MOSES
& AMERICA
In
recent weeks we have watched the playing out of a standoff between
the proponents for the keeping of a stone monument containing the ten
commandments placed at the entry to an Alabama courthouse, and those
who opposed it. The outcome of its removal is not surprising in
light of the decadence of the society that we live in. As a people
who are bent on rejecting the foundation upon which this nation was
founded, it is little wonder that God and His providence is ever more
ignored and His worthy name rejected as the Author upon whose
principles the Constitution of our government were formulated. May
He have mercy on us as a rebellious people!
The
ten commandments was God's constitution for the children of Israel
upon their acquisition of freedom from Egyptian bondage. We are very
much aware that Christ fulfilled that law upon His dying on the cross
"having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of
commandments contained in ordinances..." (Eph. 2:15) and that
"...He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the
cross." (Col. 2:14) While we recognize that, according to God's
divine purpose, the law of Moses was intended to give way to the New
Testament law (see Jer. 31:31-34 and Heb. 8:6-13), and that we are
now under "...the perfect law of liberty..." (Jas. 1:25),
let no one fail to recognize that God is still
to be recognized as the only true and living God and that there are
no others before Him, and idolatry is therefore no less a sin now
than it was when the Israelites partied around the golden calf at the
foot of Mt. Sinai. These truths being so, God is no less pleased in
our day when His exalted name is used in vain as is so commonly heard
on the streets of our cities. Rest assured that He will still
"not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."
(Compare Ex. 20:7 and Phil. 2:9-11) Children are no less obligated
to honor their parents now than they were in the days of Moses.
(Compare Ex. 20:12 and Eph. 6:1-3) And as surely as murder was a sin
under the old law, Jesus has assured us that it is no less a sin
under the new law, even to the point of being in danger of the
judgment if we become angry at our brother without a cause. (Compare
Mt. 5:21-22 and Ex. 20:13) Adultery, robbery, lying and covetousness
are still sins that will condemn us to hell as surely as they were
forbidden in God's old commandments. (Compare Ex. 20:14-16 and 1
Cor. 6:9-10)
The
very nation to whom God gave those commandments was forewarned before
receiving the promised land, not to forget the God who had delivered
them from bondage and who was giving them that land flowing with milk
and honey. Listen to God's solemn warning to them. "Beware
that you do not forget the Lord your God by not keeping His
commandments, His judgments, and His statutes which I command you
today, lest - when
you have eaten and are full, and have built beautiful houses and
dwell in them; and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your
silver and your gold are multiplied, and all that you have is
multiplied; when your heart is lifted up, and you forget the Lord
your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of
bondage;...then
you say in your heart, 'My
power and the might of my
hand have gained me this wealth.' ... Then
it shall be, if you by any means forget the Lord your God, and follow
other gods, and serve them and worship them, I testify against you
this day that you shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord
destroys before you, so you shall perish, because you would not be
obedient to the voice of the Lord your God." (Deut. 8:11-14, 17,
19-20) His words ring familiar to our time.
The
prophet Amos warned the people of Judah of the impending doom which
was to befall them at the hands of the Assyrians. But his words fell
on the deaf ears of a people who had become guilty of the very thing
God had warned their forefathers of before their entering into
Canaan. Listen to their complacency as they indulged themselves in
the wealth of their "soft" life. "Woe to you who are
at ease in Zion...Woe to you who put far off the day of doom...who
lie on beds of ivory, stretch out on your couches, eat lambs from
the flock and calves from the midst of the stall; who chant to the
sound of stringed instruments, and invent for yourselves musical
instruments like David; who drink wine from bowls, and anoint
yourselves with the best ointments, but are not grieved for the
affliction of Joseph. Therefore they shall now go captive as the
first of the captives, and those who recline at banquets shall be
removed. The Lord God has sworn by Himself, the Lord God of hosts
says: 'I
abhor the pride of Jacob, and hate his palaces; therefore I will
deliver up the city and all that is in it.'"
(Amos 6:1, 3-8)
As
a nation, we have not learned the lesson of those thankless people
whom God richly blessed with wealth and ease of living, only to
forget where those things had come from and in arrogance boasted as
though they had accomplished it by their own power. How soon sinful
man forgets his Creator!
Theodore
Roosevelt made such an observation when he said, "Like all
Americans, I like big things: big prairies, big forests and
mountains, big wheat fields, railroads...and everything else. But no
people ever yet benefited by riches if their prosperity corrupted
their virtue." (quoated
in "The New Joy of Words," 1961)
As
a nation, how will we be remembered? Abraham Lincoln, during the
trying times of the civil war, said, "Fellow-citizens, we cannot
escape history. We...will be remembered in spite of ourselves...The
fiery trial through which we pass will light us down, in honor or
dishonor, to the last generation." (ibid.)
