The Lord of History
But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. Deuteronomy 30:17-18
You Shall Surely Perish – These words from God through Moses have nothing to say to us, right? After all, this warning is to the nation of Israel, centuries ago. It isn’t for modern men, especially ones who are under the banner of grace. Jesus changed everything, right? Now God forgives. He wouldn’t bring about our destruction over something as small as not keeping His commandments, would He?
Today it certainly seems as though we have forgotten the God of Deuteronomy. Maybe we have forgotten because it is convenient to forget. We want to think that grace covers all our societal sins. After all, we are a Christian nation, aren’t we? The combination of cheap grace and national arrogance is deadly. Time to take another look at Deuteronomy.
Yes, Moses spoke to Israel. No, the message wasn’t limited to the Jews. You see, what Moses declares is that God is the Lord of all history. He is the one Who establishes nations or tears them down. The strength of a country does not depend on its economy, military or citizens’ rights. It depends on its obedience to the Lord of life. Mess with Him and you will be judged. Disobey God and you will receive a double dose of wrath (the Hebrew text uses two forms of the same word avad in the phrase ki avod tovedun (you will “perishingly” perish).
God gifted the West with economic capitalism. Einstein once said that man’s greatest invention was compound interest. Capitalism is the heart of affluence for the masses and the accompanying civil liberties. But capitalism under God has a purpose – and that purpose is not selfish indulgence and excess. The purpose of profit is the redemption of a lost world by economic means. We no longer serve God’s purpose. We have taken His gift (not our wages) and lavished it upon ourselves. We are Sodom and Gomorrah (read Ezekiel 16:49 and weep!) Therefore, expect God to raise up a nation that serves false gods to bring destruction to those who have abandoned the true God. Expect a nation that demands intolerant legalism to enforce moral reform with an accompanying complete loss of freedom. Expect affluence to be turned to despair when the God we misused no longer replies. Israel had to feel the heel of Assyria. Apparently, so must we.
God is the Lord of history. Anyone who thinks otherwise is truly a fool, and fools are not suffered long.
