The text: The Daily Signal, a publication of the Heritage Foundation, September 3, 2020.
A commentary written by Joseph Laconate entitled, “The Mayor, the Monuments, and the Mayhem”
I read the opening tease and it perked my attention. I decided to read the article. However, I didn’t get very far. For purposes of establishing the context of my thoughts, I will quote the opening paragrpah of the commentary.
“When D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser earlier this year created an advisory group to scrutinize the city’s monuments, memorials, and facilities for their “disqualifying histories,” the outcome of its feverish deliberations was utterly predictable. It would launch an assault on the most cherished and unifying symbols of American deomocracy.”
I realized as I was typing this paragraph that I did not even read the entire paragraph. I pulled up short when I read the words, “disqualifying histories”.
The purpose of my blog is to share a fourth ‘M’, retitling it “The Mayor, The Monuments, the Mayhem, and A Message”
I confess that on my initial reading of this article, I did not finish the entire opening paragrpah; in fact, I have not, as yet, read the entire article, as of this composing.
I was abruptly halted by the words ‘disqualifying histories’. My first reaction to the reading of these words was that all of humanity has a disqualifying history because “…all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23, NKJV)
Who among us does not have a disqualifying history? How can we dismantle history, remove a name, call into question something someone has said, or overturn what we perceive to be wrong, or even tear down a statue or monument because we render what was said or done as being disqualifying? But, for the grace of God, I have things in my history that disqualify me from writing this blog; but thanks be to God, they are forgiven and forgotten because of the blood of Christ.
The Bible is a record of ‘disqualifying histories’ of humanity; but it is also a history of God’s salvivic plan to undo our disqualifying histories.
Question: Why did God flood the earth? because humanity had a disqualifying history.
Genesis 6:5,6 (NKJV), “Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth and that every intent of the of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry He had made man on the earth and He was grieved in His heart.”
Genesis 6:7,8 (NKJV), “So the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” “But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.” In 2 Peter 2:5, Peter writes that God “…saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungoldly.”
We, too, can find grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Ephesians 2:4-9 (NKJV), “But God who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that now of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
Question: Why did God destroy Sodom and Gororrah? because the inhabitants of the cities had a disqualifying history.
Genesis 18:20-21 says, “And the Lord said, “Because the outcry against Sodom and Gormorrah is great, and because their sin is very grave, I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come up to Me, and if not I will know it.”
The prophet Ezekiel compares Jerusalem to Sodom’s and Samaria’s sinful lifestyle. Ezekiel 16:48-50 says, “As I live, “says the Lord God, “neither your sister Sodom nor her daughters have done as you and your daughters have done. Look, this was the inquity of your sister Sodom. She and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness, neither did they strenthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abominations before Me, therefore, I took them away as I saw fit.”
In the New Testament, Jude writes in verses 5-7, “But I want you to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode (Genesis 6:1-4), He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day, as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similiar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengence of eternal fire.”
The Apostle Peter, who I quoted earlier regarding the saving of Noah, continues with this thought regarding the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. 2 Peter 2:6-9, says, “…and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly; and delivered righteous Lot (those words have always amazed me when you read about Lot’s life. Lot was the nephew of Abraham. It was the grace of God who initiated a conversation with Abraham because of their relationship, that prompted Abrahman to intercede for the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, asking God to not destroy the cities so that Lot might be saved. God did save Lot and his two daughters; but He destroyed the cities.), who was oppressed by the filthy conduct of the wicked (for that righteous man dwelling among them, tormented his soul from day to day by seeing and hearing their lawless deeds) [I have a thought-is this happening to us, as we see and hear the lawlessness in our midst?], then the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust under purishment for the day of judgment, and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries.”
I would like to consider one more question. Why is God going to destroy the heaven and the earth? because humanity has a disqualifying history. The Apostle Peter speaks to this event in his second epistle outlining God’s coming judgment upon humanity.
In 2 Peter 3:1-9, he writes, “Beloved, I now write to you this second epistic (in which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder), that may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us, the apostles of the Lord and Savior, knowing this first: that scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, where is the promise of HIs coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation., For this they willfully forget that by the word of God the heaven were of old, and earth, standing our of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water. But tthe heaven and the earth which are now preserved by the same word, are reserved for fire until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly (one’s with disqualifying histories) men.” B.U.T., Believers Understand This) “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” [I submit that is love and grace.]
The following commentary is written for 2 Peter3:9 in my Study Bible.
“A positive explanation of the temporary lack of fulfillment…is found in the chaarcter of a merciful God. Although the wickness of humankind calls for immediate action, God withholds His rightous wrath and delays judgment. (New Spirit Filled Life Study Bible, NKJV, Nelson, 2002, pg. 1778)
Peter assures the believers that there will be a new heaven and a new earth after the destruction of this present heaven and earth.
2 Peter 3:10-13, “but the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heaven will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”
All of humanity has a disqualifying history because of our sin nature. But God has a redemptive plan to deal with the disqualifying history. I have eluded to it in this blog. I will continue my thoughts in Part 2, TBC
Living Words of Encouragement 