CELESTIAL CITIZENS

 

For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ  (Philippians 3:20)

A Christian is a citizen of two kingdoms.  Being born in the United States, I am an American citizen with all the rights and responsibilities that come with that status.  But, being born again from above, I am now a celestial citizen, belonging to the Kingdom of Heaven!  While I still pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, my ultimate allegiance is to the Lord God and His precepts.  My citizenship on earth will fade like the colors of the Star Spangled Banner, and eventually dissolve in time.  My citizenship in eternity will never cease and only becomes increasingly glorious as its fulfillment nears and is experienced forever.  The Bloodstained Banner of the Cross is the flag I now joyfully follow.  Although there are foretastes of Heaven down here, we know that this is nothing compared to what awaits us when Jesus returns.  Someday—and I pray today—our King will come.  Let us have our convictions, conduct and conversations in anticipation of that great reality.  The charge is sometimes made that Christians are so heavenly minded that they are no earthly good.  The truth is that those who have made the most significant impact in the world have been those motivated by the reality of the world to come.  C.S. Lewis put it this way, “Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither.”  If you have not bowed to the Lord Jesus Christ, pledge allegiance to Him today.  If you have—live like it!

CONNECTED IN CHRIST: Our Mutual Acquaintance

 

“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19)

From aliens to citizens and from strangers to sons—this is what happens when we are connected in Christ.  According to Paul we become one with all the “saints.”  That is the birthright of every believer.  It isn’t true of a select few, but is the status of all the elect.

Saints!  We may picture an elite class of Christians—their renown preserved in stained glass or statues.  They are Saint Peter, Saint Paul, Saint Matthew or Saint Bartholomew.  But, that is erroneous thinking.  We dare not omit Saint Bob, Saint Bill, and even Saint Dennis!  And what of Saint Louise, Saint Sue or Saint Polly?  I know a saint named Marilyn!  She is my wife—and living with me requires that she would need to be!  Here is the reality: every follower of Christ—the weakest, the virtual unknown—all are saints.

Right now in our nation there is a great alarm about illegal immigration.  It seems the borders are virtually open to a flood of aliens to enter.

That can’t be in the Kingdom of God.  The border of Heaven is barred to every alien.  None may enter illegally.  The walls are too high and the gates are too strong.  You cannot swim the river—it is too wide.  But, there is a legal way for everyone who desires to enter.  We must pledge allegiance to the Lord Jesus Christ—and the moment we do, we are immediately welcomed into citizenship in His Eternal Kingdom!

It would be folly to open your house to any stranger that wanders by.  Instead we have locks on our doors and many even purchase security systems.  Leave the door open and let anybody and everybody in—and that would prove destructive to your property and deadly to your family.

The New Jerusalem is heavily fortified.  Its defenses are impenetrable.  An army of angels guards its gates.  But, all sons of God are made welcome!  Just as your children are given the key to your house, so God takes the stranger and adopts those who follow Christ into His family!  The key of faith in Christ is placed in our hand.

What we were—foreigners and strangers—we are no more.  Now we who are connected in Christ have the status of citizens and sons!  That is true of each of us personally, but is also true of all of us corporately.  Note that, “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” is in the plural.  Our connection to Christ is in context of our connection with one another.  Each of us has the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and sonship.  Those include the privileges and duties of our Kingdom and Royal Family!

DROWNING IN RED INK

[As we face the current budget crisis in Washington, these words are more needed than when I posted them a year ago.]

“There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen. Some were saying, ‘We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.’ Others were saying, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.’ Still others were saying, ‘We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.

We and our children are [just] like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.’

I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints.” (Nehemiah 5:1-6 HCSB)

Perhaps you’ve heard this definition, “A recession is when your neighbor loses his job. A depression is when you lose yours.”

Money talks, and mine usually says, “Goodbye!”

Businesses are struggling, property values have fallen, houses are “under water,” unemployment is high, inflation is creeping in, and I could go on with the misery index. The gravest peril, however, is that our nation is drowning in red ink—owing more than 16 trillion dollars. That is a mind-boggling amount. Serious people say that we are on the edge of a fiscal cliff. If America’s financial system fails, we will experience a global meltdown that is unprecedented in scope. There is a lot of hot air in Washington, but no backbone, it seems, to deal with the crisis.

As we continue in our reading in Nehemiah, we come to chapter five. There we see the kind of leadership needed to rescue us from drowning in red ink.

Let’s understand THE PERIL.

Their economic evils were brought on by UNBRIDLED GREED.

“There was a widespread outcry from the people and their wives against their Jewish countrymen. Some were saying, ‘We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.’ Others were saying, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.’” (Neh.5:1-3)

Do you see the peril God’s people faced? During the days of the effort to rebuild Jerusalem, economic disaster loomed on the horizon. Nehemiah would have to provide strong leadership through this dangerous time.

