Will America's Billions in Military Aid to Egypt Backfire?

The Bible warns against being unfaithful to God and trying to buy national "lovers" instead of obeying and trusting in Him. Will America be punished for "playing the harlot" with Egypt and other "lovers"?

Source: Wikimedia Commons - United States Federal Government

Most of America's founders had great faith in God and relied on Him much more than do the present leaders and citizens of the United States.

For a nation to be persistently blessed with God's provision and protection, the people must be faithful to God, and they must trust in and rely on Him.

We are to be at least as faithful to God as a person should be to his or her spouse. Our Creator is rightfully jealous. He regards any unfaithfulness to Him as spiritual adultery.

This requires more than lip service. Actions speak louder than words.

The problems of foreign aid and political alliances

One example of spiritual infidelity is when our country's leaders have more trust in political and military alliances than they have in God. And the obvious evidence of this is when we unnecessarily send hard-earned tax dollars to other countries as political and military foreign aid (as opposed to disaster relief and humanitarian aid).

Tragically, much foreign aid is siphoned off to enrich the leaders rather than to benefit the common citizen. In fact, the aid often props up corrupt leaders, enabling them to retain their power over the people.

Most of America's foreign aid and military aid to other countries is an effort to buy cooperation and friendship. In doing so, the United States has "hired lovers" (Hosea 8:9For they are gone up to Assyria, a wild ass alone by himself: Ephraim hath hired lovers.
See All...).

But "friends" who are purchased are not real friends. The "aid" is like a bribe. They know you don't have real love for them. They know you have the selfish motive of buying their favors.

In fact, the United States often sends more money to unreliable "friends" than to its reliable friends! We reward nations for being unreliable! We choose strange bedfellows.

But the most serious aspect of this mess is failing to rely on God's guidance, provision and protection.

Egypt a dangerous example

Peace treaties and other negotiations with dictators usually come to an end when the dictator dies or is ousted. That shows how futile it is to rely on countries that are ruled by dictators.

Egypt has been one of the top recipients of American assistance, receiving about $1.5 billion in aid each year. But the violent demonstrations against the Mubarak regime show that no amount of aid can guarantee stability, prosperity or even a reliably pro-American foreign policy.

Much of the aid to Egypt has been military aid. Egypt has an incredibly strong military. It is larger than Israel's, although some of Israel's military is more advanced and sophisticated. If control of Egypt falls into the wrong hands, that military power could easily be used against us.

With the recent enormous uprising in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is trying to get its foot in the door hoping to gain control of the government. It was the Muslim Brotherhood that murdered Hosni Mubarak's predecessor, Anwar Sadat. A government that involves the Muslim Brotherhood will be hostile to personal liberties, repudiate Egypt's treaty with Israel and threaten the United States. It could refuse traffic through the Suez Canal to anyone at any time.

And although a majority of Egypt's people say they want democracy, 84 percent of them also say you should be killed if you leave Islam. With that belief, Egypt won't be a land of freedom—a land that guarantees the right to life, the rule of law, property rights, the protection of minorities, respect for human dignity and the right to worship God according to one's conscience.

Through His prophets, God frequently reprimanded Israel and Judah for committing spiritual adultery and "playing the harlot" with neighboring nations. Instead of being loyal to God and putting their full trust in Him to provide and protect, they relied instead on alliances with various nations (see Jeremiah 3:1-15 [1] They say, If a man put away his wife, and she go from him, and become another man's, shall he return unto her again? shall not that land be greatly polluted? but thou hast played the harlot with many lovers; yet return again to me, saith the LORD.
[2] Lift up thine eyes unto the high places, and see where thou hast not been lien with. In the ways hast thou sat for them, as the Arabian in the wilderness; and thou hast polluted the land with thy whoredoms and with thy wickedness.
[3] Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there hath been no latter rain; and thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.
[4] Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide of my youth?
[5] Will he reserve his anger for ever? will he keep it to the end? Behold, thou hast spoken and done evil things as thou couldest.
[6] The LORD said also unto me in the days of Josiah the king, Hast thou seen that which backsliding Israel hath done? she is gone up upon every high mountain and under every green tree, and there hath played the harlot.
[7] And I said after she had done all these things, Turn thou unto me. But she returned not. And her treacherous sister Judah saw it.
[8] And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also.
[9] And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks.
[10] And yet for all this her treacherous sister Judah hath not turned unto me with her whole heart, but feignedly, saith the LORD.
[11] And the LORD said unto me, The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judah.
[12] Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say, Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the LORD; and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you: for I am merciful, saith the LORD, and I will not keep anger for ever.
[13] Only acknowledge thine iniquity, that thou hast transgressed against the LORD thy God, and hast scattered thy ways to the strangers under every green tree, and ye have not obeyed my voice, saith the LORD.
[14] Turn, O backsliding children, saith the LORD; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion:
[15] And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding.

