Make America Great Again: Resisting Intimidation

By:  Dale Weckbacher

Nehemiah 6:11-12

 But I said, “Should a man like me run away? How can someone like me enter the temple and live? I will not go.” ¹² I realized that God had not sent him, because of the prophecy he spoke against me. Tobiah and Sanballat had hired him.

(CSB)

In the Biblical narrative of Nehemiah 6:10-14, Shemaiah appears interested in rescuing Nehemiah from death (Nehemiah 6:10).  However, Nehemiah understood that entering the Temple would constitute sin on his part since he was not an ordained priest (Nehemiah 6:11).  Nehemiah saw through the deception and chose not to have the meeting (Nehemiah 6:12-13).  In addition, rather than seeking vengeance on his own, Nehemiah places those trying to intimidate him in the hands of God (Nehemiah 6:14). 

Another leader in the Bible did not remain obedient to God, and ended up suffering rejection as king.  The leader I am mentioning is King Saul and the account of his rejection recorded in 1 Samuel 15:1-23.  Previously in another account of scripture we witness Saul’s disobedience, this time driven by impatience (1 Samuel 13:1-15).  Nehemiah, a student of God’s law no doubt knew of these accounts of scripture and had determined in his heart not to follow King Saul’s failures and resisted the intimidation to follow his presumed rescuer into making him disobey his God.   

While President Trump appears eager to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, (1) others including Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe have concerns over Trump’s face-to-ace meeting with Kim.  (2)  If I were an advisor to President Trump, I would advise him to exercise a strategy of trust but verify when it comes to negotiations with this regime based upon their past history.  A chronology of negotiations with this regime, presented by the Arms Control Association since December 12, 1985 begins with the Regime acceding to the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty (NPT) but without completion of a safeguards agreement with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).  (3)

This led to the removal of all naval and land-based tactical nuclear weapons abroad including 100 U.S. nuclear weapons in South Korea by President George H.W. Bush on September 27, 1991.  Under the Clinton administration, demands inspections by the IAEA of North Korea ended with threats by North Korea to renege on their agreement to the NPT on March 12, 1993.  (3)  Since that time, we have witnessed numerous nuclear tests along with testing of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of delivering a dangerous nuclear weapon to a U.S. City.   The panic created by a mistakenly sent nuclear missile warning in Hawaii illustrates the seriousness of the perceived threat the North Korean regime presents.  (4)

Interestingly however, the concept of trust but verify is a conundrum for the insertion of the word but after trust, erases trust making it a moot point.  (5) Perhaps a better way of defining the strategy of trust but verify would be to approach negotiations with a leader or regime historically reneging on deals with extreme skepticism.  Better yet, President Trump should tell the North Korean leader no meeting until presentation of documented evidence of the destruction of all nuclear weapons along with cessation of all nuclear and ICBM testing.  In addition, due to threats issued against the United States and its allies, the U.S. must maintain nuclear armed naval vessels in the area along with land-based nuclear weapons in South Korea and Japan serving as a deterrent to any thoughts of reneging on any denuclearization deal. 

My prayer is that President Trump will resist any temptation to give in to the intimidation of media, liberal and progressive politicians, and other world leaders to end conflict with North Korea through any deal that does not include total denuclearization of North Korea along with maintaining nuclear armed forces in the area serving as a deterrent.   

1. Fernando, Gavin. Donald Trump has confirmed he is ‘looking forward' to meeting with Kim Jong-un. www.news.com. [Online] News.com.au, March 29, 2018. [Cited: March 30, 2018.] http://www.news.com.au/finance/work/leaders/donald-trump-has-confirmed-he-is-looking-forward-to-meeting-with-kim-jongun/news-story/b838a48f17ea9acc071b341f2722aec0.

2. Kevin Liptak, Jeremy Diamond. Surprise meetings and potential pitfalls. Trump preps for North Korea. www.cnn.com. [Online] CNN Politics, March 29, 2018. [Cited: March 30, 2018.] https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/28/politics/donald-trump-north-korea-preparations/index.html.

3. Devenport, Kelsey. Chronology of U.S.-North Korean Nuclear and Missile Diplomacy. www.armscontrol.org. [Online] Arms Control Association, March 2018. [Cited: March 30, 2018.] https://www.armscontrol.org/factsheets/dprkchron.

4. Wellerstein, Alex. The Hawaii alert was an accident. The dread it inspired wasn’t. www.washingtonpost.com. [Online] The Washington Post, January 16, 2018. [Cited: March 30, 2018.] https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/01/16/the-hawaii-alert-was-an-accident-the-dread-it-inspired-wasnt/?utm_term=.79ab2964dc8e.

5. Whipple, Bob. Trust but Verify. www.leadergrow.com. [Online] Leadergrow Incorporated. [Cited: March 30, 2018.] https://www.leadergrow.com/articles/443-trust-but-verify.