The outcry of the laborers resulted from their unjust treatment, brought on by unbridled greed. Bible teacher, Chuck Swindoll calls this a strike by laborers who had been working on the wall. While they didn’t picket, they did create problems.

Perhaps we think that labor problems are something relatively new. They are not. They are caused by greed--the greed of management that doesn't care for the employees concerns, such as we see in this text, and the greed of workers who want a bigger slice of the pie than they deserve.

Yet, the Scripture enjoins that laborers be dealt with justly and compassionately and that laborers work submissively and eagerly. Numerous passages could be cited, such as Colossians 3:22-4:1.

Think about the transformation that would occur in the workplace, if these principles were placed in effect. The increase of productivity would create such a tide of prosperity that would drive down the deficit and lift all aspects of the economy. Workers who do their job at peak efficiency, not just when the boss is watching, but as a service to God and employers who pay as much as they can, instead of as little as they can, who create good work conditions, and provide benefits to the greatest degree possible will fuel an economic powerhouse. That’s the way to run a business.

We like to think of America as being a free nation. But today we are in bondage to foreign governments who help keep our economy afloat by funding massive debt. We are the largest debtor nation in the world.

Israel, during Nehemiah’s time, was also in trouble because of UNLIMITED CREDIT.

“Others were saying, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.’” (Neh.5:3)

Simply put, these were in debt over their heads. They had borrowed beyond their ability to repay. That is a recipe for disaster.

Did you know that many commit financial suicide with the edge of a credit card? Easy credit will ruin you. An escalating cycle of debt inevitably marches one toward the day of reckoning. What is true of a family will also be true of a nation. The day of reckoning may be postponed delayed because of the abundant resources of our nation, but eventually there will be a day of reckoning.

The federal government is spending money like there is no tomorrow. If we keep it up, there will be no tomorrow! We have loaned billions to other countries that have neither the means not intention to ever pay it back. Entitlements are growing at break neck speed. The national debt is like a hungry monster gobbling up all the capital that might have been used for investment. Washington, DC is a black hole where trillions of dollars disappear.

If we could travel back through time and interview the Founding Fathers--those brave souls who were willing by blood, sweat and tears to liberate a nation from tyranny, who spent their financial resources to establish America, what would they say about what we have allowed America to become? Could they believe we would permit such domination and intrusion of the federal government today?

Many times we feel helpless to change the course of our country—it seems so out of hand. But, we must try.

Let me suggest a place to start. Get your own financial house in order. Stop borrowing money. Perform plastic surgery and get rid of the credit cards, if necessary. Begin to work to get out of debt. Make a budget and stay on it.

How many people are hindered in God’s service because of debt? For instance, say there is a young couple who believes they are being led to go to the mission field, but they owe so much money they can’t afford to go. Here is a middle aged couple who know they should be tithing and giving to the Lord’s work, and yet they owe so much and the financial strain is so great that their giving is paltry.

Let us be wise stewards of the money God has permitted us to have. Then let us demand such stewardship from our elected officials. When fundamental financial principles are violated, no amount of money manipulation by the Federal Reserve or political programs from the President will solve the economic misery that results. The only answer is to return to sound fiscal policies.

The Jews of Nehemiah’s day were suffering a monetary malady brought on by unbridled greed and unlimited credit. There was also the problem of UNUSED RESOURCES

“Some were saying, ‘We, our sons, and our daughters are numerous. Let us get grain so that we can eat and live.’ Others were saying, ‘We are mortgaging our fields, vineyards, and homes to get grain during the famine.’ Still others were saying, ‘We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.

We and our children are [just] like our countrymen and their children, yet we are subjecting our sons and daughters to slavery. Some of our daughters are already enslaved, but we are powerless because our fields and vineyards belong to others.’” (Neh.5:2-5)

People were having to borrow to eat because others owned the land. Today foreign investors are gobbling up chunks of America. They are buying industry and property. One day we are going to wake up and find that we have signed the title deed to America over to foreign domination.

This chapter speaks of how the children were in bondage because of the economic conditions. We are shackling our children with such massive debt so as to enslave an entire generation to come. What we are doing to our children and grandchildren is criminal!

There was famine in the land, but it was because of violation of God’s principles—not because of “global warming.” Thus, the people had come under judgment. If you read your Bible carefully, you will discover that drought and famine indicate God’s judgment on a nation. Last summer, America’s heartland baked under the heat. Food prices are bound to reflect this come winter. Just another year like that—and famine could come to America.

