Result.
The consequences of opposition to God and reliance on earthly rather than spiritual things will be diminution, degradation and impoverishment, leading ultimately to complete destruction:
• Diminution: “See, I will make you small among the nations; you will be utterly despised.” (Obadiah :2).
• Degradation: “Though you soar like the eagle and make your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down” (Obadiah :4).
• Impoverishment: “If thieves came to you, if robbers in the night – Oh, what a disaster awaits you – would they not steal only as much as they wanted? If grape pickers came to you, would they not leave a few grapes? But how Esau will be ransacked, his hidden treasures pillaged!” (Obadiah :6).
• Destruction: “Because of the violence against your brother Jacob, you will be covered with shame; you will be destroyed for ever... the house of Esau will be stubble, and they will set it on fire and consume it. There will be no survivors from the house of Esau.” (Obadiah :10 and 18).
We are told that: “The day of the LORD is near for all nations. As you have done, it will be done to you; your deeds will return upon your own head. Just as you drank on my holy hill, so all the nations will drink continually; they will drink and drink and be as if they had never been.” (Obadiah :15-16). These are uncomfortable words for us to hear. They remind us that “with the measure [we] use, it will be measured to [us].” (Matthew 7:2). As well as words of judgment, however, there are also phrases of hope and a message of salvation: “But on Mount Zion will be deliverance; it will be holy, and the house of Jacob will possess its inheritance. The house of Jacob will be a fire and the house of Joseph a flame ... Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD’s.” (Obadiah :17-18 and 21). The picture is of the wicked subordinated to the godly in a land that ultimately is under the sovereign rule of the High King of Heaven. To persist in our pride will take us down one path. Repenting of our sinfulness and turning back to God will take us down another.
Conclusion.
The Titanic stands as a monument to human pride and folly. In Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis describes pride as the worst of all the sins, since it is the sin that caused Lucifer to fall. It is a sin of which we are currently guilty in high degree, for there is no greater example of it than seeking to deny, demean or displace God. We are guilty, too, of the other sins of the Edomites, which caused the Lord to bring upon them a judgment so complete that his prophet warned: “There will be no survivors from the house of Esau.” (Obadiah :18). If we were ever in doubt as to the seriousness of our current predicament, these words should dispel any uncertainty. We are not just riding for a fall, but for something far worse. The wisdom of Solomon is as apposite today as it has always been, for it is indeed the case that “Pride goes before destruction and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18).
We face a choice: the way of destruction or the way of salvation. At present, everything about this nation is conspiring to take us down the path of ruin. The message from God is clear, but somehow it is not getting through. We need envoys to take this message to our people: to explain again the consequences of our continued apostasy, to point out the judgment that is upon us by reason of our pride and our denial of God and to illumine the way back to the Lord. For God’s call is never solely one of condemnation. Always he reminds us of the forgiveness and rebirth that he longs to bestow: “Deliverers will go up on Mount Zion to govern the mountains of Esau. And the kingdom will be the LORD’s.” (Obadiah 1:21).
The prophet Isaiah asked: “Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” (Isaiah 53:1). Thankfully, there remain those in England who have believed the message and to whom the arm of the Lord has been revealed. Even now it is not too late. We need to raise our voices afresh.
44. Hard times
2 Chronicles 7:11-22
Key word: response.
Amidst the turmoil of great events, life for most people has always been tough. Throughout the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth, the lot of the poor in England’s cities was often grim in the extreme. Many lived on or below the poverty line. For those lucky enough to have a regular job, work was usually hard, hours long, pay minimal and conditions primitive. At the start of the Great War there were five millions in domestic service and a million working down the mines.
One little lad born during that first conflict with Germany suffered more than most. His mother fled a drunken, violent husband and it was many years before she saw her son again. The deserted father gave scant attention to the children left in his care. Neglected and forced to fend for himself, the youngster was soon going to school barefoot, forever hungry, stealing and scavenging to survive. He quit education at the earliest possible moment, with no qualifications. A series of odd jobs followed – as delivery boy, waiter, pageboy and cabin boy – but after his return from sea the desperate circumstances of nineteen thirties Britain meant he was unable to secure another post. Destitution and starvation beckoned, for in those days there was almost nothing in the way of social security. He went to see his father, who by then had remarried, only to find himself disowned and thrown out onto the streets.
With no job and no home, the urchin lived rough in London for a month, lying down to sleep on the warm air vents around the Savoy Hotel and then on stone steps in front of the Marshal Foch statue by Victoria Station. Somehow he kept alive, sneaking into cinemas to keep warm and to doze, washing in public lavatories. He was then fourteen years old. The army saved him. Despite his youth and total lack of musical knowledge, he persuaded a military band to let him enlist. With his regiment he travelled to India, learnt to ride a horse, played rugby, grew accomplished on many instruments and became army flyweight boxing champion. During these years he would often clown around for the amusement of comrades, developing skills and routines that he put to good use later. For after leaving the forces he went on to become a star of stage and screen, the most successful British comedian since Charlie Chaplin. Indeed he was considered by many, including Chaplin himself, to be the inheritor of that great man’s mantle. His name was Norman Wisdom.
