nation

Terror, Pit and Snare.

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“For every head is shaved and every beard cut off. On all the hands are gashes, and around the waist is sackcloth. On all the housetops of Moab and in the squares there is nothing but lamentation, for I have broken Moab like a vessel for which no one cares, declares the Lord. How it is broken! How they wail! How Moab has turned his back in shame! So Moab has become a derision and a horror to all that are around him.”

For thus says the Lord:
“Behold, one shall fly swiftly like an eagle
    and spread his wings against Moab;
the cities shall be taken
    and the strongholds seized.
The heart of the warriors of Moab shall be in that day
    like the heart of a woman in her birth pains;
Moab shall be destroyed and be no longer a people,
    because he magnified himself against the Lord.
Terror, pit, and snare
    are before you, O inhabitant of Moab!
declares the Lord.
He who flees from the terror
    shall fall into the pit,
and he who climbs out of the pit
    shall be caught in the snare.
For I will bring these things upon Moab,
    the year of their punishment,
declares the Lord.

“In the shadow of Heshbon
    fugitives stop without strength,
for fire came out from Heshbon,
    flame from the house of Sihon;
it has destroyed the forehead of Moab,
    the crown of the sons of tumult.
Woe to you, O Moab!
    The people of Chemosh are undone,
for your sons have been taken captive,
    and your daughters into captivity.
Yet I will restore the fortunes of Moab
    in the latter days, declares the Lord.”
Thus far is the judgment on Moab. – Jeremiah 48:37-47 ESV

The destruction of Moab is as good as done. God has described it in vivid terms that leave little to the imagination. But the precise moment when it will all take place remains a mystery. That will come suddenly and as a surprise. “The enemy swoops down like an eagle, spreading his wings over Moab” (Jeremiah 48:40 NLT). And the results will be devastating, leaving the people of Moab in a state of mourning. They will shave their heads and cut off their beards. They will practice self-mutilation, cutting their hands. Their once sumptuous clothing will be exchanged for sackcloth, another sign of mourning. In the streets and on the rooftops, the sound of wailing will be heard. The loss of life will be great. The fall of Moab will be more than its citizens can imagine or bear. 

“How it is shattered! Hear the wailing! See the shame of Moab! It has become an object of ridicule, an example of ruin to all its neighbors.” – Jeremiah 48:39 NLT

Moab would become an object lesson to all the other nations surrounding them. They would witness the fall of Moab and respond with either ridicule or pity. But they would not miss the unmistakable and unbelievable greatness of Moab’s fall. The devastation of Moab would be comprehensive and complete. Nothing and no one would be spared.

“Its cities will fall,
    and its strongholds will be seized.
Even the mightiest warriors will be in anguish
    like a woman in labor.
Moab will no longer be a nation,
    for it has boasted against the Lord.” – Jeremiah 48:41-42 NLT

And the reason for their fall is clearly stated by God. They had boasted against Him. They had set themselves up as opposing Him. These descendants of Lot, the nephew of Abraham, had abandoned Yahweh for the worship of Chemosh, a god of their own making. Not only that, they had taken sides with the Babylonians when they invaded Judah. They had used the invasion as an opportunity to kick Judah while they were down. And in doing so, they had attacked the people of God. This was not something God would allow. All the way back in the book of Genesis, we have recorded God’s covenant with Abraham, when He called him out of Ur.

“I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt.” – Genesis 12:3 NLT

Later on, Isaac would pass that same promise on to his son, Isaac.

“All who curse you will be cursed, and all who bless you will be blessed.” – Genesis 27:29 NLT

And God would honor that commitment. He would stand by the people of Israel for generations. He would patiently endure their unfaithfulness and disobedience. He would bless them even when they failed to keep His commands and, instead, chose to worship false gods. And while God would eventually discipline His people and use foreign nations to do so, He would still hold responsible all those who harmed His people in any way. That included Babylon and Moab.And there would be no escape.

Once the terror began, there would be nowhere to run. Any attempt to escape God’s judgment would be like a frightened animal running from its pursuer, only to fall into a pit. And if the animal was lucky enough to escape the pit, it would only find itself caught in a snare. It’s fate was sealed. And so was that of Moab.

