Walking the Point

posted by Writer on Jun 22

And the angel of the Lord said to her (Hagar),
“Now you have conceived and shall bear a son;
    you shall call him Ishmael,
    for the Lord has given heed to your affliction.

He shall be a wild ass of a man,
with his hand against everyone,
    and everyone’s hand against him;
and he shall live at odds with all his kin.”
                                                            Genesis 16:11-12 RSV

Dr. J. Vernon McGee believed “The Book of Genesis is “the key to understanding of the Scriptures. Like the bud of a beautiful rose…it opens out into the rest of the Bible.” (1)

Since taking the fight to Afghanistan after 9-11, there’s been a saying among those in the military that; “The US military is at war while the rest of America is at the mall.”

The verse at the top of the page is God’s prophecy regarding Ishmael’s descendants, the Arab race, shedding light into why we find ourselves in this war.

God describes Ishmael as a “wild ass” who’s “habitat is the waste places,” giving us “the idea of a life of nomadic existence” ( See Job 39:5-8). (2)

Matthew Henry said Ishmael’s descendants would be a “wild ass of a man, rude, bold and fearing no man and that they would live in strife and in a state of war.” (3)

They would be a “fierce people living in a state of continual war with the rest of the world… (with his hand against everyone, and everyone’s hand against him, Genesis 16:12). They have been such enemies of mankind, it is no wonder that mankind have been enemies to them again.” (4)

“Know your enemy” is the most important rule in warfare, yet many in the civilized world have failed to understand the mindset of how muslims see this war.

Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama tripped over themselves repeatedly emphasizing Islam “is a religion of peace.”

We need to stop and ask what muslim’s means by this. If not, we stand a good chance of getting our heads lopped off.

You may not be at war with muslim’s, but rest assured, they’re at war with you.

Muslim’s believe “Allah has given “True Muslims” — their brand of Islam — control over all the world and a “holy mandate” to have the infidels to convert to Islam or be subjugated. True Muslims are mandated by Allah to fight a war until all the non-believers have been converted or slaughtered…true Muslim brothers are in a religious war with America.

Our culture, with our freedoms and decadent indulgences, are an offensive attack against True Islam. Their war is actually a defensive jihad, as that is the only way to protect True Muslims from the spread of our unclean culture and seductive way of life…the problem is that Americans interpret peace differently than they see it. Peace would exist when the entire world was under Sharia law and ruled by a Muslim caliphate.

Islam is a religion of peace because its aim will impose their law everywhere, and in doing so, bring peace to the world. He also says to make peace with their enemies is to convert, subjugate or enslave them.

Another problem was that we in the West use the word truce differently. We see it as an ending of hostilities, living in harmony. In their brand of Islam, truce means a temporary cessation of war, only until the brothers get strong enough to attack again. It’s “more about licking your wounds, getting stronger and preparing for the next attack.”

Muslim’s “believe the most practical way to defeat America was through immigration and outbreeding of non-Muslims. They would immigrate into the United States, take advantage of our overly generous welfare benefits while they spread their message of jihad. They will protect themselves by our civil rights, ratchet up acceptance of Sharia law and then impose their law from within when they were strong enough.” (5)

The US is ripe for attack for a number of reasons, but mainly because many have their heads buried in the sand.

Barak Obama put us in the trick bag by poking God in the chest with the policies he implemented over the last eight years.

The recent “insider attacks” on US troops, the ramming of the USS Fitzgerald and Wednesday’s attack on a police officer at Flint’s (MI) Bishop Airport reminds us “Haji” isn’t going away anytime soon.

Our government is also hostile to Christianity, which puts us in a very dangerous position when fighting this war.

On Monday, June 19, another federal judge ordered the removal of a cross from a park in Florida that had been in place there since 1941.

And let’s not forgot Senator Bernie Sander’s malicious attack on a man during a confirmation hearing because of his Christian faith.

Now, putting up crosses or other religious symbols doesn’t cut it with God. It’s our obedience, individually and corporately as believer’s and a nation, that results in God’s favor and blessing.

What the government is doing by these actions is replacing the Creator’s authority with man’s. They’re telling us “The Man” has the final say, not God.

You want to go war with the mindset of a Sanders, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan, Nancy Pelosi, Dick Durbin and Chuck Schumer leading the way?

I don’t.

We’re in a world of poop.

Matthew Henry tells us “some sins, and the sins of some sinners (like the policies implemented by Obama, italics mine), cry aloud to heaven for vengeance. The iniquity of Sodom was crying iniquity, that is, it was so very provoking that it even urged God to punish.” (6)

Pretty heavy stuff, huh? Think about that one for a minute.

Sadly, many don’t believe God resorts to such actions in these modern times.

I see a parallell between Samson and the US found in Judges 16:20: “And she (Delilah) said, “The Philistines are upon you, Samson!” And he awoke from his sleep and said, “I will go out as at other times and shake myself free. But he did not know that the Lord had left him.”

“God had rescued Samson from so many tight places that he was sure he was invulnerable, so he continued to play with sin and defile himself. ..his conconscience was defiled and his moral sense were destroyed. Samson even deceived himself by thinking he had everything under control, but he was wrong.” (7)

As a nation we “have lost the favorable presence of God and are not aware of it; we have provoked God and are not aware of it; they have provoked God to withdraw from them, but are not sensible of their loss, nor even complain of it. Their souls languish and grow weak, their gifts wither, every thing goes cross with them; and yet they impute not this to the right cause: they are not aware that God has departed from them, nor are they in any care to reconcile themselves to Him or recover his favor.” (8)

God doesn’t go where he’s not invited.

Remember, Jesus knocks on doors (Revelation3:20), He doesn’t force His way in.

This is a dangerous spot for the country to be in at this time.

But then again, what do I know?

(1) Dr. J. Vernon McGee Thru The Bible, Volume 1, Genesis – Deuteronomy, Genesis p1-2; (2) Wayne Jackson, “Ishmael: His Hand Against Every Man.”; (3) Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Volume 1, Genesis – Deuteronomy, Genesis p. 108-109; (4) Wayne Jackson, “Ishmael: His Hand Against Every Man”; (5) Tom Kuiper, Islam: Religion of Peace; (6) Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Volume 1 – Genesis – Deuteronomy, Genesis, p. 118; (7) With the Word – A Devotional Commentary, Warren Wiersbe, Judges 16, p. 151; (8) Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible, Volume 2 – Judges – Esther, Judges, p. 221.