We the People of the United States,
in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish
Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the
common defence, promote the general Welfare, and
secure the
Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and
our Posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.
We, therefore, the Representatives
of the united States of America, in General Congress,
Assembled, appealing to the Supreme
Judge of the world
for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the
Name, and by Authority of the good People of these
Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these
United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and
Independent States; that they are Absolved from all
Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all
political connection between them and the State of
Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved. .
. . And for the support of this Declaration, with
a firm reliance on the Protection of Divine Providence,
we mutually pledge to each
other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.
|
"Blessing" means two things:
- It means God is gracious (even though He is also "the
Supreme Judge")
- It means God is in
control -- "Providence" -- and brings
all things to pass in a way that benefits His People.
"God Bless America"
We
heard this phrase a lot in the days following 9-11. But do
we really want God intervening
in human history, changing things, ruling things, undoing
what man has done? Isn't deism more
comfortable: God creating the universe but stepping back,
refusing to get involved in any way, letting man the new god
have his own way?
Are we a nation of hypocrites?
God Bless America, by Irving
Berlin
"While the storm clouds gather far across the sea,
Let us swear allegiance to a
land that's free,
Let us all be grateful
for a land so fair,
As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer.
God Bless America.
Land that I love
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from
above.
From the mountains, to the prairies ,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America
My home sweet home."
From: http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/symbols/songs.htm#GBA
see also USA Today: http://www.usatoday.com/life/music/2001-09-18-god-bless.htm
Every "solemn prayer" is a request for God to
take charge. Every prayer is a
request for Theocracy.
Jesus said the meek would be "blessed" and would
"inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:5; Psalm 37:11; Numbers
12:3). The New Testament says that "the Gospel" is the
"good news" that God has promised world-wide
"blessing" (Galatians 3:8).
What does it mean to be "blessed"?
There are two heretical answers to this question. Both of
these views are in conflict with the vision
of Vine & Fig Tree.
| The
first advises us to "Name it and Claim
it." As Christians we are entitled to pink Cadillacs
and green golf courses. If we have faith, we will have
wealth. |
Vine
& Fig Tree is a vision of conflict with
"the
powers that be," a conflict which Jesus says will
lead to the Cross (that is, execution). It is a vision of
solidarity with the "driven
out" and "afflicted";
with the crippled
and the cast
off (Micah 4:6-7); with "the
least of these" (Matthew 25:35). It is a
willingness voluntarily to endure poverty in order to
reach the City
of God.. |
| The
second heresy is "pietism," or
"neo-platonism." It says that the material world
is inferior to the "spiritual" (non-material)
world. It tells us to flee beauty and embrace poverty. |
- But Vine & Fig Tree
is also a vision of
- the world-wide
restoration
- Material abundance unimagined by the televangelists
and pink cadillac set.
|
A popular bumper-sticker among the Berkeley crowd advises us
to "Live Simply that others may Simply Live." The idea
is that my wealth is stolen from others. The idea of
"simple living" sometimes gets in the way of Biblical
beauty.
Even those who have "simple living" bumper stickers
on theirs car do not live simply, and every person who
signed the Declaration of Independence (1776) would consider
such "simple" folk to be living in the lap of luxury
in a highly-complex industrialized society. Every time they
flush a toilet or turn on the heat (whether electricity or
natural gas), they take advantage of huge and complex industries
that provide a wealthy standard of living that human beings 200
years ago could not have have imagined.
The Bible is really really clear: When God created the
material world, He said it was "very good."
Wild
wealth and beauty are promises to the righteous. Abraham had
them, Solomon had them, Jesus promises them. They are promises
of "blessing."
Whole chapters of the Bible are dedicated to describing
promises of extravagant blessings
to the faithful. Here's one from Leviticus:
{26:3} If you walk in My
statutes and keep My commandments, and perform them,
{4} then I will give you rain in
its season, the land shall yield its produce, and the trees of
the field shall yield their fruit.
{5} Your
threshing shall last till the time of vintage, and the vintage
shall last till the time of sowing; you shall eat your bread
to the full, and dwell in your land safely.
{6} I will give
peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none will make you
afraid; I will rid the land of evil beasts, and the sword will
not go through your land.
{7} You will
chase your enemies, and they shall fall by the sword before
you.
{8} Five of you
shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten
thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword
before you.
{9} 'For I will
look on you favorably and make you fruitful, multiply you and
confirm My covenant with you.
{10} You shall
eat the old harvest, and clear out the old because of the new.
