Evils come upon everyone. Some believe it is a part of life. Leaders speak of these evil behaviors as nothing to be alarmed over. Murders and other vicious crimes happen daily. Many more occur at different times compared to others; perhaps more are occurring here recently. 2 Timothy 3:13. 13 But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.
Why does evil happen? Why do the righteous suffer? I use the term ‘righteous’ loosely. As human believers in God we compare ourselves against non-believers. However, consequences of evil affect a whole society. The righteous feel they should not be persecuted; God shall protect us. Look at the verse before the one stating evils shall wax worse and worse. 12 Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. Jesus suffered persecution and therefore we as believers shall suffer for the name of Christ.
But, do we bring evils upon ourselves? Are we the cause of evils and persecutions in our society?
Turn with me to Deuteronomy 31:14-18. Before we begin to look at the consequences of forsaking the Lord, let us find out why evil consequences occur.
Deut. 31:14-18. 14 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thy days approach that thou must die: call Joshua, and present yourselves in the tabernacle of the congregation, that I may give him a charge. And Moses and Joshua went, and presented themselves in the tabernacle of the congregation. 15 And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud stood over the door of the tabernacle. 16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold, thou shalt sleep with thy fathers; and this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land, whither they go to be among them, and will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them. 17 Then my anger shall be kindled against them in that day, and I will forsake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they shall be devoured, and many evils and troubles shall befall them; so that they will say in that day, Are not these evils come upon us, because our God is not among us? 18 And I will surely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they shall have wrought, in that they are turned unto other gods.
Even before the death of Moses, God foretold he and Joshua of the consequences of the children of God, the offspring of Jacob. God would turn his face from his children and allow whatever befall them to occur.
What evils did the children of Israel do to anger God?
this people will rise up, and go a whoring after the gods of the strangers of the land This people will forsake me, and break my covenant which I have made with them (vs. 16)
What did God allow to happen to them?
I will forsake them 2. I will hide my face from them 3. they shall be devoured 4. and many evils and troubles shall befall them (vs. 17)
These consequences are the normal group God has used for punishment of those who are believers in God who commit spiritual adultery–whoring after other gods which are not gods. These consequences are upon all humanity of a society, believers and non-believers.
Is there historical evidence God fulfilled this promise he gave to Moses and Joshua? We have studied the want of a king to rule over the children of Israel. They desired a human leader rather than God. what else have they done to anger God? Turn to 1 Kings 11. A prominent leader over Israel forsook God and caused great damage to the house of Israel. Who would do such?
Vss. 1-11. 11 But king Solomon loved many strange women, together with the daughter of Pharaoh, women of the Moabites, Ammonites, Edomites, Zidonians, and Hittites: 2 Of the nations concerning which the Lord said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall not go in to them, neither shall they come in unto you: for surely they will turn away your heart after their gods: Solomon clave unto these in love. 3 And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines: and his wives turned away his heart. 4 For it came to pass, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned away his heart after other gods: and his heart was not perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his father. 5 For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians, and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. 6 And Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and went not fully after the Lord, as did David his father.
The wisest man to live upon the earth had been in the graces of God Almighty. God had made him prosper in all things, but women, foreign women, who worshiped other gods, turned his heart from righteousness to follow these pagan gods. God had warned Moses and Joshua this would happen. With bad leadership Israel turned and forsook God. they brought these evils upon their society.
What did God do? Vss. 9-13. 9 And the Lord was angry with Solomon, because his heart was turned from the Lord God of Israel, which had appeared unto him twice, 10 And had commanded him concerning this thing, that he should not go after other gods: but he kept not that which the Lord commanded. 11 Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon, Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from thee, and will give it to thy servant. 12 Notwithstanding in thy days I will not do it for David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy son. 13 Howbeit I will not rend away all the kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen.
The kingdom of Israel was to be divided and ultimately destroyed because of righteous people who did not remain righteous. God raised adversaries against Solomon and Israel who caused persecution to reign over Israel. Such adversaries as: 1. Hadad the Edomite. Descendant of Esau (vs. 14) 2. Rezon, servant of Hadadezer, king of Zobah. (vs. 23)
Vs. 25-26. 25 And he was an adversary to Israel all the days of Solomon, beside the mischief that Hadad did: and he abhorred Israel, and reigned over Syria. 26 And Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite of Zereda, Solomon's servant, whose mother's name was Zeruah, a widow woman, even he lifted up his hand against the king.
The remaining verses of this chapter, 11. We see the effects of Solomon’s servant upon the kingdom of Israel by the hand of God to destroy and divide the kingdom of Israel. Jeroboam, the servant of Solomon, took ten of the tribes of Israel and became their king. We see the unfaithful leadership of the kingdom of God here on earth, and the members allowing themselves to follow bad leaders bring evils upon a society.
A second cause of righteous members to forsake God is Spiritual Blindness
God told Moses and Joshua he would turn his face from Israel. He would leave them to lead themselves. This is spiritual blindness; not having righteous leadership. The leaders are blind to truth and the fellowship follows blindly, also.
Notice a few passages concerning spiritual blindness:
Isaiah 59:1-10. 59 Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: 2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. 3 For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. 4 None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity, and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring forth iniquity. 5 They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. 6 Their webs shall not become garments, neither shall they cover themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity, and the act of violence is in their hands. 7 Their feet run to evil, and they make haste to shed innocent blood: their thoughts are thoughts of iniquity; wasting and destruction are in their paths. 8 The way of peace they know not; and there is no judgment in their goings: they have made them crooked paths: whosoever goeth therein shall not know peace. 9 Therefore is judgment far from us, neither doth justice overtake us: we wait for light, but behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. 10 We grope for the wall like the blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes: we stumble at noon day as in the night; we are in desolate places as dead men.
Matthew 15:14. …if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4. 3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: 4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Satan has blinded the unrighteous from seeing The Light, Jesus Christ.
God turns his face and allows believers, those once enlightened to the truth to believe lies.
Speaking of all men who follow after unrighteousness, even fallen believers, 11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
To overcome the consequences of forsaking God, every human must be aware of the times and events of the days to be prepared for the Judgment Day. Persecutions shall be inevitable; we shall not escape because of Satan and his evil doers all around us. We must endure. However, remain vigilant to watch and be prepared for the second coming and judgment when the Lord returns. Jesus implies the righteous are to be aware of the times in which they live recognizing their surrounding events and to be found in favor with their maker. Notice Luke 19:41-44. 41 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation. Jerusalem should have not been ignorant of the consequences of their behavior having lived through many occasions of God’s punishment against unfaithfulness and complacency.
We have no excuse for ignorance. We hold within our grasp the combined scriptures with many references from others' knowledge, providing ease of finding the truth. God has provided; we are at a greater advantage today to not be found slacking and ignorant of God’s will for salvation through his son Jesus. Our creating obstacles before us and others worshipping them instead of God Almighty is not accepted. Notice: Acts 17:24-31. 24 God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; 26 And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; 27 That they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: 28 For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. 29 Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 30 And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: 31 Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.
Humanity cannot claim ignorance from their created idols of which they worship–knowingly or unknowingly; physical or ideologies– and expect to be saved. This ignorance is no longer accepted as an excuse. Loss of your soul’s salvation is the worst of the consequences of forsaking the Lord. Do not forsake the Lord.
