When I was a child, my brother, Mark, and I asked for a toy called the “Bolo Bouncer.” Now this plaything’s only purpose was to bounce the elastic-string attached rubber ball on the small racquet.
Once the string snapped or the ball pulled loose, the entertainment value disappeared. But to our chagrin, my mom and dad discovered another use for the flat balloon-shaped paddle. This wood racquet could double as a paddle to apply discipline to the seat of correction.
Contrary to widespread belief, my dad spanked me as a child when I acted in disobedience to a command. The Bolo Bouncer would suddenly appear to administer a few well-placed whacks on the bottom to realign my behavior with more socially accepted norms. I lived in fear of the Bouncer; I would do anything to escape the humiliation and pain instigated by my rebellious behavior!
Spanking produced obedience in me which pleased my father and mother. The correction molded my behavior to reflect our family values: respect, submission to authority, and my parents’ modeled behavior. I learned to represent our family well and protect our reputation by doing what was right.
Normally, the parent administers discipline through spanking, removing privileges, or insisting on other remedial activities to protect the child. In the same way, God acts to discipline His children who disobey His standards found in Exodus 20. In Hebrews 12:7-10, the Scripture states:
“7 It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? 8 But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. 9 Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? 10 For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness.”
Further, the Most High corrects nations who rebel against His authority. Before Moses died, the new generation of Israelites recited the blessings that would come to them if they kept God’s word, and curses if they failed to do so.
Through the centuries, God’s prophets warned Israel and Judah of the consequences if they didn’t seek their God. But they failed to heed the warnings. Another prophet, sent by God, Amos, a shepherd by trade, pronounced the judgment against Israel and Judah for their rebellion and disobedience. In Amos 2:4-16, Amos announces the coming punishment to the people, and states
“This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Judah, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they rejected the Law of the Lord
And have not kept His statutes;
Their lies also have led them astray,
Those which their fathers followed.
5 So I will send fire upon Judah,
And it will consume the citadels of Jerusalem.”
6 This is what the Lord says:
“For three offenses of Israel, and for four,
I will not revoke its punishment,
Because they sell the righteous for money,
And the needy for a pair of sandals.
7 These who trample the head of the helpless to the dust of the earth
Also divert the way of the humble;
And a man and his father resort to the same girl
So as to profane My holy name.
8 And on garments seized as pledges they stretch out beside every altar,
And in the house of their God they drink the wine of those who have been fined.
9 “Yet it was I who destroyed the Amorite before them,
Though his height was like the height of cedars
And he was as strong as the oaks;
I also destroyed his fruit above and his roots below.
10 And it was I who brought you up from the land of Egypt,
And led you in the wilderness for forty years
So that you might take possession of the land of the Amorite.
11 Then I raised up some of your sons to be prophets,
And some of your young men to be Nazirites.
Is this not so, you sons of Israel?” declares the Lord.
12 “But you made the Nazirites drink wine,
And you commanded the prophets, saying, ‘You shall not prophesy!’
13 Behold, I am making a rut in the ground beneath you,
Just as a wagon makes a rut when filled with sheaves.
14 Refuge will be lost from the swift,
And the strong will not strengthen his power,
Nor the warrior save his life.
15 The one who grasps the bow will not stand his ground,
The swift of foot will not escape,
Nor will the one who rides the horse save his life.
16 Even the bravest among the warriors will flee naked on that day,” declares the Lord.
What had Israel done wrong? God said, they:
- Sold the poor into slavery to gain wealth.
- Silenced the humble’s message.
- Removed righteous principles from the land.
Further, God said, Israel removed Him:
- from the public square and quashed any prick of conscience or rebuke; and
- committed abominable adultery; and
- profaned worship by their drunkenness and performing of lewd acts before God’s.
- Her sister Judah’s sins increased over a longer period. God listed her crimes as:
- Establishing traditions in place of God’s law which resulted in disobedience and rebellion to His commands; and
- Adopting customs of the pagans and refusing to be different and separate from other nations; and
- Believing and repeating lies about God; and
- Following blindly their fathers’ traditions.
