Saturday, September 19, 2020

Reflecting on Historical Victories

 

By:  Dale Weckbacher

 

Text:  Joshua 12:1-24

 

Psalm 78:5-6

He established a testimony in Jacob
    and appointed a law in Israel,
which he commanded our fathers
    to teach to their children,
that the next generation might know them,
    the children yet unborn,
and arise and tell them to their children,

(ESV)

 

When in high school, history was not one of my favorite classes.  Instead, I liked math, science, and music because I saw these classes as providing something useful and applicable in my life.  As I have matured, I have seen what can occur in the world through not understanding history allowing opportunistic politicians an opportunity to twist the truth of history and promote a political agenda.  Lies like the 1619 (1) project that claim the founding of the United States did not occur in 1776 with the drafting of the Declaration of Independence (2) but instead with a slave ship bringing slaves to the Colonies helps support a dangerous political agenda of systemic racism in the United States.  From this false historical foundation, opportunistic politicians can claim systemic racism in the United States since its founding and the need to scrap the system of government that built the United States into the powerful nation it has become into a socialist and even communist nation destined for failures like all experiments in socialism and communism have done in the past.  (3) (4)

 

Joshua 12:1-24 is a historical account of both the kings defeated by Moses east of the Jordan and the kings defeated by Joshua west of the Jordan.  The defeat and occupation of land east of the Jordan would become the inheritance of the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 12:1-6).  However, there was a condition to these tribes taking possession of land not included in the land promised to Israel, involving the need for the fighting men of these tribes accompanying the other Israelites into the Promised Land to fight to depose the nations occupying the land, something they promised to do (Numbers 32:16-23).  Joshua 12:7-24 is the historical account of the defeat of the kings west of the Jordan that would become the inheritance of the remaining nine and one-half tribes of Israel. 

 

The importance of these historical accounts are the provision of encouragement for Israel as they would continue to incur opposition to their occupation of the land God promised to them, opposition that continues to this day.  For example, while not specifically referenced in Scripture, accounts like this one in Joshua might have contributed to David’s courage when facing Goliath (1 Samuel 17:26).  Jesus did not promise that following Him would be a life of ease or some utopia but instead a life of struggle with the reminder that Jesus overcame the world through his death and resurrection (John 16:33).  Scripture also stresses the importance of teaching future generations the historical accounts, so they receive encouragement (Deuteronomy 6:4-9; Psalm 78:1-6).  Historical accounts can also remind us of past mistakes and their consequences, reminding future generations not to repeat these mistakes.  This is what Stephen did with his history lesson in Acts 7:1-53.  However, instead of taking this historical lesson and repenting of these past sins, the people of Israel listening to Stephen stone him to death, committing yet another sin (Acts 7:54-60).    

 

While this is said in each election, the election in 2020 in the United States represents a fork in the road for the United States and the world.  Voters have two choices this election,

 

1)      Socialism and its promised utopia – The Democrat Party and its promise of free education, healthcare, guaranteed income.  (5)

2)      Restoration of the American Dream through a rebirth of constitutional government.  (6)  While this is the same platform adopted by the Republican Party in 2016, the party is readopting it because before the shutdowns due to Covid19, these policies were producing results and will do so again. 

 

Voters in the United States must learn from the failures of utopian socialism which sounds appealing but fails when implemented as occurred in the former Soviet Union and Venezuela (3) (4) and return to the pre-Covid19 economic policies providing results with the addition of health safety protocols to ensure safety against another economically devastating pandemic.  (7)  Over the past four years of the Trump Administration, the policies of restoration of the American Dream and the rebirth of constitutional government with the reduction of taxes and government regulation resulted in unprecedented economic growth and job creation across all demographics.  (8) 

 

The historical account illustrates why voters in the United States must vote to continue the successful policies of the Trump Administration and reject the utopian promises of the Democratic Party which have a historical record of failure.  It is also crucial that voters elect Senators and Representatives supporting the policies of President Trump so he can implement the remainder of his agenda.  Voters must not fall prey to emotions and vote for what sounds good but has a historical record of failure and instead vote for policies and candidates favoring policies with a historical record of success.  Therefore, this Blog endorses the reelection of Donald Trump for President and the election of Republican candidates for the House of Representatives and Senate that support his agenda. 

 

1. The New York Times Magazene. The 1619 Project. nytimes.com. [Online] The New York Times Magazene, August 2019. [Cited: July 3, 2020.] https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/1619-america-slavery.html.

 

2. ushistory.org. The Declaration of Independence. www.ushistory.org. [Online] [Cited: October 30, 2016.] http://www.ushistory.org/declaration/document/.

 

3. San Jose State University. The Economic Collapse of the Soviet Union. sjsu.edu. [Online] San Jose State University. [Cited: September 19, 2020.] https://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/sovietcollapse.htm.

 

4. Barreto, Juan. How Venezuela Fell From the Richest Country in South America into Crisis. history.com. [Online] History.com, May 9, 2019. [Cited: September 19, 2020.] https://www.history.com/news/venezuela-chavez-maduro-crisis.

 

5. Democratic Party. 2020 Democratic Party Platform. demconvention.com. [Online] Democratic Party. [Cited: September 19, 2020.] https://www.demconvention.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/2020-07-31-Democratic-Party-Platform-For-Distribution.pdf.

 

6. Republican Party. Resolution Regarding the Republican Party Platform. prod-cdn-static.gop. [Online] The Republican National Committee. [Cited: September 19, 2020.] https://prod-cdn-static.gop.com/docs/Resolution_Platform_2020.pdf.

 

7. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Opening up America Again. whitehouse.gov. [Online] CDC. [Cited: September 19, 2020.] https://www.whitehouse.gov/openingamerica/.

 

8. Li, Yun. This is now the longest US economic expansion in history. CNBC.com. [Online] CNBC, July 2, 2019. [Cited: September 19, 2020.] https://www.cnbc.com/2019/07/02/this-is-now-the-longest-us-economic-expansion-in-history.html.

 

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