May the mumbling commence!
Have you ever wondered what the Lord of love has a hard
time forgiving? There are clues spread
out through the Bible. One of those
clues can be found in the twenty-fourth chapter of Second Kings. Read from the beginning of that chapter:
During Jehoiakim's reign, King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon
invaded the land of Judah. Jehoiakim surrendered and paid him tribute for three
years but then rebelled. Then the Lord sent bands of Babylonian, Aramean,
Moabite, and Ammonite raiders against Judah to destroy it, just as the Lord had promised through his
prophets. These disasters happened to
Judah according to the Lord's
command. He had
decided to remove Judah from his presence because of the many sins of Manasseh. He had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, and the
Lord would not forgive this.
(Verses 1-4)
Manasseh filled the land with innocent blood. It was a sin that could not be forgiven by
God. That’s serious business! But who is innocent? There are clues later in Second Kings chapter
twenty-four:
In the eighth year of Nebuchadnezzar's reign, he took
Jehoiachin prisoner. As the Lord had said beforehand, Nebuchadnezzar
carried away all the treasures from the Lord's
Temple and the royal palace. They cut apart all the gold vessels that King
Solomon of Israel had placed in the Temple.
King
Nebuchadnezzar took ten thousand captives from Jerusalem, including all the
princes and the best of the soldiers, craftsmen, and smiths. So only the poorest people were left in the
land. (Verses 12b-14)
When God punishes the wicked, the innocent are often
given shelter from that punishment. So,
who is left behind when Judah goes into exile?
Only the poorest people were left in the land. The poorest people, the most vulnerable people
are often the most innocent. They have
little power or influence in the culture.
They are at the mercy of the rich and influential.
It’s a sobering reminder. In our world, the gap between the richest
people (the few) and the poorest people (the many) is growing greater and
greater. Innocent people are being
trampled and killed under the guise of the free market system… and the other
economic systems that the world employs.
Innocent blood is being spilled.
It is often hidden from our eyes.
But that does not mean that innocent blood cries out to the Lord any
less than the blood of Abel did.
This unforgivable corporate sin (yes, both you and I
have a part in it) will either be ended or nations and kingdoms will fall. God will not allow it to continue indefinitely. I think this sin is at least a part of the
reason why all nations have fallen in the past… and a clue that all human
nations will fall. Only God’s Kingdom
will endure! And God’s Kingdom is built
upon obedience. Read from Romans chapter
two:
God will punish the Gentiles when they sin, even though
they never had God's written law. And he will punish the Jews when they sin,
for they do have the law. For it is not
merely knowing the law that brings God's approval. Those who
obey the law will be declared right in God's sight. Even when Gentiles, who do not have God's written law, instinctively follow what the law says,
they show that in their hearts they know right from wrong. They demonstrate that God's law is written
within them, for their own consciences either accuse them or tell them they
are doing what is right. The day will
surely come when God, by Jesus Christ, will judge everyone's secret life. This is my message. (Verses 12-16)
Knowing is not enough.
Doing is key. Know the Law or
not. If you do the thing required of the
Law then you will find your way to the Kingdom of God. It is the foundation of a true Jew… a true
child of God. Read later from Romans
chapter two:
For you are not a true Jew just because you were born of
Jewish parents or because you have gone through the Jewish ceremony of circumcision. No, a true
Jew is one whose heart is right with God. And true circumcision is
not a cutting of the body but a change of heart produced by God's Spirit.
Whoever has that kind of change seeks praise from God,
not from people. (Verses 28-29)
Change our hearts, O God. Make us true.
Jesus is the Way to this truth.
We follow together in his footsteps.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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