- Let us review God’s analysis of Israel with the parallels to America. Are any of these things happening in America?
- human trafficking
- Suppressing truth by removing Bible reading and prayer from the public arena.
- Sexual immorality
- Abominable practices: mocking God in the re-enactment of the Last Supper at the Olympics Opening Ceremonies, exaltation of pride, drag queens reading to children, indoctrination of children in transgender ideology and scheduling surgeries for children, etc.
- When analyzing Judah’s behavior, we see parallels to the church:
- Practicing traditions rather than obedience to God’s word, such as celebrating holy days that are not God’s holy feasts, rejecting a day of rest that God inaugurated at creation, etc.
- Bringing the culture into the church in worship practices, such as a casual approach to worship, performing bands with strobe lights, unreasonable amplification, and repetitive lyrics to the neglect of the Scripture reading and prayer.
- Telling lies about God, such as, God is love and will not judge sin; the teaching that God created and withdrew from His creation, leaving it to progress on its own; the Bible is not trustworthy but is only a book of moral stories or myths; God does not care how we approach Him; etc.
- The church does not think analytically but blindly follows traditions held from earlier times.
In America, both the church and nation are falling short of God’s standard, and the result could end in God’s indictment on us. The church has stayed silent on many of these issues because the above actions are deemed political rather than spiritual. However, the Bible teaches that these activities are spiritual and will be punished as sins against God Almighty if we refuse to take a stand
- The people of the ancient world did not possess a copy of the Word of God but heard a passage read each week. Today Christians have multiple copies of the Bible, yet we do not seek His wisdom or answers to modern dilemmas. We have easy access to the written word and are without excuse for disobeying and rebelling against the Almighty God.
- If God said He would not pardon but discipline Judah, Israel, or the surrounding nations, how much more would these same sins bring down God ‘s judgment upon the church and America?
- Judgment is coming but the timing may be altered if believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, repent of pride, rebellion, and selfishness. I Chronicles 7:14 tells God’s people to repent, not those who are not His.
- As God postponed judgment during the Old Testament kings’ reign in Judah, so He might relent concerning our country’s day of reckoning. In Noah’s day, God waited 120 years; in our day, He continues to wait because He does not desire anyone to perish (2 Peter 3:9)
- When will we fall prostrate before Him confessing our sins? We are like Judah and Israel in our inability to evaluate our lives by God’s commands. We limit the extent of the commands to only the strict interpretation of “Thou shalt not…” found in Exodus 20 and have disobeyed the weightier part of the law seen in justice, kindness, and humility (Micah 6:8).
- We are apathetic and lethargic. In our hearts, we desire to act, but we are hindered and slow to do so because we lack the focus, drive, strength, or sufficient interest. As Francis Schaeffer said in How Should We Then Live?, we desire to be left alone to enjoy our comforts and live in solitude. But Jesus Christ commissioned us to get out of our cocoon and be salt and light to a generation.
- What is required to return to our God?
- The church needs to hear God’s convicting voice through preached messages of warning, and then go to those who don’t know Jesus Christ sharing the message that Jesus came to save people from their sins.
- Second, we need to confess our sins against God and one another. We need to show true humility and submission to God.
- Third, we need to Fully Rely on God (FROG) to live out our purpose of serving our Creator each day.
- Fourth, we must treat others as more important than ourselves and not consider ourselves better than we are.
- The answer is to seek the LORD and pray to Him for forgiveness. We must approach God in humility, confessing our sins and calling on Your Name, the Holy One, to deliver us from our wanderings.
- Praise You Most High for You are a forgiving God who desires Your people to return to You. You are all-powerful, all-wise, and everywhere present with Your children. Only You can move Your church to purity, faithfulness, and humility, creating a desire to serve You only.
- Instill in us a desire for You alone rather than the charms of planet Earth; we offer gratitude with joy in praise to You, the LORD of Hosts and Almighty God who forgives and does not remember sins.
- Come and fill us with yourself so we may follow Your commands and walk in Your path, sharing the joy of knowing You with others.
Until next time, Maranatha,
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