Whose Side is God on?
Joshua 5:13-14
Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
“Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
I like to couple this story with the words of the apostle Paul, “If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)”
There is a tendency to think that since God is for us, we must be the ones in the right– which makes our opponents wrong. But since there is a need for continual growth in the Lord (meaning that we are not yet fully formed into the image of Christ and so still fall prey to sin), there comes a point where we must say ‘We do not have it all figured out. We still see it dimly in a mirror.’
Joshua, in the passage above, would have loved the assurance that God was on his side and not his enemies side. But God is on God’s side.
It is easy to think that we are in the right when we are fighting a noble cause. It takes no introspection or self analysis to claim that we are right and God is on our side especially when we are ‘fighting’ for ideals and causes that are biblical.
Time for some scary history: the crusaders invaded the holy land, took cities, killed civilians, sacked Jewish communities, committed genocide, all with the mentality that ‘God wills it.’ They actually believed with a fervent assurance that God was on their side. And since God was on their side, they could do no wrong.
The oppression, enslavement, and murder of African peoples was done with a theological assurance that God willed for such things to occur. In fact, the southern people of the USA believed that God was fighting for them during the Civil War. Why? Because they, as a collective culture, went to church. They repented of their sins and turned to Jesus. They were conservative in theology. They read their Bibles daily. But they couldn’t put down their blinders. They were not able to see the evils perpetuated to the human beings living in their midst.
Abraham Lincoln when asked if he felt that God was on the North’s side during the Civil War sat and thought a while before speaking. He could have easily said, YES! The south was for slavery, something that had already been outlawed in most of the world. The British actively sought out slave ships and trading ports with the fullest strength and destruction of their Navy. It would have been easy to follow suit and say that they were the ones fighting the good fight. But this would have been equally blinding as it would have baptized the war crimes of the North: the destruction of Atlanta, the mistreatment of southern women by union soldiers, etc. Instead, Lincoln said, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”
It is all too easy to get caught up in a cause with religious fervor. It then becomes a short step in theological arguing for God to be on our side. And if God be for us, who can be against us? But as Gamaliel argued to the religious people of his day (Acts 5) you could be doing something with noble and religious intention and still be fighting against God.
So before we can fervently proclaim God is on our side, we should always be ready to do some self reflection and ask ‘Are we on God’s side?’ Because that is the only real question that matters.
Announcements:
Invite any youth to attend the 9:45 Youth Group on Sunday Mornings. Daniel and Emily Mendez are leading this.
Mitchell and Sarah Davidson are hosting a weekly Bible Study at their house on Thursdays (6-8)
Trail Life 2-3pm each Sunday
Ask Pastor Steven or Damon Hargraves for more information
Church Weekly Schedule
Sunday worship at 11am
Sunday School at 9:45am
I am teaching through the Gospel According to Matthew
Youth/Children’s Group! Daniel and Emily Mendez are heading up the Youth Group Bible Study at 9:45
Wednesday Prayer Posse 12pm
Thursday Bible Study with Mitchell and Sarah 6-8pm
Mitchell’s cell number: 907-942-0381
address: 1815 E Rezanof Dr.
Trail Life each Sunday from 2-3pm
Grief Share each Sunday at 3pm at CBC
Pastor Steven’s Office Hours 8-4 Mon-Thursday
I have an open sign (if it is on, I am here)
If I am not in the office at these times, I am meeting with someone
Call or text me 972-921-2516
Email steven@kodiakcbc.org