{11} I will set
My tabernacle among you, and My soul shall not abhor you.
{12} I will walk
among you and be your God, and you shall be My people.
{13} I am
the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt,
that you should not be their slaves; I have broken the
bands of your yoke and made you walk upright.
And more from Deuteronomy:
{28:1} "Now it shall
come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD
your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I
command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high
above all nations of the earth.
{2} "And
all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you,
because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
{3}
"Blessed shall you be in the city, and
blessed shall you be in the country.
{4}
"Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the
produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the
increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
{5}
"Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading
bowl.
{6}
"Blessed shall you be when you come in, and
blessed shall you be when you go out.
{7} "The
LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be
defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one
way and flee before you seven ways.
{8} "The
LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and
in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in
the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
{9} "The
LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as
He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD
your God and walk in His ways.
{10} "Then
all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the
name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
{11} "And
the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your
body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of
your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your
fathers to give you.
{12} "The
LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give
the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work
of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall
not borrow.
{13} "And
the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be
above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments
of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are
careful to observe them.
{14} "So
you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command
you this day, to the right or the left, to go after
other gods to serve them.
Deuteronomy 28 is a long chapter. It is also an unfamiliar
chapter to most "christians," because they are
infected with "neo-platonism," a pagan philosophy
which holds that the material world is inferior to the world of
thought and ideas. But the Bible says that the material world
was created by God. Therefore whole-Bible Christians work to
have a healthy respect for the creation and its bounty.
Here's how I sum up the major blessings of
Deuteronomy 28:
1. "Set thee on high above all peoples of the
earth."[1]
2. "Blessed in the city" (v. 3)
3. "Blessed in the fields" (v. 3)
4. "Blessed children" (v. 4)
5. "Blessed crops" (v. 4)
6. "Blessed livestock" (v. 4)
7. "Blessed graineries" (v. 5)
8. "Blessed bakeries" (v. 5)
9. Successful business (v. 6)
10. Peaceful International relations (v. 7)
11. Abundance in the barns (v. 8)
12. Success in every activity (v. 8)
13. Enemies at peace with us (v. 10)
14. Abundant goods (v. 11)
15. Abundant children (v. 11)
16. Abundant cattle (v. 11)
17. Lots to eat (v. 11)
18. "His good treasure" (v. 12)
19. Adequate rain (v. 12)
20. Business success (v. 12)
21. Debts paid (v. 12)
22. Investments (v. 12)
23. Respect (v. 13)
And of course, verses 15-68 give the
opposite, and we may deduce that "none of these"
curses will come upon the saved (Exodus 15:26).[2]
Since God spent so much time here and in similar places
spelling out in detail many material rewards and considerations
which should motivate us to become Godly, I don't think it's too
heretical to dwell on them just for a while.
Consider the economic implications of all that
"abundance." It means that steak is a dime a pound and
pineapples are a nickel each.
God created human beings to engage in a quest for unlimited
material wealth, but to pursue that quest to the glory of
God, and mindful of the
needs of others.
Today, TV and junk email are filled with promises of
$1,000,000 salaries and burgeoning bank accounts. One does not
need a lot of money (cash) if the earth has all the abundance
God promises. At those prices, food would be about 2% of our
income. How much income would you have to have to arrive at the
place where your current food budget is 2% of your income? If we
had stable families and no State, we would have inherited the
Family Farm and wouldn't have to be paying rent. Wouldn't that
be a "blessing?"
But as wealth is promised in God's Covenant, any culture that
violates God's Covenant can expect poverty. And God's Covenant
is communitarian, not just individualistic. That means that a
very Godly person in a very unGodly culture might not be
wealthy. In our day, a money system which the Bible describes as
"abominable" complicates our understanding of wealth.
It's difficult to imagine living in a state of blessedness,
because our economy is so unGodly. It is also difficult to
imagine becoming wealthy and blessed in the modern economy
because earning and spending money almost inescapably involves
committing acts which are called "abominable" by the
Scriptures. Because I try to avoid
using modern money, I don't anticipate great wealth in my
lifetime. I still believe, however, that wealth is a legitimate
Biblical goal (Genesis 13:2).
Much of what passes for "wealth" in our day is
actually poverty.
- A programmable VCR -- instead of a vivid imagination, a
gift for storytelling, and a room full of kids learning
life-changing moral lessons;
- An iPod -- instead of a home-schooled ability to play
several musical instruments and a circle of like friends
playing together for the benefit of others who are part of a
community feast praising God for His blessings
- A Stauffer's gourmet microwave meal -- instead of a home
full of domestic apprentices who have left the streets and
are learning valuable skills by preparing meals for that
community banquet.
