Sow to the Wind…
“For they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the whirlwind: it hath no stalk: the bud shall yield no meal: if so be it yield, the strangers shall swallow it up.” Hosea 8:7 “Even as I have seen, they that plow iniquity, and sow wickedness, reap the same.” Job 4:8
On February 24, 2022, the president of Russia sent his army into the neighboring country of Ukraine in an attempt to take back what was once a part of the old Soviet Union. So far there has been mass slaughter of Ukranian soldiers and civilians, including children and babies, and also of Russian soldiers. Some cities have been almost completely destroyed, and bodies have strewn the street of these cities. The actions of the Russian soldiers have been very barbaric as if these young men have no conscience. It is a real scene occurring today which could have been taken directly from the pages of the book of Jeremiah. He prophesied of utter destruction and mass death among the people of Judah all because of their rebellion against God and their refusal to heed God’s warnings.
Nothing occurs without a reason. Were there prophets or pastors in Ukraine warning the people? We know from news reports that Russia was amassing troops and weapons along the Russian/Ukranian border for months before their invasion, thus the Ukranian officials and the rest of the world, filled with the knowledge of Russia’s prior invasions in years past, ignored the obvious warnings. Could measures have been taken to avoid this war and its ensuring carnage? Many of us believers understand that we are not to judge our fellow human beings for we cannot see down into their hearts in search of motives for why they do what they do. Only God can see into the hearts and minds of people and judge them accordingly. I can say without a doubt that, because the entire world is a planet of sinful people, Ukraine’s people are sinners as well. As with many countries around the world, I would estimate that Ukraine is made up of Christians, Jews, other religions, and atheists.
The president of Ukraine is Jewish, but according to reports, he does not follow nor practice Judaism. Before he became president, his past experience in entertainment included ungodly and vulgar actions and speech of which videos have been aired online. I have seen short bits of those which, to put it bluntly, “grossed me out”. Unlike a vast number of the world’s population, I do not enjoy watching this type of entertainment. It cannot be pleasing to the Lord to have one of His chosen people displaying perverted acts. Not only was idolatry widely practiced by God’s people of Judah, they were also caught up in all sorts of sexual perversions for which they were severely judged by God as He allowed Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonian army to ravage Jerusalem and the people of Judah. The leaders of Judah, in particular, were called out for their role in promoting idolatry and the abandonment of the God of Israel and Judah. Perhaps Ukraine’s leader has had a change of heart and no longer promotes those things which dishonor God. We certainly hope so.
What about the U.S. and the rest of the world? Isn’t sin and ungodly behavior running rampant here and across the globe? If, and I say if, this war is God’s judgment upon the sin of the people of Ukraine, when will the rest of the sinful world come under the wrath of God? Idolatry and sexual perversion were abominations to God since time began, and they still are today. Matthew Henry in his commentary wrote over 300 years ago, “When our neighbor’s house is on fire, it is time to be concerned for our own. When one nation is a seat of war every neighboring nation should hear, and fear, and make its peace with God”. Those who are students of scripture know that God’s judgment will come upon this sinful world according to God’s timetable. He has been giving us plenty of warning not only by allowing a brutal assault upon a nation, but also in a worldwide pandemic that caused millions of deaths, violent, deadly storms, and economic woes that affect everyone. But are we listening? Recently, I read online about a survey that indicated more people than ever before are turning away from God’s word, the Bible. With that type of statistic, it is little wonder that we are experiencing the sobering events occurring daily. Unless people turn to the Lord and His word soon, the consequences of sin will find its way to our doorstep in a much more harsh and disturbing way.
In the book of Jeremiah, false prophets had been telling the people of Judah that everything was going to be OK, that they would not be punished, and they didn’t have to worry about an attack by Babylon. God, through Jeremiah, told the people that they were being lied to. Their rebellion had given Him no choice but to punish them. However, He did give them a way to stay alive. If they surrendered peacefully to Nebuchadnezzar, they would be captured, but they would be allowed to live and keep their families intact. But those who rebelled would suffer defeat and death. Could God’s desire be for the people of Ukraine to submit to Russia and continue to live peacefully, but under Russian rule? Since defending Ukraine was the choice of the people of Ukraine, as it would be with any sovereign nation, their defense has resulted in a great loss of lives and property. As with the people of Judah, many have been killed with weapons, left in the streets, while others have hidden away without food or water, only to die a slow and agonizing death just as Jeremiah described. We cannot project what happened in Judah and her neighboring lands onto Ukraine, but neither can we dismiss it. The events we are watching unfold before our eyes is not just food for thought, but for serious consideration.