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The earth is also defiled under its inhabitants, because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant. |
What's gone wrong in the good old U.S. of A? Individuals and organizations have polled, probed, surveyed, interviewed, researched, tested, analyzed, checked, and double-checked throughout the many realms of our society. Somewhere in all this we citizens have been dissected and put under a microscope in an effort to determine what makes us tick and why it is that American culture is in a fatal ethical, moral, and spiritual tailspin -- or as some describe a plane out of control with recovery absolutely impossible -- a graveyard spiral!
In spite of a plethora of recommendations and suggestions as to what actions ought to be pursued in order to stabilize our culture, at this point the "out of control" tailspin toward eventual disaster continues.
While many may claim our problems are very complex and there are no easy solutions, the fact is the problems are not as complex as claimed and the solution is really quite simple!
Isaiah 24:5 provides a shockingly clear picture as to the reasons a society eventually reaches the point of collapse. God is never complex when He discusses human problems, nor is He ever guilty of getting bogged down in complex details when it comes to spelling out what is needed to experience a satisfying solution to those human problems.
Consider the 3 easy steps toward dismantling a culture -- notice that the text indicates the earth is defiled. Why is this?
"they have transgressed the laws"
There is a moral code of standards which has been put into place by God our Creator. These apply to all members of the human race. They provide clear guidelines as to how we correctly and acceptably relate to God and to our fellow human beings. There is much more than an external code involved in this. Jesus Christ drew a connection between the external code of "you shall or shall not…" and desires, attitudes, and eventual actions that are spawned in one's inner being. (1).
Psychologists, psychiatrists, and sociologists have often been consulted on behavior issues, but at no time have any of these "experts" ever been as clear as Jesus in pinpointing the root causes of human disorder, immorality, calamity, and violence! Paul mentions the struggle of wanting to do right but failing most miserably to do so. (2). Romans 3 which repeats certain statements in the Psalms affirms the condemnation of all humans to be universal due to the fact that "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Jeremiah was inspired to reveal the fact that the heart is deceptive and desperately wicked -- so much so, that no one is capable of comprehending this fountain head of excessive evil. (3).
Unfortunately there is widespread refusal to accept the depraved condition of human nature and its tendency to massively reject the holy laws of God.
Two alarming trends have been taking place in recent years.
[ordinance - Hebrew = "choq" = an enactment, hence an appointment (of time, space, quantity, labor or usage) -- appointed, bound, commandment, convenient, custom, decree, due, law, measure"choq" is used in such references as Genesis 47:26; Exodus 5:14; Exodus 12:24; Exodus 15:25,26; Leviticus 10:11; Deuteronomy 4:1; Psalm 2:7; Psalm 94:20; Jeremiah 5:22. It is translated using words such as law, task, ordinance, statute, decree, etc. (from Strong's Concordance)]
ordinance of a conceived human being - God has explicitly made clear His view of human beings. Within this revelation is the fact that humans are known and identified by God prior to conception and birth. Further, God indicates He has a clearly defined purpose in mind for each human being. (6).
The sacrificial atonement on the part of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, on behalf of each human being dramatically drives home the potent truth that God has something special in mind for each conceived human being. (7).
For some time the USA, along with a number of other nations (most claiming to be civilized!), has been systematically destroying thousands of unborn children in the womb every week. The toll in the USA continues to climb with the intentional homicides of thousands of unborn children each week of the year!
Millions of unborn children have been intentionally murdered all over
the world over time and the United States has contributed tens of millions
to the total - see latest tally at Number of Abortions
But the ordinance (divine purpose and plan) for humans is short circuited in another way, beginning with those of kindergarten age. It is the deadly indoctrination on the part of parents and/or teachers that we are to focus on ourselves and determine for ourselves just what it is that we want out of life. In a majority of institutions of learning there is no allowance for considering what the Creator of this mighty universe has planned for each human being. For a student to aggressively seek a knowledge of that plan is to risk being labeled a psycho who has gone over the edge religiously! The very critical question, "What is the will of God for me/us?", is a forbidden academic exercise in most institutions involving students from kindergarten all the way through graduate schools churning out Ph.D's! Yet the will of God for human beings is a major theme of highest priority throughout God's special revelation to us through the holy Scriptures! (8).
