Caprice of a majority?

Words of wisdom from S.H. Kellogg’s 1899 The Book of Leviticus, sum up events in today’s societies. He was discussing what theologians call the Holiness Law in Leviticus 18-20:

“The church needs to come back to the full recognition of the principles which underlie the Levitical code; especially…that marriage and the family are not merely civil arrangements but divine institutions; so that God has not left it to the caprice of a majority to settle what shall be lawful in these matters…”

God says that “…holiness is the moral [goal] of government and of life; and He will find ways to enforce His will in this…All history witnesses that moral corruption and relaxed legislation, especially in matters affecting the relations of the sexes, brings in their train sure retribution, not in Hades, but here on Earth. Let us not miss the lesson by imagining that this law was for Israel, but not for other peoples.” The opposite is affirmed in Leviticus 20:23-24, where we see “that God visited his heavy judgments” on the Canaanites who did the things forbidden in His holiness law, and the land spit them out! Modern democracies must rethink “their progressive repudiation of the law of God in many social questions, and heed this solemn warning. For, despite the unbelief of multitudes, the Holy One still governs the world, and it is certain He will never abdicate his throne of righteousness to submit any of His laws to the sanction of a popular vote.”

Democracy?

Let’s take care how we view democracy. The majority chose against God’s will most of the time in the  Scriptures. When Yeshua returns as a King He will rule with no elections, referendums, or in-line with what the majority wants. God really does know what is best for us.

We were also warned about our own days: “But, beloved, remember the words which the apostles of our Lord, Messiah Yeshua, spoke to you, saying that there will be mockers in the last time, who will walk after their own ungodly lusts.” (Jude 1:17-18)

A deeper reason for today’s chaos

The world has changed drastically since 2020 began, as intense turmoil with increasing frequency stalks the world. Covd-19 and riots in Western cities join an already impressive list of deadly earthquakes, floods, droughts, volcanoes and locust invasions in the Middle East, Asia and other regions. The UN is warning of millions of deaths from famines in areas hit by both locusts and Covid-19. The icing on this chaos is global economic instability.

Yet many nations and international organizations claim that Israel’s “annexation” of more of its God-promised land will end all chances of peace between Israel, the Palestinians, the Arab world, and also destroy “world-peace”!  A question of priorities, surely?

God confronts these arguments, showing that the nations’ rage against Israel is the cause of this chaos. “Come near, nations, to hear; heed all people …YHWH’s indignation is on all nations, and His fury on their armies! He has utterly destroyed them, giving them to the slaughter…Heaven’s host shall be dissolved, and heaven itself shall roll up as a scroll … For My sword shall … come down on Idumea [aka, Edom, a spiritual root of Islam (see Ezek. 35)], on the people of My curse for judgment… For it is the day of YHWH’s vengeance, the year of His recompense for the controversy over Zion.” (from Isaiah 34:1-8)

Today, the Islamic spirit, embodied as Idumea/Edom in these verses, has joined with the spirit of anti-Semitism/anti-Zionism, using political correctness and intimidation, focusing nations on Israel as the world’s main problem. Yet history teaches that when Israel is used as a scapegoat it ends in disaster for the nations.

Only Believers who do not see the Tanach, the Old Testament, as still being God’s Word today, would view what we just wrote as un-biblical. But for us who know that the Tanach, the only Bible Yeshua and the early believers had, it is God’s Word He defends and fulfills (Isa. 55:11; Jer. 1:12). It really does depend on how the nations deal with Israel. [See “Why God judges the nations” https://www.ifi.org.il/en/teachings/why-god-judges-nations]

Chuck Cohen, August 2020

This article is adapted, with permission, from Chuck Cohen’s Watchmen from Jerusalem – A Biblical Perspective on the News – Issue #2 2020. To subscribe free go to www.ifi.org.il .

Chuck Cohen is on the board of Intercessors for Israel and teaches internationally. He and his wife Karen authored Homecoming: Our return to Biblical Roots and publish the bi-monthly newsletter Watchmen from Jerusalem.