Whether
such reminders of the God in whom we are blessed as a nation, and in
whom we once as a people founded our trust, are removed or made light
of, there is no denying that in whatever age He has spoken, His word
is a declaration of His divine power and authority. Ignoring God's
authority does not change our responsibility to acknowledge and
submit to Him. Such irresponsible acts of disregard only emphasizes
the fact that people who do not want to acknowledge God are not
comfortable around the reminders of His existence and His authority.
As
God's children, we must soberly consider our responsibility before
God as citizens of this country. God was willing to spare Sodom for
just ten righteous people if they could be found. (Gen. 18:16-32)
What about us?
"Righteousness
exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." (Prov.
14:34) These words of wisdom from the pen of Solomon declares for
all time the outlook of God upon the nations of the world. Time
after time, as the nation of Israel repeatedly rejected God and then
would repent after He would punish them, demonstrated the truth of
Solomon's words. Oh, how our nation needs to soberly consider those
words and see where we have come. Daniel proclaimed God's praise
as he acknowledged that it is God who "changes the times and the
seasons; He
removes kings and raises up kings;
He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have
understanding." (Dan. 2:21) The reason that any nation has ever
existed, including America, is by the divine providence of God.
History bears out the truth that no nation has ever stood against God
for any length of time. As a nation, we need to recognize our place
as God views us. "Behold, the nations are as a drop in a
bucket, and are counted as the small dust on the balance; look, He
lifts up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not
sufficient to burn, nor its beasts sufficient for a burnt offering.
All nations before Him are as nothing, and they are counted by Him
less than nothing and worthless...It is He who sits above the circle
of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who
stretches out the heavens like a curtain and spreads them out like a
tent to dwell in. He brings the princes to nothing; He makes the
judges of the earth useless. Scarcely shall they be planted,
scarcely shall they be sown, scarcely shall their stock take root in
the earth, when He will also blow on them, and they will wither, and
the whirlwind will take them away like stubble." (Isa.
40:15-17, 22-24)
How
utterly foolish it is to ignore the God whom the founding fathers of
this nation looked to as they forged that declaration in order to
become an independent nation. In the closing words of that document
their acknowledgment and dependence upon the God of heaven is evident
as they unashamedly proclaimed, "And for the support of this
Declaration, with
a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence,
we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our
sacred Honor." (In Congress, July 4, 1776, The unanimous
Declaration of the thirteen united States of America)
As
those early statesmen struggled to formulate the Constitution of the
United States, "After many jarring sessions, in which
understandings, jealousies, and selfish sectional interest bore down
their efforts to agree, the delegates were almost in despair. Their
hearts cried out for union, but their minds seemed to be overwhelmed.
At this crisis, the venerable Benjamin Franklin suggested that they
call
upon Providence to give them guidance, that their appeal to the
Almighty Father might soften their temper, and, drawing strength by
relying upon Divine aid, they might go forward together in common
sympathy"
(Spoken in an address by Sol Bloom, Director General of the United
States Constitution Sesquicentennial Commission; as recorded in The
Story of the Constitution, by Sol Bloom, July 28, 1937)
How
far we have come, from calling upon God for guidance and strength -
to being offended by the sight of the ten commandments being on
public display. As a people, we need to be reminded of these words;
"Do not remove the ancient landmark which your fathers have
set." (Prov. 22:28) While those words were written specifically
for the people of God who lived under the law of Moses with its ten
commandments, they are no less appropriate to a nation whose
foundations were anchored in a solemn trust in the Almighty God.
Perhaps
we could take a lesson from Judah as Jeremiah the prophet pleaded for
their repentance in the face of certain destruction by the
Babylonians. He described their complete defiance of conscience as
they cast off their consciousness of their God; "Were they
ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at
all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall
fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be
cast down,' says the Lord." (Jer. 6:15)
This
is not a call to political action nor is it to suggest that the
church is to become involved in such matters. It is not!
The church and government are separate entities with distinct
responsibilities that are respectively peculiar to their individual
roles. The quotes from civil documents as have been stated herein
have been used to contrast the attitudes of an earlier generation
from that of our present generation. It is clear and undeniable that
as a nation, we have drifted from a profound faith in God to a
repugnance of any such acknowledgment. However, this is intended to
provoke us to an awareness of our increased responsibility in having
a leavening effect on those around us.
