Well, I was headed down the rather peaceful path of telling you some lessons I've learned lately from our dog and from dogs in general, but this morning I woke up feeling a small sense of unrest. Since I have just finished telling all of you how important it is to not only come to God, but also to listen to Him, I guess I better practice what I preach and respond to the still small voice inside of me when I hear it. I guess this is a good opportunity for me to tell you what following God's direction is like. So often when I set out to do a certain thing and set goals for myself, I am interrupted by a strong urging to do something else. Sometimes I ignore it and continue with my own plans and sometimes I give in and change direction.
My feeling of unrest this morning was in relation to Righteous Anger and Passion and the whole question of when our Anger and Passion is self-directed and when it is God-directed. I sense very strongly that one of my primary purposes for being in the Blogasphere with the rest of you is for the sake of trying to urge you all the remain as God focused as possible.
Now, there is such a thing as Righteous Anger and it simply isn't true that Jesus was never angry. Let's take a look at the one time in which the Bible mentions His anger.
"12) And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, 13) And said unto them, 'It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.'" (Matthew 21:12-13, KJV)
"15) On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16) and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17) And as he taught them, he said, 'Is it not written: 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.''" (Mark 11:15-17, NIV)
"45) And he went into the temple, and began to cast out them that sold therein, and them that bought; 46) Saying unto them, 'It is written, 'My house is the house of prayer, but ye have made it a den of thieves.''" (Luke 19:45-46, KJV)
What exactly is the message here? Was He just upset that they were doing financial business in the Temple, which was supposed to be a place set aside for prayer, or was it because they were charging too much for the merchandise being sold? Generally when someone who is selling something is called a "thief", it is referring to high prices and the gouging of the public, in which case, the one record in the Bible of Jesus' anger had to do with protecting the poor, not protecting the rich.
It seems a little odd that I keep finding myself writing on the poverty side of the issue even though I'm a Republican. Another obvious question that comes to mind is whether Jesus is delivering a message to individual business men to stop gouging the public, or is it a message to Governments, giving them permission to step in and put a price freeze on things when such gouging takes place. I honestly don't know the answer. Biblically speaking, it is unclear.
I've been racking my brain lately for Bible references that relate to how a Government should be run. One thing that came to mind was how the Lord directed Joseph when he was in a high place of authority in Egypt, just under the King. The Lord revealed to him that there would be 7 years of plenty, followed by 7 years of famine, and instructed him to set aside extra grain during the years of plenty. Interestingly, the grain was not later given away, but sold and the result was the Children of Israel ended up selling themselves into slavery in Egypt. Why did God allow this to take place?
Since God did not do anything to stop this, it would seem that He was in support of Free Enterprise, yet later he sent a deliverer, Moses, who demanded that the Pharaoh "Let My People Go!". What's with that? If the slavery resulted from Free Enterprise, than why should the Pharaoh later give the people back their freedom?
So what sort of direction in the Bible has God given to Kings? A lot of times they were directed to go to war. I guess I've leave that one alone for now except to say that the Israelites always sought God's blessing before going to war and if it was not given, they did not go to war.
I think of King Solomon and his Wisdom and the story that comes to mind is the one in which King Solomon settled a dispute between two women over a Child that they both claimed to be theirs. The story is interesting.