“Those who flee in terror will fall into a trap,
    and those who escape the trap will step into a snare.
I will see to it that you do not get away,
    for the time of your judgment has come,”
    says the Lord.” – Jeremiah 48:44 NLT

But just as was the case with Egypt, God promises to restore Moab at some future date. This will take place in a partial sense after the people of God are returned to the land after their 70 years in exile. But the complete fulfillment of this promise will take place in Christ’s millennial kingdom.

“But I will restore the fortunes of Moab
    in days to come.
    I, the Lord, have spoken!” – Jeremiah 48:47 NLT

The ways of God are difficult to understand. His methods seem strange to us. Why would He call on a nation to punish His people, then turn around and punish that nation for having done exactly what He wanted? We have to understand that none of these nations did what they did out of love for Yahweh. They were acting out of their own selfish interests. They were participating in the will of God unknowingly. Their motives were purely selfish. And because they did what they did out of hatred for the people of God, they would be punished for the tole they played. But God, who is great in mercy, will one day restore these very same people and allow them to not only return to their land, but to come to Him.

The book of Revelation records a remarkable event that will take place in the distant future. It reveals a time when all the nations of the earth will stand before the throne of God, worshiping Him for who He is.

After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” – Revelation 7:9-10 ESV

Just a few chapters earlier in John’s Book of the Revelation, he records yet another future scene. He describes seeing a figure who is clearly a representation of the resurrected Christ.

“Then I saw a Lamb that looked as if it had been slaughtered, but it was now standing between the throne and the four living beings and among the twenty-four elders.” – Revelation 5:6 NLT

John describes the Lamb as coming to the throne of God and taking from His Father’s hand a scroll.

“He stepped forward and took the scroll from the right hand of the one sitting on the throne. And when he took the scroll, the four living beings and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb.” – Revelation 5:7-8 NLT

And the four living beings and the 24 elders sing a song.

“You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For you were slaughtered, and your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.

And you have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth.” – Revelation 5:9-10 NLT

From a terror, pit and a snare to a Kingdom of priests. From running for their lives to reigning with Christ. From guilt to innocence. From captivity to freedom. That is how our God works. His ways are not our ways. His means and methods are strange to us. But He is a good God who has a perfect plan that will involve Him blessing people from every tribe, nation and tongue. In spite of man’s unfaithfulness, God will faithfully restore a remnant from every people group on earth and make them a part of His eternal Kingdom.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson

Proverbs 28c

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The Leadership Void.

“When there is moral rot within a nation, its government topples easily. But wise and knowledgeable leaders bring stability.” – Proverbs 28:2 NLT

Don’t get me wrong. We have no shortage of leaders in this country. It’s just that we don’t have very many godly leaders. There are plenty of ambitious, intelligent, capable and sometimes even moral men and women who hold positions of leadership in our nation, but most of them lack the wisdom that only God can provide. The verse above paints a pretty bleak picture for a nation that finds itself with a moral and spiritual leadership void. The Message paraphrases verse two this way: “When the country is in chaos, everybody has a plan to fix it – But it takes a leader of real understanding to straighten things out.” What an apt description of our own country at this stage of the game. We are in chaos, and everybody has a plan to fix it. We have an abundance of “princes” as the NIV describes them. These so-called leaders and political pundits all offer up solutions to our nation’s myriad problems, but none of them really have a clue what to do about the economy, terrorism, or any other issue facing us. They fail to realize that the root of all our problems is a spiritual one. Our economy is a symptom of a much more serious issue. Neither raising or lowering taxes is going to fix what needs to be fixed. A larger or smaller government will neither one prove to be a panacea for our problems.

