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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-08-15, Page 17THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 15, 2019. PAGE 17. By Pastor Gary van Leeuwen Blyth Christian Reformed Church In the book of Judges, the seventh book of the Bible, in the Old Testament, we read the story of a downward spiral of a nation into chaos and discord. According to the timeline outlined in the Bible, the people of Israel had escaped from Egypt only a century or two earlier, and they had taken possession of the Land of Canaan, known to them as the land that God had promised to their ancestors. That “Promised Land” was meant to be a place where they could flourish as a nation, experiencing God’s blessings of food and community. It was meant to be a place of security and peace. The book of Judges shows us something that was completely different from what was intended. The people of Israel had become so divided that they had nearly wiped out a large segment of their population. They were experiencing anything but the security and peace that had been promised them. At the very end of Judges, the author gives his opinion as to why life had become so chaotic, so insecure and so violent: there was no king and everyone did what was right in their own eyes. In other words, in his view of things, there was no centralized government to bring the rule of law to bear upon the people of Israel. I experienced a taste of what life might have been like when I lived abroad. In one of the countries where I made my residence for about a year, no one obeyed the traffic laws, if they even knew what those laws were. Driving on those streets, especially in the big cities, was chaotic, and when an accident occurred, it often involved loss of life. There was no one to enforce the laws on the books. This would have been how life was during the time of Judges, although on a much larger and more dangerous scale. Following the short story of Ruth, who lived during the time of the Judges, we come to the book of 1 Samuel. Samuel was born into the chaos and violence of that time, but, as the biblical story introduces him, Samuel is being raised up by God to bring solution to the problems of his time. If the analysis of Judges is correct, then Samuel’s first job would be to appoint a king over Israel so that the nation could be united under the rule of law and the people could again flourish. Surprisingly, however, this is not Samuel’s first act. Following God’s instruction, Samuel’s first task was to remove Eli from his office. Eli was not a political ruler; rather, he was a priest. The function of the priest was to provide mediation between God and the people, bringing the prayers of the people to God and the instruction of God to the people. Eli and his two sons who were to become his successors were not fulfilling their mandate, and Samuel was called upon to remove them from office. Samuel didn’t actually do this himself, for Eli died when he fainted and broke his neck after hearing his two sons had been killed in battle. The problem, as we learn in 1 Samuel, was not that there was no king to establish the rule of law. The problem was that the people’s relationship with God had been broken. God had become unimportant in the lives of the people of Israel, and that was the foundational reason for the chaos and violence they were experiencing. Putting a king into power was not the first thing that had to be done to solve the problem. First, the relationship with God needed to be healed. The problem was first spiritual, and until that spiritual problem had been fixed, no political solutions would suffice. In the past few weeks we have seen evidence of chaos and violence here in our part of the North American continent. Mass shootings in the United States have torn apart the lives of thousands of people. And, here in Canada in our own cities, gun violence has reached an all-time high. That is not to say that the source of our problems is the gun. The misuse of guns is evidence of a much deeper problem, a breakdown of our world into chaos and insecurity. We can also look at statistics which show us children whose security has been threatened because of broken homes. Drug abuse has led to the theft of vehicles and the invasion of our homes. We have an election looming on the horizon here in Canada and in the next few months we are going to hear from our politicians as they build platforms which are intended to help Canadians solve our problems and avoid creating new ones. They will promise that their platforms will result in security and stability in all areas of life, that under their leadership life will be better. And, if we have not become too jaded against our political leaders, most of us will cast our votes based on the promises that make our lives the best they can be. The solution to our problems, we have come to believe, is found in the political realm. Get the right leader in power, and life will become less chaotic, less violent and more peaceful and secure. But is that correct? Not only in Judges and 1 Samuel, but throughout scripture, we are reminded repeatedly that the true source of our problems is found in the fact that we have walked away from God. The Bible shows us that unless our relationship with God is renewed, all of our other attempts to solve the problems we are facing will be futile. Yes, a good government is important. So is good economic leadership. Social programs are essential, for they are helpful to those who struggle. Good education cannot be compromised. These are all helpful and good, but they are not what is essential to a stable and peaceful society. According to the Bible, what we need is a permanent relationship with our God. We need a spiritual solution first. And that is the message of Christianity. The Christian religion does not preach against the structures that have been put into place to make society better (government, social programs, education, etc.), but it does say that if that is where we are looking for our stability and peace, we will be disappointed. At the heart of Christianity is the person of Jesus Christ, who is our great High Priest, providing reconciliation between us and God through his death on the cross. Through faith in him, both by depending on his death as the ultimate sacrifice and by listening to him as he shows us God’s way, our relationship with God is restored. And with that spiritual reconciliation with our God, we can have the sure hope that the other things we do will add to what God has done for us. I finish with a quote from Psalm 118:8. “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humans. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in princes.” Because the root of the problems we face is a broken relationship with God, the solution can only be found in a restored relationship with that same God. huronchapel.com huronchapelkids.com huronchapelyouth.com 519-526-1131 ~ 119 John’s Ave., Auburn Baptismal Sunday ~ August 25th 10:30 a.m. Evangelical Missionary Church 10:30 a.m. Worship Pastor Phil Delsaut - “Serving Jesus: the Road to blessing” (John 13:1-17) Sunday, August 18 OFFICE: 519-523-4224 Office Hours: Thursday ~ 9:30 am - 2:00 pm blythunited@tcc.on.ca Guest Speaker: Pastor Sandra Cable Accessible Sunday, August 18 Worship Service at 9:30 am Blyth United Church Facebook: Blyth and Brussels United Churches MELVILLE PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH BRUSSELS SUNDAY, AUGUST 18 Nursery care available 519-887-6687 Fridays 11:30 am - 1:00 pm ~ Soup & More 2 - a free community meal held in Melville’s basement, and made possible by the Brussels churches working together. Worship & Sunday School - 9:30 am Coffee & Snacks following the service We invite you to join our church family in: Youre Invited to come worship with us Sunday, August 18 at 10:30 a.m. 650 Alexander St. (former Brussels Public School) Sunday School for children 4 to 12 years of age at 9:30 a.m. Childcare provided for infants and preschoolers during the sermon. Coffee & cookies after the morning service. Summer evening service 6:00 p.m. at various homes. For additional details please contact Steve Klumpenhower 519.292.0965 Rick Packer 519.527.0173 Hwy. 4, Blyth www.blythcrc.ca 519-523-4743 Minister: Pastor Gary van Leeuwen BLYTH CHRISTIAN REFORMED CHURCH SUNDAYS Morning Service 10:00 am Evening Service 7:30 pm You’re Invited To Join Us In WorshipBRUSSELS United Church Sunday, August 18 Worship Service 11:00 am Worship Leader Pastor Sandra Cable All are Welcome The Regional Ministry of Hope BLYTH BRUSSELS Trinity St. John’s 9:15 am 11:15 am COME WORSHIP WITH US! Rev. JoAnn Todd, Rector 519-357-7781 email: revjoann@hurontel.on.ca The­Regional­Ministry­of­ Hope St. Paul’s Trinity WINGHAM 11:15 am These Anglican Churches Welcome You From the Minister’s Study A relationship with God translates to peace #1 And We Still Try Harder Recent circulation figures show The Citizen has the highest circulation in the northern part of Huron County, #3 in the entire county. The Citizen Proudly Community-Owned Since 1985