The Problem With Patriotism

            In a recent poll (Gallup, July 2013), 85% of people polled said that they were “extremely proud” to be Americans.  When this poll was published, it surprised a number of political and social analysts.  But, it didn’t surprise me.  People are ridiculously loyal to the place where they were born or the place where they live.  Ask anyone from Texas (like Brenda) and they will unabashedly tell you that Texas is the greatest place on God’s green earth.  Ask anyone from New York City and they will proudly tell you how many times they’ve been shot or stabbed and remember it almost fondly.  Even ask someone from less desirable places, and while they may deny that they are connected with that place, they will fiercely defend it when you start making fun of it.  The point is that people are loyal to where they have lived their lives.  And, because of this, people who have been born and raised in America are usually fiercely loyal to America, the greatest nation of our time.

            With all of that said, it shouldn’t surprise us to see this patriotism all throughout history.  We even find it in the Bible.  And, while we could talk about the Jews of the New Testament in this regard, I would like for us to consider the Jews of the northern kingdom of Israel, in particular, those during the time of the prophet Jonah.

            In Second Kings 14, we see a renaissance in northern Israel.  When Jeroboam II became king, he began restoring the proper borders of Israel.  And, even though he did evil in the sight of the Lord, the Lord had mercy on His people and He saved them by the hand of Jeroboam II (14:23-27).  The northern Israelites again became fiercely proud of being Israelites during this time of economic, social, and political resurgence.  And, during this time, it was the proud privilege of the prophet Jonah to proclaim these good tidings to the nation (14:25).  However, there came a time in Jonah’s ministry where the Lord told him to go and to preach to Nineveh, the capital city of Assyria (Jonah 1:1-2).  And, instead of obeying the Lord, Jonah tried to go as far away from Nineveh as he could (1:3).  One might wonder why an otherwise faithful prophet of God would so blatantly disobey a direct command from God.  Jonah actually answers that question for us.  He plainly states that the reason why he ran away was because he knew that Nineveh would repent and, because of that, that God would relent and not destroy the nation who was slated to defeat northern Israel and take them into captivity (4:1-2).  The point needs to be clear: Jonah was fiercely loyal to his home.  And, while there is nothing wrong with liking and appreciating where you live or where you’re from (Philippians 4:11-12), God told Jonah he was in the wrong for allowing his patriotism to become a problem (Jonah 4:3-11).

            You see, this is the problem with patriotism.  In and of itself, it’s a great thing; it gives people a sense of belonging and something to share with those around them, even amidst a myriad of differing opinions.  But, the problem with patriotism isn’t even really patriotism itself; the problem is when a person allows their pride in where they were born or where they live (or, more to the point, their pride in anything) to get in the way of God’s commands.  In particular, I’m talking about the command to “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39), even if your neighbor is your enemy (Matthew 5:43-38).

            From time to time, we might be tempted to be like Jonah and to put our patriotism ahead of our duty to our Lord.  In those cases, let us remember three things.  One, let us remember that the whole of humanity is from one blood (Genesis 1:26-28; Acts 17:26-28); we are all family; we are not borders.  Two, let us remember that our citizenship is in Heaven, not here on earth (Philippians 3:12-21).  And, Three, let us remember that this world will not last forever (2 Peter 3:10), but the Kingdom of Heaven will be eternal (Daniel 2:44-45; 7:13-14).  So, let us always put more personal value on being a part of the Heavenly Kingdom than on any kingdom of this realm or on anything else (Matthew 6:33).  And, may the God of all mankind (Daniel 5:21) help us to remember these things and to fulfill our duties to Him and our neighbor.

~Curtis Carwile