God of Mercy, God of Justice

“And now I pray, let the power of my Lord be great, just as You have spoken, saying, ‘The Lord is longsuffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation. Pardon the iniquity of this people, I pray, according to the greatness of Your mercy, just as You have forgiven this people from Egypt until now.’ Then the Lord said, ‘I have pardoned, according to your word; but truly, as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the Lord—‘ “ (Numbers 14:17-21, NKJV) [Read Nummbers 14:11-25].

Rebellion and rejection were common practices of the Israelites as they wandered in the wilderness. They murmured time and time against their leader, Moses, and Aaron and his sons, their priests. They said, “If only we had died in the land of Egypt! Or if only we had died in this wilderness!...Would it not be better for us to return to Egypt?” (Numbers 14:2b, 3b). They even wanted to select another leader and return to Egypt. The spies sent to evaluate the situation in Canaan, except for Caleb and Joshua who were confident they could take the land, returned with a negative report. Because of their lack of faith, the people were punished to wander in the wilderness for forty years. And of those twenty years old and above, the adults who had come out of Egypt in great numbers, only Caleb and Joshua would enter the Promised Land after the forty years of wilderness wanderings. Moses interceded for the people, but knew that because of their unbelief and rebellion, God would indeed punish them and they would meet death in the wilderness.

“Except for Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun, you shall by no means enter the land which I swore I would make you dwell in. But your little ones, whom you said would be victims, I will bring in, and they shall know the land which you have despised.” (Numbers 14:30-31). Just as the wilderness years were filled with rebellion, indecision and trial for the Israelites, God, who is a God of mercy and justice and whose glory fills all the earth—to all peoples, not just the Chosen—was still in charge. As we view the world situation today, we often murmur and complain, as did the Israelites. We can learn a valuable lesson from Moses, who, though often vilified by his people, did not fail to intercede for them before God. We, too, have been given the privilege of being watchmen and intercessors. As we pray for ourselves and our nation, we stand between God and man to seek His mercy and justice. May we be faithful, as was Moses, in the important role of intercessor.

“Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance…Let thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee.” (Psalm 33:12, 22, KJV).

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Wisdom and Righteousness in Citizenship Matters

“He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy. The wicked is banished in his wickedness, But the righteous has a refuge in his death. Wisdom rests quietly in the heart of him who has understanding, But what is in the heart of fools is made known. Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:31-34, NKJV) [Read Proverbs 14]

Proverbs 14 has 35 wisdom statements that deal with the subject of righteousness and judgment in many areas of human behavior. Verses 31-34 deal with applying wisdom and living righteously in community. An often-quoted verse is Proverbs 14:34. I repeat it here using the Amplified Bible: “Uprightness and right standing with God [moral and spiritual rectitude in every area and relation] elevate a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” This verse corroborates the declaration in Psalm 33:12: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance” [KJV]. In combination with II Chronicles 7:14, these verses all teach us how citizens in a nation or a government entity (community, county, city, state, nation) should conduct themselves to be righteous and pleasing in God’s sight: “If My people, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land” (KJV). When it seems that America’s moral fiber is breaking apart and we grow farther away from the principles on which our nation was founded, we should feel ashamed of the sins that are bringing reproach on our land. Righteous living begins in the heart of individual citizens, one by one. We may still have time to turn and seek God’s face so that the promise of Proverbs 14:34 can become a reality: “Righteousness exalts a nation.”

Wisdom and righteousness are to be applied in caring for the poor among us. The less fortunate may have become so through their own slothfulness, or their poverty may be due to circumstances over which they had little or no control. We are to show love and compassion for them, and build into our citizenship and social services programs ways of caring for them in a manner that will help them to help themselves. This takes thoughtful and deliberate policies that are fair and compassionate. In whatever area of life we seek to find answers, whether private or public, this proverb will bear following: “Wisdom rests quietly in the heart of him that has understanding” (Prov. 14:33a). Citizenship is not political maneuvering. It is accepting the blessings of God derived from living in a free society. If we take God out of our nation and fail to heed His teachings, how can He continue to bless us? “Pay Day Some Day” is a given. Wisdom is available to those who desire to get back on track with God.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Monday, July 12, 2010

On America’s Birthday—God’s Message

“There are six things the Lord hates. There are seven things he cannot stand: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that kill innocent people, a mind that thinks up evil plans, feet that are quick to do evil, a witness who lies, and someone who starts arguments among families.” (Proverbs 6:16-19, NCV). “Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” (Proverbs 14:34, KJV). “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord; and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance. Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” (Psalm 33:12, 18, KJV).

Happy Birthday, America, on our 234th! After much deliberation and great sacrifice on the part of our founding fathers, the Declaration of Independence was signed and implemented to birth a new nation: “One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all,” the pledge of allegiance to our flag so clearly states. In the Preamble to the Declaration of Independence, these words were boldly delineated:

“We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness…”

And to close that inimitable document, these words were emboldened:

“And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor.”

For modern day objectors who want mention of God deleted from our public documents and transactions, they should read again the writings of our forebears who recognized God’s hand in America’s destiny and in the affairs of men as they sought “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” at great sacrifice and with life blood. To pledge ‘lives, fortunes and sacred honor” turned out to be very true for the signers of the Declaration 234 years ago.

Now return to the lesson in Proverbs: Seven things, we read, God hates: the proud or haughty look (Could this be a look that denies the Providence of God in the affairs of men?); a lying tongue (Could this refer to promises of politicians to get elected, who have no intention of upholding the right and righting wrongs?); hands that kill innocent people (Are we talking about murder and mayhem in a society gone berserk, and unnecessary bloodshed in wars of aggression?); a mind that thinks up evil plans (How about ‘pork barrel’ spending and special interest legislation, together with a plethora of other unnecessary and selfish laws?); feet that are quick to do evil (Consider this any moves to get bills through government channels that do not benefit our country in general); a witness who lies (Our courts are filled with lying, subterfuge, and release of persons who should be convicted for crimes); and someone who starts arguments among families (With America’s divorce rate escalating to unprecedented levels, how sacred are family relationships in present-day society?). We forget that the Word teaches that God hates all these perversions of truth, inequities and the deviations from “unalienable rights” of individuals and citizens within a nation.

Birthdays are a good time to take stock of where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going. America’s birthday is a good time for us to think about and act on God’s plan for our country. “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people,” declared the sage in Proverbs 13:34. Turn, turn; we still have a window of opportunity, but time may be running out. People are trying to deny God’s place in the affairs of our nation, but regardless of the atheists’ and agnostics’ stance, this Truth still stands: “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom He hath chosen for His own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12). Turn, turn back to God, He invites, firmly and pleadingly: “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 will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.” (II Chronicles 7:14). Grant, O God, that America will return to Your way, and may the turning begin in the heart of each who reads these words, beginning with me. Amen.

c Ethelene Dyer Jones; Sunday, July 4, 2010