As we look around the world and television brings us horrific pictures of starving multitudes, and we ask ourselves, “Why?” The so-called experts today warn us of the population bomb, that unchecked control of the population is the reason for poverty and starvation. These famines are but harbingers of worse to come if we don’t control the population, they say. The world’s resources are running out, we are told.

This is nonsense. The problem is not overpopulation. You should go on YouTube and search for the clip, “Demographic Winter” and you will see that declining birthrates in the West threaten civilization.

The real problem is a rejection of God’s truth. For example, we are often confronted with the starving masses in India as a need for population control and redistribution of wealth. Yet India grows enough grain to feed its people. The problem is a false religion that believes mice should not be killed, for it could be the reincarnation of your mother-in-law, so the mice eat enough grain to feed the people. Sacred cows wander the streets. Those cows could be slaughtered to feed the hungry, except the heifer might be grandma. Sin is the reason that people starve.

Then, another folly was UNFAIR TAXES.

“Still others were saying, ‘We have borrowed money to pay the king's tax on our fields and vineyards.’” (Neh.5:4)

Taxation is not a new problem. When Israel decided they no longer wanted to be a theocracy, with God as King, but desired to be a monarchy like other nations, they were warned of the heavy burden of taxation the king would place upon them. We see such monetary misery in Nehemiah’s time.

Their burden of taxation was so great they were having to mortgage their property just to pay their taxes. That is unfair, and that is what we can say about the tax system of the United States. We are taxed at ridiculous levels. If an individual did what the government does they would be arrested. We call it stealing—taking that which doesn’t belong to you. Each year the local, state and federal governments confiscate the hard-earned dollars of the American worker at excessive levels and give it to many who will not get off their back-sides and work, as well as fund a bloated, inefficient bureaucracy, where we hear of news reports about extravagance and waste funded by tax dollars.

Our Declaration of Independence relates the causes of the colonists’ decision to separate from England. It states how King George (and here’s a direct quote), “has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent swarms of officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.”

How ironic that this is what the federal government is doing today. It seems King George now sits in the White House.

Can you imagine our Founding Fathers tolerating such? Don’t you remember the Boston Tea Party? A number of people have decided they will form a modern, “Tea Party” and I am part of that. I love my kids and grandchildren too much, and I appreciate this nation too much, to just go quietly in the night.

If America is going to survive, wasteful spending must be checked and tax rates cut so that the productive members of society have the money to keep the economy moving. We hear a lot of talk about taxing millionaires and billionaires, when the tax hikes planned will cripple small business, and bring down the economy.

From the peril we turn to THE PROVISION. There is a provision from God to meet our economic peril. Scripture tells us here how Nehemiah was able to lead his people out of their monetary miseries.

His solution, first of all, involved ANGER.

“I became extremely angry when I heard their outcry and these complaints. After seriously considering the matter, I accused the nobles and officials, saying to them, ‘Each of you is charging his countrymen interest.’ So I called a large assembly against them and said, ‘We have done our best to buy back our Jewish countrymen who were sold to foreigners, but now you sell your own countrymen, and we have to buy them back.’ They remained silent and could not say a word.” (Neh.5:6-8)

Nehemiah got hot! There is a proper time for anger, channeled in a productive way. Listen friend, this country we love is about to drown in red ink. You have a government that is bleeding us to death. Our leaders are enslaving our children and grandchildren. They are causing America to be sold off piece by piece to foreigners.

The Bible says, “Be angry and do not sin.” Anger can be sinful. It is sinful, when it is selfish. But anger towards injustice and iniquity is needful.

There came a day when Jesus Christ came into the Temple. There He saw the greedy leaders had turned His Father’s House into a house of merchandise. He saw this as an affront to God. The Lord also saw how this was an impediment for those who wanted to know God, so he turned over the moneychangers’ tables and took a whip and drove them out. Jesus was angry, but without sin.

Nehemiah called a great assembly against the leaders. I am calling for such an uprising--not with bullets but ballots. We have that privilege and responsibility. It is our patriotic duty to have a government of the people, by the people and for the people. As long as we are apathetic, we will do nothing.

Nehemiah was just one man, but he made a difference. You can too, if you are willing to take a courageous stand. Nehemiah was a government leader as a man of God. That’s the kind of folks we need in office.

Nehemiah not only got angry, but he made an APPEAL.

“Then I said, "What you are doing isn't right. Shouldn't you walk in the fear of our God [and not invite] the reproach of our foreign enemies?” (Neh.5:9)

Nehemiah appealed to them, by reminding them, that they must one day answer to God. That is a reminder the politicians need. There is a higher court than their constituents that they will stand before. The way of opinion polls may make for re-election, but principles make for sound governance. It is the difference between a democracy, where the majority rules and a republic, where principles rule. We are in danger of becoming the former, when we were established to be the latter.

