23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out,
24 “you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces.
25 “You shall serve the L-rd your G-d, and he will bless your bread and water, and I will take sickness away from among you.
26 “None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days.”
Exodus 23:23-26
Perhaps the only or best explanation for why bad things is not “we live in a fallen, sinful, imperfect world”.
This morning, I had some thoughts as I was making my way through the Torah.
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Personal note: it is hysterical to me that I hated handrwriting in Kindergarten as much as I did and English all throughout middle school and high school, and now I write as much as I do. The drive to write is nearly insatiable in me. I am so grateful that Mrs. Hartley pushed me to write and compose, and I saw some sparks of ingenuity and creativity in composition when I was in Elementary and Middle School.
Back to the topic, David.
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Now, am I saying that the “fallen, sinful world” explanation is not a plausible reason for why things happen? Not necessarily.
But let’s be clear. There are aspects of this world where tough, philosophical questions must be answered with regularity. There are parts of this world that are not under our control. And yet, there are some elements that are under our authority. Psalm 115:16 in the 2011 NIV says:
The highest heavens are the L-rd’s and the earth He has given to mankind.
In the Exodus text, the L-rd links miscarriage and barrenness with idolatry. National idolatry releases indiscriminate barrenness on the populace.
Let me frame a bit of the prophets in terms we should understand.
Nationally-condoned sins, specifically idolatry, sexual sin of all stripes, and indiscriminate bloodshed not executed as part of a system of justice lead to all sorts of nasty consequences in the land.
Freedom from barrenness and miscarriage was promised by G-d in a fallen and sinful world to Israel as a bonus of refusing to embrace idolatry as a nation.
Translation: the barrenness that your loved one may be experiencing may be the result of a national sin.
Translation: miscarriage, which has personally touched me, could be the result of national iniquity.
It’s not merely a 1:1 ratio of sin to consequence for a nation or a people group.
And yes, sometimes bad things happen so that G-d may be glorified in the healing, as Jesus said with the man born blind (John 9:1-3).
But sometimes a series of individuals fall prey to a devouring because a nation embraces a particular line of sin in constradistinction to what the L-rd has instructed.
Through the Prophets, we see nations thrust into the hand of G-d’s judgment for embracing sins as a nation.
Thus, the afflictions of miscarriage and barrenness might be results of group sin, specifically of idolatry.
That idolatry can take many forms, and this is why the manifestation of discerning spirits is so critical to the believer’s life in Yeshua.
So, dear reader, let me close with the following statement.
It only takes a remnant living in Babylon to push back the darkness, but that remnant must be aware of the authority it carries in Messiah in order to see the darkness pushed back. And that remnant must be willing to discern and step outside of its place of comfort in order to recover the G-d-intended dynamics that are fruits of righteousness. Even the most well-living of us must be willing to embrace a lifestyle of humility that exposes our sin, asks the L-rd to examine our hearts, and regularly deals with these issues as they relate to perversions of our timelines, our lands, and our communities.
Rejection of idolatry and repentance for the national sins is not a silver bullet (silver bullets are often single-point, catch-all solutions that are sought with amiss motives), but it assuredly constitutes a central part of a complex solution to a whole lot of national consequences that have come in response to a bevy of national sins.
And part of it is not just the -100 people that are doing the worst stuff. A major part of it is the hordes of small decisions that are made as tiny compromises: irresponsibility, selective responsibility, non-reality, obedience chosen at the expense of sonship, and other issues.
It is time to gird our loins, run, and ascend the hill, gang. For far too long, too many of our mothers have been incapable of becoming mothers. We need to do what it takes to put a stop to that nonsense.
OK so what I find very hard you try to speak with anyone about the idol worship of Moliech and the sacrificing our children through abortion, in most instances we get cut off at the knees, and God for bid did we talk about sex without the sanctity and covenant of marriage, people living with each other and calling this a Christian lifestyle , be ready to be kicked out of town, and I am talking mainly about the generations under 40 years old,
I have been keeping my mouth shut for about the last year, but I have always approach it only when asked in an appropriate manner, and this is been from a very large church, by the senior staff and pastors, I find it very outrageous, But I leave the subjects alone even when I asked. I am grateful to be gone from that large congregation, and laying very low in church now.
Excellent insight here. I too, have been concerned with national sins and regions of the nation’s governments acting and legislating in jaw-droppingly irresponsible ways. It’s no longer just individuals, but local, state and national governances, who are demanding the release of Barabbas back into our societies, over Yeshua. By this, you’re thoughts on the California fires, in yesterday’s post, make perfect sense to me.