messianicdruid
25th February 2014, 12:27 PM
If we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged.
Instruction of Town Meeting, Preston, Connecticut (November 26, 1787)
“It is our ardent wish that an efficient government may be established over these states so constructed that the people may retain all liberties, privileges, and immunities usual and necessary for citizens of a free country and yet sufficient provision made for carrying into execution all the powers vested in government. We are willing to give up such share of our rights as to enable government to support, defend, preserve the rest. It is difficult to draw the line. All will agree that the people should retain so much power that if ever venality and corruption should prevail in our public councils and government should be perverted and not answer the end of the institution, viz., the well being of society and the good of the whole, in that case the people may resume their rights and put an end to the wantonness of power. In whatever government the people neglect to retain so much power in their hands as to be a check to their rulers, depravity and the love of power is so prevalent in the humane mind, even the best of men, that tyranny and cruelty will inevitably take place.”
Therefore, some presumptions that must be considered before these steps:
"In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 God told Israel that if they were to become disobedient and rebellious against Him, God would bring judgment upon them. As a final judgment, God said He would cause foreign nations to conquer and oppress Israel until they repented {changed their minds} of their lawlessness. God actually did this six times in the book of Judges alone. Deut. 28:49 says,
"The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand."
In such cases, the solution to the problem is NOT to go fight the enemy. The solution is to repent. The solution is NOT to pray that God blesses us in our warfare against the enemy, so that we might be victorious. The solution is to repent.
We learn from this that if God brings enemies upon us [sets them over us] to judge us for casting aside His law, and if we do not repent, we would have no right to expect God’s blessing as we go out to war. Such a war would only be adding sin to sin.
Hence, it is important that we understand the prior assumptions that are inherent in these laws of war in Deuteronomy 20. These instructions assume that the nation is godly. That is, it assumes that the nation has adopted God’s law, rather than creating its own laws.
Only if a nation is in obedience to God does it have the right to appeal to God for protection and victory in battle. In the case of America, we long ago forfeited that right. The moment our legislature assumed the right to pass laws that contradicted divine law, we lost the right to enjoy divine protection.
It makes no difference if our president is a Christian or not. As long as our nation sends men to prison instead of making them pay restitution (Ex. 22:1-4), we have no right under God to be free. As long as our nation allows parents to murder their unborn or half-born children, we have no right under God to be free. As long as our nation allows men and women to commit adultery or to engage in homo-sexual relations with immunity, we have no right under God to be free. As long as we allow men the freedom to distribute pornography, we have no right under God to be free. As long as we give our political leaders the right to bear false witness in the guise of national security, we have no right under God to be free.
These and many other issues are the reasons God removes His hand of protection from us. And when He does so, why do we yet pray that God will be on our side in time of war? Do we expect God to help us remain in our lawless state? Why do we value so highly the freedom to be disobedient and rebellious against God?
These are the prior assumptions of the laws of warfare. The laws found in Deuteronomy 20 presume that the war is righteous. It presumes that God did not bring the enemy against us {over us} to judge us for our own sin. Once this has been determined, then and only then do we have the right to ask for God’s blessing.
The same holds true with spiritual warfare."
http://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/teachings/books/the-laws-of-spiritual-warfare/
Instruction of Town Meeting, Preston, Connecticut (November 26, 1787)
“It is our ardent wish that an efficient government may be established over these states so constructed that the people may retain all liberties, privileges, and immunities usual and necessary for citizens of a free country and yet sufficient provision made for carrying into execution all the powers vested in government. We are willing to give up such share of our rights as to enable government to support, defend, preserve the rest. It is difficult to draw the line. All will agree that the people should retain so much power that if ever venality and corruption should prevail in our public councils and government should be perverted and not answer the end of the institution, viz., the well being of society and the good of the whole, in that case the people may resume their rights and put an end to the wantonness of power. In whatever government the people neglect to retain so much power in their hands as to be a check to their rulers, depravity and the love of power is so prevalent in the humane mind, even the best of men, that tyranny and cruelty will inevitably take place.”
Therefore, some presumptions that must be considered before these steps:
"In Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28 God told Israel that if they were to become disobedient and rebellious against Him, God would bring judgment upon them. As a final judgment, God said He would cause foreign nations to conquer and oppress Israel until they repented {changed their minds} of their lawlessness. God actually did this six times in the book of Judges alone. Deut. 28:49 says,
"The Lord will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as the eagle swoops down, a nation whose language you shall not understand."
In such cases, the solution to the problem is NOT to go fight the enemy. The solution is to repent. The solution is NOT to pray that God blesses us in our warfare against the enemy, so that we might be victorious. The solution is to repent.
We learn from this that if God brings enemies upon us [sets them over us] to judge us for casting aside His law, and if we do not repent, we would have no right to expect God’s blessing as we go out to war. Such a war would only be adding sin to sin.
Hence, it is important that we understand the prior assumptions that are inherent in these laws of war in Deuteronomy 20. These instructions assume that the nation is godly. That is, it assumes that the nation has adopted God’s law, rather than creating its own laws.
Only if a nation is in obedience to God does it have the right to appeal to God for protection and victory in battle. In the case of America, we long ago forfeited that right. The moment our legislature assumed the right to pass laws that contradicted divine law, we lost the right to enjoy divine protection.
It makes no difference if our president is a Christian or not. As long as our nation sends men to prison instead of making them pay restitution (Ex. 22:1-4), we have no right under God to be free. As long as our nation allows parents to murder their unborn or half-born children, we have no right under God to be free. As long as our nation allows men and women to commit adultery or to engage in homo-sexual relations with immunity, we have no right under God to be free. As long as we allow men the freedom to distribute pornography, we have no right under God to be free. As long as we give our political leaders the right to bear false witness in the guise of national security, we have no right under God to be free.
These and many other issues are the reasons God removes His hand of protection from us. And when He does so, why do we yet pray that God will be on our side in time of war? Do we expect God to help us remain in our lawless state? Why do we value so highly the freedom to be disobedient and rebellious against God?
These are the prior assumptions of the laws of warfare. The laws found in Deuteronomy 20 presume that the war is righteous. It presumes that God did not bring the enemy against us {over us} to judge us for our own sin. Once this has been determined, then and only then do we have the right to ask for God’s blessing.
The same holds true with spiritual warfare."
http://www.gods-kingdom-ministries.net/teachings/books/the-laws-of-spiritual-warfare/