Nehemiah also appealed to them to get their act together because of their enemies. There were enemies then--there are enemies today. As long as America exists, she will have enemies. There will always be those waiting and ready to prey upon us in a time of weakness.

If the economy of a nation deteriorates, its ability to defend itself will weaken, likewise. Bullets and bombs won’t save us. Should an economic disaster befall America today, on the scale of the Great Depression, can you imagine the civil strife and chaos in our cities? In the 1920’s, we had a populace that by and large was industrious and ethical. They were able to help each other and get through those desperate days. Those used to living off the government today would rise in armed rebellion, loot and burn and pillage and plunder if their entitlements were shut off. This nightmare scenario is on the verge of unfolding.

Anarchy would spread like a plague. The chaos would be so great there would be a call for military intervention, and likely out of that climate a dictator would arise with a desperate people subjugating themselves willingly under his iron grip. In fact, executive orders have been recently signed by the President to seize power in such a crisis. Our military has recently had training exercises in some of our cities. Preparations have been made for this.

That’s what happened in Germany. I have been reading about it in Churchill’s, “Memoirs of the Second World War.” It sounds like reading today’s newspapers as we head toward World War III.

After the first World War, Germany was bankrupt and the currency worthless. Enter Hitler, a charismatic leader who promises Germany will be reborn. You know how that worked out. Don’t say it couldn’t happen here. Those Germans were educated, sophisticated and yet in their plight were willing to believe the lie.

Nehemiah called upon the people to ADOPT sound economic principles.

“’Even I, as well as my brothers and my servants, have been lending them money and grain. Please, let us stop charging this interest.

Return their fields, vineyards, olive groves, and houses to them immediately, along with the percentage of the money, grain, new wine, and olive oil that you have been assessing them.’

They responded: ‘We will return [these things] and require nothing more from them. We will do as you say.’

So I summoned the priests and made everyone take an oath to do this.

I also shook the folds of my robe and said, ‘May God likewise shake from his house and property everyone who doesn't keep this promise. May he be shaken out and have nothing!’

The whole assembly said, ‘Amen,’ and they praised the Lord. Then the people did as they had promised.” (Neh.5:10-13)

Nehemiah was going to hold the feet of the politicians to the fire. He said, ‘You do the right thing or you’re out of here!’

Nehemiah not only demanded statesmanship, he demonstrated it. He set an example of sacrifice:

“Furthermore, from the day King Artaxerxes appointed me to be their governor in the land of Judah—from the twentieth year until his thirty-second year, 12 years—I and my associates never ate from the food allotted to the governor.” (Neh.5:14)

Nehemiah was an example of service. We need such a spirit in our day. What we don’t need are leaders living as princes, while they make the people into paupers.

FLYING BLIND

[As I read this post from a year ago, I thought it was a needful reminder today.  I won't tell you to enjoy it; we do need to embrace it.]

You made a reservoir between the walls for the waters of the ancient pool, but you did not look to the One who made it, or consider the One who created it long ago.  On that day the Lord God of Hosts called for weeping, for wailing, for shaven heads, and for the wearing of sackcloth.  But look: joy and gladness, butchering of cattle, slaughtering of sheep, eating of meat, and drinking of wine—“Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!”  The Lord of Hosts has directly revealed to me: “This sin of yours will never be wiped out.”  The Lord God of Hosts has spoken. (Isaiah 22:11-14)

Flying blind—a plane goes into the clouds, the pilot loses his frame of reference, and becomes disoriented.  He feels like he is right-side up, when he is actually upside down.  It is a dangerous thing.  If he depends on how he feels, rather than consulting his instrument panel, he pulls the yoke or stick back to climb and instead is diving into the ground.  The result is deadly.

That is what was happening in Isaiah’s day.  The Jews had been blessed with God’s truth to guide them.  The prophets, like Isaiah, pointed men to their Maker.  The holy law was the instrument panel to show them reality as they flew through the fog of this sinful world.  The prophets were in the control tower to talk them into a safe arrival.  But, they would not listen.  They became disoriented, pulled the throttle back—upside down, they crashed and burned.

It is ironic that all this happened in “the Valley of Vision.”  That expression is used twice in Isaiah 22.  Israel was a place that had been graced by God with prophetic vision.  The Lord had revealed Himself, His will and His ways through His Word.  It had been engraved by His finger on tablets of stone placed in the hands of Moses to teach them morality.  Priests and prophets had expounded it and provided additional insight as God’s Spirit spoke through them.  But, the people had rejected the light of God’s truth, and the darkness had closed in—the Valley of Vision was now a black abyss where blind guides led blind people.  That never ends well—for pilot or passengers.