In the very next chapter Solomon gives us the real solution. He says, “When the godly are in authority, the people rejoice” (Proverbs 29:2 NLT). In other words, when godly men and women lead our nation according to godly principles and guide us with wisdom and insight directly from God Himself, the people find themselves living in peace and moral prosperity. Godly leaders make godly decisions. They are not selfish and self-centered. They are not greedy and out to benefit only themselves. They are not motivated by pride or consumed with the need for recognition. They view any power they have as given to them from God, to whom they must report and by whom they will be held accountable. What we pass off as leadership today is a far cry from what God intends. All you have to do is look at the leadership style of Jesus and you see a marked difference. Jesus came to serve, not be served. He came to give His life away for the sake of others. He was concerned with and consumed by the will of His Father. He was obedient to God to the point of laying down His life. He knew that the world’s problems were spiritual in nature and the solution would have to be a spiritual one. Toppling the Roman government was not going to bring peace to the Jews. Only a Savior could save them from what ailed them. They needed deliverance from sin, not relief from high taxes. They needed dependence on God, not independence from Rome. The same thing is true for us today. We are looking to a government or political leader to bring us relief and restoration. We are wanting a flawed, failed system to deliver us, when God has already provided a deliverer – His very own Son. Godly leaders point a nation back to God. They don’t try to act as a substitute for Him. We find ourselves in trouble as a nation, not because of a bad economy or the presence of terrorism, but because we have appointed leaders who have no respect for God. Without Him, they are helpless and hopeless to lead us because they lack the wisdom required for the job. We need to pray that God will raise up men and women who know Him, love Him and are willing to live for Him. But we also need to pray for a spiritual reawakening among the people of God who have become complacent and sometimes even contributors to the moral chaos facing our nation. We lack godly leaders because we have become a godless nation.

Father, we desperately need Your help. Only You can solve the problems we face as a country. Our issues are so much deeper than the economy or global terrorism. Our problem is a moral one. Re-energize Your Church, that we might become the salt and light You have called us to be. May out of our midst come godly leaders who will step into the chaos and provide godly direction and wise leadership – pointing us back to You. Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org

Proverbs 14c

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The Key To A Great Nation.

“Godliness makes a nation great, but sin is a disgrace to any people.” – Proverbs 14:34 NLT

We just recently finished yet another contentious, fractious national election where the two major parties and their candidates slugged it out over a wide range of issues, from the economy and national defense to welfare and taxes. And both sides believed they had the right solutions to the nation’s many woes. Those of us who voted did so according to our own set of standards, choosing the candidate that best represented our position and who would help steer the country in the direction we felt it needed to go. When the votes were cast and all the media pundits had finished their analyzation of the results, we were left either elated or depressed. But Solomon provides us all with a timely reminder this morning. It isn’t a particular candidate, party, or platform that will make our nation great. It is godliness. Politics will never be our savior. There is no candidate who will ever be able to make our nation great, because he or she will lack the ability to change the human heart. They can set agendas, enact policies, and attempt to direct our nation on to a particular path, but without a change of heart, their efforts will prove futile in the end. It is godliness that will make a nation great. A powerful military and a thriving economy are no match for a nation that destroys itself from within because of moral decay and uncontrolled unrighteousness. And the proof can be seen all throughout history. Rome was great, but fell. It’s mighty army and vast empire were insufficient to deal with its own moral inadequacies. Nazi Germany was powerful, but ultimately collapsed under the staggering weight of its own decadence and godlessness. Nation after nation have experienced an ignominious end due to their rejection of God and a growing love affair with sin.

There is no doubt that a godly leader would be the better choice for a nation, but without a godly people to lead, his efforts would prove futile in the end. See the people of Israel for ample proof of this truth. No, what this nation needs are godly people who desire the will of God more than they do the temptations of sin. They turn to God for salvation and security more than they do to the government, the economy or the military. Their hope and trust is in God. They view sin as something to be avoided, not applauded and entertained by. They practice personal and corporate confession, calling on God to forgive their sins and cleanse their unrighteousness. The godly are not religious people, they are God-dependent people. He is their ultimate authority and determiner of all things. The presence of the godly in a nation can have a tremendous impact. They can act as a preserving agent. They can influence and impact. Even a small remnant can make a big difference in the direction of a nation. God sees them and preserves them. God has spared nations due to the presence of a godly few. But those few must recognize that the hope of their nation lies in the hands of God, not men. They must call out to and depend upon God for renewal and revival, not a party or a particular candidate. They must understand that God is our hope, help, and ultimate healer. He alone can save a nation from destruction. He alone can bring about individual and corporate restoration. Godliness is simply a recognition of these facts. It is a life lived in complete dependence upon and trust in God. That is what will make any nation great. While a nation that rebels against God will soon end in disgrace.

Father, we often talk of America as being a Christian nation, but we are far from godly. Even many of us who profess to be Christians live godless lives. We don’t lean on You, trust You, or obey You. We have put our hope in men and our trust in money. Sin has become acceptable and far too enjoyable for too many of us. Raise up a godly remnant who will dare to live for You. May we desire godliness more than anything else.  Amen.

Ken Miller

Grow Pastor & Minister to Men
kenm@christchapelbc.org