Have they no knowledge, all the evildoers who eat up my people as they eat bread, and do not call upon the LORD? There they shall be in great terror, for God is with the company of the righteous. You would confound the plans of the poor, but the LORD is their refuge. Psalm 14: 4-6
The psalmist could not speak more clearly to the greatest sin of our times. Our nation and culture are caught up in the promotion and preservation of the American Empire. We rely on militarism to advance our own economy, always at the expense of the economies of the third world. We use words and phrases like “liberation,” “advancement of democracy,” and ”removal of brutal dictatorships” to justify our military actions. But who benefits from the advancement of our empire? Most assuredly, it is not the innocent civilians in the countries that we occupy. We often point to the CEO's of multinational companies as the villains, and indeed they are culpable. Yet as consumers in this materialistic culture, we provide the fuel on which it runs. We are the evildoers who eat God's people, even as we eat the bread from our bountiful supply.
We do not call upon the Lord for protection. Instead, we rely on our own weapons of mass destruction. We build ever more sophisticated means of death. Then we cover our eyes so that we do not have to look at the terrible carnage that results from its use. Yes, the psalmist was right. We have no knowledge. We deliberately blind ourselves to both the cause and the result of our actions. We even perpetrate these crimes in the name of God. Have we no shame?
We say we are fighting to rid the world of terrorists. The use of violence only exacerbates the problem. We live in terror; as well we should, for as the psalmist says, God is in the company of the righteous. The poor of this world dream of a better life, but we confound their plans so that we might have an even larger share of the world's wealth. Well, God is not on the side of the evildoer. As the psalmist says, the LORD is their refuge. How can we as Christians cry, “God Bless America” when at the same time we are stealing from our brothers and sisters in the third world?
Wake up, my friends, time is fleeting. It may well be too late to turn things around, but we must continue to try. As Christians, we are a people called out of the world to live in exile from the culture of the empire. Our hope is in God, not in Caesar. Like all Caesar's before him, this one has co-opted God to work for the empire. As with all Caesar's from the past, this attempt will also fail. Alone, you and I do not have the power to make all things right. However, together with God's help, we can make a difference. Our ultimate hope is in God, who will ultimately take what is left after the destruction of the empire, and rebuild it into a new thing. We must put our resources into building God's kingdom, and not into building the Empire.
O that deliverance for Israel would come from Zion! When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people, Jacob will rejoice; Israel will be glad. Psalm 14:7
Prayer: Merciful God, we are indeed guilty of eating your people like bread. We have turned to Caesar for our protection. We are stealing from our brothers and sisters that we may lie in beds of ease. Forgive us, Lord, for we have sinned. Show us ways to do what we can to further your kingdom. O that deliverance of America would come from Zion. When the LORD restores the fortunes of all his peoples in the world, then the church can rejoice and be glad.
Copyright © Jay D. Weaver, July 28, 2003