Politics and Society: Worship acceptable to God
~ Pastor H Biakson
Main Bible Portion: Ezekiel 22:1-13
"Give me Scotland, lest I die" ~ John Knox.
This was one of the boldest prayers of all time portraying patriotism and Godliness hand in hand. John Knox prayed for his land by swearing upon his life. This is how people love their land and trust God to do a miracle and answer their prayer. Mary, Queen of Scots, a lifelong enemy of John Knox , is said to have stated, "I fear the prayers of John Knox than all the assembled armies of Europe". Such was the power of John Knox's prayer. Many church historians believed Knox prayed with such force and fiery passion that his prayers transformed the entire nation of Scotland. He is considered the father of the Scottish Presbyterian faith. His prayers are believed to have ignited and sustained the fires of the Reformation and revival in Scotland.
The youth is one of the most capable to carry out a living worship to God in terms of patriotism,the land, spirituality,societal norms and the like. We can be the middle men in prayer so that our land and nation is restored. Ezekiel 22:33 says: "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one." This applies for us in this time. Our Land needs dedicated youths who seek the Lord in all things, and give an acceptable worship and praise without exempting the issues of the nation. Ezekiel was a priest as well as a prophet during the reign of King Jehoiachin with whom he was taken into captive by the Babylonians and he continued his work during their bondage.
Ezekiel 22:1-13 says,
"1The word of the Lord came to me:
2 “Son of man, will you judge her? Will you judge this city of bloodshed? Then confront her with all her detestable practices
3 and say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: You city that brings on herself doom by shedding blood in her midst and defiles herself by making idols,
4 you have become guilty because of the blood you have shed and have become defiled by the idols you have made. You have brought your days to a close, and the end of your years has come. Therefore I will make you an object of scorn to the nations and a laughingstock to all the countries.
5 Those who are near and those who are far away will mock you, you infamous city, full of turmoil.
6 ‘See how each of the princes of Israel who are in you uses his power to shed blood.
7 In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.
8 You have despised my holy things and desecrated my Sabbaths.
9 In you are slanderers who are bent on shedding blood; in you are those who eat at the mountain shrines and commit lewd acts.
10 In you are those who dishonor their father’s bed; in you are those who violate women during their period, when they are ceremonially unclean. 11 In you one man commits a detestable offense with his neighbor’s wife, another shamefully defiles his daughter-in-law, and another violates his sister, his own father’s daughter.
12 In you are people who accept bribes to shed blood; you take interest and make a profit from the poor. You extort unjust gain from your neighbors. And you have forgotten me, declares the Sovereign Lord.
13 “I will surely strike my hands together at the unjust gain you have made and at the blood you have shed in your midst." "
The sin of Israel and the punishment by God is discussed and prophesied in the above verse. Every household of Israel was sinful including the leaders, priests and prophets of the nation. Even the prophets gave false prophesies; prophesied without any word from God and misled the people. Their act was like when a fort is built and covered or painted for namesake. This led to a disaster in the society and was full of filthiness. Respect for elders decreased and there was no justice in the society. There was discrimination. Such was the sin of the Israelites. They worshipped other Gods and idols.
While discussing the Israelites, let us not forget that we might have been no different to them and indeed we are the same. Our land and society is sick. God is looking for truly Spiritual people; this can be us, the youth, who could 'Stand in the Gap' for God and declare His Love, Grace and Mercy. We are the chosen generation. The only question is whether we are ready to dedicate ourselves and stand up for His name in this corrupted generation. Our land is sick and we are also a part of it. There is lack of the so called social fabric. In a cycle of God's judgment and forgiveness, where are we? Are we going to let this pass on consciously?
The story of Nehemiah comes to our mind. Prophet Nehemiah was a Government Official in Babylon but did not forget his land and his people. Prophet Nehemiah cried for his land and he attributed these problems to his family and himself. However, he stood firm for his land and his people, against all obstacles and obstructions.
We are a tribe that have fallen to its worst and a disgrace because of all our sins and lawlessness. All our fortress have crumbled; in terms of family, politics, religiosity, spirituality and so on. There is no longer justice.
Moses is another example from which we can learn. Moses pleaded for his people to God, to remove his name from the 'Book of Life' instead of punishing them for their sin of idol worship.
Exodus 32:1 says,
"1Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us [a]gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”
Exodus 32: 32-35:
"32 Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”
33 And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.
34 Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”
35 So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made."
Such was the concern Moses had for his people. He was 'standing in the gap' between God and the Israelites.
Hebrews 11:23-26:
"23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king's commandment.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward."
Moses chose suffering for his faith and his people. He was not carried away by the luxuries of this world, and rather chose to suffer with his people. He wanted to be a blessing for his people. The hardships he faced were no match for the firm faith he had. This was because he saw a future in the Lord, he saw the unseen, and the glory and honour awaiting him. (Exodus 11: 25-26) This enabled him to 'stand in the Gap', between God and His people. Nehemiah was a prophet who prayed earnestly so that the fort was rebuilt. John Knox was a believer whose prayer brought one of the greatest reformations in Scotland.
When you stand for the Truth, you will shine like a star in darkness, and humiliation is a sure thing you'll face in the future. These people have rejected pleasures and endured tremendous hardships for the name of the Lord and their nation. This indicates a need for a deep-rooted faith in the Lord. A person has to have a pure revelation of the Lord; his Love, Grace and Mercy and thus become capable of 'Standing in the Gap' between the Lord and the nation. The absence of a pure revelation of salvation and spirituality will make it a tough endeavor with no avail. Therefore, an acceptable aroma of pure worship and praise with regards to patriotism and society can solely be achieved by faith in the Lord.
