“Nah, nah, blame China. It’s just flu. We’ll beat it with lock-downs. We’ll beat it with vaccines. We’ll throw money at it, and it’ll go away. What’s immorality got to do with it?”
Immorality, idolatry, and plague
A story in the Bible links these three. Despite Balaam’s sorcery, the Moabites failed to curse Israel. Instead, their women seduced them, inviting them to sex and sacrifice to the Baal of Peor. In his anger, God allowed a plague that killed 24,000.
The priest, Phineas, intervened, and the plague stopped.
“John, that was Old Testament. We live under grace, not law.”
Here is Ephesians 5:5-6. For of this you can be sure: No immoral, impure or greedy person—such a man is an idolater—has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of such things God’s wrath comes on those who are disobedient.
God hasn’t stopped being God. What parent doesn’t burn when their teenager sleeps around and gets pregnant? Or takes to the needle and gets AIDS? No parent plans that for their child.
Actions have consequences. We live in a fallen world, yes. But we were given the keys, and gave them away.
Immorality is idolatry
Immorality rejects God’s word, seeking pleasure elsewhere. Pleasure is placed above the God and becomes idolatry. Idolatry is spiritual adultery.
We cannot buy our way out of the crisis. God’s solution is repentance—returning to his Way.
It begins with the church. God says, “If my people will humble themselves . . .” According to conquersseries.com, 68% of church-going men and over 50% of pastors view porn on a regular basis. In UK, 70% of couples cohabit before marriage.
It’s not sexy to speak of God’s wrath. But love cannot abide idolatry.
Glenys Currie
That verse in Chronicles came to me in the middle of the night over a week ago. I woke up with the National Anthem going through my mind and knowing that there is a move to redesign it because many feel it’s old fashioned and who believes in God anymore? With laws favouring euthanasia, abortion, drug reforms, more acceptance for Muslims than Christians in attitudes, morals for good living very loose, etc, etc. I felt an urgency to pray for our leaders who don’t acknowledge the Lord and to pray for the ones who are Christians to be strong and wise.
We saw that the Lord answered the prayers when many in the world prayed for rain to stop the bush fires in Australia. The prayers were answered when all scientists and weather forecasters had said no rain till the end of April. I wonder if non-Christians gave God a second thought.
johnf@jfm.org.nz
Thanks, Glenys, I agree. Godly values have been eroded since the world wars in the 20th century which is why I have written “King Solomon’s Deadly Legacy.”