"16) Then came there two women, that were harlots, unto the king, and stood before him. 17) And the one woman said, 'O my lord, I and this woman dwell in one house; and I was delivered of a child with her in the house. 18) And it came to pass the third day after that I was delivered, that this woman was delivered also: and we were together; there was no stranger with us in the house, save we two in the house. 19) And this woman's child died in the night; because she overlaid it. 20) And she arose at midnight, and took my son from beside me, while thine handmaid slept, and laid it in her bosom, and laid her dead child in my bosom. 21) And when I rose in the morning to give my child suck, behold, it was dead: but when I had considered it in the morning, behold, it was not my son, which I did bear.' 22) And the other woman said, 'Nay; but the living is my son, and the dead is thy son.' And this said, 'No; but the dead is thy son, and the living is my son.' Thus they spake before the king. 23) Then said the king, 'The one saith, 'This is my son that liveth, and thy son is the dead.' and the other saith, 'Nay; but thy son is the dead, and my son is the living.' 24) And the king said, 'Bring me a sword.' And they brought a sword before the king. 25) And the king said, 'Divide the living child in two, and give half to the one, and half to the other.' 26) Then spake the woman whose the living child was unto the king, for her bowels yearned upon her son, and she said, 'O my lord, give her the living child, and in no wise slay it.' But the other said, 'Let it be neither mine nor thine, but divide it.' 27) Then the king answered and said, 'Give her the living child, and in no wise slay it: she is the mother thereof.'" (1 Kings 3:16-27, KJV)
I guess the real point of this story was that Solomon was a wise King, yet what's interesting in relation to Government was that in this setting the King took on the role of a Judge. It is difficult, though, to find any direct instruction as to how Governments should be run. I just pulled out an example from the Scriptures of the role of one particular King, yet this probably has more to do with the culture of the day than with any specific instruction from God. Fortunately, Solomon was a wise King, which is quite a lot more than I can say about the Supreme Court Judges in our country that currently have far too much power.
When I was considering the idea of whether or not the Bible has anything to say about Government, the other Scripture that came to mind was Jesus' words in the Gospel of Mark...
"13) Later they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to catch Him in his words. 14) They came to Him and said, 'Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are; but you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? 15) Should we pay or shouldn't we?' But Jesus knew their hypocrisy. 'Why are you trying to trap Me?' He asked. 'Bring Me a denarius and let Me look at it.' 16) They brought the coin, and He asked them, 'Whose portrait is this? And whose inscription?' 'Caesar's,' they replied. 17) Then Jesus said to them, 'Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's.' And they were amazed at him." (Mark 12:13-17, NIV)
The point being made is that the coin was made in Caesar's image, but that people are made in God's image, so as far as Jesus is concerned, it would be of no Eternal Consequence if all of the money were given to Caesar and the hearts of the people were given to God, or another way of putting that is that our money is not what is important. What's important is the condition of our heart towards God, so if the Government wants the money, so be it. What is important is our heart condition towards God.
Perhaps I should return to the bottom line again and it is this.
"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, KJV)
I quoted this in a previous post entitled "Blogging Fatigue/Sometimes God has Different Plans". Before I close, I'd like to quote one more verse.
"1) A song of ascents. Of Solomon. Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain. 2) In vain you rise early and stay up late, toiling for food to eat-- for he grants sleep to those he loves." (Psalm 127:1-2, NIV)
So why don't I just close with this point... All the Political Passion in the world is not going to make one bit of difference unless God's people get on their knees and seek God for direction. This message must be important, because God keeps asking me to repeat it.
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9 comments:
"Generally when someone who is selling something is called a "thief", it is referring to high prices and the gouging of the public, in which case, the one record in the Bible of Jesus' anger had to do with protecting the poor, not protecting the rich."
We ought to disabuse ourselves of this notion that such a thing as "price gouging" even exists. A producer of goods and services offers such goods and services for a fee. The consumer as it were purchases said goods or he does not.
A thief is a man who takes by force. The producer isn't forcing the consumer to purchase his goods. The consumer has a choice in the matter.
If, as it's being suggested herein, the thief is the producer...let us remember then that it is not he who sets the price of his goods. Quite the contrary, it is the purchaser who sets the price because he will either pay the man's price or he will not. If he does not, the producer either drops his price or holds his goods and incurs a cost for doing so.
I don't know if the problem lies in your interpretation in this regard or if the problem lies with a religious body that would advocate as much.
But, I do find it problematic in society that people portray themselves as victims against evil rich people who are selfish, greedy, thieves for no other reason other than the fact they aspire to keep what is rightfully theres. While conversely it is dismissed that by definition, the selfish, greedy, thief is the very person who attempts to stake claim to that which they have not earned.
Secondly, responding to the following:
"All the Political Passion in the world is not going to make one bit of difference unless God's people get on their knees and seek God for direction."
I would assert that getting on your knees and seeking direction from God, not to chastise the practice, will make little difference either. What makes the difference is individual action.
You can seek direction from on high but it will not plant a seed, till the soil or produce a bounty to feed you. You can pray and seek direction that your car will start despite that your gas tank is empty but it will take you nowhere until you act to fill it.
