Angry Nations

Posted on by korgrocker

“Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one. “Let us break their chains,” they cry, “and free ourselves from slavery to God.””
Psalm 2:1-3 NLT

The first three verses of Psalm 2 shows us a picture of rebellious and jingoistic nations, with leaders who have discarded God to the point that they want to be totally atheistic with no mention of God and His Son allowed their societies. Such examples are communist nations, particularly in the Far East, with China, for example, having a largely atheistic population. Instead they promote Marxist ideologies that they say replaces any need for a belief in a god. In fact, the state has become the “god” for the people. North Korea is a country where leaders are deemed to be divine. But why are such nations so angry, angry to the extent that they want to battle any other nation to fulfil their “futile plans“. Such a geopolitical scene dominated the politics of the psalmist’s day and nothing has changed in the 21st Century. National names may have changed but the sentiments are still there.

The Jews are God’s chosen people. They were before David’s day and nothing has changed since, but this may explain why nations are so angry. Nations intent on living wicked and evil lives are anti-God and anti-Jew, even to the point of irrationality. And they get angry and make plans to get back at God and His people in any way that they can, as any follower of Middle East events can see. So, in a sense, the anger and plotting becomes an obsession, binding them with chains of hatred and effectively enslaving them in their fight against God. Mistakenly they think that if they can eliminate God’s people, then they would have eliminated God Himself.

So how do we pilgrims respond? One prayer I have been praying is from Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: May those who love you be secure“. And we pray this prayer about Jerusalem because God’s people, the Jews, live there, and we want God to show them mercy and forgiveness, security and their ultimate salvation. We also bear in mind that Jesus will return to the Mount of Olives, now subsumed within Jerusalem, when He comes again. Acts 1:11, “‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven'”. And it will be there that Jesus will rule and reign, from His throne in Jerusalem. Exciting times ahead. We don’t know when Jesus will return but we must be ready. It could happen at any time.

Dear Lord Jesus. We pray today for peace in Jerusalem, and we also pray for your return soon. In Your precious name. Amen.

Being a Fool

Posted on by korgrocker

“Only fools say in their hearts, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, and their actions are evil; not one of them does good!” Psalms‬ ‭53:1‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David, the Psalmist, is again in contemplative mode. In a zone of musings, as he thinks about what is going on about him. He is obviously much influenced by people around him, and he sees their hypocrisy, their lip service to God but in reality they deny Him, even His existence, with their thoughts and actions. And he concludes that they are “fools”. But if he is right, there are an awful lot of fools around us today. Nothing has changed from David’s day. Worse, though, there are many more who openly declare that there is no God. That everything happened by chance. Chemical reactions brought about carbon-based life. A Big Bang caused the universe to appear. And these people then sit back in a self-satisfied state of “knowledge”, not realising that they have talked themselves into being fully paid up members of the Society of Fools.

David draws the conclusion that without an open acceptance of God and His ways, the God-deniers, the atheists and agnostics of his day, are corrupt and evil in all they think and do. They adopt a life that is biased towards their own personal gain, selfishness being fuelled by an evil desire not held in check by the thought there is a God in Heaven looking on. Deep within us is a God-shaped hole that yearns and aches for Him to fill it. And today there will be those who, in spite of their God-denying, will try to fill their internal ache by doing good things for their society, perhaps helping out at a fund raising function, putting out their neighbour’s bins, visiting sick in hospital, or donating to a charity somewhere. 

But David’s musings remain in the zone of the foolishness of denying God, and the impact such denial will have on thoughts and actions, extending as they do into evil, and general corruption. Worldliness on a global scale.

So what about us. Christians can’t sit back and believe they have nothing to fear from Psalm 53. To the contrary, perhaps there is a wake up call here, for us to review and examine our hearts, bringing to the surface all that is God-denying. All that is evil and corrupt. And then bring it under the Blood of Jesus, in sorrowful and heart-felt repentance. Then the grace of God will flood over us once again. Praise His Name!