No wonder Isaiah is heartsick.  He delivers his “oracle against the Valley of Vision” (v.1).  It isn’t a message favorable to the audience, but a pronouncement of judgment “against” them because of their rejection of their Maker and His message.  In fact, some translations render “oracle” as “burden”—a heavy message that Isaiah had to deliver, one that weighed on his mind—a word of immense gravity and intense grief.  No man of God finds joy in delivering such a sorrowful sermon, yet he is just the plane’s attitude indicator, showing that the people are upside down—and in peril.  He must be faithful to the truth—whether the pilot adjusts his course or not.

In the face of impending doom, what did those piloting the nation’s plane do?  They sent out word, “Nothing to worry about!  Settle back, enjoy the flight.”  Then the attendants were sent out with booze and tasty treats, and the cabin turned into a party.  When one lone fellow in the back, shouted out in tears, “We’re going to die!”  Isaiah was told, “Shut up!  Sure we’re going to die; everybody does—but not today.  So, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’” (v.13)

God had called them to mourn for their sin, but instead they were merry in it.  They should have fasted in repentance, but instead they feasted in rebellion.  The nation was in a death spiral, and only pushed the throttle forward.  From the tower, the Lord sent out to the plane this solemn word to Isaiah, the only one listening, “The Lord of Hosts has directly revealed to me: ‘This sin of yours will never be wiped out.’  The Lord God of Hosts has spoken.” (v.14)

As I look out the window of the plane I ride called, “The United States of America” I can see through a break in the clouds that we are upside down.  As in Isaiah’s time, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isa.5:20)  Those piloting the plane will not listen.  The passengers are having too much fun on the flight to heed the ranting of some old preacher.

We are a nation that is busy trying to insure security through our military and not by depending on our Maker.  We look to stimulate the economy and reject our Provider.  By rejecting God, we have lost our fixed point of reference.  We repeat the folly of ancient Jerusalem’s inhabitants:

“You also saw the damage to the city of David, that it was great; and you gathered together the waters of the lower pool.  You numbered the houses of Jerusalem, and the houses you broke down to fortify the wall.  You also made a reservoir between the two walls for the water of the old pool. But you did not look to its Maker, nor did you have respect for Him who fashioned it long ago.” (Isa.22:9-11)

Is anybody listening?

A DECLARATION OF DEPENDENCE

[This is the conclusion of a three part series from Hosea which I previously posted this time last year.  The truths are as relevant as when first shared and more urgent to be heeded than ever.]

“Israel, return to Yahweh your God, for you have stumbled in your sin.  Take words [of repentance] with you and return to the Lord.  Say to Him: ‘Forgive all [our] sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips.  Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim, “Our gods!” to the work of our hands.  For the fatherless receives compassion in You.’" (Hosea 14:1-3 HCSB)

This week we have again celebrated the birthday of our nation.  By 1776, our forefathers had enough of the tyranny of King George and declared their independence from England.  One of the fundamental freedoms the colonists desired was freedom to worship God according to the dictates of their conscience.  You cannot understand the reason for our existence if you miss this crucial point.  England had a state church and many of those who came to these shores fled from that. 

We should not, however,  read that the proper separation of church and state was intended to be the severance of God and government.  America’s founding is intertwined with faith.  Its laws were predicated by the Bible.  Its founders—though not all evangelical Christians—were of a mindset saturated with a Scriptural worldview.  The declaration of independence from man was at the same time a declaration of dependence on God. 

How far we have strayed from that path; what peril we find ourselves in accordingly!  The situation in the nation of Israel in the days of Hosea the prophet has a striking parallel: the people had become idolaters—they had begun to depend on themselves; they trusted in the work of their own hands.   It is time for a declaration of dependence!

First, consider A SCRIPTURAL PRINCIPLE: EXPOSITION. 

“we will no longer proclaim, 'Our gods!' to the work of our hands.” (v.3b)

They were violating the first commandment of the ten.  This led to defiance of the second and opened the portal to every other command being broken. 

Consider then THE ROTTEN ROOT of this sin.  Sin did not begin in Eden, but in heaven—not with man, but with angels.  Lucifer was enamored with his own greatness and sought to live independently of God—to be an autonomous being.  You can read about it in Isaiah 14:12-15.  That’s how he became the Devil.

The rotten root of this evil led to the tasting of THE FORBIDDEN FRUIT.  Genesis tells us that the diabolical Serpent, Satan, offered the first humans the same tantalizing possibility.  Adam and Eve swallowed it and the world has never been the same.

