How do we look at radical Muslims? Shortly after 9/11 a
child in our church said, "We need to pray for the terrorists!"
Without thinking, I answered, "Pray that they will be
caught and killed." Because of that 4 or 5 year-old boy, I had to examine
my heart and my thinking in this matter. I have come to some thoughts that I
would like to share with you.
Is it wrong to pray for judgment to come on our enemies? God
is a God of judgment. He could not be good, holy or even loving, if He did not
judge the wickedness of men.
Many skeptics point at the command of God for the people to
destroy the city of Jericho killing men, women, children and livestock, saying
the Bible endorses genocide. However, this incident did not take place in a
vacuum. First, God had told Abraham in Genesis 15 that He was going to bring
judgment on the Amorites. But he said they had not filled up their iniquity.
Who knows how long God had already shown His patience toward this wicked people,
calling them again and again to repent. And yet, another four hundred years
passed before the Children of Israel came through the wilderness to encircle
the city of Jericho. Many have argued that the Atomic Bomb that killed all
living creatures in the Japanese cities, ended World War II preventing many more
deaths for many years. So the destruction of Jericho caused many of the
Amorites to flee rather than being killed in the ensuing war.
But you may ask why the Lord employed Israel in this
judgment. I certainly don't know all of God’s reasons. I do know the people of
Israel knew not to do such a thing without God's direct command. This is a
crucial point that I want get back to.
Interestingly enough, this is not the only time God put His
judgment into the hands of men. King Saul wickedly brought the judgment that
had been foretold upon the house of Eli. God used the ungodly Assyrians to
carry His people into captivity for rejecting Him. And most strikingly, God
used the imperfect judgment of a Roman tribunal to sentence and crucify Jesus.
That judgment of God was upon my sins and yours. God took my sin upon Himself
as Jesus died for us. Nothing shows the measure of God's love for us as powerfully
as Jesus taking our judgment on Himself at the cross.
I have prayed for God to bring judgment on wickedness in our
world. But the Bible, Old and New Testament, clearly teaches that God prefers
repentance and forgiveness to judgment and destruction. One of the most apropos
stories of this is the book of Jonah. Jonah was sent to preach to Nineveh.
Nineveh was the enemy of Israel. Jonah tried to flee from God's call. But he
only proved you can't run from God. When he finally went to preach to the city
he made no reference to repentance as he proclaimed judgment would come in
forty days. However, the people did repent in sackcloth and ashes. The point of
that book is God's compassion for people and our New Testament mission to love
even our enemies with the gospel. The final day of judgment is coming. But
until God tells us it is time to pray
for judgment temporary or ultimate, we need to pray for it not to be too late
for His grace even for our enemies.
I am praying and rejoicing to see Muslim people turning to
Christ by the thousands all across the Middle East, Central Asia and elsewhere.
Some of them had indeed been radical Muslims. I pray for their sin and threat
against us to be condemned and come under the terrible wrath of God as Jesus
died in their place and mine.
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