The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue. Psalms 33:16-17
Well, maybe and maybe not. Think about our Civil War. Who won? The North did. By the time you get to the last days of the hostilities it wasn't even close. Why is that? Well, the North had more men and materiel. The North had more resources than the South. Or, to say it differently, the North had a 'great army'. And that's what 'saved' the Union.
So, what do we do with those verses quoted above? We could just toss them, but I have a feeling that that would be a bad idea. They are still true, regardless of what we've read in our history textbooks. But they aren't just 'spiritually' true - whatever that means. Did the North beat the South? Absolutely. Did that rescue our nation? Well, look around. Do we look rescued? Were we delivered by that victory? There was victory on the battlefield, but the consequences of the decisions made in those years and immediately after the war continue to plague us today. Is there racial peace? Is there a greater experience of civil liberty? Did we win on the larger, more important battlefield? I don't think so. Peace and freedom will come only when this nation repents of its pride and its love of the idols of strength and bravado, and turns in humble trust to Jesus as Lord of all. Great armies do not win the most important wars.