Genesis 20-22 / Matthew 6:19 -34

“The officials of Zoan are nothing but fools; the leaders of Memphis are deceived; the cornerstones of her people have led Egypt astray.” Isaiah 19:13

To a great extent, history is also subject to the natural moral law and God’s judgment. The decisions of a people and its leaders have consequences, with immoral societies eventually collapsing in on themselves.

This is true of nations in Scripture. Isaiah, for example, warns how civil war will lead the Egyptians to seek answers from idols, but these statues will give no answers. This will be followed by subjugation, plagues and economic collapse. The Egyptians will panic and turn on each other, a natural consequence of their sin. Because of their immorality and dependence on powerless idols, God’s judgment on them will be in finding themselves without a foundation to stand when jealousy and anger lead them to fight each other.

In recent history, nations have also collapsed because of immoral leaders and ruling principles. Communism, with its denial of God and ill treatment of its people, fell apart after less than 70 years, while the Nazi ideologies of racial supremacy and anti-Semitism imploded the Third Reich within 15 years. The Khmer Rouge and Pol Pot only lasted a few years because of their social engineering and mass genocide, and apartheid could not last beyond 50 years because of its total disregard for right and wrong. Too many of these terrifying regimes have collapsed for this to be coincidence. The only logical conclusion is that immoral ruling, racism and genocide will never stand in the light of righteousness.

History itself shows a nation can violate God’s moral laws for just so long before it collapses. Some question, however, why the innocent must suffer God’s judgment of nations along with the guilty. Why does God not spare the righteous? These questions assume we sin in a vacuum. Our actions always have consequences, and the effect multiplies when we have responsibility over others. The sins of one spouse affect the other, the sins of an employer affect their staff and the sins of national leaders affect their people.

God’s judgment falls on groups as much as individuals. If we are placed in a position of leadership, whether in a government role, a company, organization or family, the safest course of action is to humbly thank God for His presence, ask for His counsel, submit to His authority and seek His righteousness. We may not be able to escape the consequences of our leaders’ decisions, but we can lift our leaders and our nations up to God, asking Him to speak wisdom and restore righteousness into hopeless situations. Everyone’s security is ultimately found in the presence of Christ who works to unite humanity with love and compassion for a better world.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus, grant our world’s leaders the wisdom to rule well, the courage to stand for the oppressed, and the humility to lead according to Your moral law. Thank You, Lord.