the basic message #E325
2/13/05
If I've heard it said once, I've heard it said a hundred times: "The United States military is in Iraq to give freedom to the Iraqis." This oft repeated phrase sounds noble and heroic, and for the most part, it is. What we should ask ourselves is, "Do we want all people to have freedom?" Perhaps another question is, "Has America, throughout its history, wanted freedom for all people?" Hold that thought.
Isaiah 65:6-7
"See, it stands written before me: I will not keep silent but will pay back in full; I will pay it back into their laps- both your sins and the sins of your fathers," says the LORD .
Much has been said in the Bible about the "sins of the fathers", and while there are different views of what this means, for me, the meaning is basic. I firmly believe that the "sins of our fathers", grandfathers and great-grandfathers are connected to us as long as we live. Please don't misunderstand- I don't think a black guy should shoot me if my great-grandfather owned his great-grandfather, but I do feel a personal debt to African-Americans for my ancestor's poor judgment. In a perfect world, we could all let bygones be bygones, but the restriction of an individual's freedom is more than a trifling thing.
By now, you've read the word "freedom" used in two completely different scenarios, and a few of you have already made the connection. You see, one of the sins of our "fathers" was the removal of freedom for thousands of slaves brought to America. Yes, I realize that America didn't invent slavery, but if that's the best defense you can come up with to justify slavery in America, you don't have much to work with. I didn't invent the knife, but if I use one to cut your throat, does it really matter who invented it?
It distresses and saddens me that American men and women continue to lose their lives in Iraq in the process of "granting freedom" to the Iraqis. I would say their great-grandfathers look down from heaven, lamenting the fact that these young people may be paying for the sins of deceased relatives, but quite frankly, I don't believe the typical slaveholder is in heaven anyway. Perhaps there are some folks in heaven that were compassionate slave owners, but once again, that's a long-shot. Is it possible God invented the concept of "what goes around, comes around"? Have you ever noticed that God has a way of keeping this world in equilibrium? When I was a kid, my teachers told me that by now we'd have a population explosion in America and we'd be jammed together in tiny living quarters. I flew from Baton Rouge to Wichita last week, and I can tell you there's a bunch of empty land out there, so our fears 40 years ago weren't concerning God one bit.
I think God does require some payback right here on earth for some of the bad things we've done. The sins of our fathers can't very well be cleaned up by them if they're gone, so how can the score be evened up- even slightly? George W. Bush stated very clearly in his inaugural speech that the US will do our best to bring freedom to all who desire to possess it. If the American people support his decision, we will sacrifice many American lives to make that freedom possible. Thanks be to God that we still live in a democracy, with the voters ultimately deciding whether we should be in the international freedom granting business.
In closing, may I ask you to consider an important question? If you
agree that the "sins of our fathers" will ultimately require payment here on
earth, what sins are you and I committing today that our grandchildren and
great-grandchildren will someday have dumped in their laps? Perhaps we will one day
look back on 2005 and admit that keeping the minimum wage at such deplorable
levels wasn't the right thing to do. Maybe our ongoing approval of
abortion will rear its ugly head down the road and require some serious payback.
Oh, I'm sure most of you will protest, "I never had an abortion or had anything
to do with abortion", but believe me, many of us are far more connected with the
practice than you might realize. How so? This will be a good subject
for another day, but I'll give you a hint: welfare mothers. Consider
your personal sins right now and make a decision to refrain from passing your
sins to the future generations.