- A 30-year mortgage on an over-priced tract home in the
"right" neighborhood -- rather than land owned
freely without threat of government regulation or
confiscation.
- Irradiated produce grown by underpaid pesticide-sprayed
immigrants trucked to a trendy grocery store marked
"garden fresh" -- rather than garden fresh.
Irwin Schiff paints a wonderful picture of economic decline
in his delightful book, The Kingdom of Moltz. The
typical 1950's family is seen in their front yard, husband and
wife reclining in hammocks, neighbor kid mowing the lawn,
another neighbor kid bringing groceries from the store on his
bike, a big car with fins (pricetag: $1500), a nice house in
good condition (price: $15,000). As the panels unfold through
the '60's, '70's and '80's, the husband leaves the hammock to
mow the lawn, kids no longer have after-school jobs, the wife
leaves the hammock to get a second income, and the house and car
get smaller as the pricetag gets larger. But because of the
paper profits of a few, we are told that the economy has never
been better.
In the years I spent in a Catholic
Worker House of Hospitality, I noticed this schizophrenia:
an anti-materialism combined with a love of community and the
poor. We served abundant, home-cooked meals in our dining room.
We used tablecloths, flower centerpieces, china plates and cloth
napkins. The poor were not "clients," they were
friends. Abraham rescued hundreds of castaways from Humanism's
empires and adopted them into his household (Genesis 12:5; Psalm
68:6). And Abram was very rich in
cattle, in silver, and in gold (Genesis 13:2).
And yet the Catholic Worker has a decided bias against
wealth.
I think it would be Godly to ask the Lord to bless a business
so that the "works of mercy" (Matthew 25:35) could be
practiced; a House of Hospitality could be established and
funded; a home could be a
"community center" (as Gothard
calls it). Everyone should have this goal. Correct
me if I'm wrong.
I look at it this way: If I want to imitate Abraham and
invite the homeless to live with me and become patriarchs
themselves, what do I need? New beds, the old jalopy in the back
yard fixed so people can go out for job interviews, suit (for
meetings with people who are irrationally prejudiced against
faded Levis), ability to help them wash their clothes, and so
on. Is it also heretical to appreciate society-wide blessings
which help the poor: clean air, health, etc.? And what about the
promises of abundance? Are we supposed to be repulsed by them?
The description of the temple and the "New Jerusalem"
— jewels,
precious stones, unimaginable beauty. Jesus has brought us
to the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:22); shouldn't we at least
have the "Hidden
Art
"
that Edith Schaeffer wrote about?
I have to think about it this way: I'm content with the
status quo. I have enough to eat. Things could be better, but
they're OK. So why shouldn't they stay that way? Isn't
"living simply" good enough? What could motivate me to
want more than what I "need"? Why should I be
attracted to abundance?
Two possibilities: Greed. Covetousness. The desire to be as
God.
"NEW AGE HUMANISM!!!" some will probably say.
Or: God's Will.
Go back to Deuteronomy 28: I have enough
food. Why should I be blessed with "abundant
crops"? Why should I be happy when God says I'm going to
prosper in "everything I put my hand
to"? Why not just 50-50, enough to break even?
The answer just has to be, Because God wants
abundance. Look at the New Jerusalem in Revelation. Is this
"only what we need"? Is this "moderation in all
things"? "Plain and sensible is best"?[3]
I get the feeling that a state of "blessing" as the
Bible describes it would drive some people nuts -- they would hate
it!
But my desire is to be a son of Abraham and a follower of
Jesus. And so, I am preparing to be executed by the State, I am
inviting the poor into my home, and I am cultivating a sense of
WILD EXPECTATIONS.
NOTES
(1) When some "christians" hear
that kind of talk from "New Age" hucksters, they are
shocked: "This is Humanism!" they might say. We should
not let anyone take God's promises from us and allow our
thinking (and lives!) to be diminished. [return
to text]
(2). including crop failure, livestock
shortages, infertility, slumping production, spoilation,
vandalism, fungus, disease, pests, sickness, drought,
hemorrhoids, eczema, mental illness, broken marriages, eminent
domain, confiscation, military drafts, centralized government,
debt, (and at verse 45 I quit and say) etc. [return
to text]
(3). A line from Marilla, Anne of Green
Gables' adopted mom. [return to text]