As
sure as sin is a reproach to any nation, righteousness
is
that which can exalt
a nation. That is where you and I come in. Each of us have an
influence for good when we sanctify God in our heart. This country
in which we live is our scope of influence, city by city, neighbor by
neighbor. Though you are but one person in a sea of humanity,
remember Jesus' words; "You are the light of the world. A city
that is set on a hill cannot be hidden." (Mt. 5:14)
Collectively, we are "the pillar and ground of the truth."
(1 Tim. 3:15) "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, who desires
all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
(1 Tim. 2:1-4)
As
Abraham prayed for the city of Sodom, asking God's mercy on behalf of
only a few righteous souls, (Gen. 18:16-32) so we can we do likewise
on behalf of our home. A nation of souls are at stake. Will you
respond with the compassion of prayer and holiness? It is your
"reasonable service." (Rom. 12:1)
When
you woke up this morning and began to get ready to assemble with your
brethren, going through the normal Sunday morning routine, what were
your thoughts for this day? Were you in a "mad dash"
trying to get all of the family to cooperate and hurry up so you
wouldn't be late? Did you think about the football game that will be
on TV later in the day? Or maybe your thoughts were of what you
would have for lunch today after leaving the worship services.
Somewhere,
in another part of the world, far from the comforts of our own home,
some of our brethren woke up early on this Sunday morning and also
prepared to assemble with their brethren to worship the God of
heaven. Likely, their thoughts were much different than ours as
their concerns were much more grave. Perhaps their thoughts were of
the possibility of being observed by someone who might turn them in
to the authorities on the suspicion of assembling to worship contrary
to the edicts of the government under which they live. Perhaps their
thoughts were for a brother or sister in Christ who has recently been
arrested for such "crimes," wondering what their condition
is or whether they are still alive or not. Perhaps their concerns in
getting ready for worship ran deeper than how the children were not
being cooperative this morning. Maybe their concerns were more about
how long they can continue to worship "underground" without
getting caught and being able to keep their children from harms way.
Does
that sound far fetched in our "civilized" world that we
live in, so far removed from the realities of the real world? Do we
ever consider that such things are going on as we go about our daily
routine? In the shelter of our own government that allows us to go
about our lives in pursuit of "Life, Liberty and Happiness"
are we oblivious to the plight of many to whom such a concept is
beyond reach of their thinking? Or have we come to take for granted
that which the founding fathers of this nation held so dear as being
"self-evident?" They were firmly convinced that "all
men are created equal" and "that they are endowed by their
Creator with certain unalienable Rights."
In
our quest to insure that our "Rights" are not infringed
upon, have we taken for granted that it is indeed our Creator who has
blessed us with the privilege to assemble on this Lord's day under
the protective banner of the country that we live in? Have we
assumed that in the equality under which all men are created, all men
are automatically free to persue "True
Happiness" without denial by a totalitarian form of government?
When
we soberly consider the real
world in which we live, it should give new meaning to the Divine
admonition to "let us consider one another in order to stir up
love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves
together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so
much the more as you see the Day approaching." (Heb. 10:24-25)
It ought to cause us to hang our head in shame as we offer our
frivolous excuses for not being able (?) to assemble with our
brethren to worship the God of heaven "who has blessed us with
every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
(Eph. 1:3)
Brethren,
what we take for granted is eroding away before our very eyes. The
blessings of our freedom are not merely the combined thoughts of
early statesmen penned in noble words on a document. Freedom is a
gift from God under the instrumentality of a form of government that
has been patterned by the Divine purpose of God. Many of our
countrymen deny it, but sadly, many more obviously have forgotten it.
God
has ordained three institutions within the society of mankind. In
Genesis chapter 2, after creating man and woman in the garden, His
divine decree for the marriage relationship in which they were to
cohabit and populate the earth was stated as His law throughout the
coming ages. In Acts chapter 2 we see the establishment of the
church, a fulfillment of God's eternal purpose, elsewhere described
as "the body" (Eph. 1:22-23), or His "kingdom."
(Mt. 16:18-19)
Between
the time of the inception of these two Divine institutions, God also
provided the necessary order under which the growing population of
mankind should be governed. This does not mean that He prescribed
the specific type
of governmental system to be used, but only that some means of order
be in place for man to coexist. However, He has defined what the
responsibility of government is to be and how we are to honor those
God-given responsibilities. We see this in Paul's words; "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. For
rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil...For
he is God's minister to you for good.
But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in
vain; for
he is God's minister,
an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil. Therefore you
must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience'
sake. For because of this you also pay taxes, for
they are God's ministers attending continually to this very thing.
