Tummy Grumbles & the Judgment of God
For months our nation has operated under the assumption that Madame Rona was lurking behind every nook and cranny. Every sanitizer-cracked finger had the potential to plunge our once great nation into obscurity. But we are a resilient folk! Donning crochet masks, we marched arm-in-arm into the unemployment lines. Fastidiously distancing ourselves from the most vulnerable amongst us, we arose early and scavenged aisle 101 of the Piggly-Wiggly for toilet paper. It would seem we have been hoodwinked. We were prepared to sacrifice for the greater good. We were willing to lock our doors and shelter in place. But what snuck up on us was the tummy-grumbles. That self-loathing incontinence that presents itself in the very core of your being and leaves you pouting in a corner or rioting in the streets.
Before the intellectuals launch darts from their burned-over ivory towers, a parry is in order. Of course, injustice exists. Of course, we must love our neighbors. Racism runs rampant in the hearts of fallen man. The solution is a new heart. Murder must be punished and abusers of authority ought to be sought out and have their mantle removed (and in many cases the civil-magistrate should take their head as well). These are all given. I surrender the point. But we do not get to perpetrate additional atrocities in our search for justice. We must operate by a higher standard. We must be faithful to the God of justice and avoid the pernicious grumbling that is a hallmark of an upset tummy.
“Brothers, join in imitating me, and keep your eyes on those who walk according to the example you have in us. 18 For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 Their end is destruction, their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things. 20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ…”
The Apostle Paul was well aware of the bastard god of the belly. He too experienced injustice. He too knew what it was to suffer at the hands of wicked man. He also knew that the only answer to such discord was the regeneration of our blackened hearts. As followers of the Way, ought we not imitate the Apostle? I must admit that I am less than shocked by the turmoil in our streets. Are you really surprised that a nation of God-haters and belly worshippers can be worked into a frenzy when the bread runs out? Its par for the course. We currently dwell in a land that has turned its back on God and bowed the knee to various demiurges. We cry out for justice, applauding as cities burn. We assemble in the streets for justice, while many in the crowd are showing themselves to be 1st degree offenders of the highest order. We speak of the value of Black Lives, and then we murder thousands of black babies behind the sterile curtains of America’s murder factories.
Sterilization is the name of the game in these parts. If we can’t sterilize the men, we provide a sterile environment where they can pay a few hundred dollars to discard of their women and children. If they don’t have the money, we play a shell game with tax dollars and speak of the bravery of child-slaughter. (If you are protesting my words, I encourage you to go back and read the second paragraph). This type of intellectual schizophrenia cannot continue forever. Something’s gotta give. The walls may be white, but the black light tells the true story. We have blood on our hands, meat in our bellies, and we love it.
Under pressure, it is the weakest joint that snaps first. In this instance, the deafening POP came from the effeminate men who look upon the upheaval with fake compassion. Some have gone so far as to bow the knee to enemies of Christ. Belly worshippers will do anything to get rid of the tummy-grumbles. They are quite the bother when you try to sleep but have no peace. Idolatry is like that. It makes grand promises but only delivers destruction. When push comes to shove, false-brothers expose their characteristic yellow streak. For some, especially in the last week, one only has to look on the ground below them to see it. It has collected in a moist puddle between their bent knees. If weak men are going to continue to worship their bellies, those bellies must be appeased. And if those bellies are going to be appeased, the checks need to keep rolling in from the evangelical power brokers. In a culture that has denied Christ, this becomes increasingly difficult to do when principled-fortitude is often equated with blasphemy.
I’ve heard it said somewhere that, “Seeking God is all the rage these days, but finding him is forbidden.”
Proof of concept can be found on the front page of tomorrow’s newspaper if you don’t believe me. So much talk of redemption and justice and so little movement towards the One who justifies. Rather than recognize the shame of standing behind ravenous thugs, the Puddled-Ones glory in a misconstrued idea of justice and tolerance. Rather than stand up for the oppressed with rigid spines of Godly construction, their lots have been thrown in with the unruly masses. Rather than promote true justice and loving mercy, the tummy-grumblers have turned their backs on the only answer to the very real problems our nation is facing. This is what judgment looks like. Don’t look away. You might be lucky enough to survive and tell your grandchildren.
The rule of a fallen King was a judgment on Israel. A ten percent tax rate was a curse. These things were the sign of human tyranny, not blessing. Yet so many in our nation misquote Romans 13, and skip gayly down the road to perdition begging our overlords for the crumbs at their feet. Do you get it yet? Can you see the writing on the wall? “Numbered. Numbered. Weighed. Divided.” If our nation refuses to kiss the Son, we will most certainly perish.
Christians, we have the solution.
Must our nation crumble to cowardice? Christians, we have the answers. Must we submit to the tyranny of the ungodly forever? Christians, we are to be the salt. Refuse to be trampled. Refuse to be identified with movements that are founded upon ideologies abhorrent to the Biblical worldview. Now, more than ever, our nation needs men of integrity. Now, more then ever, they need to hear the message of true reconciliation. Now, in this moment, we have the opportunity to stand up and proclaim the beauty of the perfect Law of Christ.
Nevertheless, if judgment cannot be avoided, we stand confident in this truth. Jesus has all authority in heaven and on Earth. He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords. His law will most certainly be proclaimed from every mountain and obeyed on every coast. It is inevitable. And though darkness may swell, it will flee in terror at the sight of the Son. Our hope is not in what we see. Our hope is in the One who sees all things and has declared the end from the beginning.