Attentiveness.
Norman Wisdom’s life is an astonishing story of triumph against the odds. From the most unpromising start, his guts and determination, his steadfast refusal to wallow in misfortune or to feel sorry for himself helped fashion a successful career in one of the most demanding and unforgiving of arenas. Were we ever in doubt about it, his experience and those of countless others shows that it is our response to circumstances that matter most. We will all face hardship, pain, loss, unfairness and worse. This is an inevitable consequence of living in a world broken and marred by sin. We can allow ourselves to be overcome by these things or we can try to do something about them. Now, the reality is that there is little we can do on our own to fix the fundamental brokenness that is at the heart of so much deprivation and unhappiness. Human beings simply do not have the remedy, but God does. If we want to change our lives, therefore, the best start we can make is by responding to our Maker.
We see the interplay of response and counter-response that comes from relationship with God as “the LORD appeared to [King Solomon] at night” (2 Chronicles 7:12). The visitation is in response to the king coming before God in prayer, for the Lord says: “I have heard your prayer” (2 Chronicles 7:12). It is the second time that Scripture records God appearing to this king: see also 2 Chronicles 1:7-12 and 1 Kings 3:5-15. On this subsequent occasion, the Lord’s appearance takes place “When Solomon had finished the temple of the LORD and the royal palace, and had succeeded in carrying out all he had in mind to do in the temple of the LORD and in his own palace” (2 Chronicles 7:11). We may infer from God’s response that Solomon’s prayer was a request for the Almighty to bless the temple and to come by his Spirit to reside there, for the king is told: “I ... have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrific
es.” (2 Chronicles 7:12). Intriguingly, this divine confirmation came only after the temple has already been built and dedicated. The sequence of events emphasises the degree of faith that was necessary on Solomon’s part. For although the king’s father David had told his son of God’s plan that Solomon should be the one to build the temple (see 1 Chronicles 22:6-10), the task was still daunting. New to the throne, acknowledging that “I am only a little child and do not know how to carry out my duties” (1 Kings 3:7), Solomon nevertheless needed to strike out in faith to implement a hugely ambitious building project. It is ever thus: whether what is required of us be great or small, the step of faith needs first to be made.
When faith is present, God is attentive to us and to our needs. He hears and responds to Solomon’s prayer and promises similar responsiveness in future: “I will hear from heaven ... my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.” (2 Chronicles 7:14-15). However, this responsiveness is conditional, for God does not automatically act on each childish whim of man, nor does he say that he will respond when we ignore the reciprocal nature of our relationship with him. Thus he says: “When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and forgive their sin and will heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:13-14). The pivot of this sentence is the word “if.”
This reminds us that our relationship with God is not one-sided. We also have to be attentive. The Lord’s promise to respond is premised on a response on our part:
• Humility: “... if my people ... will humble themselves ...” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Instead of relying on ourselves, we must rely on God.
• Prayer: “... and pray ...” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Prayer is a two-way street. It involves listening to God as well as asking him for things.
• Seeking: “... and seek my face ...” (2 Chronicles 7:14). Through prayer and reading of the Bible we should aim to understand the will of God, and what part he has for us to play.
• Repentance: “... and turn from their wicked ways ...” (2 Chronicles 7:14). The best evidence of a change of heart is a change in the way we act.
Use of the word “and” shows that these four things are not alternatives. Nor can we pick and choose the ones that are convenient for us. They must all happen if we are to fulfil the conditions that trigger God’s promise to “hear ... and ... forgive [our] sin and ... heal [our] land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14).
Choices.
Our destiny, in other words, hinges on choice. As with attentiveness, choices are inter-connected. God makes choices: “I have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices ... I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there for ever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.” (2 Chronicles 7:12 and 16). The Lord’s choices influence ours and vice versa.
At the point in Israel’s history where Solomon undertakes the building of a temple in Jerusalem, her choices have resulted in divine favour: hence God’s decision to choose and consecrate this temple and to make it a place for himself.
However, there have been and will in future be times when choices lead in the opposite direction. This is “When I [God] shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people” (2 Chronicles 7:13). When such events occur, the nation must get back on track again through repentance, prayer and action so that the Lord’s blessing will be renewed. The cycle is no less true for us than it was for the Israelites of old.
Consequences.
Our choices bring consequences, both personal and collective. God makes clear to Solomon not only the consequences of his own personal choices but also the consequences for the nation of the collective choices made either by it or by its king on its behalf:
• Personal: “As for you, if you walk before me as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.’” (2 Chronicles 7:17-18).
