"The God of Israel said, ... He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." (2 Sam 23:3)
Although falling short of 2 Samuel 23:3, the USA is unquestionably the most God fearing nation the world has ever known with the exception for Judah during the times of a few of their kings. At least till around 1963 when God was put out of our schools, and after that soon came abortion, and then sodomites began to come out of the closet, etc. But in spite of those evils America continued to be the hub from which true believers sent the Gospel of Jesus Christ and our once great nation has continued to bless Israel, although sometimes half heatedly.
However, since post Civil War times the USA has no history of imperialism as many accuse. America has tried to helped every nation we have ever defeated or assisted. We have never gone to war to conquer another nation except that one time.
Were Roosevelt, Johnson, Bush and others wrong to commit America troops to wars? In modern times the USA has never wrongly gone to war. We have had ample reason for every war. However, we have sometimes gone about them wrong. For example, it is wrong to put US troops under the United Nations Babel; and it is wrong to go war without the goal of winning.
As a true Baptist I do my best to trust in the Lord and believe His Word, and not lean to my own fleshly understanding (Proverbs 3:5; 1 Corinthians 2:14). To do this I must rightly divide the Word of Truth, and to do that I must compare spiritual things with spiritual which the Holy Ghost teaches in His Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 1 Corinthians 2:13).
SCRIPTURAL FOUNDATION:
In Genesis 9:6 it says, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man." God here commanded man through Noah to punish murders and other blood shedding criminals. This Biblical principal is reiterated in Romans 13:1-5 :
"Let EVERY SOUL be subject unto the HIGHER POWERS. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. FOR RULERS ARE NOT A TERROR TO GOOD WORKS, BUT TO THE EVIL. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: FOR HE IS THE MINISTER OF GOD TO THEE FOR GOOD. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for HE IS THE MINISTER OF GOD, A REVENGER TO EXECUTE WRATH UPON HIM THAT DOETH EVIL. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake."
APPLICATION:
Were Adolf Hitler, Hideki Tojo, Ho Chi Minh, Pol Pot, Mullah Mohammad Omar, Saddam Hussein souls? Yes. Were they a terror toevil works? No! They were not doing the job God gave them to do! Did they murder and unjustly shed the blood of man? Yes! For that they were subject to powers higher than themselves. Was America a higher power than Hitler, Tojo, Ho, Omar, Saddam? Yes. Every thinking person, except the unlearned and brain washed, knows 1) that these were extremely evil men, and 2) that there has never been a more powerful and just form of national power than America in modern times. America has had evil leaders and individuals, but over all America has been more moral than all other nations, at least until lately.
WHY DO WARS OCCUR?
God allows war for two main reasons. 1) He allows evil acts of war to be perpetrated on His national peoples to warn and punish them. Those killed, injured and affected may be, but are not necessarily the targets of God. Innocents are often the recipients of evil acts, as babies are victims of AIDS, etc. However, God allows it to awaken and punish. He will avenge the innocent justly. 2) God also allows war to warn and punish the evil nations and individuals. Souls are often saved as the result of the softening up action of war. It was reported that during Desert Storm many soldiers came to know Christ as saviour. In both cases the result is ultimate and optimum good.
MISUNDERSTANDING FROM MISAPPLICATION OF SCRIPTURE:
Some misapply Scriptures to force them to apply to nations. Matthew 5:43-46 for example applies to individual believers, not nations. There the Lord Jesus said:
"Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same?"
This is speaking to individual believers to the end that they use opportunities to win souls. An enemy of Christ is a believer's enemy also. Christ died for His enemies:
"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. ... For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." (Romans 5:8, 10)
Other wrongly divided Scriptures that apply to the duties of individuals that are erroneously assigned nationally could be cited. A nation and a government officer are one kind of servant, and a Christian and church are another. They are two of the three institutions established by God, the third being the home. The church is never told wage bloody war (2 Corinthians 10:3-4; Ephesians 6:12), and the government is not to establish religion (John 19:11; Mark 12:17). Likewise in the Old Treatment a king was not to act as priest (1 Samuel 13:8-14).
CONCLUSION:
The mistakes of America concerning war are many: 1) slow to go to war in WWI, WWII, and the War on Terrorism, 2) not taking the war to the enemy and going to win in Vietnam, Syria and Iran, 3) not staying the course in Vietnam, Lebanon and Somalia, 4) not following through in Iraq I. But in none of these was it a mistake to go to war! Multiplied millions of lives could have been saved if we had of done our duty in Korea, Vietnam, Somolia, Sudan, etc.
I volunteered for military service in 1966 because of the Communist threat, and knew I might be called upon to give my life. I believed in the fight for freedom in Southeast Asia, and the world. I was proven right in 1975 by the blood bath and mass exodus that occurred due to America's betrayal of the Vietnamese, Cambodian and Laotian peoples. I feel betrayed too. Those poor nations did not stand a chance with tyrant Red China and Russia backing the Communists there. America seems to have no conscience of the evil we did by not going to win in Vietnam when it was within our power to do so. The Communists all over Southeast Asia were embolden by our turn coat actions. Cambodian and Laotian fell quickly like dominos, because Vietnam fell. Today believers are severely persecuted in Laos and Vietnam.
Now we have a new enemy. But today America has an all volunteer military. Most of them feel the same way I do. We believe in freedom for America and for all people. Let's not betray our boys, nor the ones they wish to help. American believers, especially Baptists, need to stop whining about this issue.
But someone will say, "God never made the USA the world police department ..." Says who? Back to Romans 13:1-5 again:
"Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. for there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of god to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be subject, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake."
We have already seen that government leaders like Mullah Omar and Saddam Hussein are souls too, and that the USA is a higher power, it's a super power.
However, it is the whiners who are not being subject to the higher power in a righteous matter by their murmuring. That is not to say the higher powers are righteous, but God is using the higher powers to punish evil and our boys are willing servants of God in the matter.
It is not evil for higher powers to punish evil doors. Even though higher powers have frequently conditioned us to think it is by not doing their God given job. But when he does do his job "... he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil." (i.e. terrorists, tyrants, and state sponsors of terrorism).
We all know evil will prevail till Christ returns, but that does not mean we must be party to it.