If we only knew ...

The question of the day—perhaps of this whole election cycle—is this one: If you were president, and knew then what we know now, would you have gone to war with Iraq in 2003?

When you think about it, it’s a meaningless question. If you knew your fiancé was a closet porn addict, would you have married him? If I knew that a stalker was waiting for me in the parking lot of my apartment complex, would I have ventured out alone? If siblings knew that their aged father would not survive unless he had the heart surgery he desired, would they have strongly advised against it? Personal preferences aside, we make decisions based on the best intelligence we have and adjust the plan to meet the circumstances. That’s how the Iraq War was conducted—if we allow for good faith on President George W. Bush’s part for going into Iraq in the first place.

For some, allowing for good faith is a stretch. During a public meeting in Reno, Nev., earlier this month, likely presidential contender Jeb Bush was lectured by a 19-year-old college student who informed him that “Your brother created ISIS” by disbanding the Iraqi army shortly after taking control of Baghdad. Presumably the U.S. government could have at least had a jobs program in place before dismissing all personnel presumed loyal to Saddam Hussein. What were all those restless young men to do, except form a murdering army of savages?

The same people said that Ronald Reagan “created” Saddam Hussein by supporting him during the Iran-Iraq War and George H. W. Bush “created” Osama Bin Laden by occupying Saudi Arabia after the first Gulf War. Too bad Reagan and Bush didn’t know then what we know now.

But what do we really “know”? During a women’s Bible study last week, the discussion veered to how Christians can get tied into knots trying to determine God’s will for them. Why doesn’t He just tell us whom to marry or where to move—couldn’t there be a New Testament method of casting lots, like David did to determine if and when to attack the Philistines? We tend to overlook that we do know His will:

“… what does the LORD require of you, but to do justice, and love kindness, and walk humbly with your God?” (Micah 6:8, ESV)

This is His will. Everything else, including our choice of mates and jobs, is the application.

I think even presidents and congressmen know this, whether or not they apply it. Right now, an army of barbarians is savaging Iraq within 90 miles of its capital. They are raping young girls and crucifying boys and forcing Christians to flee and hunting down native-born “collaborators” who worked with U.S. troops and now plead in vain for asylum. What does the Lord require of us as a nation? “Walking humbly” is tough for a politician, but all Americans should have a general idea of kindness and justice. We knew it then and we know it now. The real question is not what we knew, but what do we do?