There is no peace, saith my God, to the
wicked. (Isaiah 57:21)
This starting word speaks to a difficulty felt keenly by many in
America. It does not speak only of a lack of peace in the nation,
but the Hebrew word
shalom –
encompassing the entire of well-being and prosperity – speaks much more.
Many lament that America has lost its way and its prosperity. And
those who are not aware think the cause political and its solution as
well. But God is the author of true prosperity. Consider
these old testament promises.
But
thou
shalt
remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get
wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy
fathers, as it is this day. (Deuteronomy 8:18)
And all these blessings shall
come on thee, and
overtake thee, if thou shalt hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy
God. (Deuteronomy 28:2)
But it shall come to pass, if
thou wilt not
hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, to observe to do all his
commandments and his statutes which I command thee this day; that all
these curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee:
(Deuteronomy 28:15)
The concept of biblical prosperity is not confined to the Old Testament
only. Since these principles are eternal, Jesus has restated them
in terms of grace of which the following might be the best summary.
The
thief
cometh not,
but for to steal, and to kill, and to
destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have
it more abundantly. (John 10:10)
In this light, Jesus's concern for the poor is to redeem them from
poverty, not just to help them in that condition. Thus the
"gospel to the poor" is not just the message of salvation through
repentance and faith but rather that the redemption that follows will
qualify them to be blessed with an associated prosperity.
God has previously blessed America to get prosperity to those who love
Jesus and obey his commands and others have reaped the benefit.
Note that God would bless a foreign nation to prosper Jeremiah.
And
seek
the
welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the
LORD on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare.
(Jeremiah
29:7)
So too, much real Christian faith America was present from its
beginning
for God to bless, and others prospered as well because of it.
All of this in spite of some things of which sensitive people are now
ashamed. Now this prosperity is gone. The advance of
various sins has ruined it for us. Now satan would prosper
his people instead. Satan gained this advantage because much of
the church has turned to the unbelief of bible criticism and used it to
justify personal sin as well as much of that of the world. Now there is
a smaller group of believers to bless and hatred of them has much of
the system bent toward denying them their place in society. If
people like Martin Bashir – who said someone should defecate in Sarah
Palin's mouth – will fight the prosperity of God's people, do they
stop the hand of God from blessing any in America at all? Perhaps
so. Then again the policies of such work the very poverty they
claim to combat. Indeed it is a sign of the operation of the
curse of poverty that those who do not obey
the gospel advance principles that produce poverty by advancing sin and
laziness.
What are we to do?
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.. (2
Chronicles 7:14)
Surely you say: the wicked hold the guilt, why should the church
repent? Because a church without faith has no power to live a
godly life much less to redeem society. Then also it is obvious
that some in the church are in complicity with this wickness.
And they have
healed the brokenness of My people superficially, Saying, 'Peace,
peace,' But there is no peace. (Jeremiah 6:14 NASB)
Meanwhile we are distracted from the real issues of life by political
theater. Will pursuing the Russians – for what Russians are
expected to do – get Hillary and her accomplices off for actual
election tampering at Trump's expense? I hope not.
1See related article: Salt Required.
Document History
February 19, 2018 Created.
