“The house of the wicked will be destroyed, but the tent of the upright will flourish. There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.”
(Proverbs 14:11-12)
Where am I headed with this? I don’t quite know, yet believe God has a clear purpose for me revisiting some of my prior posts. God is a God of order. The Bible reveals Him as a God of order and justice. A God of grace and mercy. He has endowed human beings with the gift of life, dignity, liberty, and the ability to engage in rewarding work. Human beings were to enjoy perfect communion with God and with one another. However, sin marred and defaced God’s original plan.
God loves good and hates evil. He loves justice and righteous. He asks His people to eschew evil and walk upright before Him. Job is a perfect example of this. To eschew means to deliberately avoid using or to abstain from. If you eschew something, you deliberately avoid it. 1 Peter 3:11-13 tells us we must turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” Who is going to harm you if you are eager to do good?” God turns His face away from those who practice evil.
God’s law given through the Torah placed a strong emphasis on social justice and holiness. Justice and righteousness was a matter of public importance as well as personal morality. Unfortunately, God’s people failed to live up to these ideals. A lack of commitment to follow God’s law led to chaos, lawlessness, anarchy and bloodshed at the time of the judges. It was a season of immortality, lawlessness, moral outrage, and violence. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes (Judges 21:25). There was no peace, security, or stability in the land. There was only anxiety, corruption, injustice, danger, and death. It was a significant time in the history of the Jewish people.
The Hebrew word for “justice,” mishpat, meaning is to treat people equitably. It speaks of social order as well as legal equity (fairness), and establishing justice in society. The mishpat, or justness, of a society, according to the Bible, is evaluated by how it treats its people. Any neglect shown for the needs of the people is not just a lack of mercy or charity but a violation of justice, of mishpat. God loves and defends those with the least economic and social power, and we should also. That is what it means to “do justice” (Micah 6:8). Justice is making what’s wrong right. Psalm 106:3 tells us that those who keep justice will be blessed.
Righteousness or tzedakah means “righteous behavior.” We should practice righteous behavior at all times! Righteousness is key to building a peaceful, progressive and thriving nation and happy people. Sin, unrighteousness, oppression, racism, inequality and wickedness bring disaster and woes to nations and peoples. “When the righteous thrive, the people rejoice; when the wicked rule, the people groan (Prov. 29:2).
The Holy Spirit led me to this Scripture in Proverbs regarding the nation that God blesses. We are not blessed just because. The Word says, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people” (Prov. 14:34). The need for God’s righteousness to be restored is necessary if this nation is to become a great nation. With a fresh understanding and with all of the chaos going on the need for the people of God to continue to pray fervently for the President and his Administration, our government leadership, and this Nation is imperative.
Government has a role within God’s purposes. I mentioned in a previous post “Vote for Righteousness” on another blog site Daughter of Destiny that the Lord revealed to me before the 2016 election that Donald Trump is a rabble rouser. A rabble rouser is a person who speaks with the intention of inflaming the emotions of a crowd of people, typically for political reasons. Some call him the chaos President. Our President stirs up varied emotions and feelings exposing what’s truly in people’s hearts. Some good and some not so good. What this brings to light is that this nation has detoured away from God’s righteous standard as reflected by the daily upheavals and firestorms revealed in the news and on social media. This nation has been weighed in the balance and found wanting (Dan. 5:27). America’s only hope is found in Proverbs 14:34. Many have said this nation has a godly founding. And this is true. Yet, there are some blots and injustices that have not been rectified. President Trump is our elected official, whether by popular or electoral vote. We should pray sincerely for the purity and righteousness of this Administration as well as this nation.
If we are to see this nation come together and thrive, God’s people must continue to pray for the nation as a whole. 2 Chronicles 7:14-15 reminds us, “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”
Blessings,
Dr. Francine
Notes:
All Scripture is taken from the New International Version (NIV) unless otherwise noted.
BEYOND CHURCH WALLS 