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ..
Colossians 2:6-8 (NKJV)
However, we now are faced with an apostate movement which wants to redefine family and what makes up a family. The apostate element within the church with strong secular support is attempting to convince us that 2 sodomites with adopted children or 2 lesbians with adopted children can be just as much a family as a married male and female with children!
Efforts have been underway to introduce into public school systems informational materials that present same gender coupling as a normal relationship comparable to heterosexuals in the bond of marriage. Further, it is advocated that children in a home where "parents" are 2 males living together or 2 females living together in a "committed relationship" will suffer no ill effects. A New York school system underwent some convulsions when a book titled, "Heather Has 2 Mommies!", was distributed some time back. A similar book presented 2 sodomites as being good parents for a child with the difference being that now it was "2 daddies" for the victimized and unsuspecting child!
The fact is that in the totality of God's revelation there is never one positive example given which legitimizes the sodomite/lesbian lifestyle much less give a green light to the formation of families comprised of 2 females or 2 males raising children.
On the other hand, the information is abundant that a family, as God originally intended, is made up of a married couple, male and female, raising children which were conceived by the couple. It must be conceded that there were periods in which polygamy was practiced along with conceiving children by "concubines." But that only underscores the tendency of humans to ignore the clear standards established by God as to what constitutes a family in His sight. And every time the ordinance was ignored, there were problems of monumental proportions which always resulted -- something to do with another law called the law of "sowing and reaping!"
In what is commonly identified as the Ten Commandments, one specifically spells out the critical matter of Sabbath observance. (11).
The Israelite people had serious problems from time to time with proper observance of the Sabbath. As you survey the Old Testament prophets and their messages, it becomes obvious that among the many offenses addressed was that of Sabbath desecration -- the people simply had other things they wanted to do rather than focus on worshipping God and giving work weary bodies and minds much needed rest! (12).
Now then, as the United States has moved from the 20th to the 21st century, how does Sabbath observance rank among its 335 million citizens in terms of high priority? Ah, no problem when it comes to determining how important Sabbath observance is in the land of religious freedom -- we manage to get a few million out to worship each week, but the vast majority opt for pleasure or business each Sunday! By no stretch of the imagination can the United States be regarded as a truly God-fearing nation. If it were, then the vast majority of its citizens would honor and respect that one day in the week in which God would be the center of praise, worship, devotion, and concentrated attention! All other activities and involvements would be suspended and the experience of renewal in faith, growing in faith, expressions of thanksgiving and gratitude to God and a rededication of life to God's holy purposes would be the shared experiences of the majority of the citizens of our culture!
But just as the ancient Israelites violated the Sabbath in countless ways, so our culture insists on doing likewise. And we wonder why we become old and broken before our time as we ignore disciplined Sabbath observance and its inherent law of renewal for a person's entire being! The cycle of 6 days of work and varied activities and 1 day of concentrated worship and rest provides physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits far beyond our limited ability to measure. Almighty God established Sabbath by His own example and decree. No culture can ignore this and expect to prosper, much less to ultimately survive! The United States will prove to be no exception to the law of sowing and reaping when it comes to treatment of Sabbath. The only thing we WILL prove is that defiance of God and His laws, including respect and observance of Sabbath, always results in multiple calamities and eventual collapse of the nation.
The word "covenant" appears often in Scripture. God chose to enter into a covenant with the ancient Israelites. Basically it was a kind of agreement that hinged on the fidelity and commitment of each party involved in the covenant.
God obligated Himself to do certain things which would benefit the Israelites on condition of their obedience to His laws. An excellent summary as to how this would work is seen in Deuteronomy 28. The first 14 verses detail the blessings which the people would experience upon the condition of full obedience in keeping the terms of the covenant. Significant is the word "if" -- "If you will…" followed by a series of statements, "The Lord will…."