Soapbox,
"A producer of goods and services offers such goods and services for a fee. The consumer, as it were, purchases said goods or he does not."
This statement only works in relation to luxuries, but not in relation to necessities. When it comes to food, life saving medicine and even things such as gas, the consumer does not have the option of not purchasing these things. Without food and medicine, the result will eventually be death and unless you happen to live close to where you work, which many do not, than without gas, it is impossible to get to work.
In a very practical sense, people are indeed "forced" to buy necessities, because if they do not, the consequences are very high.
You are talking as if the Consumer always has the choice to not buy and this simply isn't true.
I see no problem with people trying to keep what is rightfully theirs, but quite often the goal is not to keep what they have, but to get as much more as possible, regardless of the consequences to society.
The high price of gas is a big part of what ruined our economy. If that's not price gouging, than why is it so easy for the price to come down finally, now that it has to and I don't hear of anyone going out of business because of it.
I choose to call pricing necessities in a way that takes no concern for the poor or the economy "Price Gouging". If you choose to call it something else, go ahead, but it is what it is, no matter what it is called.
I would agree that a lot of people on Welfare are like thieves because they "stake claim to that which they have not earned", yet we can not assume that the issue of Welfare is the total definition of all of the poor. My heart goes out to those who work their butts off in two or more jobs and yet can't get ahead. These are the ones that I am thinking of when I speak of the poor and to call someone like this a thief, would be completely and totally inappropriate.
On the second point, if you are not a religious person, you are not going to see the value of seeking God for direction.
As to your example, lets just say that the person involved just filled up the car Yesterday and is not aware that someone siphoned out the gas from their tank during the night. The fact that the car won't start takes them by surprise, but after they pray, they feel led to check the gas and see that it is empty. After the prayer, this person knows what's wrong and what needs to be done in order to fix the problem.
A non-religious person will assume that they know what to do without going to God for help. A Christian, however, realizes that we can't do anything that is truly significant and life changing on our own power without God's help. That's the difference between belief in God and belief in self-sufficiency.
Anyone in your mind that is "forced" to buy such necessities could just as easily be the producers of such necessities. However, because they are not, it is by this which you conclude that they are "forced" to purchase these necessities.
Self sustainability is practiced around the globe Lista. And so, your argument that modern necessities are "forced" upon consumers doesn't hold up. People could just as well turn back the proverbial clock to a "simpler time" if they so desired.
And, while I respect your religious passion, I respectfully disagree with you that it was prayer that eventually led a person to check their gas tank that had been siphoned from. To infer such is to relegate man and his mind to some sort of drone status whereby he takes his orders from a higher calling. It dismisses the workings of man's mind as well as dismisses the complete concept of freewill which is a gift to man from God. If it wasn't God's intention for man to learn things on his own by his own thought process, then pray tell why it is man even needs a brain at all.
Not everyone has the intellect required to produce things such as medicine. People are Forced into situations of neediness not by their unwillingness, but by their genetic limitations, such as limited intelligence in relation to the complexities of higher sciences such as medicine.
Also, not everyone lives in a setting in which farming is compatible with the soil and climate. We live in an area with a limited growing season, too much shade and only certain things will grow in our acid pine forest soil. With the current population, there is not enough farm land available any more for everyone and anyway, if a family does not have enough money for food, how are they going to come up with enough money to relocate to an area in which they can be more independent.
Just as the Energy Independence in America will take time to achieve, so also the Transition Costs to individuals in Changing Economies is quite often prohibiting. It would be nice to turn back the clock, yet it is simply more easily said than done.
As to prayer, I used your example because it was handy, yet noticing that one's gas tank is empty is a relatively simple problem. You and I both know that there are problems in life that are many times more complicated than that.
God does allow us to figure a lot of things out for ourselves, yet there is also a higher intelligence available when ever we choose from our own Free Will to call on this available resource.
lista,
"Not everyone has the intellect required to produce things such as medicine"
this may be true but it is only true for these persons not for everyone. besides there is always more than one way to obtain medicines other than by purchasing them.
