JESUS admonishes us:
Luke 12:13-14
King James Version
13 And one of the company said unto him,
Master, speak to my brother,
that he divide the inheritance with me.
14 And he said unto him,
Man, who made me a judge
or a divider over you?
Why this conflict between the Philippines, and China?
Over the shoals in Spratly Islands?
The past couple of days, I didn't quite know how to go about it.
How to approach, and start, this article.
There was too much conflict.
Too much data.
Until SPIRIT led me to some "funny" things yesterday.
And that always gets me going.
A born again is always childlike, you know.
Alternately shocked, and tickled, by man's ways.
And yet knowing GOD's ways.
A born again is not caught up in what the world bickers about.
But we do look at things, from a Biblical perspective.
Now, for the "funny" things:
My country left an old American ship in Ayungin shoal in 1999.
Obviously, to serve as "garrison".
A former president promised to "tow" it, the same year.
Which never happened.
A "gentleman's agreement" transpired between the two countries.
Which our current president "rescinds".
No construction materials are allowed to be brought to the ship.
Is that the reason for the recent "altercations"?
And then China says something like let the ship "rot".
With time, sea water, and weathering, it may just do that -- "rust".
At high tide, the shoals are covered.
At low tide, they become visible.
Since the late 70s. I had been hearing about the Spratlys*.
A group of atolls, reefs. shoals, and sandbars hotly-contested among at least six Asian nations.
I took not much notice then.
But the past days, China and the Philippines were especially at it.
Loggerheads.
Bullying.
Standoffs.
Provocations.
Skirmishes.
Like a fight between Goliath, and David.
And I meant, only in size, and military might.
So, I did research.
We learn Spratlys is CLOSE to "some of the busiest shipping lanes":
"The area is close to some of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, accounting for 3.4 of the $16 trillion global trade in 2016."
-- Wikipedia
We also found crazy, funny things.
It is crazy, for six nations have claims, backed by their own history.
It is funny, for if you're born again, you'd know Who it really belongs to.
Psalm 24:1
King James Version
24 The earth is the Lord's,
and the fulness thereof;
the world,
and they that dwell therein.
Of course, I told myself, the Spratlys is but part of a region.
Which happens to be the South China Sea.
Again, I find more historical information.
And again, I maintain GOD's right over everything.
Psalm 95:5
King James Version
5 The sea is his, and he made it:
and his hands formed the dry land.
It is crazy funny, because too many explorers and adventurers laid claim to the Spratlys.
If they found an island, they'd plant their flag.
Or gave it a name.
Or exercise governance over it.
Then, other offended countries would dispute it.
On and on it went for too many years.
And to think we were once friends.
Ages ago, Taiwan would mine jade, and the Philippines would process it.
And then things turned sour over those shoals.
Possibly, this is the only time mainland China and Taiwan agreed on anything.
Ganging up on the Philippines, over the Spratlys.
What do the islands have anyway?
Rich fishing grounds, for one.
We learned China gave us "fishing rights" at Scarborough Shoal.
But they kinda "hijacked" our fishes in an incident that occurred six years ago.
In exchange for our 3,000 fishes, they traded two bottles of mineral water.
It was reported the bottled water only costs 20 pesos (33 U.S. cents) total.
Is that fair barter?
Another former president has his own version of the matter.
Well, we learn there's potential oil, and natural gas deposits.
But the U.S. says it's not what we think.
They say there's more in other parts of the South China Sea.
So maybe, we try to search there.
And find nothing.
While the U.S. "appropriates", during our "leave".
Anything is possible, with man.
We may both end up fighting an even bigger giant.
Now you see why it's funny to me.
Sometimes, it all seems comical.
Maybe I've watched too many cartoons.
Then, we learn, everyone wants the guano.
Now, why would anyone want bat "droppings"?
Okay, seabird droppings, too.
We learn this from Wikipedia:
"Guano is a highly effective fertilizer due to the high content of nitrogen, phosphate, and potassium, all key nutrients essential for plant growth."
Uh okay...
But we read further, and find this:
"Guano was also, to a lesser extent, sought for the production of gunpowder and other explosive materials."
Aha!
The plot thickens.
No wonder, nations want the plots.
China is known to have first documented their formula on gunpowder.
And surely, after that, world peace has gone down the drain.
Swords, bow and arrows, knives, axes, etc, were forgotten.
We all know how gunpowder finishes disputes.
Or so man thinks.
Is this how GOD wants us to be?
Are we to have potential war upon each other?
All because of money and power, over land and resources?
When ALL belong to GOD anyway.
Not only that.
JESUS warned us about covetousness.
Luke 12:15
King James Version
15 And he said unto them,
Take heed, and beware of covetousness:
for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance
of the things which he possesseth.
He also warned us about our evil hearts.
Matthew 15:19-20
King James Version
19 For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
murders, adulteries, fornications,
thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
20 These are the things which defile a man:
but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man.
Scripture also informs us of the cause of wars.
James 4:1-3
King James Version
4 From whence come wars
and fightings among you?
come they not hence,
even of your lusts that war in your members?
2 Ye lust, and have not:
ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain:
ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,
that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
Again, covetousness.
And what is covetousness, but idolatry.
Colossians 3:5
King James Version
5 Mortify therefore your members
which are upon the earth;
fornication, uncleanness,
inordinate affection, evil concupiscence,
and covetousness, which is idolatry:
Now, that's what GOD hates the most.
Exodus 20:1-6
King James Version
20 And God spake all these words,
saying,
2 I am the Lord thy God,
which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt,
out of the house of bondage.
3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me.
4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image,
or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above,
or that is in the earth beneath,
or that is in the water under the earth.
5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them,
nor serve them:
for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation
of them that hate me;
6 And shewing mercy unto thousands
of them that love me,
and keep my commandments.
From what I gathered, the U.S. and UN don't believe Spratlys belong to any nation.
No wonder, there is no real support for any nation contesting it.
Now, that finishes my exploration on the matter.
Let's stop bickering, biting, and blocking.
Skirmishing, sinning, and spying.
Those are of the world.
Translated, these are of Satan.
A born again looks to GOD for ALL authority.
This is all that matters to us.
GOD rules!
Daniel 4:17
King James Version
17 This matter is by the decree of the watchers,
and the demand by the word of the holy ones:
to the intent that the living may know
that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will,
and setteth up over it the basest of men.
KNOW more here:
*Naming of Spratlys, after British sea captain, Richard Spratly.
"Philippines and the Spratly Islands"
"Notable confrontations":
Southwest Cay Invasion (1975)
East Sea Campaign (April 1975)
Johnson South Reef Skirmish (14 March 1988)
Scarborough Shoal standoff (commenced on 8 April 2012)
Hai Yang Shi You 981 standoff (2014)
(Source: Wikipedia)
"Military conflicts and diplomatic dialogues":
"The following are political divisions for the Spratly Islands claimed by various area nations (in alphabetical order)":
Brunei: Part of Brunei's Exclusive Economic Zone[69]
China: Part of Sansha, Hainan[70]
Malaysia: Part of Sabah state
Philippines: Part of Kalayaan, Palawan province
Taiwan: Part of Kaohsiung municipality
Vietnam: Part of Trường Sa, Khánh Hòa Province
(Source: Wikipedia)
Related material:
being free of the spirit of war
Image: Wikipedia
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