Very soon we detect the results of THE POISONED PRODUCE in the construction of the tower of Babel in Genesis 11.  Adam’s race decides to build a tower to heaven.  This spirit of rebellion marks the proud heart of man.  Our culture today reeks of it.  The serpent’s venom flows through our veins.  Conservative radio host, Mark Levin, describes this as “Utopianism.”  The “Master Minds” of Washington, D.C. and other world government elitists think they know how to regain Eden—and they don’t need God to do it.  God’s reaction is described in Psalm 2:

“Why do the nations rebel and the peoples plot in vain?  The kings of the earth take their stand, and the rulers conspire together against the Lord and His Anointed One: ‘Let us tear off their chains and free ourselves from their restraints.’

The One enthroned in heaven laughs; the Lord ridicules them.  Then He speaks to them in His anger and terrifies them in His wrath:  ‘I have consecrated My King
on Zion, My holy mountain.’” (Psalm 2:1-6 HCSB)

From a Scriptural Principle and its exposition, we next turn our attention to A SYMBOLIC PICTURE: ILLUSTRATION. 

“we will not ride on horses” (v.3a)

The pagan nations were marked by their dependence on their own military machinery to dominate their neighbors.  From Pharaoh’s charioteers, to the iron chariots of the Canaanites, to the cavalry of the Assyrians and Babylonians—these nations trusted in their own might. 

God told Israel they were not to multiply horses—this denial would be a reminder of their dependence on God.  Yet, they acted just like their pagan neighbors and thought they could protect themselves—but they could not. 

All those nations we mentioned met the same fate—judged by God.  We will be no different.  Yet in our hearts there is this lust for power. Lord Acton sounded a warning, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

There is a dramatic illustration of this in the Lord of the Rings saga.  

I discovered Tolkien in the sixth grade.  Millions of the books have been sold and a trio of Academy award-winning movies were wildly successful.  Tolkien fought in WWI—in one battle where over a million people were killed or wounded.  He wrote the Lord of the Rings epic during WWII.  He denied that the story was meant as an allegory of the times, but acknowledged that he could not help being affected by it. 

The ring of power and its corrupting influence is central to the plot. 

There is THE TEMPTATION OF POWER.  There is a ring of power forged by the Dark Lord Sauron and the one who has this ring will rule the world.  But, in the process, the ring controls the one who uses it—and would turn even a good man into a devil. 

It also illustrates THE TYRANNY OF POWER.  In the Lord of the Rings we see one such example, the once benevolent wizard Saruman becoming obsessed with power.  One cannot help but see the now evil wizard, building his army to engulf the world in shadow as a picture of another evil man of Tolkien’s time seeking to do the same—Adolf Hitler. There have always been men like that and they are on the scene today.  How can we overcome this spirit?

There is the possibility of THE TRIUMPH OVER BOTH temptation and tyranny.  The fellowship of the ring was a diverse collection of men, elves and hobbits, wizard and dwarf—so different from each other, and having little power compared to the forces of darkness, set against them. 

So, what do they do? They invaded the citadel of the Dark Lord and through self-sacrifice destroyed it.  That is Christ’s mission for His church.  Today, our faith in God’s ultimate triumph is being tested.  Is carrying the cross worth it?  These are hard times—the shadow deepens and the armies of Hell are on the march.  We may be tempted to despair. 

Frodo, the heroic hobbit of the Lord of the Rings, faced such fears. In the story, we hear him say to Gandalf with discouraged voice, “I wish none of this had happened.”  Like Frodo, we look around at what is happening to America and wish we were not here to see these times, either.  My words to you are those of Gandalf, the wizard, responding to Frodo, “So do all who live to see such times but that is not for them to decide.  All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given to us!”

There may yet be hope—if we act now.   Let us reflect on A SANCTIFIED PRACTICE: APPLICATION.  There are three things America must do if we are to see many more birthdays!  It is what God commanded Israel to do.

God requires there be a RETURN (v.1-2). 

“Israel, return to Yahweh your God, for you have stumbled in your sin.  Take words [of repentance] with you and return to the Lord.”

Can we doubt that we have wandered far from God?  If Washington or Franklin, Jefferson or Adams were to appear in America today, they would be nauseated by the moral filth that covers the land.  Where they acknowledged their dependence on God for success, it would break their hearts that we have become a people who have sought to strip every reference to God from the public square.  We must return to a declaration of dependence!

Then, there must be a REQUEST (v.2).

“Take words [of repentance] with you and return to the Lord.  Say to Him: ‘Forgive all [our] sin and accept what is good, so that we may repay You with praise from our lips.’”

Will we cry out in desperation?  How bad does it have to get before we will bow? 

God further requires RIGHTEOUSNESS (v.3)

“Assyria will not save us, we will not ride on horses, and we will no longer proclaim, 'Our gods!' to the work of our hands.  For the fatherless receives compassion in You." (v.3)

The politicians cannot save us for they are mostly infected with the same lust for power.  The scientists cannot invent a solution to our cultural disintegration.  The economists cannot stave off our moral bankruptcy.  Only God can save us!  Our response must be that of Israel: repentance!

