Will America's Billions in Military Aid to Egypt Backfire?
A commentary by Don Hooser
Dallas, Texas
Most of America's founders had great faith in God and relied on Him much more than do the present leaders and citizens of the United States.
For a nation to be persistently blessed with God's provision and protection, the people must be faithful to God, and they must trust in and rely on Him.
We are to be at least as faithful to God as a person should be to his or her spouse. Our Creator is rightfully jealous. He regards any unfaithfulness to Him as spiritual adultery.
This requires more than lip service. Actions speak louder than words.
The problems of foreign aid and political alliances
One example of spiritual infidelity is when our country's leaders have more trust in political and military alliances than they have in God. And the obvious evidence of this is when we unnecessarily send hard-earned tax dollars to other countries as political and military foreign aid (as opposed to disaster relief and humanitarian aid).
Tragically, much foreign aid is siphoned off to enrich the leaders rather than to benefit the common citizen. In fact, the aid often props up corrupt leaders, enabling them to retain their power over the people.
Most of America's foreign aid and military aid to other countries is an effort to buy cooperation and friendship. In doing so, the United States has "hired lovers" (Hosea 8:9).
But "friends" who are purchased are not real friends. The "aid" is like a bribe. They know you don't have real love for them. They know you have the selfish motive of buying their favors.
In fact, the United States often sends more money to unreliable "friends" than to its reliable friends! We reward nations for being unreliable! We choose strange bedfellows.
But the most serious aspect of this mess is failing to rely on God's guidance, provision and protection.
Egypt a dangerous example
Peace treaties and other negotiations with dictators usually come to an end when the dictator dies or is ousted. That shows how futile it is to rely on countries that are ruled by dictators.
Egypt has been one of the top recipients of American assistance, receiving about $1.5 billion in aid each year. But the violent demonstrations against the Mubarak regime show that no amount of aid can guarantee stability, prosperity or even a reliably pro-American foreign policy.
Much of the aid to Egypt has been military aid. Egypt has an incredibly strong military. It is larger than Israel's, although some of Israel's military is more advanced and sophisticated. If control of Egypt falls into the wrong hands, that military power could easily be used against us.
With the recent enormous uprising in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to get its foot in the door hoping to gain control of the government. It was the Muslim Brotherhood that murdered Hosni Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar Sadat. A government that involves the Muslim Brotherhood will be hostile to personal liberties, repudiate Egypt's treaty with Israel and threaten the United States. It could refuse traffic through the Suez Canal to anyone at any time.
And although a majority of Egypt's people say they want democracy, 84 percent of them also say you should be killed if you leave Islam. With that belief, Egypt won't be a land of freedom—a land that guarantees the right to life, the rule of law, property rights, the protection of minorities, respect for human dignity and the right to worship God according to one's conscience.
Through His prophets, God frequently reprimanded Israel and Judah for committing spiritual adultery and "playing the harlot" with neighboring nations. Instead of being loyal to God and putting their full trust in Him to provide and protect, they relied instead on alliances with various nations (see Jeremiah 3:1-15 and Ezekiel 16:15-63).
God warned Israel that their alliances would backfire. He said, "I will stir up your lovers against you" (Ezekiel 23:22). After the fall of Judah to the Babylonians, God's prophet wrote, "Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies" (Lamentations 1:2).
Would that America would rededicate herself to a committed covenant relationship with God!
But it is not going to happen soon enough to prevent calamity. Our nation's increasing infidelity toward our Creator will be our undoing. Bible prophecies tell us that America and her Western allies will eventually suffer terribly because of their unfaithfulness to God.
However, God promises that He will provide for and protect every individual who faithfully obeys, serves and trusts in Him! For more understanding of these prophecies and of the volatile Middle East, see our free booklets The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy and The Middle East in Bible Prophecy
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