The perils of turning away from God

In a conversation about the mess in our world, particularly in North America, I said that when a nation turns its back on God, it always falls apart. The person I was talking to looked at me as if I had two heads.

History confirms this idea, and the Bible verifies it. Proverbs 14:34 says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” This is from the ESV. The New Living Translation is even clearer: “Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.”

How has God been abandoned? Some examples: Prayer is forbidden in schools and many public gatherings. Where allowed, it is watered down so that praying “in the name of Jesus” is not allowed. Bible reading is frowned upon in many places and Scripture cannot be quoted. When guidance is needed, many people turn to all sorts of ‘experts’ and some consult their daily horoscope, but not God.

This is not new. In the OT, God’s people even did it. The prophet wrote:

And when they say to you, “Inquire of the mediums and the necromancers who chirp and mutter,” should not a people inquire of their God? Should they inquire of the dead on behalf of the living? To the teaching and to the testimony! If they will not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn. They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward. And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness. (Isaiah 8:19–22)

When trouble came, they spoke against God as if He were their enemy. They looked to the earth, to other resources, but their troubles increased.

The Bible has many examples, but rather than point to more of them, I am thinking about the one resource God has given me and how much it has blessed and changed my life. His Word is my ‘how to’ or Manufacturer’s manual, given to me by my Creator so I know how to live enjoying His blessings. Yes, there are trials, but in those trials, I know His love and care. Walking as He wants me to walk produces great joy rather than distress, darkness, and the gloom of anguish.

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:14–17)

I began reading the Bible each day when I was about thirteen. My mother did it, and I thought that was the right thing to do. While it took years before Jesus came into my life and I better understood what I was reading, I’m aware of His hand on my life all those years, and certainly ever since.

I’m also blessed and amazed at the way God blesses those who suffer because their trust is in Him. Consider the people in Texas who are saying that the Lord has taken care of them. They have lost all their possessions, but not their ability and desire to praise God. Compare them to those who have turned their backs on God, those who raise their fists in anger, those who even loot the homes of people who have already lost everything. They mock the mercy of God to their peril.

Magnify these contrasting attitudes in an entire nation. Think of the countries who say NO to God and yes to the so-called freedom of being without religion. How far they fall! Even as they wallow in lawlessness and poverty, they refuse to honor Him. On the other hand, those who seek His face are persecuted by the state and even by their own family members as if they are the scum of the earth. People who oppose the Lord seldom realize that God is not the cause of their misery; rejecting God is destroying them.

Following Jesus means being taught God’s ways, and corrected when in error. He trains His people in righteousness, and makes us complete and enabled to do good. Abandoning the Lord means going the way of sin, refusing correction, welcoming unrighteousness, yet feeling incomplete and unhappy, and without the ability to know the difference between good and evil. Apply that to a whole nation and no wonder God says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.”

^^^^^^^^

Jesus, I am praying for many parts of the world that have lost any vision of You that they once had, and for those in darkness. Give them light from You, and from those who know and trust You. I don’t need to be an historian to realize that You exalt those who exalt You. Those who insist on going their own way are reaping the results as they wallow in sin and the consequences of sin. What can I say? How can I pray? Much of our world is in trouble. Help me understand and pray in Your will for individuals and for entire nations. 

Who is responsible—the leaders or the people?

(NOTE: January 7 to January 18 have all been posted today also.)

During our two weeks in Florida, we heard many people talking about their government, the presidential primaries, and the current economic situation. We also heard people cursing their leader, the president.

Although I pray about them, normally I don’t bother with social issues. Any study of history shows that things come and go, so my thoughts and comments could be obsolete tomorrow. However, in reading through parts of Exodus this morning, I realize I need to be more aware of current events in relation to what the Bible says. I read one verse that really startled me, particularly in light of our south of the border observations.

The verse says, “You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people” (Exodus 22:28). It cross-references to Ecclesiastes 10:20 which goes farther: “Do not curse the king, even in your thoughts.”

God’s will for His people is that we respect authority. These verses from the Old Testament, especially in their context, show how serious a matter this is to Him. For example, the Ten Commandments include one about honoring parents, and a few chapters later, those who curse their parents are to be put to death.

We don’t follow that practice today, but the point is worth repeating; God takes respect for authority seriously. He repeats this in the New Testament in passages like this one: “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Romans 13:1-2).

This is about recognizing and yielding to the sovereignty of God. He governs the people who govern; He allows rulers to rule nations. If God’s people curse their rulers and refuse to honor their authority, we are reviling God and His sovereign will. Other passages make clear that when God’s people do this, their whole nation will suffer because the Lord God will bring judgment on them. Some of those judgments included crop failure and the inability to conquer their enemies.

As I ponder these things, the logical next question is this: In a country with a collapsing economy and other hardships, and a seeming inability to win their wars, who is to blame? Certainly leaders can make dumb decisions, and a whole host of factors can affect their economic status, but considering the sovereignty of God who can overrule any negatives and bless any person or group of people whose hearts are set to obey Him, is decline really the fault of just one leader? The Bible is filled with God’s promises to bless obedience and curse disobedience, but these promises are given the entire population, not just the leaders.

Of course complaining about the government could be justified; all presidents, kings, and other rulers make mistakes. Some of them are downright evil. But such complaining cannot be justified before God. His will is that His people stop grumbling to others and get on their knees, taking their concerns to Him. One familiar Old Testament verse says: “If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14).

The New Testament adds this, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” (1 Timothy 2:1-3).

No country or people are exempt. Those who know and love the Lord are as responsible for the state of their nation as their leaders are responsible. God will bless and have mercy on those who trust Him, even if their leader seems to be doing the wrong things. We need to pray for our governments, not revile or declare hatred for those in authority.

This might sound simplistic, and perhaps it is, but if God is not sufficient to take care of decisions made by those in authority, or the economy of a country, or the safety and well-being of those who live in it, then who is?

“If my people hear my voice. . . .”