• Collective: “But if you turn away and forsake the decrees and commands I have given you and go off to serve other gods and worship them, then I will uproot Israel from my land, which I have given them, and will reject this temple which I have consecrated for my Name. I will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.” (2 Chronicles 7:19-20).
There is no secret in this. Neither can we claim to be taken in any way by surprise. Through the Bible, God spells out for us equally clearly what the personal and collective consequences of our actions are. These consequences are not unjust, random or perverse. They are fair and logical and are built into the system that God had designed. Human beings are made to operate in accordance with God’s laws, under his guidance and in relationship with him. When this proper order is disrupted, things go awry in the lives of individuals, nations and the world as a whole. The effects extend beyond the realm of man into the entire created order: “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” (Romans 8:22).
A series of opposites is set before us:
• To “walk before me” (2 Chronicles 7:17) or to “turn away” (2 Chronicles 7:19).
• To “do all I command” (2 Chronicles 7:17) or to “forsake the decrees and commands I have given you” (2 Chronicles 7:19).
• To “observe my decrees and laws” or to “go off to serve other gods and worship them” (2 Chronicles 7:19).
We cannot escape the collective consequences of bad choices by pleading that we have personally been beyond reproach. A nation that acquiesces in a wrong course chosen for it by its rulers is complicit and will suffer accordingly.
Both implicit and explicit consequences are set before Solomon. By implication: that God will not “establish your royal throne” (2 Chronicles 7:18) and that there will come a time when “you shall ... fail to have a man on the throne of Israel.” (2 Chronicles 7:18). Explicitly: “[God] will uproot Israel from [his] land ... will reject this temple ... [and] will make it a byword and an object of ridicule among all peoples.” (2 Chronicles 7:19-20). The picture is of severe disruption and malaise in the political, social, economic and religious life of the country. Such are the consequences with which we are living at present.
Conclusion.
Norman Wisdom’s films are seldom shown nowadays and are perhaps too quaint for modern taste. They are about the little man, the ordinary, unprepossessing, put-upon Everyman who somehow manages to get the girl and put one over on those who think themselves above him. In our pride we perhaps identify less readily than previous generations with the underdog. Too often we tend to think ourselves a cut above the rest. We look with satisfaction upon careers, possessions, achievements and what-have-you, with thought only for our own needs and wants.
We are far from being attentive to God. Our attention wanders, too often in directions that are wholly unworthy of it, and God is ignored. We look at the temples that we have built for ourselves, in brick and stone, in the mind and in the arts, and we feel pleased with what we have done. We need to remind ourselves of what the Lord says about such things. There will come a time when they are broken and forgotten, for the Almighty “will bring disaster upon” (2 Chronicles 7:22) those who treat him this way: “And though this temple is now so imposing, all who pass by will be appalled and say, ‘Why has the LORD done such a thing to this land and to this temple?’” (2 Chronicles 7:21).
The reply appears in the very next verse: “People will answer: ‘Because they have forsaken the LORD, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of Egypt, and have embraced other gods, worshipping and serving them – that is why he brought all this disaster on them.’” (2 Chronicles 7:22). It takes little imagination to see how readi
ly this description fits us. We have turned our backs on the Lord and we have substituted his worship with all the idols of modern life. It is a scandal and a tragedy. All about us are strewn the broken ruins that are its result.
We desperately need our heavenly Father to “hear ... forgive [our] sin and ... heal [our] land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14). We have not even begun to fulfil the conditions that will trigger his promise to do so. We need to reflect with the utmost seriousness and urgency on how we can do so: by humbling ourselves, by praying, by seeking God’s face and by turning from our wicked ways. Whilst we love to make things complicated, what is required is in fact quite simple. We do not need fine words, high-flown phrases or fancy formulations. The Lord will not reject us if our hearts are right.
45. So near
3 John 1.
Key word: friendship.
Until the early years of the twentieth century, no man had set foot at the South Pole. In the short polar summer of 1911-12 both British and Norwegians set out with this end in mind: the former under Captain Robert Falcon Scott of the Royal Navy (who had blazed the trail through his successful Antarctic expedition of 1901-04) and the latter under veteran arctic explorer Roald Amundsen. Up to the last moment, Amundsen deliberately gave the false impression that the expedition he was preparing would again be heading to the Arctic, and studiously avoided attempts by Scott to speak or meet with him beforehand. The Norwegian’s secrecy greatly increased his prospects of success by ensuring that his adversary’s planning was founded on a false premise – that he had the field to himself, when in fact he was up against some of the most experienced skiers and dog drivers in the world.[104] For good measure, Amundsen also tried to buy up all available Greenland Huskies so as to deny Scott access to the best dogs. Only during a stop-over at New Zealand on his way to Antarctica, when it was too late to change anything, did Scott learn that he would be taking part in a race.
Redeeming a Nation (Timeless Teaching) Page 32