, but as the prophet Elisha predicted the rains came, and this coalition won an apparently easy and early victory. 

Sound familiar? This is the same story as our U.S. post 9/11 military overreaches with "coalition forces."

All Moab was in ruins, laid waste.

Mission accomplished.

Mop up time.

But then something really strange happened according to 2Kings3,27. The King of Moab, in desperation, took his first born son, his successor, and offerred him as a sacrifice to the strange god Chemosh, on the city wall.

The coalition forces were so freaked out they withdrew: "Then he took his eldest son who was to succeed him and offered him as a sacrifice on the city wall. Alarmed at this, the Israelites withdrew and retired to their own territory."   

The enemy who has more to lose, or nothing more to lose, always brings the other side down to its level.

This confirms what I heard back in February of 2010: "fighting Moab we become Moab."         

Israel in the present day has learned the lesson of 2Kings3, invading countries is the easy part (see v. 18).

But now it's time for the U.S. to keep our political powder dry for real military threats, rather than more expansionism. 

This makes for bad photo ops, but while the U.S. languishes, Israel seems to be prospering amidst all that surrounds her.

"Fighting Moab we become Moab."