It is all too common for people to align themselves with others on the premise of a shared goal, but a shared goal is not the same thing as a shared motivation. For example, two people may capture and turn in a wanted fugitive, but it is entirely possible that one does it for the sake of justice while the other does it to collect a bounty. This is the difference between an ally and a co-belligerent. Allies are united by their cause and goal, while co-belligerents are united by their goal alone.

In everything that we do, even if on the surface it may seem pleasing to the Lord, we must ask if we are His ally or simply a co-belligerent.

I am reminded of the story of King Jehu, found in 2 Kings 9-10. By the time of Jehu’s reign, the nation of Israel was split into the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Jehu was anointed king of the northern kingdom and tasked by God to destroy the remaining house of Ahab, Jehu’s wicked predecessor who worshiped the false god, Baal. He was an effective tool in the Lord’s hand, so he did just that and the Lord blessed him for it. After destroying the remainder of Ahab’s house, Jehu set his sights on the Baal worship that had taken hold of the nation. He gathered every prophet, worshiper, and priest of Baal and killed them all. Jehu did all that the Lord commanded him, but the entirety of his reign was not devoted to walking in His ways.

The first king of the northern kingdom, Jeroboam, set up golden calves in the cities of Bethel and Dan, a clear reference to the false worship at the foot of Mount Sinai (Exodus 32). Jehu could not bring himself to destroy these altars of false worship. He was willing to destroy the house of Ahab, he was willing to destroy Baal worship in the land, he hated all the right things, but he did not love the right thing. He was unwilling to turn away from the sins of the past, and this inability would keep the northern kingdom on its path to judgment.

Jehu was a co-belligerent of the Lord, demonstrated by his unwillingness to destroy the altars at Bethel and Dan. We must ask if we are a co-belligerent or the Lord’s ally. What about those that we follow? Have we hitched our wagons to a person who happens to hate all the things that we do or a person who loves what we love? There might be times when a “Jehu” is needed, someone who has the strength to shatter the evils before us, but such a figure is only a temporary fix with no real impact on the true spiritual battle that lies behind them. Jesus leaves no room for anything other than total allegiance to Him alone (Matthew 10:32-39). Being a co-belligerent of Christ means that there is something else we hold in higher regard than Him, amounting to not being on the side of Christ at all. A truly righteous leader is one with the courage to stand against such evils out of love for the Lord.

Jesus Christ, the king of kings, demonstrates this through his sacrificial work on the cross. After upholding the Law of God perfectly, He went to the cross to redeem the world He loves and now sits at the right hand of the Father judging the nations (John 3:16, Psalm 2). Are the leaders we choose to follow a true ally of God, or just a co-belligerent that happens to hate the things we do? What about us as individuals? We must not grow lukewarm in our faith but examine ourselves and our motives. We must operate out of love for the Lord.