Saudi Arabia & America are no friends of mine - - - God

America & Saudi Arabia, Best Friends, but God's Enemies?

I received the following comment from John Burgess in response to my article, “Shining God’s Light on the Koran – Personally Accountable, which I wrote last Sunday.” My response is extensive so I wanted to post it as an article and not merely as a comment.

Your Commentary on the Koranic Account seems a bit muddled.

While the US certainly did assist Saudi Arabia in the 1990-91 Gulf War, Saudi Arabia did not react or reject the US. A particular group of Saudis, including bin Laden, rejected it. The Saudi government, while sometimes annoyed with US policies, has also generally supported them.

Even in the 2003 war to remove Saddam Hussein, for instance, an action incredibly unpopular with and opposed by both the Saudi public and government, the government nevertheless provided material support for the US, up to and including permitting it to = use Saudi soil (in particular, King Khalid Air Base and the air strips near the city of Ar Ar) to launch part of its attacks.

The issue, I guess, is whether we consider the actions of any particular Saudi to represent 'Saudi Arabia'. I think you need to distinguish between individuals, groups, the general public, and the government.

On 'Honor Killings’:

The issue is not the honor of the individual, but that of the family, clan, or tribe. A girl engaging in extra-marital sex, including pre-marital sex, is seen as dishonoring her entire family. A boy doing the same thing is not engaged in dishonoring his own family: he's just doing what young men everywhere do. This isn't all that different from the way things were handled not all that long ago in the US, though there was a bit more shame attached to the male.

It was the girl who got tagged as 'slut'. The guy, well, he got bragging rights among his peers.

And if the girl got pregnant, she was shuffled off to relatives in a distant place, if not sent to Puerto Rico or Europe for an abortion. The shame fell on her and her family, not on the one who impregnated her.

Personal responsibility is indeed a critical matter, but seeking to avoid it is pretty much normal human behavior, too. Many of us accept responsibility for our own acts. Too many of us don't, whether they're politicians, the local police, our friends and neighbors.

John –Thanks for your comments . . .

INDIVIDUAL RESPONSIBILITY

In the Law of Moses (Deuteronomy 24:16) it is the responsibility of those who govern to punish those who commit a crime, not to punish the parents, children or someone else. It is the responsibility of the electorate to hold those in office accountable for their actions. Be sure God, the Judge of all the earth, the Lord Jesus Christ will hold each individual accountable for their own actions (Ezekiel 16:4; John 5:22). If the government and society does not hold individuals responsible for their evil conduct, then God will hold that government and society accountable and will bring His judgment against the government or society.

HONOR KILLING

Honor killing is not a Biblical concept. That means that the God of the Bible does NOT call for it, nor condone it, nor approve of it. He does call for capital punishment for certain conduct. Every crime is against God, not just against another person.

In the case of an unmarried couple having a sexual relationship before marriage – if they are found out then the man must marry the woman and he has no right to divorce the woman, ever, for any cause (Deuteronomy 23:28, 29.) If a man has sex with a married woman then they are both to be put to death (Deuteronomy 22:22). This is not honor killing. It is putting away evil from a nation.

Suppose a nation decides adultery is not worthy of death and such conduct is not punished in a nation. Then the wrath of God, is built up against that nation and God will bring judgment against that nation. We have God’s promise for this (Leviticus 10:8 & 20).

Engaging in a sexual relationship outside of marriage is not what young men do everywhere. Honorable men do not conduct themselves in such a way. God say, “Be holy for I am holy (Leviticus 20:7). Men whose God is the Lord Jesus Christ will not take advantage of a woman even if she asks him to do so, because of his devotion to his God.A sexual relationship outside of marriage is a sin against the person’s own body (1 Corinthians 6:15-20). It destroys the soul of the individual involved and he has no understanding (Proverbs 6:32).

SAUDI ARABIA & AMERICA: GUILTY AS SIN

You wrote, “The issue, I guess, is whether we consider the actions of any particular Saudi to represent 'Saudi Arabia'. I think you need to distinguish between individuals, groups, the general public, and the government. ..” There is a basic principle that I find at work here. If one part of the body is sick the whole body is sick and suffers (2 Corinthians 12:26). The eye cannot say because the hand is sick, I am not sick. The lungs cannot say since the hand is sick, I am not sick.

When the children of Israel where to take Jericho, they were to kill everyone except Rahab and all who lodged in her house and all the animals and to take nothing as spoils, but the gold and silver was to go to the treasury of God (Joshua 6:17-19). Achan took for himself from Jericho a Babylonian garment, two hundred shekels of silver, and a wedge of gold weighing fifty shekels. For this action of one man, Israel was not able to stand before their enemies because Israel had sinned against God. The whole nation was guilty before God due to the actions of one man. Israel had to stone Achan, his wife, children, cattle and burn everything he had in order for Israel to remove this sin from itself and for God to be present again with Israel.

Lest you think this is a special case, consider this. If one is found slain in the country and no one knows who did it, then the elders of the cities around the site are to measure the distance to the towns close by and the elders of the closest town or city is to offer a sacrifice of a heifer and wash their hands over the heifer and tell God that they have not shed this blood or observed it being done and ask God to be merciful to them and not lay innocent blood unto the people of Israel’s charge. Then the blood shall be forgiving them. In this way they put away the guilt of innocent blood from the nation. (Deuteronomy 21:1-9).

If this is not done the guilt of innocent will build up on the nation and God will destroy the nation. This happened to Israel and to Judah (2 Kings 21:16, 24:3-4).

Most of those who flew the planes into the buildings on 9/11 were Saudi Arabian and Osama Bin Laden is from there as well. This makes Saudi Arabia responsible for shedding innocent blood. For them to resolve this before God Saudi Arabia would have to find those who took part in the plot and execute them. The shedding of innocent blood pollutes the land with blood and defiles the land. The land cannot be cleansed except by the shedding of the blood of the one that shed it (Numbers 35:33).

Saudi Arabia is promoting the Islamic doctrine that calls for the killing of innocent people for the spread of Islam around the world.

Consider this about America, as well. Since the Supreme Court allowed abortion to take place 50,000,000 humans have been murdered in their mothers’ womb. The people who do this are not being executed. Therefore, the innocent blood of those babies is polluting the United States of America and the land is defiled with blood. How about murder? The murderers are not being put to death. America is worthy of the judgment of God and God is sending it to cause America to repent.

God is being good and merciful to Saudi Arabia, so they will repent (Romans 2:4) and believe Jesus is the Son of God and receive Him into their hearts and lives. Every human being must do this individually. No religion brings salvation to a person, only repentance and trust in Jesus Christ does so, for both American and Arab and for all people.