See All... and Ezekiel 16:15-63 [15] But thou didst trust in thine own beauty, and playedst the harlot because of thy renown, and pouredst out thy fornications on every one that passed by; his it was.
[16] And of thy garments thou didst take, and deckedst thy high places with divers colours, and playedst the harlot thereupon: the like things shall not come, neither shall it be so.
[17] Thou hast also taken thy fair jewels of my gold and of my silver, which I had given thee, and madest to thyself images of men, and didst commit whoredom with them,
[18] And tookest thy broidered garments, and coveredst them: and thou hast set mine oil and mine incense before them.
[19] My meat also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou hast even set it before them for a sweet savour: and thus it was, saith the Lord GOD.
[20] Moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. Is this of thy whoredoms a small matter,
[21] That thou hast slain my children, and delivered them to cause them to pass through the fire for them?
[22] And in all thine abominations and thy whoredoms thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, when thou wast naked and bare, and wast polluted in thy blood.
[23] And it came to pass after all thy wickedness, (woe, woe unto thee! saith the LORD GOD;)
[24] That thou hast also built unto thee an eminent place, and hast made thee an high place in every street.
[25] Thou hast built thy high place at every head of the way, and hast made thy beauty to be abhorred, and hast opened thy feet to every one that passed by, and multiplied thy whoredoms.
[26] Thou hast also committed fornication with the Egyptians thy neighbours, great of flesh; and hast increased thy whoredoms, to provoke me to anger.
[27] Behold, therefore I have stretched out my hand over thee, and have diminished thine ordinary food, and delivered thee unto the will of them that hate thee, the daughters of the Philistines, which are ashamed of thy lewd way.
[28] Thou hast played the whore also with the Assyrians, because thou wast unsatiable; yea, thou hast played the harlot with them, and yet couldest not be satisfied.
[29] Thou hast moreover multiplied thy fornication in the land of Canaan unto Chaldea; and yet thou wast not satisfied herewith.
[30] How weak is thine heart, saith the LORD GOD, seeing thou doest all these things, the work of an imperious whorish woman;
[31] In that thou buildest thine eminent place in the head of every way, and makest thine high place in every street; and hast not been as an harlot, in that thou scornest hire;
[32] But as a wife that committeth adultery, which taketh strangers instead of her husband!
[33] They give gifts to all whores: but thou givest thy gifts to all thy lovers, and hirest them, that they may come unto thee on every side for thy whoredom.
[34] And the contrary is in thee from other women in thy whoredoms, whereas none followeth thee to commit whoredoms: and in that thou givest a reward, and no reward is given unto thee, therefore thou art contrary.
[35] Wherefore, O harlot, hear the word of the LORD:
[36] Thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thy filthiness was poured out, and thy nakedness discovered through thy whoredoms with thy lovers, and with all the idols of thy abominations, and by the blood of thy children, which thou didst give unto them;
[37] Behold, therefore I will gather all thy lovers, with whom thou hast taken pleasure, and all them that thou hast loved, with all them that thou hast hated; I will even gather them round about against thee, and will discover thy nakedness unto them, that they may see all thy nakedness.
[38] And I will judge thee, as women that break wedlock and shed blood are judged; and I will give thee blood in fury and jealousy.
[39] And I will also give thee into their hand, and they shall throw down thine eminent place, and shall break down thy high places: they shall strip thee also of thy clothes, and shall take thy fair jewels, and leave thee naked and bare.
[40] They shall also bring up a company against thee, and they shall stone thee with stones, and thrust thee through with their swords.
[41] And they shall burn thine houses with fire, and execute judgments upon thee in the sight of many women: and I will cause thee to cease from playing the harlot, and thou also shalt give no hire any more.
[42] So will I make my fury toward thee to rest, and my jealousy shall depart from thee, and I will be quiet, and will be no more angry.