We don’t like the times we live in.  God’s people long for a better day.  But, we have no choice in the times that we find ourselves in.  What we can choose is how to respond to them.  Now we must decide what to do with the time that is given to us.

A FAITHFUL GOD

[This is part two of a three part series from Hosea that I will complete tomorrow]

What am I going to do with you, Ephraim?  What am I going to do with you, Judah?
Your loyalty is like the morning mist and like the early dew that vanishes. (Hosea 6:4)

You can hear the broken heart of God as He speaks of His dismay.  He has bestowed His love on a people who quickly turned from Him and unto idols.  He likens them to the morning mist, that seems to hang so thick on a muggy summer morning, and quickly vanishes under the heat of the sun.  Israel vowed faithfulness to God, but they had been a faithless nation.

Hosea came to understand something of God’s heartache, because he not only expressed this message, he experienced it. His wife had committed adultery and he had found her destitute, a slave being auctioned off.  But, God commanded his prophet to purchase her—to redeem her and bring her back home.  Gomer was faithless, but Hosea would be faithful to his vows.

All of this served to illustrate God’s faithfulness to faithless Israel.  There are vital truths for America today—this God blessed land that has spurned God’s love.  Surely, we break His heart as he sees our wicked ways.

THE SINNING OF AN UNFAITHFUL NATION (4:1-19)

Imagine a private detective hired to follow a wife suspected of adultery.  He gathers evidence, and now the case is taken before a judge in a divorce court.  The evidence is clear and compelling.  That is the language used in these verses.  The unfaithfulness of Israel to her God was indisputable.  They treated God like Gomer did her husband, Hosea.

When we read the list of sins, it sounds like we are reading from today’s newspaper.  Although written thousands of years ago, it is a story we see unfolding on television in this century.  The sins that proliferated in ancient Israel are likewise an epidemic in our times.

The sinning of an unfaithful nation leads to THE SUFFERING OF AN UNFAITHFUL NATION (5:1-13:16)

God was going to break them.  If Israel wanted to go their own way, they would be permitted to do so, but would find that to be the road to ruin.  Just as Gomer’s debauchery brought her to destitution, so Israel’s unfaithfulness to God resulted in the nation’s conquest and captivity. 

Yet, even in this, God was demonstrating His faithfulness.  He was using the problems and pain to draw them back to Himself.  God was going to break them, once and for all of their idolatry.

America has sown the wind and is reaping the whirlwind.  We have not humbled ourselves, so maybe God is humbling us.  Even so, that is a mark of God’s faithfulness.  He is working to bring us to our knees and that is a good place to be in, for it is there that we can meet God.

A FAITHLESS NATION

[This is a repost from last year.  It is even more timely today than when first written.  Part two follows tomorrow.]

“In that day--[this is] the Lord's declaration--you will call [Me], ‘My husband,’ and no longer call Me, ‘My Baal.’  For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth; they will no longer be remembered by their names.  On that day I will make a covenant for them with the wild animals, the birds of the sky, and the creatures that crawl on the ground.  I will shatter bow, sword, and weapons of war in the land and will enable the people to rest securely.  I will take you to be My wife forever.  I will take you to be My wife in righteousness, justice, love, and compassion.   I will take you to be My wife in faithfulness, and you will know Yahweh.” (Hosea 2:16-20 HCSB)

On July 4, 1776, America’s Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence.   It begins,

“When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.  We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness…” and concludes by appealing to God, the Supreme Judge of the world and says, “with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.” 

Indeed, Providence smiled upon them and America was birthed with the blessing of God.  He has been faithful through our meteoric rise, but we have been unfaithful to Him.  Systematically, we are stripping away all reference to God from the public arena.   If that first Congress were offering such a document today, the current Supreme Court would likely rule it “unconstitutional” a “violation of the separation of church and state” by the Founding Fathers including such references to God!  What lunacy! 

Forces are attempting to secularize America.  But, to suggest that America has become strictly secular, and placed Christianity into its ghetto, would not be fully correct.  Nature abhors a vacuum and if the empty hearts of the citizens are not filled with true faith, they will be filled with paganism, Islam and the cults, even as Christianity is held up to contempt.  So is the political and spiritual landscape of America rapidly becoming. 

God has a warning!  There are some lessons for us from ancient Israel.  God brought them into a land flowing with milk and honey, but they spurned Him for false gods.  They were ungrateful and unfaithful.  Hosea had a message for such people—a message for us today.