"Also, not everyone lives in a setting in which farming is compatible with the soil and climate"
this may be true also, but no one is forcing them to live there, is there. and it doesn't prevent them from growing what would be compatible to that area. this would lower the costs to the family.
" if a family does not have enough money for food, how are they going to come up with enough money to relocate to an area in which they can be more independent."
the same way everyone migrates to a new area for these reasons. some of the greatest times of migration were under these conditions. in fact it could be said that these conditions are a great influence for migration.
those who can afford to migrate are not the only ones who migrate. in fact the ones who can afford it are the least likely ones to migrate. they have no reason to.
Hi Griper,
What is it with you and your continuous reminders to me that the people I'm concerned about are only some and not everyone? So?
I'm not sure if I follow your statement "There is always more than one way to obtain medicines other than by purchasing them." If you are referring to making them yourself, you have to know how.
The point I was making about everyone having different intellectual levels and skills is that this is why we are not fully self-sufficient and need to depend on each other in an economy.
Believe it or not, in our soil, the crop produced is so minimal that it is debatable whether the price of the fertilizer and water is really any lower than the cost of buying the produce. The actual motive for planting anyway is that the food is fresher and tests better, not the fact that it saves money.
You must not of been listening when I talked about the Transition Costs of having to move to an area with better soil in order to escape the high price of food, nor when I pointed out that there is no longer enough farm land available for everyone.
The agent of the force is not another person or business. Usually people are forced to do certain things as the result of their circumstances. Just because the person and business is not the direct cause, however, does not negate the fact that the problem exists and should be addressed.
Forgive me, but I continue to be baffled by the Extreme position that the Government should not do a single thing ever in order to help anyone out. Our Welfare System may be broken, but does this really mean that we should do away with ALL Government Assistance programs?
Just so that you don't feel too continually accused, Griper, when ever I use the word Extreme, you might be glad to know that there are lots of people on the web that I would consider "Extreme Republicans". For example, I find Soapbox's suggestion that there is no such thing as Price Gouging quite Extreme and incorrect.
Lista: I came by way of Patrick M's blog and it is interesting that you wrote a blog titled, "A New Direction" which encourages people be involved in the spiritual battle first, and I just finished a post titled, "A New Approach" which is expressing my intention to do just that!
Interesting take on the righteous anger of Christ at the money-changers in the temple. I suppose I have always assumed He was angry at the hearts of those men who dared practice usury in the house of God. This is based on their over-charging for sacrificial animals and unfair rates of monetary exchange, which could easily be considered theft, as people who had religious conviction would have little choice but to go to what was essentially the only game in town for that service.
"A Christian, however, realizes that we can't do anything that is truly significant and life changing on our own power without God's help."
What about the Tower of Babel? It was there that God acknowledged just how much (evil) men could accomplish, especially if they cooperated. His solution was to confound them by making communication impossible.
In terms of what deeds are worthwhile, anyone can make some effort to do something noble and accomplish their goal. Where we make a mistake is thinking it has any spiritual or eternal value apart from faith or that it improves our standing with our Creator. "Without faith it is impossible to please God" - Hebrews 11:6
Hi Bullfrog,
Thanks for dropping by. The interesting thing about my blog is that I really honestly thought that it was going to be a Political Blog and yet the Lord keeps leading me back to the Spiritual instead.
During the month prior to the Election, the Lord allowed me to be so distracted by our rather difficult puppy that I didn't have time to post much that month, just as I wrote about in my Post, "Blogging Fatigue/Sometimes God has Different Plans", October Archive.
You see the issue of Jesus' Anger in much the same way I do, in the "Over-Charging and Unfair Rates". Your mention of the "Only Game in Town" emphasizes one way in which "Price Gouging" can happen, which is within a Monopoly. When Monopolies exist, it is essential that the Government step in and break them up, so that Competition can take place.
Men are capable, even in their own power, of doing a considerable amount of Evil and yes they can even do things that are Noble in the Accomplishment of Goals. You explained that really well in relation to these things not having any Spiritual or Eternal Value. I see that you totally got what I was trying to say.
All I want to add is that our "Noble Acts" do not have any lasting "Spiritual or Eternal Value" to the others that we touch, any more than they do for ourselves. The things that really have Eternal Value and really matter, require God's help in order to take root.
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