[43] Because thou hast not remembered the days of thy youth, but hast fretted me in all these things; behold, therefore I also will recompense thy way upon thine head, saith the Lord GOD: and thou shalt not commit this lewdness above all thine abominations.
[44] Behold, every one that useth proverbs shall use this proverb against thee, saying, As is the mother, so is her daughter.
[45] Thou art thy mother's daughter, that lotheth her husband and her children; and thou art the sister of thy sisters, which lothed their husbands and their children: your mother was an Hittite, and your father an Amorite.
[46] And thine elder sister is Samaria, she and her daughters that dwell at thy left hand: and thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters.
[47] Yet hast thou not walked after their ways, nor done after their abominations: but, as if that were a very little thing, thou wast corrupted more than they in all thy ways.
[48] As I live, saith the Lord GOD, Sodom thy sister hath not done, she nor her daughters, as thou hast done, thou and thy daughters.
[49] Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.
[50] And they were haughty, and committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw good.
[51] Neither hath Samaria committed half of thy sins; but thou hast multiplied thine abominations more than they, and hast justified thy sisters in all thine abominations which thou hast done.
[52] Thou also, which hast judged thy sisters, bear thine own shame for thy sins that thou hast committed more abominable than they: they are more righteous than thou: yea, be thou confounded also, and bear thy shame, in that thou hast justified thy sisters.
[53] When I shall bring again their captivity, the captivity of Sodom and her daughters, and the captivity of Samaria and her daughters, then will I bring again the captivity of thy captives in the midst of them:
[54] That thou mayest bear thine own shame, and mayest be confounded in all that thou hast done, in that thou art a comfort unto them.
[55] When thy sisters, Sodom and her daughters, shall return to their former estate, and Samaria and her daughters shall return to their former estate, then thou and thy daughters shall return to your former estate.
[56] For thy sister Sodom was not mentioned by thy mouth in the day of thy pride,
[57] Before thy wickedness was discovered, as at the time of thy reproach of the daughters of Syria, and all that are round about her, the daughters of the Philistines, which despise thee round about.
[58] Thou hast borne thy lewdness and thine abominations, saith the LORD.
[59] For thus saith the Lord GOD; I will even deal with thee as thou hast done, which hast despised the oath in breaking the covenant.
[60] Nevertheless I will remember my covenant with thee in the days of thy youth, and I will establish unto thee an everlasting covenant.
[61] Then thou shalt remember thy ways, and be ashamed, when thou shalt receive thy sisters, thine elder and thy younger: and I will give them unto thee for daughters, but not by thy covenant.
[62] And I will establish my covenant with thee; and thou shalt know that I am the LORD:
[63] That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord GOD.

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God warned Israel that their alliances would backfire. He said, "I will stir up your lovers against you" (Ezekiel 23:22Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;
See All...). After the fall of Judah to the Babylonians, God's prophet wrote, "Among all her lovers she has none to comfort her. All her friends have dealt treacherously with her; they have become her enemies" (Lamentations 1:2She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her cheeks: among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are become her enemies.
See All...).

Would that America would rededicate herself to a committed covenant relationship with God!

But it is not going to happen soon enough to prevent calamity. Our nation's increasing infidelity toward our Creator will be our undoing. Bible prophecies tell us that America and her Western allies will eventually suffer terribly because of their unfaithfulness to God.

However, God promises that He will provide for and protect every individual who faithfully obeys, serves and trusts in Him! For more understanding of these prophecies and of the volatile Middle East, see our free booklets The United States and Britain in Bible Prophecy and The Middle East in Bible Prophecy .