THE LOVE OF GOD SEEN IN A MARITAL ILLUSTRATION (Chapters 1-3)  These chapters present  THE BROKEN HOME OF HOSEA.

“The word of the Lord that came to Hosea son of Beeri during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and of Jeroboam son of Jehoash, king of Israel.  When the Lord first spoke to Hosea, He said this to him: ‘Go and marry a promiscuous wife and [have] children of promiscuity, for the land is committing blatant acts of promiscuity by abandoning the Lord.’” (1:1-2) 

The prophet’s marriage would be a powerful message—a picture of the sermon he preached.

In the narrative we see A FAITHLESS WOMAN (1:1-11)

“So he went and married Gomer daughter of Diblaim, and she conceived and bore him a son.   Then the Lord said to him: ‘Name him Jezreel, for in a little while I will bring the bloodshed of Jezreel on the house of Jehu and put an end to the kingdom of the house of Israel.  On that day I will break the bow of Israel in the Valley of Jezreel.’

She conceived again and gave birth to a daughter, and the Lord said to him: ‘Name her No Compassion, for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel. I will certainly take them away.  But I will have compassion on the house of Judah, and I will deliver them by the Lord their God. I will not deliver them by bow, sword, or war, or by horses and cavalry.’

After Gomer had weaned No Compassion, she conceived and gave birth to a son.  Then the Lord said: ‘Name him Not My People, for you are not My people, and I will not be your God.’” (Hosea 1:3-9 HCSB)

Hosea is commanded to marry Gomer.  God tells his servant that the marriage will not bring happiness but heartache.  Although I do not think she was a harlot at the time, it was in Gomer’s heart.  She had no more got the marriage vows out of her mouth, until she got out of the house and into someone else’s arms.  A pattern of promiscuity developed. 

Some of you have known the pain of a spouse committing adultery.  You can sympathize with this man—and it was played out in the public arena.  In fact she has children, which aren’t even Hosea’s!    He looks at one baby and says, “Not mine!”  That becomes the child’s name!

This was the story of Israel’s unfaithfulness to their covenant with God.  It is being repeated in America today.

A faithless woman becomes A FORSAKEN WRETCH (2:1-13). 

“Therefore, this is what I will do: I will block her way with thorns; I will enclose her with a wall, so that she cannot find her paths.  She will pursue her lovers but not catch them; she will seek them but not find [them].  Then she will think, ‘I will go back to my former husband, for then it was better for me than now.’” (Hosea 2:6-7 HCSB)

Night after night of shameful living took its toll.  Having all those children affected her figure.  Time and gravity set in and she was not the beauty she once was, and her lovers began to desert her.

This is God’s way—the way of painful correction.  Hardship would drive Gomer back to her husband.  Remember the parable of the Prodigal Son?  Jesus told of a boy who fled his father’s house with a fortune to squander on wasteful and wanton living.  When the money ran out, so did his friends, and he wound up destitute and desperate.  Our Lord said that it was then the young man came to his senses and went back home to his father. 

Israel was going to be chastened severely.  Samaria would fall.  The nation would be conquered by the cruel Assyrians and those who were not slaughtered would become their slaves.  Might it be that we are headed for the same fate?  Why should we think America will be any different, when we are behaving no differently and God’s holy character is no different?

But, notice—and here is the hope—a faithless woman who became a forsaken wretch winds up A FORGIVEN WIFE (2:14-3:5) 

“Then the Lord said to me, ‘Go again; show love to a woman who is loved by another man and is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the Israelites though they turn to other gods and love raisin cakes.’  So I bought her for 15 shekels of silver and five bushels of barley.

I said to her, ‘You must live with me many days. Don't be promiscuous or belong to any man, and I will act the same way toward you.’   For the Israelites must live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred pillar, and without ephod or household idols.   Afterward, the people of Israel will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come with awe to the Lord and to His goodness in the last days.” (Hosea 3:1-5 HCSB) 

Picture this: Gomer has sold herself into slavery to avoid starvation.  Hosea is commanded to go and buy this cheater and bring her home!  He will forgive her and restore her.  She has been faithless, but he will be faithful to his promise. 

This experience illustrated the relationship of God and Israel.  Though the people had been faithless, God will be forever faithful.  We may break our vows and break God’s heart.  We may be broken in discipline, accordingly, but even in this God is faithful in His love to bring correction and bestow compassion.

Is it possible for us to sing with conviction, “America, America, God shed His grace on thee”?  That’s what grace is all about, isn’t it?  We get what we do not deserve!  We do not deserve to be forgiven, but we can be. 

As the prodigal spouse named Gomer came back to her husband; as the prodigal son came back to his father; so may the prodigal state come back to her God.  It is time to seek the Lord!  Call upon God!  He is our only hope.