But after you see the summary of the blessings which will come as a result of fidelity to the covenant on the part of the people, then you come to extensive details as to what will happen if they violate the covenant. In fact God takes up about three times as much space in graphically depicting what will happen if they lapse into disobedience and ignore the terms of the covenant. That brings on a series of "The Lord will…" statements which are most unpleasant to even imagine! Later history reveals the series of tragedies the Israelites experienced due to breaking covenant with God. In spite of persistent appeals from the prophets to repent and turn back to God, the political and religious leaders, along with the citizens, refused to respond and the kingdom of Judah was destroyed. God had brought a devastating judgment on them through the hands of the Babylonians! (13).
But the Scripture also revealed that a new covenant would replace the old covenant of law. This new covenant would result in a miracle of inner transformation of one's nature, mind, and spirit. (14). Two thousand years ago God visited this planet in human form in the person of Jesus Christ and sacrificed His life for every sin committed by every member of the human race. (15).
Since that time the call to repent of all sin, receive Jesus Christ into one's life as Savior and Lord, and commit to obeying Him in all things has been issued to each generation. (16). However, there is a problem of the first magnitude in the United States over this matter. This nation was founded on the basic principles of Christianity, and has had access to the Gospel of Jesus Christ from its very beginning. The problem is the overwhelming evidence that the majority of our citizens are exhibiting attitudes, desires and behavior patterns which defiantly reject the covenant established by Jesus Christ, nor do they express even a minute interest in exploring the conditions of that covenant! The most controversial name in this country is the name of Jesus Christ. Be religious if you want -- be respectable and even hold to a decent standard of ethics, but don't ever, ever mention the name of Jesus Christ! And so, by intentionally rejecting Him at worst or simply ignoring Him, along with His claims and demands, at best, we have no covenant possibility and are in no position as a nation to expect favor and blessing from God!
Again, take a good hard and honest look at what has been happening across the nation and in the many nooks and crannies of our culture!
Anyone out there want to venture how we as a nation now stand before God in light of overwhelming evidence that we have transgressed God's laws -- changed the ordinance -- and broken the everlasting covenant? OR do you prefer not to think about the possibilities of what that might mean?
References:
10. Genesis 2:2,3
11. Exodus 20:8-11
12. Isaiah 58:13; Jeremiah 17:21-23,27; Ezekiel 20:12,13,16; Ezekiel 22:8,26; Ezekiel 23:38
13. 2 Chronicles 36:11-21
14. Jeremiah 31:31-34; Jeremiah 32:40; Ezekiel 38:26-28; Hebrews 8:6-12; Hebrews 10:15-31
15. John 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:17-19; 1 Peter 2:21-25
16. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 17:22-31
A Selah Moment Before Leaving!
O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear? even cry out to You, "Violence!" And You will not save. Why do You show me iniquity, and cause me to see trouble? For plundering and violence are before me; there is strife, and contention arises. Therefore the law is powerless, and justice never goes forth. For the wicked surround the righteous; therefore perverse judgment proceeds.
Habbakuk 1:2-4 (NKJV)
For further reference see:
Popular Deities of American Culture!Use return feature on your web browser to return here from the above areas.
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Worse Than the "Black Death" -- It's the Porno Plague!
United States Holocaust Gallery!
Trashing Sacred Gifts -- 21st Century Style!
Forget the Terrorists -- the 21st Century Canaanites Are a Greater Threat!
Mr. President, We Need to Get Our Own House in Order First!
God Bless America? Really Now, Why Should He?
Atrocities? Well, It Depends on Your Definition of What Is or Isn't!
A National Rage Against Violence, BUT Not Always!
USA's Hidden Horrors!
Justice Denied!
Hold It, Mr. President -- About That Statement, "We respect life."
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Updated on May 27, 2020, June 27, 2023, August 18, 2023
Clayton D. Harriger, Retired Elder
The United Methodist Church
Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference
Former Pastor of Gipsy Christian Church, Gipsy PA [Nov 1999 - Nov 2019]For comments, questions, or just plain old axe grinding contact C. D. Harriger by clicking on Penelope,
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