The events that we have seen recently in the U.S., particularly in Portland and in Washington DC, are not new phenomena in world history. They are an inevitable result of the trajectory of empires unless they are drawn into other world changing events such as we saw in WW’s I&II. The events that we are seeing play out today in the U.S. are more akin to the fall of the Roman Empire, which was not diminished so much by outside forces but rather from within. An even more apposite example today is found in the Bible, in the books of First and Second Kings and the prophets.
The U.S. is unique in that it was established upon the biblical principles that make up a great deal of its constitution. Incumbent upon this is the obligation to keep these principles at the forefront of its collective “mind” and apply them both societally and individually. The difficulties begin to arise when this is no longer the prime objective. It is at this point that the system begins to crumble and the ensuing administrations see each opportunity for power not as a continuation of the “building of the tower upward” but rather to remove the previous administration’s efforts. The result of this is not just a stultification of growth, but a diminishment of the overall structure, resulting in the observation by those outside looking in, that the once noble structure is now falling apart as infighting continues. This of course misses the point that any “democratic republic” is founded on: the collective co-operation and goodwill of its citizens who, if they become disenfranchised, begin to fragment and establish a self-rule and protectionist mindset that further undermines the ability of the elected authorities to govern. This then leads to totalitarianism that removes all individual freedoms apart from those that “agree” with the governing body.
The book of Hosea speaks in particular to the northern kingdom of Israel, known biblically as Ephraim or Israel, (as opposed to the southern region known as Judah, which itself was focussed primarily around Jerusalem and included the tribal land allocation of Benjamin) and at a time when Israel is about to be taken into captivity, historically known as the Assyrian exile.
Prior to this, the prophet Hoshea (his Hebrew name meaning “salvation”) is called by GOD to bring a message, warning in advance of what is about to take place because of the refusal of the northern kingdom to cease worship of the false gods of the surrounding nations and to “return” (“shuv” in Hebrew, which in most bibles is translated “repent”) to the worship of the GOD of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. However, within the understanding of this is embedded the idea that the GOD of Israel is not just “GOD”, but that He is also their King. The fact that they have already rejected this principal idea (see 1 Samuel 8) is at the root of the problems that they find themselves in just prior to the Assyrian exile.
In Hoshea 10:3 Israel expresses the following sentiment:
For now they will say: “We have no king, for we do not fear the LORD; and a king—what could he do for us?”
(Hosea 10:3)
The final part of this verse “what could he do for us?” can also be translated “what could he do to us?” This is not an expression of concern, but an expression of arrogance and lawlessness; much the same as we are seeing in the cities of Portland, Seattle and Washington DC. It is not the expression of religious conservatism, but the lawlessness of anarchic totalitarianism born out of socialism akin to what was seen in Germany leading to WWII.
At the basic level, fear of GOD instils in us a recognition that there is an ultimate authority to whom we are responsible. If, in the hierarchy of things, we believe that the gods that we worship are powerless and only a figment of our own imaginations, then the power that they have over us has to be of some temporal, man-made form, whether that be a king (as in Israel’s case) or a governing authority as we see in the modern hierarchies that are our present system. No matter what the case, systematically, as regimes become more corrupt, our society and our own natures can become corrupted too. The rationalisation of events and actions is framed and established in the belief that as there is no ultimate authority, as long as we abide by the governing rules and colour within the lines, then all will be well. However, those who are less “conservative” about what those lines are will push the boundaries, not necessarily to be wholly lawless, but lawless enough to manipulate the system to their own ends, even at the cost of others. The situation becomes more acute when the “fear of GOD” is so diminished that neither is there fear of earthly authority, kings and/or government . This results in the conclusion that the only authority worth listening to is that of the “pack”, “group-think”, or the individual’s own morality, which is informed primarily by the actions of others and their own ego.
Essentially this undermining of authority is the undermining of the two golden rules of Judaism and early Christianity, which in essence is Messianic Judaism based on the principle of Yeshua (whose name means GOD is salvation) as Messiah.
- LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, SOUL, MIND AND STRENGTH
- LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOUR AS YOURSELF
Without these two governing principles at the core of our actions lawlessness in one form or another will ensue. Those who choose lawlessness will only be informed by the moral relativism which is short term and initially appears to be fit for purpose, but ultimately runs its course and the societal pulse spirals downwards as the governing law of the second rule of thermodynamics dictates.
MBM UK Family 