Leaves blowing in the wind
by Alex Proimos
36 And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.
I never saw Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, and from what little I know about it, it’s just as well. From all accounts, it’s basically a movie for druggies. I guess that’s sort of appropriate for a comparison, though. I often wonder what is in the water in DC.
I posted before about how one Russian paper called President Barack Obama “weak eyed” and played up the supposed characteristics of Russian President Vladimir Putin in comparison. Even Germany’s Chancellor Angela Merkel has lost some of her fascination with Obama. The recent allegations that German intelligence knew about the NSA’s activities have strained her government’s relations with the voters, who will hold an election on 22 September.
We are supposedly “the” remaining superpower. How this flies in the face of closing embassies left and right! I’ve heard that they have even implemented closing embassies not originally planned for. According to Breitbart, there is a claim by former Senator Jim “Demint: Al Qaeda Bigger Threat than Pre-9/11“. He claims that Al Qaeda now perceives Obama to be a weak president.
DeMint emphasized that “there is a perception of weakness of this administration. The instability around the world is clearly related to at least a perception of the lack of resolve of the United States.”
“I’m not questioning what the president is doing here,” DeMint said, noting that Obama should be “overcautious” after receiving information about potential threats. But DeMint asserted that groups like Al Qaeda have been emboldened by the perception that the “United States does not have the will to act.”
Of course, the President’s opponents are quick to point out the inconsistency in this in light of campaign slogans that “Al Qaeda is on the run” and “Osama bin Laden is dead, and General Motors is alive.” Of course, bin Laden may be dead, but his legacy lives on in Al Qaeda. Worse, General Motors may be alive, but Detroit is on life support.
We need to remember, however, we often get the leaders we deserve as a nation. We haven’t had many presidents who had multiple simultaneous problems both at home and abroad. President Bill Clinton was a master of diversion when all else failed. President Ronald Reagan was a great orator, well liked abroad and thus was deemed “the Teflon President”. Compare Reagan’s handling of Iran-Contra in comparison to Fast and Furious.
However, the current president faces a lot of challenges that are somewhat unique. George W Bush was the first one to really deal with Al Qaeda on a large scale, and so it is inevitable that his predecessor would have his hands full. A number of issues were unresolved during “W’s” presidency, but we are not only no farther along in resolving them, but now we find numerous other challenges have reared their ugly heads as well.
Take the economy, for example. We keep hearing about a “rebound”, but many people are not feeling it. People are either unemployed or vastly underemployed. It is now being called a “jobless recovery”.
The inevitable question is: Why?
Obviously, we could point the finger at many different causes, but in the end what is the single main cause?
God shows us how He deals with people through His word, the Bible. In it, He created a covenant with a group of people known as Israel. Yet, they were a disobedient lot, weren’t they? So, they were attacked, subjugated and even conquered over and over in order to humble them.
God raised up Babylon to punish Judah, the southern kingdom. It was run by an egomaniac named Nebuchadnezzar, who thought very highly of himself. He claimed his glory in building Babylon, although he should have known that it was God Who gave it to him. So, God humbled him by giving him the mind of an animal for seven years.
God raises up kings and casts them down. God promised Israel would be the head of all the nations if they obeyed. However, if not:
43 The stranger that is within thee shall get up above thee very high; and thou shalt come down very low.
44 He shall lend to thee, and thou shalt not lend to him: he shall be the head, and thou shalt be the tail.
45 Moreover all these curses shall come upon thee, and shall pursue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be destroyed; because thou hearkenedst not unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his statutes which he commanded thee:
Deuteronomy 28 is a warning for our time. It is not only a prophecy, but it is an outline of how God deals with disobedient nations. He sends punishements, and if there is no repentance, then more punishment is sent, and more, and more until the people of that nation despair. The only way to break the cycle is for the people to repent!
God deals with people individually and corporately. Any group is when individuals band together. Each individual must be repentive and have their hearts turned towards God. If that occurs, then the group will naturally follow.
Yet, even when the rest of the group does not go along, that does not excuse the individual by any means. In fact, God often dealt with faithful human beings throughout the Bible because they were bold enough to stand out and do the right thing.
It can seem tough, and it can seem unfair.
27 Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
29 And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
Thank you, John!