The king is not saved by a mighty army;“In God we trust,” is the motto inscribed on United States banknotes. Today, this may seem to many a bit hypocritical, a motto describing an historical sentiment, not an actual truthful living faith. Nevertheless it begs a fundamentally important question: in whom or in what do we ultimately trust? That question needs to be pressed home relentlessly to every soul.
A warrior is not delivered by great strength.
A horse is a false hope for victory;
Nor does it deliver anyone by its great strength.
Psalm 33: 16,17
As our text implies, Athens has an answer ready to hand. For the world of Unbelief, power is usually the ultimate repository of trust, hope, faith, and belief. We would hazard a guess that in the United States today, the motto on the currency is a lie: actually, most Unbelieving American citizens place their ultimate faith and trust in the military power of the United States. Even the normally dovish Left, when insulted or hurt by terrorist attacks, quickly bray for blood, for armed retaliation, for making “them” pay. Let's not forget when President Bush ordered troops into Afghanistan and Iraq his popular support levels were virtually off the scale. The doves were in war formation.
Our text indicates that this is nothing new. There has been an abiding proclivity in Athenian circles throughout history to place hope in armies and military might. This is true in New Zealand to this day. Whilst in our nation the armed forces virtually do not exist; so that our nation has no defence force—only military tokenism—and we are to all practical purposes undefended, most New Zealanders believe that were “anything” to happen, were our nation attacked, traditional (more militarily powerful) allies would come to our aid and defence (the United States, Australia, the United Kingdom). It is our ultimate hope.
Stupid and naive—to be sure. But almost universally believed nonetheless. Test it. Ask your mates. Point out that we have no armed forces, then ask them to imagine what would happen if an Asian power (say, Indonesia) used their relatively vast navy and air force to attack and invade New Zealand. What, then, would happen. Almost everyone will answer that our “allies” would come to our aid and would go to war to defend us.
So, Unbelievers in New Zealand are doubly stupid and gullible. Not only do they believe in the efficacy of military might as the ultimate repository of trust, they take the stupidity one step further—New Zealanders almost to a man believe in the efficacy of the military might of other nations as our hope. How foolish can you be?
Our text tells us that mighty armies and great military forces are vain hopes. Over them all reigns the Almighty. He regards all the inhabitants of the earth, He fashions the hearts of them all, and He understands their works. Nothing is hid from Him. He has no regard for military power.
Instead and in the strongest contrast, the psalmist tells us His eye is upon those who fear Him, whose hope is in His lovingkindness, not in tanks and missiles. Since the Lord regards those who are so minded, there is only one reasonable response: the ultimate confidence of Believers is in God. Consequently, says the psalmist, “our soul waits for the Lord. He is our help and our shield.” Our hope is not in armies, but in the lovingkindness and faithfulness of the Lord.
“In God we trust” is a great motto—if it is truly believed, if it reflects the hearts of the people. He knows. He tests. He weighs. He is the great defender of those who truly entrust themselves to Him.
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