Basic HTML Version
FIGHT with Amalek" (Ex.
17:9).
Lacking the faith to trust God for
their protection, Moses feared they
would be slaughtered. Although
Moses weakened and gave the
arder for WAR, Ít was THE PEOPLE
themselves who actually had MADE
THE DECISION for war, by their
utter lack of reliance on God.
It was altogether unnecessary for
these Israelites to arm themselves
and wage WAR. It was WRONG! It
was SIN. But God let the decision
be theirs!
This incident was the
turning
point.
lt occurred even befare they
reached Mt. Sinai. It was after this
that God laid befare them HIS
PROPOSITION for them to become
his nation, ruled by his govern–
ment. lt was after this that God
promised, conditioned on obedience
and faith, always to fight their bat–
tles for them-to protect them
from war-to give them constant
PEACE.
lt
was after this that they
accepted his government over
them. But already they had shown
lack of faith and trust, even during
the days when God was DEMON–
STRATING his power and faithful–
ness by so many miracles!
They had experienced a taste of
war. They could
have-shouid
have- turned
from it, afterward,
and relied on God instead of their
own power. But they didn't.
God's PURPOSE Stands!
Even though God ALLOWS humans
Collapse?
(Continued from page 8)
ly it 's the region of 30 or 40 per–
cent, which is high enough. But I
do think one should avoid exagger–
ations in this area.
The other question you raised
concerns the effect on the environ–
ment, particularly the ecological
consequences of the Community's
agricultura! policy. 1 would put it
slightly differently. Modero inten–
sive agriculture obviously contains
a threat to the environment; for
example, the extensive use of pesti–
cides and fertilizers and the plow–
ing up of marginal Iand. lt is these
that comprise the main threat to
the environment. And I should add
the destruction of hedgerows and
September 1984
to make their own decisions–
allows them to SIN- allows nations
to go to WAR- nevertheless God's
purpose must stand! HIS PURPOSE
was to settle these descendants of
Abraham in the land he had prom–
ised Abraham-"the PROMISED
LAND."
God's promise to Abraham, 430
years befare, had been made
UNCONDITIONAL. Abraham had
performed
his
part of that agree–
ment. He had obeyed God, kept
God's commandments and laws.
Now God's faithfulness demanded
that he plant these people in that
land, regardless of their conduct!
These descendants of Abraham
had
made their decision
to be a
fighting, war-waging nation. That
decision was theirs to make. And
since they had made it, God used
them
to do the fighting in driving
out the inhabitants illegally pos–
sessing the land God had allotted to
Abrabam 's descendants. Conse–
quently God gave orders for
them
to do what fighting- and killing–
was necessary to accomplish God's
PURPOSE of putting them in tbe
land of promise!
But that did not make war
RIGHT. Whether tO DO right Or
wrong-that is MAN'S decision!
These lsraelites did not need to
fight.
So it was BECAUSE of Israel's
faithlessness and disobedience that
God ALLOWED them to SIN by tak–
ing up arms. And therefore God
used tbem as his instruments in
woodlands in England, as well,
something that I regret very much.
How much of this is the result of
high guaranteed prices? The rela–
tionship is not very clear, but if you
have low prices the pressure on
farmers to survive by increasing
· production is also very severe.
But if you look at the Communi–
ty as a whole you would find that
the agricultura) policy had a very
important role to play in preserving
the environment.
lf
you· fly around
most of Europe, you will notice the
pattern of settlement is very differ–
ent from what you find in North
America or Australia. You have lit–
tle villages only a few miles from
each other and then the small
towns.
There is a network of human
driving out the nations illegally in
the Jand. Even now the Israelites
could have REPENTED,
changed
their decision and trusted God to
fight their battles for them.
Nations CAN Choose Peace!
Would it seem preposterous to
chiefs of state today, to believe that
even Now, in our da y, God
Almighty actually
wouid
fight our
wars for us-that OUR nations,
today,
couid actual/y ha ve
PEACE- and have it
this very
year?
Undoubtedly it would! World
Jeaders today-in ALL nations–
have gotten so far from God and
God's ways, and God has become
so UNREAL to them that it probably
would seem ridiculous even to sug–
gest such a thing. The scientists,
the industrial and commercial lead–
ers, the educators- yes, and even
the CLERGY- have al! departed so
FAR from God and HIS WAYS, that
such a thought would not even
enter their minds.
Yet the ETERNAL has not Jeft us
without absolute ASSURANCE! He
has recorded, in his Word, not only
his promises and assurances, but
three additional concrete
case his–
tories-in
addition to those re–
counted in this article-proving
that be ACTUALLY DIO DO THE
FIGHTING for a nation being
invaded, when that nation and its
rulers TRUSTED HlM.
We will continue this exciting
story in the next number. o
settlement that has existed for
centuries and that is integrally
related to the structure of agricul–
tura! production.
lf
you were to
apply a completely free market
philosophy to agriculture you
would in a very few years depop–
u late vast are as of Western
Europe, Jeading to the disappear–
ance of many villages, possibly
even of small towns.
The European countryside is a
man-made phenomenon and the
maintenance of a family-based
agriculture is essential to the
maintenance of the European
countryside. So the argument cuts
both ways.
There is a case for putting lim–
its on certain types of agricultura)
development. This is one of the
13