Confusion, Shame, and Guilt

“O LORD, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against Thee.  To the LORD our God belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Him; Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His laws, which He set before us by His servants the prophets.”  Daniel 9:8-10

As I read through these verses, I can’t help but see the world today, particularly America, and how Daniel’s prayer could be for us.  God is completely righteous in punishing sin.  If His people, Israel, were confused as to why they were having to suffer at His hand, they need look no further than their own history.  God reminded them over and over that it was imperative for them to obey Him or suffer the consequences (Leviticus 26:14-39; Deuteronomy 27:15-26; 28:15-68; and 29).  While America is not Israel, God’s chosen nation, we are still accountable to Him on a national level and also on an individual level.  There is plenty of evidence in our nation’s historical documents that indicate that the founding fathers of America were cognizant of the fact that without God to lead them, their efforts at forming a new and free nation were futile.

God takes sin very seriously.  That’s why He had to send His Son to the cross to pay the penalty for sin because anything less would not have satisfied His righteousness.  Daniel wasn’t just praying for his immediate Jewish compatriots, the ones taken in captivity, but for all those who had been left in Jerusalem and not taken to Babylon where he was and for those taken to Assyria many years prior.  He acknowledged to the LORD that the whole body of the Jewish people had every reason to be confused, ashamed, and guilt ridden for they were guilty of heinous and obnoxious sins committed before God.  They had brought God’s judgment upon themselves by their wickedness.  Shame was a proper response, but would it lead to repentance?  Owning up to our sins and seeing ourselves as God sees us is the first step to restoration.  Ignoring our sins and continuing to live in a haughty, prideful way or just being indifferent to God’s warnings will only prolong punishment and prevent reconciliation.  The sinner will bear his or her shame.

This week we have seen via television and internet the killing of an African American man by a white police officer.  In viewing the video of the incident, there seems to be no ambiguity as to the officer’s intent to kill the man.  It was reported that the man had tried to pass a counterfeit bill at a store and was captured by several police officers.  It was also reported that this police officer had been reprimanded before for going beyond standard police training, but apparently was not held accountable at that time.  I do not know what was in the heart of the officer, but the reports from eye witnesses describe the tragedy as very horrific.  We don’t know what made this officer act so brutally to this man, but all I can guess is that the officer’s heart was darkened by sin.  Did he hate African Americans so much that he took out his hatred on this one man?  Was it something else?  We may never know.  One thing that I do know is that when we allow sin to fester in our hearts, we can become capable of doing anything.  People are crying for justice, and we can hope that proper justice is carried out.

This incident is just one more indication of how far our nation has turned from God and His word, just like Israel did many years ago.  Some of the same voices crying for justice are the same folks who push for the killing of unborn and sometimes just born babies, the most innocent among us.  In my studies of God’s word, one of the most grievous sins in God’s view is the taking of innocent life.  In II Kings 21:16, the evil king of Judah, Manasseh, caused harsh judgment to be brought upon Judah by the LORD because of Manasseh’s shedding of innocent blood which included child sacrifice to the god Molech.  Matthew Henry in his commentary wrote concerning the taking of innocent life, “Nothing has a louder cry nor brings a sorer vengeance, than that.”

Whether it is a hate crime, an abortion, or a premeditated murder, God will see that justice is carried out one way or another.  However, we serve a God rich in mercy and ready to forgive sins.  He was always ready to welcome Israel back with open arms like the father welcomed the prodigal son, and He still stands ready to welcome all those who repent and trust in Christ.  Unless we as a nation have a spiritual awakening and return to the Lord, then unfortunately we will continue to see the evil in the hearts of humans displayed again and again.