Render therefore to all their due: taxes to whom taxes are due,
customs to whom customs, fear to whom fear, honor to whom honor."
(Rom. 13:1-7) Also, "...submit yourselves to every ordinance of
man for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to
governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of
evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. For
this is the will of God."
(1 Pet. 2:13-15)
Citizenship
is not without responsibility. Whether it is a matter of abiding by
the traffic laws, or paying taxes, we are all bound by Divine decree
to honor the laws, the enforcers of those laws and the judges who
carry out those laws, so long as they do not violate God's Divine
law. However, our responsibility does not stop there. We are also
commanded to pray
"for kings and all who are in authority, that
we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and
reverence."
(1 Tim. 2:2) Simply stated, government is intended to insure
"justice"
and
"peace."
Do
you see the reason
for God's institution of government? Honor it!
An
example of this "justice" and "peace" is found in
the first amendment to the Constitution. Congress is prohibited from
establishing a religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.
While government cannot tell us how we will worship or what we are
allowed to believe religiously, if any person or group of people
become guilty of trying to prevent our assembling to worship, it
would become the responsibility of our government to apprehend and
punish those who were party to such efforts. That is justice and
that is God's purpose.
Understanding
that
to be the responsibility and purpose of government, we ought to
recognized God's protective hand in such matters as they carry out
His will for our good. It is for this reason that Paul urged
Timothy, saying, "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, who
desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the
truth." (2 Tim. 2:1-4)
Notice
in Paul's admonition, there are implied two main purposes behind our
praying for those who are in high places of authority. The first of
those implications is plainly stated;
"that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness
and reverence." This
is intended for our present
good while we seek to serve God as he has instructed. Our praying to
that end is described as being "good and acceptable in the sight
of God our Savior." The second of those implications is not
nearly so obvious, but is none the less revealed in stating God's
desire for "all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the
truth." It should become
obvious within the context of these verses, that part of the purpose
of government is not only for the immediate protection of His
children, but also to provide a favorable "climate" in
which His word has free course in order for mankind to "come to
the knowledge of the truth" and ultimately "to be saved."
This
latter thought seems to be the idea behind Paul's words when he stood
before the Athenians and proclaimed the one true God as Creator of
all things. "And He has made from one blood every nation of men
to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their
preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings, so
that they should seek the Lord,
in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is
not far from each one of us." (Acts 17:26-27)
To
state that God "has determined their preappointed times and the
boundaries of their dwellings" is to declare that He rules over
mankind in determining such matters. Therefore we can come closer to
understanding how God could foretell the rising and falling of world
empires (See Dan. 2:36-45). But even beyond His ability
to accomplish His will in the affairs of the nations of mankind, we
also see His purpose
in doing so, "that
they should seek the Lord...and find Him."
This should tell us that it is part of God's will to provide a means
of "finding Him" in order to obey Him and serve Him for
the benefit of those who desire to do so. And so it has been
throughout the earthly existence of mankind.
There
is great comfort knowing that God's purposes are intended for our
good. At the same time, it is a sobering thought that such blessings
demand a greater accountability on our part to make
full use
of such blessings. Consider Jesus' condemnation of those who had
received greater
opportunity than others
who had met their own doom; "And you, Capernaum, who are
exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades, for if the mighty
works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have
remained until this day. But I say to you that it shall be more
tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."
(Mt. 11:23-24)
Those
words of Jesus ought to ring in the ears of every citizen of this
great nation. We are a people who have been blessed beyond measure
by the God of heaven who "removes kings and raises up kings"
(Dan. 2:21). We have been given the greatest opportunity to bask in
the sunshine of His grace and to pursue to the fullest extent our
praise and adoration of the God who has loved us beyond measure. His
word has not only had free course, but God has blessed us with
communication opportunities beyond the wildest imaginations of all
previous generations of mankind. He has blessed us with no limit of
bibles and the ability to print them as fast and abundantly as we can
acquire them. Truly, we have been blessed "good measure,
pressed down, shaken together, and running over." (Lk. 6:38).
Therefore, could the Lord say to us as well, "And you, America,
who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades, for if the
mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would
have remained until this day?" Could He say that it will be
more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for
us?
Our
society is offended by our acknowledgment of the Divine lawgiver.
However, this does not relieve us of our individual responsibility to
proclaim Him before men. Nay, but rather, it demands
it. While we are not under the law of Moses and the ten
commandments, we are
subject to the same God who has said, "Anyone who has rejected
Moses' law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three
witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be
thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the
blood of the covenant by which he has sanctified us a common thing,
and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:28-29)
-
Gary V. Womack - September / October 2003
